While having private devotions in October 2018, I came across a verse in Song of Solomon 1:6. God's Spirit spoke very powerfully to me on that day. Being a person who loves to be busy serving in ministry (i.e., tending others' gardens), I had forgotten the importance of "tending my own garden," (i.e., remembering the priority of personal piety, or holiness). I confessed my sin that day and am seeking to keep a guard over my soul. At the same time, I was praying about a topic for a pastors'...

I have a relative who wonderfully illustrates the theme of this book. Many years ago, not long after he was married (1972), he found himself in a precarious situation. His car would no longer run and not being a mechanic, he took it to a local shop to find out the problem. Like many people he really depended upon his automobile for daily living, i.e., work, shopping, etc.. He dropped off the car and waited for the phone call to inform him of the problem. To say the least he was embarrassed...

An important principle in the business world is to be prepared. When it comes to suffering in the Christian life, being prepared is eminently more important. Why? In Luke 14, Jesus gives two easily understood scenarios to emphasize this point: going out to battle and building a tower. Unpreparedness in either realm can prove disastrous. To be unprepared in a business deal may cost the loss of a sale or revenue. But to be unprepared in the Christian life has eternal consequences. This book,...

While having private devotions in October 2018, I came across a verse in Song of Solomon 1:6. God’s Spirit spoke very powerfully to me on that day. Being a person who loves to be busy serving in ministry (i.e., tending others’ gardens), I had forgotten the importance of “tending my own garden,” (i.e., remembering the priority of personal piety, or holiness). I confessed my sin that day and am seeking to keep a guard over my soul. At the same time, I was praying about a topic for a pastors’...