Guidelines For Living Devotional

Hope Unconquerable

"Hope," said Thales, the Greek founder of philosophy, "is the most universal thing in the world, for hope stays with those who have nothing else."
            Many today are in the grip of despair and pessimism because they have ruled out the very grounds of hope itself, which is God.  The believer's hope centers in a person, Jesus Christ, who gave to us a hope of eternal life and the assurance that there is more to life than the weary monotony of earning enough money to keep ourselves from starving and out of the rain.  Hope stems from faith, and it is to the soul of man what oxygen is to his lungs and food to his body.  Apart from hope there is no reason to live.

The Healing Power of Hope

It happens every day in every major city of the world.  A car is proceeding down the highway when another vehicle pulls directly into its path.  There is the screech of tires as brakes are jammed on, but it is too late.  The sickening thud is followed by the tearing of metal and the shattering of glass, punctuated with the screams of suffering.  A broken, bruised body is pulled from the twisted wreckage, and soon an ambulance is racing towards the hospital with siren wailing and lights making eerie designs on the inside walls.  The victim is unconscious and unaware of reaching the hospital; but upon his arrival a team of specialists go to work to save the life of the accident victim.

Everyday Courage

“Courage," said, Dorothy Bernard, "is fear that has said its prayers." In my file is an anonymous quote where somebody wrote, "It takes more courage to be faithful in routine things than to risk one's life in a moment of spectacular danger."  Do you believe that?  Yes, it is one thing to dash into a burning building to snatch a child from the jaws of death, and it is another thing to stand by your sick wife month after month, or to face the routine of a job you don't particularly like. 

In Search of Courage

The Russian writer and historian, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, believed that one of the clearest indications of spiritual and moral decadence is a lack of courage, in personal lives and in government.  Decades ago, the Nobel laureate said, "A decline in courage may be the most striking feature which an outside observer notices in the West in our days.   The Western world has lost its civil courage . . . in each country, each government, each political party and, of course, in the United Nations."

Taking Time Alone With God

The late humorist Erma Bombeck joked about the mother who tried to get away from her family by hiding in the clothes closet, only to hear the dog whining on the other side of the door.  Sometimes you just can't win.

How to Grow Spiritually

It’s amazing what parents will do to see growth in their children.  When a parent suddenly realizes that his or her child is significantly shorter than all the others in a given group, most parents start booking appointments with doctors and embark on a regimen of nutrition or medication.  They don’t want their youngster to be a “small fry!” 

Why Did This Happen to Me?

Rick Warren, a pastor who speaks to some 12,000 people every week, says that the question which people ask more than any other is, “Why did this happen to me?”  Has that question ever come from your heart?  A phone call in the night brought news that your best friend had been injured in an automobile accident.  You were laid off at work, replaced by a younger person.  The company that you thought was on the way up went south with your savings.  Just when your husband retired and you thought you could enjoy life, a stroke changed everything.

Going Nowhere Fast

Living faster than ever before and enjoying it less?  Millions of people are like that, living in a pressure cooker environment, packing more and more into less and less time, but liking it less every day.  Whatever makes life worth living–the leisure walk through the woods, the time to sit and play with your baby, a candlelight meal with your husband, time to read and reflect–are all swallowed up by the monster of doing more and more in less time?

Another Day

How you speak two words tells a great deal about your outlook on life‑‑two very important words that are often spoken at the beginning of the day.  Those two very revealing words are, "ANOTHER DAY."  Think for a moment.  When you awake in the morning and say, "Another day...," how do you say it?  The inflection of your voice reveals a lot about your attitude.

Guidelines for Straight Thinking

Do you remember when your friend made a bad choice, a wrong decision like walking out of a marriage, or quitting a job over a petty disagreement, or allowing a disagreement to break a long-time friendship?  And you said, "That person isn't thinking straight!" 
Straight thinking cuts to the core of the issue and puts the whole in perspective.  It gives you a grasp of the possible consequences, something we rarely have when our decisions are cluttered with anger and bias.