Devotionals

Philippians 4:11–13

SOMEDAY WHEN THE KIDS ARE GROWN, things are going to be a lot different. The garage won’t be full of bikes, electric train tracks on plywood, sawhorses surrounded by chunks of two-by-fours, nails, a hammer and saw, unfinished “experimental projects,” and the rabbit cage. I’ll be able to park both cars neatly in just the right places, and never again stumble over skateboards, a pile of papers (saved for the school fund drive), or the bag of rabbit food—now split and spilled. Ugh! 

Matthew 7:1–5

Teenagers get a bum rap. Always have. For some reason, if you’re between 12 and 20, you’re suspect. Cops stare and senior citizens glare. Why? Well...

2 Timothy 2:2

I love watching the Summer Olympics. Among my all-time favourite events is the relay race. A team of runners working magnificently in harmony and co-operation to pass the baton to their running mates to finish the race for the gold. What a thrill! The key, as I understand it, lies in the precise technique of passing the baton from one runner to the next. The race cannot be won unless the baton is successfully passed.

Psalm 46:10

Yesterday I told you about Dave Cowens, an NBA star who disappeared one day on a quest for solitude and meaning. I noted that to “find yourself” requires that you take time to look. And it’s essential if you want to be whole person. 

The word is real. It takes time and it usually hurts. 

Mark 1:35

Dave Cowens, one-time star basketball center for the Boston Celtics, disappeared. Without warning, he walked off the practice court, showered, dressed, and drove away. Alone.
 
He kept driving to...somewhere. His only explanation was the familiar comment, “I need to get my head together.” He added that it could take as little as two weeks or as much as ten years. The sportscasters, management, team, spectators, and fans couldn’t imagine what he was looking for. 

I could. 

Colossians 4:5–6

MR PIGS...MR NOT PIGS...OSAR...CM PENZ...LIB...MR PIGS. 

OK, give it a whirl. Read all those words again and translate. If you can—I can tell you what part of the country you’re from. Your speech will betray you...it does every time. 

Philippians 4:8

A person is a product of his or her own thoughts. Thoughts form the thermostat which regulates what we accomplish in life. My body responds and reacts to the input from my mind. If I feed it with doubt, worry, and discouragement, that is precisely the kind of day I will experience. If I adjust my thermostat forward—to thoughts filled with vision, hope, and victory—I can count on that kind of day. You and I become what we think about. 

Isaiah 42:16

Genesis 12:1–5

Judges 11:1-3, 11

Before he ever came to the plate, Jephthah had three strikes against him.