Most people are familiar with the imagery of the carrot and stick when it comes to behavioral motivation. Imagine someone trying to get a stubborn mule moving down the road. One may dangle a carrot in front of the animal, as an incentive to get going. Or, one may smack its backside to produce forward motion. In the workplace, both the carrot and the stick may be utilized. Managers may dangle the carrot of incentive for good work, or they may pick up the stick of consequen

In John 6, Jesus feeds 5000 men and their families with five barley loaves and two fish. The next day, Jesus says these words to the crowd he fed. "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you" (Jn. 6:27). This teaching precedes the famous saying, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (v. 35). Jesus has fed their bodies, an

In Ephesians 1:11-12, Paul speaks of the inheritance that we have in Christ. All who believe in Jesus inherit eternal life (Mt. 19:29), the kingdom of God (Mt. 25:34), and the promises of salvation (Heb. 6:12). Looking more closely at Ephesians 1:11-14, we find that while we "have obtained an inheritance" (Eph. 1:11), there is yet a day coming when "we acquire possession of it" (Eph. 1:14). It is ours, and it is not yet ours. How can that be? Recently, my parents asked the

If you're like most Christians, then you want to grow in your prayer life. You want to pray more, and you want to pray more effectively. Maybe you find your mind wandering, your language repeating, and your perseverance waning...after about 5 minutes. One way to grow in prayer is to let the truth of the Bible feed the substance - the content - of your prayers. For example, yesterday, we studied Ephesians 1:7-10 in our Sunday morning service (If you'd like to listen, the li