When you are insulted, persecuted, or slandered for your full surrender to Christ, do you endure or give up? The source of the insults might be a spouse, co-worker, friend, or foe. In any event, he is threatened by full surrender to Christ because he doesn’t want to surrender something. When this hardship for our […]

What do you add to your devotion to God to satisfy your desires? The equation usually looks like this: (God + __________ = satisfaction). What do you place in your blank? It might be money, sex outside of God’s design, porn, risk, a rush, a smoke, a toke, a drink, or a line. It might […]

Where do you go to satisfy your desires? Jesus gave the secret to satisfaction in the greatest speech ever given when he addressed an estimated 20,000 followers along the mountainside outside Capernaum. He taught that we find satisfaction through surrender to Christ who brings us into the kingdom of heaven, His will for our lives. […]

Do you desire any life apart from God? That’s sin, which leaves a gap between God and us, accompanied by a desire to have it filled (Isaiah 59:2). It’s a vicious cycle. We attempt to satisfy our sinful desires apart from God through unrighteousness and then try to fill the resulting gap with our self-righteousness. […]

Have you ever been harsh? Something flawed inside each of us says that we can satisfy our desires by being harsh. Whether at the airline counter or the fast food line, in the checkout isle or the exit lane, on the basketball sidelines or the telephone lines, we believe that harshness will satisfy our desires. […]

Do you find yourself guarding your emotions in order to numb the pain? Jesus offered a healing alternative in His second of eight secrets to satisfaction through surrender: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Who are satisfied? “Those who mourn” are satisfied (Matthew 5:4). The Bible records three reasons […]

A friend of mine experienced the adrenaline rush of driving his Maserati Spyder from a service appointment to his picturesque suburban Texas home where he parked the rolling sculpture in his garage. After making sure his Italian beauty was tucked away, he hopped into his wife’s vehicle and headed to their local Einstein Bros. Bagels […]

Each of us travels Restoration Road or Desperation Road. The pathway depends on the condition of our hearts. Jesus told a parable of seed that scattered on the road, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil. In His story, Jesus sowed the seed, which was a picture of the word of God. The substance […]

A few years ago, I boarded a plane to the Orient. A friend had invited me to speak about sand, stone, and clay in one of the most unexpected places. Fourteen hours later, I stepped off the plane into the humidity of the Philippines. Over the next seven days, I shared my journey on Restoration […]

Several years ago, I received a telephone call from my grandfather, Russell, asking me to meet him at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne where he would hear the results of his heart tests. I finished my appointment and met him at the heart center. We both waited patiently until the doctor entered the examination room. […]

SINNER AND SAINT One of my greatest encouragers was Grandpa Russell. I probably shared more stories back and forth with him than I did with any other human being. At 84 years old, Grandpa Russell traveled with Dad and me to the Brickyard for Carburetion Day. While he was entering Dad’s motor-coach, Russell was really […]

Are you locked outside the celebration of the kingdom of heaven? The Restorer holds the Master Key of full surrender to unlock the gate of your heart to Restoration Road. That Master Key is cross-shaped. Full surrender vertically to God leads to humility horizontally toward others. When He walked the earth, He clarified inside a […]

Are you trying to earn God’s forgiveness through acts of self-righteousness? Perhaps you think that you will pay Him back for all your wrongdoings. Jesus said, “My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30b). This meant that an invoice was paid in full. Those who surrender to Him are forgiven. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is […]

Jesus described two gates, two roads, and two destinations: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Notice […]