Daily Devotionals

Matthew 6:19-21

“If you can look into the seeds of time, 
and say which grain will grow, 
and which will not, 
Speak then to me...”

Macbeth, act I, scene 1, line 58 

Who wouldn’t want to hear from someone like that? Who hasn’t felt himself standing on tiptoe, straining to see what lies ahead? Even the writers of a weekly news magazine tried to look beyond today. They didn’t try many predictions but they did ask some tough, sweeping questions. Among them: 

James 3:3–9

We’ve been talking about the rare but essential quality of tact. I mentioned that the classic example of tactless humanity is the abrasive Christian who feels it is his or her calling to fight for the truth with little or no regard for the other fella’s feelings. For all his rapid-fire Scripture quotations, you will rarely find Proverbs 18:19 on the lips of this armored crusader: 

Proverbs 16:21, 23-24, 27

Wisely labelled “the saving virtue,” tact graces a life like fragrance graces a rose. One whiff of those red petals erases any memory of the thorns. 

Tact is like that. 

Throw another log on the fire—Christmas is upon us! The story of Bethlehem's Babe will be told again. We'll sing carols, return to the manger, and watch the bewildered couple as they caress their firstborn. We'll stand in awe of the young family for the umpteenth time...and we'll realize it never grows old!

Acts 2:46-47

Yesterday I told you a story about an amazing feat by Harry Houdini in which he escaped from locked handcuffs before a roaring crowd—incredible stuff! He later admitted that he stopped repeatedly to address the crowd because he needed their applause to keep up his enthusiasm!

Two things set Houdini free: (1) his knowledge of what he knew to be true and (2) the cultivation of his own enthusiasm. 

Hebrews 12:1–3

Erich Weiss was a remarkable man. 

By the time of his death he was famous around the world. 

Never heard of him, huh? 

Maybe this will help. He was born of Hungarian-Jewish parentage at Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1874. He became the highest-paid entertainer of his day. 

That still doesn’t help much, does it? This will. 

1 Peter 2:9-12

Though in time we may laud their boldness and radical qualities, in their day most progressive dreamers are seen as permissive, wild-eyed extremists. 

1 Kings 17–19

Progress seems like a two-headed giant, doesn’t it? 

Looking back on it, it is admirable, almost heroic. We salute visionaries of yesteryear. They emerge from the pages of our history books as men and women of gallant faith. We shake our heads in amazement as we imagine the herculean courage it took to stand so confidently when the majority frowned so sternly. Yesterday’s progress earns for itself today’s monuments of stone. 

Philippians 3:7–11

Jonah 2:1–9

I remember it well. Almost as clearly as if it happened last month. But it didn’t. It happened deep in the summer of ’58. I was a Marine. Almost eight thousand miles of ocean between me and my wife. One-word descriptions of my condition? Disillusioned. Stretched. Learning. Lonely. Determined. Sincere. Uncertain. Afraid.