Guidelines For Living Devotional

To be honest with you, it’s almost a bit scary staring another year in the face. Looking back, we think, “What happened to the good intentions and resolutions we made a year ago—ones which we have not only failed in attaining but can’t even remember what they were?”

Suppose you had awakened at the stroke of 12:01 a.m. on January 1, and there, standing before you, was an individual in shining clothing which you immediately recognized as an angel, and you then heard these words: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Would you be afraid to tackle the New Year?

You will never have to convince Josh Dennis that angels are real. He learned that fact, first-hand. It all started when he got separated from the Boy Scouts that were exploring Hidden Treasure Mine. When he got lost, people expected that he would be found in a matter of hours. But long hours soon turned into days. What rescuers had not counted on was the treachery of the drop-offs and the hidden pockets of darkness with floors of deep water.

The headlines of the newspaper read, "GUNSHOT BLAST KILLS HEMINGWAY!" It was dated Monday, July 3, 1961. One of my literary heroes lay dead of a self-inflicted wound, bringing his life to a tragic end. Hemingway was a man's man. I admired his style of writing, and I admit I was rather fascinated by the way he seemed to stare life in the face and go after it. He wrote about wars, bullfighting, big game hunting, physical adventure as man was pitted against his environment--things that were of interest to a young man in his mid-20s.

In a tribal area in Northern Luzon in the Philippines, a witch doctor sprinkles chicken blood on the door posts of a new house and chants a prayer asking that the spirits bless the residents. In Yangon merchants step out of their sandals and walk barefooted up the steps to the great Shedagon Pagoda and sit in contemplation before a golden Buddha. Half-way around the world, families fill parking lots, then with Bibles under their arms stream into churches looking more like modern shopping centers than traditional ones with spires and organs. While their paths to God may be as divergent as the distance between the three groups I mentioned, all of them, right or wrong, are reaching out to God as they conceive him to be.

It’s an old story but one worth repeating. A man rushed into the railroad station and breathlessly asked, “When does the 8:01 leave?” “At 8:01,” replied the railroad clerk, not bothering to look up from his newspaper. “Well,” said the man, “it’s only 7:55 by my watch,” but, somewhat worried, added, “it’s 8:04 by the station clock. Which one should I go by?” Sardonically the railroad clerk replied, “You can go by any clock you wish, but you won’t be going on the 8:01 because it has already left.”

Christmas is over, at least it is for most of you. However, in some places such as in Russia, Christmas is observed in early January. But no matter when you celebrate Christmas, there comes a time when it is over; and when it is over, it is over.

For a few well-deserved minutes, sit back and relax, and ponder how different things might have been if Jesus Christ had been born in today's world instead of the first century Palestine. Naturally, any event today of even minimal importance is a media happening; and who would deny that the best way to get sensational coverage is to claim something is supernatural, out of the ordinary, perhaps even bizarre, and what would be more "news worthy" than the allegation that God has actually become man, to say nothing of the interesting angle that a baby is born without a human father.

It has now been documented. Research polls indicate that Christmas is more popular than Easter. Surprised? It seems to me that a lot of research only certifies the obvious. That’s like asking people whether they prefer going to a baby dedication or christening, or a funeral. Of course, Christmas is more popular. And why not?

The month of December and depression seem to go together! Ask any counselor, any pastor, anyone who has staffed a suicide hot line, and they will tell you that the number of people fighting depression accelerates during the month of December. "It's the weather," some say. "No, it's too much alcohol at the Christmas party," another chirps in. But I suspect that it is something deeper than the weather or the amount of alcohol which is consumed--both of which undoubtedly contribute to the problem.