Reliable Truth

How do you measure a man's life? What are your aspirations for the rest of your life? What are your dreams? I want to share with you four thoughts today to help you evaluate your life as it relates to what I call the performance trap. I’d ask you to be honest with yourself, because I think it’s a very healthy thing to examine yourself, to know yourself. In fact, John Calvin says that wisdom consists of two parts: knowledge of God and knowledge of self. So, it’s a healthy thing to understand yourself. Please join me and listen in!

Can the human heart be changed? Can it be transformed to do good? I invite you to join me in considering these questions.Many years ago, in its infancy, Time magazine asked several hundred prominent philosophers and theologians to write a response to the question, “What is Wrong with the World?” G.K. Chesterton, the celebrated English journalist and novelist, was among those contacted. He wrote back: "Gentlemen, In response to your question, 'What is Wrong with the World?' I am. - Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton"

Many years ago I asked a group of men if they believed human morality was improving and if we were becoming a better society. To my surprise a bright attorney quickly responded, “Absolutely.” I was dumbfounded. He proceeded to share his optimism about the future as if human beings were perfectible and that a Utopian society might be achievable in our lifetime. That was well over twenty-five years ago and I wonder if he has changed his mind.In his early years, the great twentieth century thinker and author H.G. Wells believed passionately in the perfectibility of human beings in our society. Yet shortly before his death, Wells completed his final work, The Mind at the End of Its Tether. In it, he concluded that "there is no hope for mankind." Can the human heart be changed? Can it be transformed to do good? I invite you to join me in considering these questions.

If there is a God out there, why did He put me here? What is the reason for my earthly existence?  Join Richard today as he discusses these questions from his newest book, The Reason For Life. Today's podcast comes from the "Good Morning, Ozarks" show with KLFC Radio in Branson, Missouri. To get your FREE copy of Richard's new book, The Reason For Life, text WISDOM to 33777. Get yours today!

The decisions and choices we make are the foundation of our life. Jordan Peterson says our choices either lead to order or they lead to chaos. They lead to excellence or they lead to mediocrity. You see, life is not made by the dreams you dream. It is made by the choices you make. Do you need wisdom for your life? Join us and listen in today!

As we enter 2019, I want to address an issue that has great influence on our individual lives, though we generally are not very aware of it. I would like to introduce it through a riddle. Can you guess the answer?

Stanford psychologist Phillip Zimbardo made this observation, “There is nothing more detrimental to a person’s life than isolation. There is no more destructive influence on physical and mental health than the isolation of you from me and us from them.” Yet, incredibly, we trivialize human existence and human relationships with the excuse of time-demands and the pressures of work. Can a person be truly happy if they struggle with loneliness? Join me to listen in on my thoughts on this.

Harvard Business Review recently reported that, “Loneliness is a growing health epidemic. We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s."Why is human loneliness so problematic? Why does it cause such harm and dysfunction? There seems to be something in our wiring that requires us to be in relationships with others if we are to be healthy people.This issue, I believe, strikes at the heart of the existence of God, the reason we are here, and what we are designed to do. When we live as we were designed - to think, to reason, to communicate, to love and be relational - we flourish.

We are all fighting battles of some kind. The truths of the Bible serve as a powerful comfort in difficult times and teach us how to respond to adversity. What battles are you fighting?

Last year I wrote a book titled, The Power of a Humble Life. In the book I write that “Humble people are grateful people.” This is one of the main qualities that characterizes the lives of the humble. They recognize who deserves the credit for everything in their lives. True heartfelt thanksgiving is a way in which we humble ourselves. Are you cultivating a thankful heart today?