The Cooling Stream

Christians should have a combination of a quest for excellence mixed with an enjoyable personality.

They should learn to work hard and love life.

They should strive to teach God’s Word with integrity while living their lives with joy.

People around are watching.

They can tell if Christians are serving “the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2), and if their love for Jesus is coming through in their good works (Eph. 2:10).

Let us serve well, and serve with joy.

Satan tells us to live only for the present, but he knows it will result in our eternal loss.

The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, called us to self-sacrifice and identification with Him.

He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

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There are two voices telling us where to invest our lives.

It’s a risky business to follow the wrong one.

Who do you follow?

Jesus is the great light of the world (John 8:12).

Those who believe in Him are brought out of darkness into His light (Colossians1:12-13). They in turn become lights also.

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What does light do?

It exposes dirt. It lights up the way so that we do not stumble. It discourages works of darkness. It dispels fear. It enables discernment to be made. It enables work to be done.

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What does the light of the gospel do?

It blesses in many different ways.

Christians who walk in it can in turn help others by sharing the knowledge they have concerning life, death, sin, salvation, God, the devil, heaven and hell.

These are important issues that have plagued man on a wide scale. And many are striving to find adequate answers.

The light will then be recognized, not just in words, but also in good deeds, which lead others to praise our Father in heaven.

Forgiveness can stop the cycle of blame, pain as well as vengeance and violence.

Forgiveness is to release, to hurl away, and to free ourselves.


The only thing harder than forgiveness is the alternative.



Let us give ourselves the gift of forgiveness. Is there someone we need to forgive?

Acknowledging our poverty in spirit is humility.

It occurs when we realize our own utter lack of resources to meet life and finds our strength in God.

Such an attitude leads us away from attachment to things to attachment to God and heaven.

The word “poor” here means absolute, abject poverty.

Blessed are those who have realized their own utter helplessness and inadequacy and who have put their whole trust in God.

Such a person will humbly accept the will of God and thus become a citizen of the kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:16

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves brothers and sisters.

Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today.

But this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services.

Very few Christians know the names of their fellow believers who are in prison.....