Daily Devotionals

Philippians 4:6

Anxious.

Intriguing word. It literally means "to be divided" or "distracted."...

We find a perfect illustration of this in the story of Mary and Martha recorded in Luke 10:38-42.

Taking a minute to look into their little abode, we find that Martha is distracted, anxious. Jesus is sitting down talking, and Mary is sitting at His feet, enjoying his presence...and His teachings.

Galatians 5:13

Our world has become a large, impersonal, busy institution.

We are alienated from each other. Although crowded, we are lonely. Distant. Pushed together but uninvolved.

No longer do most neighbours visit across the backyard fence. The well-manicured front lawn is the modern moat that keeps barbarians at bay.

Job 26: 13-14

There are numerous riddles in life that remain wrapped in mystery and shrouded inside an enigma.

The sea, for example, is an unexplainable phenomenon. Who can fathom its tide affected strangely by the moon...? We manage to continue on, though brilliant scientists have been trying to solve and/or explain life's mysteries for years...

but when God leaves us with a mystery that isn't solved in a week or two, most of us go through desperate struggles believing that He is good or fair.

Ephesians 2:8

While most people in the world are busy building towers with the highest hopes of making a name and gaining fame, God's truth sets the record straight.

On the basis of God's Book, His Holy Word, it is my plea that we simply admit our need and claim God's grace.

Instead of striving for a man-made ticket to heaven based on high achievement and hard work (for which we get all the credit), I suggest we openly declare our own spiritual bankruptcy and accept God's free gift of grace.

Luke 14:33

Jesus' words are neither complicated nor vague. He simply says, "If you are going to call yourself one of My Disciples, you must release your grip on materialism."

To keep all this in proper perspective, think of it this way. He is not saying that we cannot possess anything, but things must not be allowed to possess us. To use His words, we must "give up" our possessions.

Corrie ten Boom, that saintly lady who endured such brutality from the Nazis in Ravensbruck during World War II, once said that she had learned to hold everything loosely in her hand.

James 1:4

We're very fickle in our faith, aren't we? We are inconsistent, ambivalent.

We sing"My faith looks up to Thee"...until the medicine stops working, until the lights go out, until the bill comes due and we don't have what it takes to pay it. Until our grades slip or our career takes a turn or we lost a mate...

How do we learn consistent faith?

We learn it one day at a time. We learn it through endurance.

Philippians 4:8

Let me urge you to take charge of your mind and emotions today.

Let your mind feast on nutritious food for a change. Refuse to grumble and criticize! Let your life yield a sweet, winsome melody that this old world needs so desperately.

Fix your attention on these six specifics in life:

Not unreal far-fetched dreams, but things that are true...

Not cheap, flippant, superficial stuff, but things that are honourable...

Not things that are wrong and unjust...but that which is right.

Psalm 119:127-128

The thing I have always appreciated about the bible is that when great truth is given, God frequently incarnates that truth in lives with whom we can identify.

He doesn't stop at theory as He teaches us about the abstract importance of faith. He mentions Abraham as a model "who staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief."

Isaiah 50:5

Our greatest struggle is not in the realm of understanding the will of God; it's in the realm of obeying the God whose will it is.

To be painfully honest, when you and I look back at our lives, we do not find ourselves puzzled and mystified about God's will nearly as much as we find ourselves stubborn and resistant to the One directing our steps.

Our problem isn't that we don't know; our problem is that we do know but aren't willing to follow through.

That's the basic struggle of the Christian life.

Proverbs 20:24

Tests are never wasted.

God never says, "Oops, made a mistake on that one. I shouldn't have given you that. I meant that for Frank. Sorry, Bob."

It's as if the Lord has our name on specific trials. They are specifically designed for us, arranged with our weaknesses and our immaturity in mind. He bears down and doesn't let up.

And we groan and we hurt and we weep and we pray and we grow and we learn. Through it all we learn to depend upon His Word...

The common response to trials is resistance, if not outright resentment.