Guidelines For Living Devotional

Why God Chose A Baby

"I have often wondered," wrote Guy Duffield, "why the Roosevelts, the Rockefellers and the Kennedys wanted to go through all the agony and conflict of seeking and holding public offices.  They certainly did not need the money.  I think I have found the answer; it is self‑expression.  It has been the desire of every human heart throughout history.  A Michelangelo did it in marble; a Shakespeare with pen and ink; a Sir Christopher Wren achieved it in the more than 50 churches he designed and built."

What Mary And Joseph Knew

Childbirth is surely one of the most uncomfortable times in any woman's life.  It's a time when a husband, at a loss to help with the actual birthing process, would want to provide the most comfortable environment for his laboring wife.  But the Christmas Story, the accounts given us in the four Gospels, indicate that few comforts were Mary and Joseph's as they stopped in Bethlehem at a very vulnerable and physically uncomfortable time. 

Are You Actually A Christian?

It was an old historic church and I was a young preacher who was honored to have been invited to speak for the Sunday service.  My host was a gray-haired gentleman who had been in that church for more than 60 years so it was only natural that I wanted to extract as much wisdom and personal experience from him as I could muster.

Can God Really Do Anything?

Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" Some three times, that question is asked in Scripture. But how would you answer it? Today we are faced with a quandary. Either we nod our heads and say, "Yes! God can do anything," unsure of whether we really believe this, or else we are confronted with empty hands and hearts, wondering why God didn't step in and reverse some troublesome situations confronting us.

Here Is The Touch That Heals

Once you have seen the hand of God that reaches out towards His created subjects, you will never forget it.   I'm thinking of the tremendous work done by Michelangelo in the Sistine chapel.  In that simple depiction is the story of the entire Bible--God reaching out to touch us at the point of our needs.  All theology only puts meaning to that truth. All history only demonstrates it. Unlike angry deities who must be satisfied with blood sacrifice--sometimes even the life of your firstborn--the God of the Bible is a loving God who reaches out to touch you at the point of your need, where you hurt.

How Do I Find God’s Will?

A certain woman wanting to join her church group going to Israel wondered if she should spend the money.  "God," she prayed, "please give me a sign and show me what I should do."  Placing the glossy brochure on her table beside the bed, she drifted off to sleep.  Waking the next morning, she noticed the digital clock read 7:47 AM.  "Didn't the brochure say we were traveling on a Boeing 747?" she asked herself as she picked up the brochure for another look.

What Is A Creed?

The industrialist Henry Ford used to say that he knew the Church was a divine institution because, contended Ford, no other organization so poorly organized and run would have survived for 2000 years.  Going beyond the satire of what he said, there is a measure of truth behind that statement.

What To Look For In A Mate

"Keep your eyes open before marriage; half-shut afterwards," advised Ben Franklin many years ago.  Keeping your eyes open before you are married is pretty good business. The fact is that most people don't really know the person they meet at the marriage altar, and then after the honeymoon, wake up and say, "This is not the person I thought I was marrying." Before you say, "Yes!" to marriage, ask yourself ten questions which can well help you determine if your relationship has what it takes to make a good marriage.  If you are married, working through these ten issues can make yours a much better marriage.

Even God’s Best Get Depressed

If you are depressed, you may feel that no one else has been right where you are.  You may think that if you were spiritual enough, you wouldn't struggle with depression.

When You Become A Victim Of Evil

After an arsonist burned down his church, Pastor Ted Cole picked his way through the charred rubble still smoldering from the fire and sat down at the piano.  Defiantly he began playing an old hymn written more than four centuries ago by a man who knew trouble as well, Martin Luther.  Cole began gently singing from memory the third verse of Luther's, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," which goes: "And tho this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,/ We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thru us."