Daily Devotionals

Proverbs 13:4

A young fellow rushed into a gas station to use the pay phone. The manager overheard his telephone conversation as he asked: "Sir, could you use a hardworking, honest young man to work for you?" [pause] "Oh...you've already got a hardworking, honest young man? Well, thanks anyway!"

The boy hung up the phone with a smile. Humming to himself, he began to walk away, obviously happy.

"How can you be so cheery?" asked the eavesdropping manager. "I thought the man you talked to already had someone and didn't want to hire you."

Psalm 32:7

Providence. We toss the word around. But have you ever analyzed it?

It comes from the Latin, providentia. Pro means "before" or "ahead of time"; videntia is from videre, meaning "to see."...Put them together and you have "seeing ahead of time," which is what Almighty God does. He sees the events of life ahead of time—something that we of course can never do.

We're great at history. Our hindsight is almost always 20/20. But we're lousy at prophecy, that is, the specifics of the future.

Isaiah 26:3

Disillusionment is a dangerous, slippery slope.

First, we become disillusioned about our fellow man. Then we move on to cynicism. Before long, we trust no one, not even God. We've been burned. We've been taken advantage of; we've been mistreated...

The cause of disillusionment and the cure for it can be expressed in almost the sample simple words.

Proverbs 25:11

Like Jell-O, concepts assume the mould of the words into which they are poured. Who has not been stabbed awake by the use of a particular word...or combinations of words? Who has not found relief from a well-timed word spoken at the precise moment of need? Who has not been crushed beneath the weight of an ill-chosen word? And who has not gathered fresh courage because a word of hope penetrated the fog of self-doubt? The term word remains the most powerful of all four-letter words.

Colours fade.

Shorelines erode.

Temples crumble.

Proverbs 23:12

Can't and won't. Christians need to be very careful which one they choose. It seems that we prefer to use "can't."

"I just can't get along with my wife."

"My husband and I can't communicate."

"I just can't discipline the kids as I should."

"I just can't give up the affair I'm having."

"I can't stop overeating."

"I can't find time to pray."

Any Christian who takes the Bible seriously will have to agree the word here really should be "won't." 

Why?

Proverbs 10:12

"I accept you as you are."

"I believe you are valuable."

"I care when you hurt."

"I desire only what is best for you."

"I erase all offenses."

We could call that the ABCs of love. And I don't know of anybody who would turn his back on such magnetic, encouraging statements. 

There is nothing shallow about authentic love. Nor is it a magic wand we whip out and wave over a problem with a whoosh, hoping all the pain will go away. 

Ecclesiastes 10:10

I don't know of a hotter subject today than success. Magazine articles, books, seminars, and sermons promote it. 

But success is seldom linked with wisdom. Chances are good that if we would pick up last Sunday's paper and read it through, we'd come across 20 or more references to success, yet find nothing added regarding wisdom. 

In today's hype about success, wisdom is conspicuous by its absence. Outside of biblical literature and biblically based books, we hardly even come across the Word….

Psalm 139:3

For Christmas one year we bought our children what was called "Ant City." This consisted of clear plastic plates on either side, filled with sand and ants. 

From our vantage point outside and above, we could see what these busy little creatures were doing underground. We watched as they tunnelled their way around, leaving a maze of trails.

In a similar fashion, God scrutinizes our paths. From where we are, tunnelling along, all we see is the sand immediately ahead, behind, and beside us. 

1 Peter 2:12

Mediocrity is fast becoming the byword of our times. Every imaginable excuse is now used to make it acceptable, hopefully preferred. Budget cuts, time deadlines, majority opinion, and hard-nosed practicality are outshouting and outrunning excellence. Those forces seem to be winning the race. Incompetence and status quo averages are held up as all we can now expect, and the tragedy is that more and more people have virtually agreed. Why worry over the small stuff? Why bother with the genuine now that the artificial looks so real? If the public buys it, why sweat it? 

Philippians 2:1-11

We live in a negative, hostile world. Face it, my friend, the system that surrounds us focuses on the negatives: what is wrong, not what is right; what is missing, not what is present; what is ugly, not what is beautiful; what is destructive, not what is constructive; what cannot be done, not what can be done; what hurts, not what helps; what we lack, not what we have. You question that? Pick up your local newspaper and read it through. See if the majority of the news doesn't concern itself (and the reader) with the negatives. It's contagious!