Guidelines For Living Devotional

JEHOVAH SHALOM: God Our Peace

In 1904 a massive, bronze statue of Christ with his arms outstretched to the harbor of Buenos Aires was erected.  Known as the "Christ the Redeemer of the Andes," standing at an altitude of 13,000 feet, it towers over the whole area. Christ's left hand holds a cross. His right hand is extended in blessing.  On the base of the great statue is a quotation from Paul's letter to the Ephesians which reads, "He is our peace who has made both one."

JEHOVAH RAPHA: God Our Healer

You may have seen one of them yourself. A number of independent studies are showing a definite relationship between prayer and--are you ready for this?  Physical healing.  In some cases, individuals pray for themselves. In others elders in a local church lay hands on someone and the person is healed. But in some situations, reports a physician in San Francisco General Hospital, the individuals themselves who recovered didn't even know anyone was praying.

JEHOVAH JIREH: God Our Provider

When God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go!" he was disheartened.  Anyone who has ever walked through the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and has seen the gold and the magnificence which decorated the courts of the pharaohs can imagine in a small way how this 80-year-old man, who for the last 40 years had been a shepherd with loneliness for a companion, would feel, striding into the palace asking that some two million slaves be allowed to take a hike out of the empire.

When You And Your Mate Disagree

Only a few weeks before her death at the age of 92, Audrey Duffield sat down and with no particular audience in mind wrote the following selection which speaks for itself.  People say that diamonds come in small packages, but, then, so does dynamite.  The fact that this little woman weighed less than 75 pounds and stood no taller than fifty-four inches should never lessen the impact of her powerful personality.  I know!  She was my mother-in-law.

Here Is The Shortcut To Peace

For the person who understands that the circumstances of life are never bigger than God, there is a short‑cut to peace in life.  It is one of the few shortcuts that you will ever experience in life that can save you a lot of pain and turmoil. It is learning the secret of praise and thanksgiving.  "Thanksgiving for what?" you may think?  For the fact that I am so depressed I'm looking up to see the bottom?  Thankful that my job ended when there aren't many jobs available for people my age?  Thankful that my wife of 18 years left me for another? 

How To Handle The Influence Of An Ungodly Culture

There comes a point at which God says, "Enough is enough!" and His hand metes out judgment.  You read about it in the book of Genesis when God sent two angels who came to Sodom, intent on delivering Lot and his family.  Sodom was corrupt to the core.  Today even the name of the city itself is a sad reminder of sexual depravity. 

You Can Be Released From Hatred

Rosario Rivera was a revolutionary most of her life.  Born out of wedlock in Lima, Peru, she grew up filled with anger over her poverty and hunger.  Eventually anger turned to hatred towards her mother, her teachers, and the system which had spawned her.  At age thirteen she had given up school and was deeply involved reading Marx and Lenin. By eighteen she was a militant revolutionary and a Communist.

Is Culture Right Or Wrong?

"What is culture?" asks an article in National Geographic magazine.  Answering the question, the writer says, "Even anthropologists struggle to define the word. Food, dress, tools, dwellings, laws, manners, art, myths--culture can be described as the manifestations of human existence that are transmitted from one generation to the next, a pool of the collective intellect and memory."

Here’s The Secret To Doing Everything Well

Some have called it "the Protestant work ethic!"  But it isn't, really.  It is simply the application of several phrases found in Scripture which can be paraphrased, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right; so give it your best effort!"

When You Want To Quit

Have you had the experience of starting something...you really poured your body and soul into a cause, and then you began to wonder whether it was really worth the time and effort?  We describe it as "discouragement."  Webster defines it as "that which causes one to weaken."