Posts by John Staiger (Page 25)

If you want to do me a favour, just make sure I get to heaven. These are not words that usually come from a preacher; however, I believe them to be wise words for all of us. For if the apostle Paul saw the potential for being “disqualified for the prize,” and that being, “after I have preached to others,” who are we to take things for granted? (1 Corinthians 9:27). It was Jesus himself who spoke of the superhighway…

Self-examination is useless without humility. In fact, any soul-searching is likely to be shallow and short lived if pride remains resident in our hearts. Therefore, if we are not willing to apply discipline to our shortcomings, then God, being our loving Father, will apply it Himself. It is easy to appreciate brethren who gently coax us in the direction of a better character. But hard seem the blows of brethren who rebuke our foolishness. And lest our injured pride cause…

We have a brother in the Lord in a foreign city who often invites me to come and stay at his home. I laugh and tell him that if I came, he would treat me so well that I would never want to leave. He says, “That would be wonderful, brother. Pease, come and stay for as long as you like.” I would not get to sit idle. For as much as “his castle is my castle,” it is first…

Of all the people you know, who’s names would make it onto a Twenty-first Century Update of Hebrews chapter Eleven? Believe it or not, I wouldn’t expect to see my name. This is not out of a false sense of modesty or fear of things hidden. It is because I know too many great men and women of God whose names would fill those sacred pages many times over. With godly pride we remember the brothers and sisters who have…

Healthy congregations are congregations where the ‘greatest’ and the ‘least’ are not only welcome, but are expected to work together as equals. It is in these congregations that God is truly at work. No one is spoken down to, and no one is resented for their perceived advantages. Each is given talents by the Lord, and each is expected to use them according to their ability (Matthew 25:15). The only way to maintain such a unity of spirit, is to…

You cannot treat a Christian caught up in a “Faith-crisis” as if everything is normal. I would like to say that helping someone through a serious faith-crisis is easy, but that would be untrue. I would also like to say that what triggers a faith-crisis is predictable, but that would be untrue too. However, what I can say is that it is easy to miss someone caught in a faith-crisis and hard to help someone work through it. We have…

When I started walking my son’s dog a phenomenon occurred that I had only heard about previously, but never experienced. Complete strangers, when seeing the dog, lifted their eyes, smiled, waved, and greeted me as if I were escorting a crowned prince on his royal walk. It doesn’t take long to appreciate the blessings that a dog brings. God has wired them, and us, to bring out the best in each other. Treat a dog well and you will experience…

The church is a remarkable group of like-minded souls. When all are dedicated to the Lordship of Christ, they move heaven and earth to rejoice in the goodness that is wrought. People who may not be taken seriously beyond the four walls of the church find a place to serve in the midst of divine dignity. Nowhere else can we all rise to our fullest potential than as a servant in the Lord’s church. However, given the freedom and goodwill…

An elderly friend once pointed out a lady who she had known since childhood. The lady, then in her twilight years, was driving her car. In the car with her were three men, all looking frail. My friend said that one of the men was the father of her children, another her husband, and the last was the man that she had left her husband for. Strangely, the scene did not surprise me. I could just as easily have imagined…

The impassioned cries of a man are heroic to some, but villainous to others. However, Jesus said of all words: “Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19). The world has its own priorities. What a Christian believes to be destructive to society, an unbeliever may see as being productive in his cause. In fact, the unbeliever is not averse to using the Christian’s scruples to support his evil. The only thing that I see as surprising about this is…