Guidelines For Living Devotional

The Jesus You Can Know

The Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman once stood before a painting of Christ which hung in a cathedral in Europe.  As he gazed intently at the painting, He whispered, "Speak to me!"  But there was only silence, so goes the story. 

How Can We Understand God’s Thoughts?

The Psalmist wrote, "The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations" (Ps. 33:11).  But the question is: Can you really know the thoughts of the Almighty?  Only a fool would deny that man and God think differently.  We just don't track on the same wavelength.  Isaiah had that in mind when he penned the words of God, saying, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isa. 55:8,9).  Yet that same passage declares that you can seek the Lord and find Him; you can turn to Him and He will show mercy towards you.

5 Ways To Respond To Criticism

How do you respond to criticism?  Some are extremely sensitive to the slightest bit of criticism and they respond very negatively to it; others couldn't care less what people say of them.  Some world leaders are keenly aware of the press, and when the news media criticize them they vindictively lash out, deeply hurt – or they seek revenge.  Others, though, take the attitude of Frederick the Great, who was asked how he felt about the sharp criticism that he had drawn.  He replied, "I go through my appointed daily stage, and I care not for the curs who bark at me along the road."  Most of us do not have quite as thick a hide as did Frederick the Great.  We do care what others are saying, and down in our hearts, we often care a great deal more than we are willing to admit.

Does God Exist For Our Benefit?

The bullets were dancing all around a certain soldier as he dove into the nearest foxhole.  Finding that the hole wasn't very deep, he took his helmet and started digging for all he was worth to give himself a few more inches of cover.  Suddenly, he stuck a metallic object.  He felt with his fingers and carefully pried loose a metal object made of sterling silver.  It was a crucifix left behind by the soldier who had been the previous occupant of the foxhole.

Why Christians Have Hope In The Worst Of Times

Only 43 when he died suddenly, Oswald Chambers was a no-nonsense British chaplain in World War 1.  A month before his death in 1917, he gave a series of talks to the troops stationed in Egypt.  His text was a bit different—the book of Ecclesiastes. Even people who don’t know much about the Bible know the famous, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born, and a time to die,” But the book of Ecclesiastes begins with the words: “Everything is meaningless.”

The 3 Barriers To Knowing God

A friend was eulogizing a man who had suddenly passed away, saying, "He had such a good heart!"  To really know the heart of a person means going beyond the veneer of respectability and getting to know a person from the inside out. Occasionally we talk of intimacy with another person, saying, "He really opened his heart with me," something we are not often prone to do. 

How To Make Peace With Death

"Everyone knows they're going to die," said Morrie Schwartz, adding, "but nobody believes it.  If we did, we would do things different…[T]here's a better approach.  To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time.  That's better.  That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living.”

You Are A Missionary With A Mandate!

When God called Jeremiah to be a spokesman, the young man – probably in his late teens or early 20s – said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD…I do not know how to speak; I am only a child,” and hearing this, God said, “I’m sorry, Jeremiah, I must have made a big mistake.”  Not so, but God did reach out and touch his lips and gave Him the message He wanted delivered.

God’s Plan Came Before You Did

There’s good news, friend!  Life is not a matter of chance or fate.  Winning is not the equivalent of standing in front of a slot machine when you feel lucky, or picking the right five or seven numbers in the lottery.  Some 3,000 years ago David wrote, “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:15,16). 

Can We Demand Things From God?

Armin Gesswein called it, "One of the rarest prayer promises in the Bible," referring to the words of Jesus to the disciples in the Upper Room when he said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).