Thoughts from Within

I love sports. Not all sports... just American ones... baseball, American football, basketball. Don't hate me, but you can have your soccer and hockey. Now, as to the aforementioned sports.. they appeal to me. They have for as long as I can remember. I was around ten or eleven when I really began to take note of certain athletes. Ones I aspired to be like. My favorite growing up was Bo Jackson. He was a two-sport athlete -- football and baseball. He was a beast of a man. He was big and powerful, yet, on the ball diamond, he had a grace about him. He took swings that were mighty, yet smooth. His form in the batter's box was impeccable. In the outfield, he could chase down what would normally be gap-bound doubles with ease. If you've followed sports going back to the late '80s and early '90's, you may even remember the highlight of Bo making a catch on the dead run and running up the side of the outfield wall because his momentum couldn't be stopped. On the...

As we strive to project the Gospel in our daily lives, we are to display boldness. Boldness is simply taking a stand without fearing the repercussions or consequences of that stand. The Bible says in Acts 4:31, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." Boldness is a good trait to have in light of spreading the Gospel; in fact, it is a trait most leaders possess. However, being bold can be used as a tool of discouragement if abused. It can empower the tongue (or keypad) to voice opinions and judgments that are contrary to the will of God, and when that happens, we lose credibility for the Gospel.  I recently ran across something very helpful on the internet the other day that I am going to try to keep in mind. I did expound on them a bit. Here they are: Boldness doesn't justify: Poor planning. Why plan? The bold individual has i...

The story of David and Goliath is so common that many of us read through it and only take out of it what is obvious and familiar. This morning, in my Bible reading, the Holy Spirit gave me something more on which to dwell. In I Samuel 17, David left his sheep to check up on his brothers in battle only to have Eliab, his oldest brother, belittle and discourage him. In verse 33, Saul offers his own discouragement and says, "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine." In verse 39, Saul's armor discourages David. Lastly, Goliath himself discourages David and says, "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" His King, his family, his security and his foe offered David little encouragement, yet we find his confidence came from the LORD. Verses 45-46 say, "I will come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts," and "This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand." So often, I try to take refuge in my own ability. I must remember...