Guidelines For Living Devotional

Why Should I Trust God?

The picture is vivid: A little girl stands at the edge of the window in a burning building. It's the second floor, and to the child, the ground seems like a long way down. Below is a fireman--a big guy, standing there in his yellow garb, big hat, and black boots. With outstretched arms, he reaches for the child and yells, "It's OK to jump. I'll catch you! You'll be OK. Come on, kiddo. Jump!"

3 Guidelines to Starting A Relationship With God

A friend who has a real hunger for God struggles with the fear that her search for God will only result in ultimate disappointment. As I read her heart cry, I thought of the words of A. W. Tozer, who wrote, "In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: …there are to be found increasing numbers of person whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself."

Do You Push God Towards The Sideline?

Facing the Knesset, or the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem is a beautiful menorah, a gift from Britain to Israel. It was created by the famed sculptor Benno Elkan and is covered with images, telling the story of Israel's long and colorful history. A menorah, which is a seven-branched candelabrum, is significant, representing the fullness of God.

This Is How To Open The Door To Heaven

In St. Paul's Cathedral in London is a painting done by the artist, Holman Hunt, often reproduced in Sunday School literature, which shows Jesus standing at the door of an English cottage, a lantern held in one hand, gently knocking at the door. It is based on the words of Jesus recorded in Revelation 3:20, which say, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Can God Really Change My Life?

A Guidelines' listener who was in a doctoral program at New York University wrote telling about a teacher whose memory will never escape him. The teacher who so impressed him was an instructor at New York City's prestigious Peter Stuyvesant High School. In his classroom hung a 3 x 5-foot flag. On the flag were three black letters against a brilliant background of red, and what was the message? The three letters spelled B-U-T, the adversative conjunction. That's it. When lecturing, this teacher would reach a point where everything that followed hung on one word. That's when he would point to his flag and go on.

Why Doesn’t God Step In And Do Something?

Do the old questions never really go away? Almost every time I talk with someone who has had something happen which he didn't like, I am asked, "How could a loving God do this?" Or, "I can't understand why God didn't step in and do something. After all, if He is as powerful as He is supposed to be, why didn't He stop this from happening?"
 

Who Do You Put Your Faith In?

Night had draped its dark curtain around the Sea of Galilee. The Palestinian sky, which usually had countless stars, was darkened with an ever-increasing number of black storm clouds. Thirteen men made their way to the water's edge. One by one they entered a waiting ship, and when all were on board, they launched out onto the choppy waters, and steered for the opposite shore.

When To Draw The Line Between Right And Wrong

Where do you draw the line? I thought of that issue when Brother Andrew—the man often described as "God's Smuggler"—sat at lunch with me and a group of friends and of being severely criticized because he had reached out to the Hezbollah, in an attempt to bring peace between them and Israel. "Anybody who is a friend to them is an enemy to Israel," said his critics.

Understand The God Of The Old And New Testament

"Dear Dr. Sala," writes a friend of Guidelines, "I have a question. How come the God of the Old Testament, who allows killing of men, women and children, is so different from the God of the New Testament who says love your enemies? Did God change His mind, or are we talking about two different Gods? There is a big movement…that is saying that they are two different Gods. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts."

Have You Fallen Out Of Love?

So, you have fallen out of love, have you? And it didn't take long after he moved in with you. In fact, you are not sure whether he ever loved you, though he said he did. This, of course, brings up the issue of what love really is.