Guidelines For Living Devotional

Start Giving God 5 Minutes of Your Day

OK, you have decided to take five minutes a day and focus on God.  You've made the decision to try it.  What can you expect?  For one thing, you'll discover that Murphy's law, "Anything that can happen, will happen," has your name on it. 

What Does Your Life Say About You?

It's a rather sobering thought to realize that the world judges God by what they see of Him in the lives of His children--in my life.  So we look at our lives, and recognize that instead of mirroring His love, justice, character, and peace, we often project a somewhat distorted picture of God, one fogged over by our human failure.  "Not good enough!" cries our incriminating conscience.  Then in failure we feel like turning away.

God Will Take Us Through The Storm

Have you ever had one of those times when all of a sudden something that you’ve read a thousand times jumps out at you, and you then see something that has been there all along and it just hadn’t grabbed you before? 

Here Is How To Give Thanks

Is it a holiday, an attitude, or the reflection of your heart?

Why Does Encouragement Matter?

You may have heard of the sad plight of the man who, greatly discouraged, crawled out on the ledge of a very high building and contemplated suicide. 

Are You Addicted to Busyness?

For a few moments take inventory.  Ask yourself, “Am I programmed from the time I wake up in the morning until I go to bed at night?”  More to do today than, say, you did last year or the year before? After a while you begin to think of your self-worth strictly in terms of production and output—whether it is the number of trips to take your kids somewhere, how many hours you can work, or how many meetings or church services you can crowd into your schedule. Saying “No” gets more and more difficult.

Understand What It Means To Trust

Alistair Begg tells of the time he and his wife saw a cyclist with—and they could hardly believe their eyes—with a rather large dog on his back.

Discover Who Jesus Is

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 To 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 Choices You Have When You Are Criticized

Question: 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.