Daily Devotionals

Matthew 16:24–26

Tom Landry, the late great head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was once quoted as saying something like this: “I have a job to do that is not very complicated, but it is often difficult: to get a group of men to do what they don’t want to do so they can achieve the one thing they have wanted all their lives.”

Coach Landry, in that seemingly contradictory statement, described what discipline is all about ... doing what we don’t want to do so we can accomplish what we’ve always wanted.

2 Corinthians 12:8–9

It is not God’s will that everyone be physically healed.

Those who believe it is, usually support their claims with the words of Isaiah:

He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed (Isaiah 53:5).

1 Timothy 6:6–8

May I invite you to the shores of Lake Contentment?

Undisturbed by outside noises brought on by the jackhammers of exaggeration, those who enjoy the lake know what relaxation is all about. They know nothing of any winter of discontent (or spring or fall or summer, for that matter). Such an existence breeds security and happiness.

Matthew 6:19–21

I once read that the average American is exposed to about three hundred advertisements a day. Today that number has increased many times over.

The Internet article from which I read that fact was cluttered with advertisements, most of them with little interest to the reader. Pop-up ads, brash banners, and flashing digital attractions all lead us into a world of exaggerated make-believe, convincing us that we simply cannot live without the stuff!

2 Timothy 4:13

I will never forget being aboard a huge troop ship sailing from Taiwan to America. A lazy afternoon led me to a book of poetry, which I began to devour with delight. I was suddenly struck with the realization that someone was staring at me. Looking up, I saw a fellow Marine who outranked me by a couple of stripes. I expected him to order me into some duty, but to my surprise, he asked: “Hey, Marine, you got any books with pictures in ’em?” Knowing him, he probably would have coloured outside the lines!

Psalm 127:1, 3, 5

There’s no substitute for the family! I’m sure you can recall times in your own family that make you chuckle.

Psalm 128:1, 3

Before supper one night, I suggested to my son Curtis (who was six) that he shouldserveCharissa (four) before he served himself. Naturally, he wondered why, since the platter of chicken sat directly in front of him and he was starving. I explained it is polite for fellas to serve girls before they serve themselves. The rule sounded weird to him, but he was willing if she didn’t take too long.

Surprisingly, after prayer, he picked up the huge platter, held it in front of his sister, and asked which piece of chicken she wanted.

Proverbs 12:18

Politics have always been fraught with heated words, but social media has become a new medium for spreading contempt. People feel freer to share their hateful words from behind the safety of their screens, with little thought of who those words may hurt. In these days of harsh political rancour and vicious verbal mudslinging, Solomon’s counsel on the importance of weighing our words comes as a soothing balm to our souls:

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing (Proverbs 12:18).

Luke 7:12–15

Tact graces a lifelike fragrance graces a rose. One whiff of those red petals erases any thought of the thorns.

Tact is like that. It’s remarkable how peaceful and pleasant it can make us.

Its major goal is avoiding unnecessary offence ... and that alone ought to make us desire it. Remember the teacher you had who lacked tact? Learning was sacrificed daily on the altar of fear. You wondered each session if that was the day you’d be singled out and embarrassed through some verbal put-down in front of the class.

1 Peter 2:9

There are few things more frustrating than encountering individuals content to remain living in the status quo. I call those folks people with a “No” face! Many are so fearful of change, they cocoon themselves in well-guarded shelters of skepticism, doubt, rigidity, and even fear.

Even worse are those who for unknown reasons choose to remain in bondage to their sin—huddled in dark shadows of unbelief. But as followers of Christ, none of that ought to describe you or me.