Daily Devotionals

Psalm 139

I grew up in the heyday of radio. (Fact is, I didn't even see a television set until I was a teenager.) If we got our homework done, we could listen to various weeknight radio shows. Remember that spooky line the announcer always gave just before The Shadow came on: "Who knows what evil l-l-lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Then there would be a blood-curdling laugh, which faded away into the distance. I always liked all the lights on when we listened to that program.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13

The past couple of weeks have been some of the toughest of my life. My emotions have spanned the spectrum: shock, sorrow, horror, intense anger, disillusionment, disappointment, and utter bewilderment. I have prayed—without much benefit. I have read the Scriptures from the Psalms and Proverbs to the words of Jesus and various sections of the letters from Paul, Peter, James—without much peace.

Do you teach the Bible? If so, that's great. No other calling is more needed or carries with it greater responsibility. My advice?

    • Study hard
    • Pray for insight
    • Be accurate with facts
    • Be clear in your delivery
    • Take your time. Relive and imagine those scenes
    • Try not to blot out the colour
    • Guard against running a marathon with only seriousness setting your pace

When you happen upon those scenes where the lighter side appears, slow down and call attention to it.

1 Kings 18

Maybe I'm weird, but there are times the Bible makes me laugh. I mean really laugh. The older I get and the more comfortable I feel in the Book, the more I find times when a smiling response is not only appropriate, it's expected.

Like that time when the main event at Mount Carmel brought out 450 idolatrous prophets on one side and Elijah, all alone, on the other. You remember the story (1 Kings 18). Baal versus Jehovah. Big altar, prayer for fire. The One who "answers by fire"...that's the One to follow.

1 Corinthians 6:12

I used to bite my fingernails right down to the quick. I'd bite them off just as soon as the first signs of new growth would appear. Research shows that it takes only three or four weeks for an activity to become a habit.

Not a person who reads this is completely free from bad habits. It's the price we pay for being human. Let's focus on five suggestions that will help us overcome bad habits.

Matthew 18:21-35

I'll forgive...but I'll never forget. We say and hear that so much that it's easy to shrug it off as "only natural." That's the problem! It is the most natural response we can expect. Not supernatural. It also can result in tragic consequences.

James 1

Ever made a mental list of things that irritate you? Here are a few I've got on mine: traffic jams, long lines, misplaced keys, stuck zippers, interruptions, late planes, squeaking doors, incompetence, and flat tires.

One of these days it should dawn on us that we'll never be completely free of irritations as long as we are on this planet. Never. Upon coming to this profound conclusion, we would then be wise to consider an alternative to losing our cool. The secret is adjusting.

Psalm 39

Many great men and women down through the ages have offered counsel on how to keep our tongues checked and caged. Like Will Noris, the American journalist who specialized in rhymes that packed a wallop. He once wrote: "If your lips would keep from slips, / Five things observe with care: / To whom you speak, of whom you speak, / And how...and when...and where."

Publius, the Greek sage, put his finger on a technique we tend to forget when he admitted: "I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."

Mark 1

It was dear old Vance Havner, that venerable, leathery prophet of God, who once declared: "If you don't come apart...you will come apart"—wise counsel based on Mark 1:35.

If you aren't already doing so, I would strongly urge you to begin keeping a personal journal and write in it daily. This will not only help you focus your thoughts during and after your quiet time with God, but will enable you to look back on His footprints in your life.

Make sure this journal includes your prayer diary. Spend time in prayer every day—every single day.

As David, who knew what it meant to be alone with God, wrote: