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The human impulse to rush to judgment has always existed, but now it is common to believe whatever we hear and then post outrage using social media. But what if in our use of social media we applied the concepts of innocent until proven guilty, and from the mouth of Jesus, “Do to others as you would have them do to you”?

I am a great believer in Christian higher education. But the doctrinal statements published in many Christian colleges, including some at which I’ve spoken in the past, are simply false advertising (also known as lying).

Many evangelical Christians are speaking grace without truth, while others are speaking truth without grace. But Scripture tells us this about Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

When Paul uses the term spiritual body, he is not talking about a body made of spirit, or a nonphysical body—there is no such thing. A body, by definition, is physical—flesh and bones. The word spiritual here is an adjective that describes the body; it doesn’t negate its meaning.

To overcome stress you must either change your circumstances or your perceptions. You can change some circumstances, of course, but many you cannot.

Believers periodically tell me versions of the following: “We shouldn’t be thinking about reunion with loved ones, or the joys of Heaven. We should only be thinking about being united with Christ, who is our only treasure.” This sounds spiritual, but is it?

Can you imagine anyone saying on his or her deathbed, “I wish I’d bought more stuff”? If we truly understood both the present and the eternal results of giving, we’d never hesitate or wonder whether it’s worthwhile to give now.

We delude ourselves when we think we have ultimate control over our lives. It often comes down to this: what we really want is to make our own plans and do our own thing. We don’t want anyone, including God, to impose His plans on us.

When I’ve been snorkeling, I often think how incredible it is to get a glimpse of all the things God governs that go on in the universe, 99.99999% of which we never see or think about!

God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He uses our sense of human weakness and inadequacy not only to build our character, but also to manifest His strength and grace to us and through us.

Sometimes we read Scripture about rejoicing or trusting and think, Easy to say, but you’re not facing what I am. But few people have faced conditions as dire as Habakkuk, with the impending destruction of his nation, family, friends, and entire way of life.

There are people who reason, If I give generously, I’ll have to worry about where the money will come from to replace what I’ve given. But Jesus teaches that generous giving isn’t a cause for insecurity and worry. It’s a cure for it.

Jesus says, “Don’t give up! Pray for God’s help” (see Luke 18:1). Some readers will be suspicious of this because they’ve heard “Just read the Bible and pray, and that will solve everything.” No, it won’t solve everything, but nothing will be solved without it. Jesus knew what He was talking about.

Our perceptions—much more than our circumstances—are the building blocks with which we construct our lives. No matter what the circumstances and stress, our view of life determines our level of joy and contentment.