Guidelines For Living Devotional

What Did Jesus Really Look Like?

It's an amazing fact, yet true: the writers of the four Gospels never gave to the world an actual description of what Jesus Christ really looked like.  Nevertheless, there is an actual description of the appearance of Christ.  One of the few that has survived the centuries is said to have been written by the governor of Judea, Publius Lentulus.

How Do I Get To Know Jesus?

Author Philip Yancey grew up in church.  But he experienced a lot of confusion over what he learned about God and what he experienced in life.  He wrote a book that shatters a lot of our cherished ideals and the images we have grown up with. He called the book, The Jesus I Never Knew.

How To Start Putting Your Faith In God

"Seeing is believing," so goes the old saying, yet from God's point of view, the very opposite is true.  Believing brings spiritual vision, which clears the brain of fuzzy negative thinking.  I've been thinking of the incident which took place as Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, where He was to die.  He knew this.  A sense of urgency drove Him towards the Holy City.  Jesus sensed that what would take place in Jerusalem was the very purpose for which He had come.   What would happen was the main event of the ages.  But as Jesus was leaving Jericho to take the road up to Jerusalem, He encountered a blind man—actually two of them—who cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"  When Jesus heard this, He stopped.  From a social standpoint, they weren't important.  They really didn't count, but they counted with Jesus. 

Begin Seeking God's Forgiveness Today

"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him," wrote Solomon 3,000 years ago.  Numbers three and four on that list of character disorders which the Bible calls sins are "hands that shed innocent blood," and "a heart that devises wicked schemes."

Discover The Importance Of Honesty In Your Relationships

Rebekah lived in a polygamous society where the women were property and beautiful women were commodities to be purchased at the cost of gold or blood.  Isaac, her husband, knew this all too well; so when he was asked, "Who is this woman?"  he lied out of fear, saying, "She is my sister!" And why not?  Who keeps faith with the enemy?  A generation before, his father, Abraham, had essentially done the same thing to try to protect his mother.  You can read about both incidents in the book of Genesis.  This issue of lying to protect someone when the very act of dishonesty only endangers relationships all the more is not new.  The incidents which I related took place almost 5,000 years ago, yet the issue is as relevant as your wife's most recent visit with her neighbor or best friend.

Why The Habit Of Lying Is Harmful

The practice of dishonesty is the second taboo on God's list of what He detests (See Proverbs 6:16-19).  While God loves the sinner, He certainly dislikes some of his habits.  Question:  On a scale of 1-10, how honest are you?  Would you say you are honest all of the time?  Most of the time?  Part of the time?  Or whenever it suits your purpose?

How To Identify Pride In Your Life

The Bible leaves no question about where God stands in relationship to what He loves and what He hates.  And furthermore, He makes it clear that He expects His people to incorporate His view in their personal lives. "There are six things the LORD hates," wrote Solomon in the book of Proverbs, and the first to be mentioned is pride.  A lot of things could have been at the top of the list, yet arrogance and pride are especially distasteful to our heavenly Father. Why?  Why not put drunkenness or infidelity at the top of that list?  Why not drug use, or wars which tear families and nations apart?

6 Things The Lord Hates

When you have poor credit, banks usually refuse to loan you money; however, one loan company advertises that they will make loans when others turn you away because "you are human."   Interesting--is it not--how often we overlook irresponsibility because "we are just human."   How inconsiderate of banks not to loan money when you have a past record of failing to pay your debts!

What Is The Meaning Of Spiritual Light?

One of the remarkable things about life today is the fact that science knows so much about some things and so little about some other things which are very common, and we tend to take those things for granted—not sensing how very important they are to our survival.

How God's Light Can Change Lives

A coal miner was trapped by an accident deep in the heart of the earth, and after the initial shock of realizing what had happened, the man took inventory to see how badly he was hurt.  His carbon lantern, the only light that he had, was buried under the debris which had covered him.  But his hands were free.  One leg was pinned by a large timber.  After the initial shock, he knew that he was pretty badly bruised and frightened.  Who wouldn't be scared?