King David proclaimed: “The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:10). The word Selah was later added to the end of this psalm and many others. Some believe it refers to an instrumental interlude because the psalms were often set to music. Biblical scholars also suggest other possible meanings, including “silence,” “pause,” “interruption,” “accentuate,” “exalt,” or “end.”

In 2006, while promoting the film Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone surprised Christians with what he revealed. He said that his faith in Jesus Christ had not only influenced the writing of the first Rocky film but that his decision to create the final movie was inspired by his renewed affiliation with Christianity. As part of this transformation, Stallone realized that a poor choice had previously guided his life—self-reliance. He says, “You need to have the expertise and the guidance of someone else.” Stallone learned something that many people are beginning to acknowledge—we need God and we need other people. . .

It seems that most of our struggles revolve around wanting something we don’t have or having something we don’t want. Our deepest longings and our greatest challenges are deeply rooted in trying to see the hand of God in these two facts of life. This is where Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus begins.The aging Elizabeth longed for a baby. For the young and engaged Mary, however, pregnancy should have been a disgrace. But when both learned they would have a child, they accepted the news with faith in the God whose timing is perfect and for whom nothing is impossible . . .

Would you pay the bill for the people in the car behind you at a fast-food drive-thru—even if you didn’t know them?That was the challenge given by a local Christian radio station to change their community. It was called “The Drive-Thru Difference.” The goal was to do a Christlike act of kindness for people who didn’t expect it and to leave a note saying you did it because of your love for Christ.Why do this? . . .

On November 14, 1970, a plane crash took the lives of most of the Marshall University football team, the coaching staff, and many community leaders of Huntington, West Virginia. Seventy-five lives were lost in the crash, which devastated the university and the community. Two of the people who lost loved ones were Paul Griffen and Annie Cantrell. Their stories intertwined because Griffen’s son, Chris, was Annie’s fiancé. When Chris died, their lives were plunged into a year of pain that seemed unbearable. Why? Because, as Paul told Annie in the film portraying this tragedy, “Grief is . . .

The maple trees in my front yard are the last to lose their leaves in the autumn. So, on a frigid November day, I was grumbling to myself as I raked and bagged the last of my leaves.Then a cheery voice said, “Good morning!” The woman who reads our gas meter had walked up unnoticed. I asked, “And how are you on this blustery morning?”“I’m richly blessed,” she said with a smile. After a quick attitude adjustment, I replied, “So am I. Isn’t God wonderful?”“He sure is,” she answered. “Are you a believer in Jesus too?” . . .

Many today seek stardom by trying to get into the media spotlight. But a young Jewish captive achieved “stardom” in a better way.When Daniel and his friends were taken captive by a ruthless invading nation, it was unlikely that they would be heard from again. But the godly young men soon distinguished themselves as intelligent and trustworthy.When the king had a dream that his wise men could not repeat nor interpret . . .

A growing number of churches are holding annual Blue Christmas services for those faced with grief and loss. The holiday season’s emphasis on happiness and good cheer often makes people who are dealing with heartbreak feel even worse.An Associated Press article quoted a pastor who described the Blue Christmas service as “an opportunity for people to come and be in the presence of God and acknowledge their grief and despair and loneliness and give it to God.” One participant added . . . 

Have we “sold out” the way Esau did? (Heb. 12:16). Has the lure of wealth, power, prestige, position, security, style, or the approval and praise of others led us to barter away God’s riches for a single meal?Esau sought to change his father’s mind and gain the inheritance he had forfeited by his duplicity, but he could not set right the damage he had done. He had to live with his decision. Neither can we turn back the clock and undo the wrong we have done to ourselves and to others.Although the past is irrevocable, there can be a new. . .

Names are important. Parents may spend months researching and deciding on the perfect name for their baby. Often their final decision is based on its sound, uniqueness, or meaning.One woman took on a new name because she disliked her original name. She mistakenly believed that changing it could alter her destiny. That’s not likely, but for those who trust in Jesus as their Savior and are identified by His name from that time on, a radical transformation does take place.There is a powerful significance attached to the name . . .

Sharon’s favorite Christmas gift last year from her husband Andy was an antique treasure chest. Inside were three boxes with additional gifts of chocolates and jewelry. She enjoyed each gift within the gift.When God sent His Son Jesus to be the Savior of the world, He gave us many gifts within the Gift. Now when people receive the gift of Jesus, they also receive these special gifts, which they could obtain in no other way: . . .

I love my garden. But living in the Midwestern US during winter reduces my beautiful garden to a frozen, snow-covered, barren landscape.It wasn’t like that in Eden. Eden was a breathtakingly beautiful garden year-round. And it was in that garden that Adam and Eve basked in the stunning creation of God and the joy of perfect harmony with Him and with each other. Until, that is, Satan arrived on the scene, bringing weeds, thorns, destruction, and death. . .

Every so often when I walk into my office in the morning, I find a surprise on my desk. Not long ago the item was a sunflower coffee mug dropped off by a fellow employee. She had seen it in a shop and knew it would cheer up my wife—so she bought it and left it on my desk with an encouraging note.It was my pleasure to take that gift home to my wife Sue and to give it to her in the name of the woman who wanted to encourage her.

Jon Krakauer, author and mountain climber, was determined to reach the “roof of the world,” the peak of Mt. Everest. In an arduous ascent that killed some of his fellow climbers, he persevered. On May 10, 1996, he reached the summit.“I understood on some dim, detached level that [the sweep of earth beneath my feet] was a spectacular sight,” wrote Krakauer of that moment. “I’d been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, I just couldn’t summon the energy to care.”

In the off-season of baseball, managers and coaches concentrate on trading players to set themselves up for a winning season the next year. But if you are a Chicago Cubs fan like I am, you don’t expect much because we haven’t won a championship in years! That made the promise from a newly acquired player for the Cubs sound rather incredible. To a packed press conference, he said, “We are going to win the World Series!” I have to admit, it was hard not to be skeptical. It sounded like a promise that most likely he couldn’t deliver. . .