Guidelines For Living Devotional

When Things Don't Go Well

You prayed that your husband would get the position, and after the third interview, it seems that he’s got it wrapped up.  Then at the last minute, a local man shows up, one who can be hired for considerably less money.  He gets the job.  Your husband gets a polite “Thanks, but no thanks” phone call.

Smashed Bowls and the Bible

An old fortress some 20 miles southwest of the Dead Sea in Israel today has been called “one of the most spectacular finds of recent decades in all Israel.”  Archaeologists have unearthed the walls of a massive Iron Age fortress, built about 800 B.C., which are some 300 feet on each side and had massive towers on each corner.  “OK,” you may be thinking, “Why get excited over a pile of very old rocks in a desert?”  Good question. And the answer goes deeper than archaeology. It embraces the historical trustworthiness of the Bible at the same time.  

Can You Believe in the Bible?

A college professor under whom I once studied spoke of a theologian with whom he disagreed, saying, "It isn't that he isn't a brilliant man‑‑it's just that he knows so many things that aren't true."  If truth is subjective, if it is only a matter of personal opinion, then good men can disagree and both be right.  But if historical data is supported by corroborating evidence, and if the character of the men who wrote it is supportive, then ultimately we have to come face to face with facts. That is the situation when it comes to accepting or rejecting the credibility of the Bible.

What is Truth?

What is truth?  This question was once asked of Jesus Christ by a man named Pontius Pilate.  The scene was a Roman courtroom.  Christ was being tried on charges of sedition, of trying to overthrow the Roman government.  It was a strained situation that prompted the question about truth. Pontius Pilate was a governor in the land of Israel.  His office was political and had been purchased by power maneuvers.  During his reign, truth had been irrelevant in his political conquest.  Bribery, graft and corruption, linked with murder and violence, had been tools of Pontius Pilate in maintaining Roman supremacy.  Now Pilate raises the philosophical question, "What is truth?"

Is the Bible True?

Josh McDowell, a one-time agnostic turned apologist, has asked over 1400 young people whether or not they believe the Bible, and when they respond that they do, he asks, “Why?” While Josh says there are more than 50 legitimate answers to that question, only one person has ever given him an adequate answer.

Beyond Thank You

There is a difference between expressing thanks for something and being genuinely grateful for it.  For example let’s suppose you are a craftsman and you contract to do a certain amount of work for so much money, and you fulfill your obligation.  The work is done within the prescribed period of time and you do it well.  When you fulfill your contract you are paid.  Common courtesy demands that you respond, saying, “Thank you!” as you pick up the check in the brown manila envelope and take your tools home.

For This I Am Thankful

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus,” wrote a man who had known more than his fair share of difficulties.  His name? We know him as Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ. In one sentence Paul gives us the key to unlocking the door to a relationship of blessedness and gratitude.  He is saying in simple terms that thanksgiving is not a holiday to be celebrated but an attitude of your heart to be daily observed because no matter how difficult the circumstances of your life—whether you be in a hospital bed or enjoying health, wealth, and happiness—God is in control.

Teaching Your Kids to be Honest

Children lie for the same reasons that adult lie:  to avoid punishment, to win respect or to appear better than they are, because they don't trust someone with the truth, or because they feel threatened with power.  Without realizing it, many parents teach their children to lie and actually encourage them in the practice at the very time they dislike what they see and punish their child because of it.

The Death of Integrity

When I was a kid and Mother suspected that my story had been slightly amplified, she would say, "Son, look me in the eye!"  She was convinced that if I could look her in the eye and tell her something, it was the truth!  In Numbers 5 of your Old Testament, there is a passage which I've never fully understood; nonetheless, it was a provision to determine whether a wife was lying about being unfaithful to her husband.  A wife who had been so accused went to the tabernacle, and took a vow before the Lord saying that she had slept with no one but her husband.  Then she drank water which had some dust from the tabernacle floor in it.  If she was telling the truth, there was no harm. If she was lying, she was cursed with childlessness.

The Relationship Deal Breaker

After 23 years as an FBI counterintelligence agent, LaRae Quy can spot a liar.  Specially trained in the art of reading individuals and uncovering hidden truths, Quy suggests that you first build rapport and then surprise them.  Listen more than you speak and pay close attention to how a person says “no.”  A liar may say “no” and look in a different direction or close their eyes.  They may say noooooooo stretched over a long period of time or after hesitating.