Guidelines For Living Devotional

How to Find Freedom From Worry

Is worry really wrong?   Who would deny that there is plenty to worry about‑‑the state of the economy, our health, the Middle East, the domestic problems including feeding the hungry (which few of us really worry about unless we are on the hungry end of the issue), and a lot of other things?  But can we help worrying any more than we can help our hair thinning out or what happens to our good looks after age 50?

Your Two Options in Time of Trouble

"If I can just get through this problem, I'm sure that everything will be okay."  Ever think that?  So you grit your teeth and, sure enough, you get through that problem, only to find that several more have cropped up on the horizon.  It's something like pedaling a bicycle.  Going uphill is so slow and takes so much energy, while the downhill run so quickly turns into another uphill climb.

How to Live a Lifestyle of Service

H.A. Hodges, was a brilliant student at Oxford University in Britain.  Hodges was an agnostic.  Since he was certain that nobody could really prove God’s existence, he felt it was intellectually impossible to profess a belief in God. But then, he also acknowledged that he couldn’t actually disprove God’s existence. One day, however, walking through downtown Oxford, he was drawn to a store window. His interest was captured by a simple painting, done by a Christian artist.  The subject:  Jesus washing the feet of the disciples.  Hodges was gripped by the scene, and he said, "If God is like that then that God shall be my God!"  A God who modeled loving service was more than Hodges could turn away from.

Your Faith After the Fire

William Carey was one of the pioneers of the modern missionary movement as he left his native England and went to India.  In due process Carey established himself and began to translate the Bible into the language of the people he worked with.  Before the days of linguists and computers, it was a long slow process.  Eventually a printer joined him, and, after years of effort, Bibles were printed and the process of distribution was begun.  One day, however, Carey returned from a time of ministry elsewhere to find that a disastrous fire had broken out and had completely destroyed the building housing his offices and press, but far more damaging, his manuscripts, grammars and dictionaries had all gone up in flames as well.  Nothing short of death could have struck such a blow.
 

What's Holding Up Your Marriage?

One of the most beautiful structures in the world, the Notre Dame Cathedral, stands on the banks of the Seine River in the heart of modern Paris.  This beautiful building dating from the Middle Ages gains elegance and uniqueness partially from the lovely flying buttresses or arches which gracefully support the walls.

Why Should I Ask God for Direction?

"Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask," so said the venerable Billy Graham.  How often do we go plodding on, sometimes blundering, getting ourselves into situations which turn into nightmares because we never bother to stop long enough and say, "God, what do you want me to do? Is this your will, or does it simply look pretty good to me?"  Answers to prayers that were never prayed could have saved you all kinds of headaches.

The 4 Anchors You Can Have in a Storm

God made you in such a way that you can survive tremendous ordeals--illness, imprisonment, persecution, and privation.  You can live without food and water--far longer than you might think.  You can handle a tremendous amount of stress, but there is one thing with which you cannot do without.  Apart from this you quickly despair.  It is hope!   You can rebuild when illness has ravished your body.  You can put your finances together again, and you can pick up the broken pieces of your world when the bottom drops out, and go on, but when you are overcome by the despair of hope, you give up and die!

Is There a Limit on God's Forgiveness

You may have seen the headline yourself:  "Rouge executioner a born-again Christian."  The Reuters news story began, "The chief executioner of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, who ordered thousands of people killed in the 1970's, is a born-again Christian ready to face justice, the Far Eastern Economic Review said.”
 

10 Tips for Keeping Your Marriage Fresh

In his book Making Life Rich Without Any Money,Phil Callaway tells of an elderly couple celebrating their 50thanniversary.  When the cake was cut, it seemed only fitting that the husband comment on those wonderful years together.  He looked tenderly at his wife and tried to express himself.
 

Where to Find Comfort When a Friend Betrays You

He was once a trusted friend, but something happened.  His friendship became treachery, and the man who had been a companion, a family friend, and confidant became an enemy.  Have you ever had it happen?  Painful, isn't it?  The person that you thought would have gone to the wall with you slowly begins to drift away.  Your phone doesn’t ring.  It’s a one-way friendship.  When you call or drop by, you get the connection but it’s cold, routine, and your friend gives you the impression that he’s outgrown your friendship.