Person

Reverend Luther Bridgers began preaching when he was seventeen and a student at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky. There he met his wife, and by his mid-twenties, Reverend Bridgers had a growing family and a busy ministry of preaching, evangelism, and church-planting. His life was filled with God’s blessings.  One day while his wife and children were visiting grandparents, tragedy struck. “Fire! Fire!”  The house was quickly engulfed in flames. The grandparents somehow managed to escape, but Mrs. Bridgers and her three young sons were trapped inside! As the flames swiftly consumed the house, the gathering neighbors sadly realized that nothing could be done to save the four souls trapped inside.  Soon the news of the fire and the lost lives reached Reverend Bridgers, who had been preaching in a nearby town. The devastating loss of his wife and children gripped the preacher’s soul. For several months the grieving man was too stunned to continue his ministry. However, he knew he could find his encouragement in the Lord. Reverend Bridgers eventually turned from his sorrow to looking to God alone. God restored the man’s joy. Four years later the reverend remarried and continued his Gospel ministry. Reverend Bridgers wrote the words […]

There are those that send out the message: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you are under the Law. You are not obligated to keep commandments because you are under grace. You have freedom in Christ.” . . . Yet Christ Himself said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Flexibility is an important and necessary character quality, yet the word flexibility is not used in the Bible. Thus, a search for the concept of flexibility must be carried out. One must understand that being flexible will usually involve change and that change will often result in tension.

Orderliness is easier to maintain when we keep only those things that are needed, have a place for everything we kee, an keep things in good repair.

Cautiousness is recognizing that we have natural inclinations that are opposite to God’s ways. These tendencies seem right but lead to destruction and death. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).

Even though God and others expect us to be dependable, God knows that the ability to demonstrate such a quality does not reside within us—our strength must come from Him.

Diligence is accepting each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to do it quickly and skillfully. Our motivation for diligent labor is to realize that we do not work for just an earthly employer, but that we are actually employed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

In every person's heart, there is a deep longing for security. Unfortunately, we tend to look for security in temporal things that perish rather than in realities that cannot be taken away.

We have a tendency to do work as thoroughly as is necessary to pass the inspection of those who assign us the job. However, true thoroughness is motivated by the awareness that each job we do will be personally inspected by the Lord.

Being punctual is living in harmony with the nature of God (Who is always precisely on time). It should be part of our motivation to make the best use of every minute of each day, in light of the imminent return of Christ.

Gentleness is demonstrated in our responses to others, especially those who are under our care. The gentleness that comes from true wisdom is the result of an understanding heart.

Enthusiasm in the soul is like a candle. It gives light, but it is self-consuming. On the other hand, enthusiasm generated in the spirit is like the flame of an oil lamp. As long as we are filled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, enthusiasm, like an oil-filled lamp, will burn indefinitely.

Gratefulness is expressing sincere appreciation to God and to others for the ways that they have benefited my life. Gratefulness is the foundation of a believer’s walk with God and of God’s daily will for our lives. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Hospitality should be a natural response of those who practice the teachings of Jesus, because hospitality demonstrates the love and light of God. Love and light do not choose their recipients; they are available to all who need them.

Patience is welcoming trials and tribulations as friends and allowing them to perfect our character. The trials Job endured were terrible disasters. Yet his response reveals the purifying and perfecting that patience in trials can produce in a believer’s life.

God’s primary calling for every believer is to be a witness of His truth. Persuasiveness is communicating truth to a person’s spirit through sound reasoning and convincing him to follow the ways of God.

A powerful testimony to the worldwide recognition of the importance of diligence.

Availability is simplifying our daily needs so we are ready and able to serve those whom God brings to us. Jesus called His disciples to a life of availability. The whole concept of discipleship is rooted in being available for training and serving.

Every important relationship in life must be built on loyalty. Marriages must be based on this quality, or they will not survive. Leaders look for this quality as a primary qualification for those who serve.

A lack of forgiveness creates bitterness, and bitterness is like the disease of leprosy. Those who have leprosy lose any sensation of pain. Similarly, those who are bitter are often unaware of how they hurt people.