Devotionals

Acts 7; Acts 17

Billy Wilder, the great movie producer, openly admitted: "I have a vast and terrible desire never to bore an audience." With tacit agreement Jack Parr once declared: "The greatest sin is to be dull."

Those two statements ought to haunt anyone who regularly practices the fine art of communication.

Matthew 6

"How much does it cost?" "What's it worth?" These two questions may sound alike, but they are different. Very different.

"Cost" is the amount of money it takes to complete a purchase...the bill, the tab, the monetary expense required to accomplish a financial transaction. "Worth" is the usefulness of the object...the benefit, value, and importance of the thing purchased. It is the long-lasting return we derive from the item. Justification for paying a certain cost is usually determined on the basis of the personal worth that accompanies the purchase.

1 Kings 3, 1 Kings 11

Solomon's life reminds me of the swing of a pendulum. Smooth and graceful...silent and elegant...yet periodically given to extremes.

Wisdom, loyalty, diplomacy, and efficiency marked his attitude and acts during the early years of his reign. Best of all, "Solomon loved the LORD" (1 Kings 3:3). His achievements could not be listed on 10 pages. When visited by surrounding magistrates, he was viewed with awe. And rich? Multiplied millions annually. And creative? He was an architect, songwriter, artist, author, and inventor of unparalleled ability.

Joshua 20

The law of supply-and-demand is something we face every day. Because there are those who need, there must also be those who provide. There are employers and employees. There are counsellors and counselees. There are teachers and teachees (I couldn't resist).

But it breaks down when it comes to refugees. There aren't enough "refugers" to meet the demand.

2 Corinthians 10:11-12

No hypocrisy, no competition. Wouldn't that be refreshing to live such a life? It all comes to those with a "renewed mind"...those who determine they are going to allow the Spirit of God to invade all those walls and towers, capturing the guards that have kept Him at arm's length all these years.

Romans 11:33-36; 2 Peter 3

For the next few minutes, imagine this scene:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for...the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! (2 Peter 3:10-12)

Galatians 3

It's easy to get confused these days. "Out of control" isn't what we want to be. People who drink too much are said to be "out of control." Those who worry too much become emotionally "out of control." The same goes for those who go too far with anything: prescription drugs, food, fitness, sex, work—you name it.

Isaiah 51

My younger daughter and I sat and stared in silence. It had been well over 40 years since I'd seen the sight. For her, it was a first. It was a tiny, plain, unimpressive garage apartment, leaning and peeling with age. It was the place of my birth.

As the little South Texas town of El Campo faded in the rear-view mirror, the contrast between my life in the mid 1930s and my life today stood out in bold relief. I blurted out, "I feel like a turtle on a fence post." Startled, my daughter asked for an explanation.

Proverbs 13:4, 9; 20:4

I just looked up the definition of "thorough" in my dictionary. Mr. Webster says it means "carried through to completion, careful about detail, complete in all respects." Somehow, I find that a convicting definition. Few indeed are those who finish what they start—and even fewer do a complete job of it when they do finish a task.

Philippians 4:13-14

I honestly believe that "forgetting" is the hardest part of "forgiving." Forgetting is something shared with no other person. It's a solo flight. And all the rewards are postponed until eternity...but how great they will be on that day! Forgetting requires the servant to think correctly which means our full focus must be on the Lord and not on humanity. By God's grace, it can happen.

Ask yourself these two questions:

Is there someone or something I have refused to forget, which keeps me from being happy and productive?