Guidelines For Living Devotional

Long before the age of jet airplanes, the Internet, or digital television, theologian Arthur Pink wrote the following: "what man despises, God esteems; and what man admires, He abominates.  The world is mad, and speed is one of the 'gods' which is now worshipped by the multitudes.  And living as we yet are in the world; God's own people are infected with its evil spirit.  Much need has each of us to beg the Lord to lay His cooling and calming hand upon the feverish 'flesh' in us.  Rush, hurry, and hustle are the terms which best describe modern activities; but 'stand', 'sit', and 'wait' are words that have a prominent place in the Scriptures." 

Do you ever get the feeling that if you could just get everything done, cross everything off of your "to do" list, return every phone call, make every meeting, and get everything done at home, that God would be very pleased with you?  Would you, then, expect Him to sit back and say, "Good job!" much like you do when your son brings home a report card with straight A's on it?

That God answers prayer is seldom challenged—at least by those who believe the Bible.  But the manner by which God answers never falls into neat categories or boxes.  I'm thinking of the story which circulated on the internet about a poor woman who was desperately in need of food.  Her neighbor, an affirmed atheist, knowing of her prayers decided that it would be great sport to buy a basket of food, put it on her porch, then ring the doorbell and hide.  And this he did.  But as soon as the poor woman saw the food, she began praising and thanking God for it.

At a street meeting that was held by a Salvation Army group, a young man who was a drummer in the band reflected on his past life and how it had changed.  "Before I was converted," he said, "I used to drink a lot, but I don't drink anymore. Before I was converted, I used to swear a lot, but I don't swear anymore.  Before I was converted, I used to womanize, but I don't do that anymore."  Then, he added, "Since I was converted, about all I do is stand on this street corner and beat this old drum!"

When I was a youth growing up, there was a radio program called "Truth or Consequence!"  What I most remember is that dishonesty always resulted in certain consequences. 

I never cease to be amazed at the vast amounts of money spent on research which at times only certifies the obvious.  Don't misunderstand me.  Undoubtedly, there is value in proving scientifically what almost everybody already suspects.

"I was blessed with a wonderful mother," says David Moore, "[who] taught me how to pray for all things, great and small and then to trust Him to answer in the way that was best for me."

Have you found any real bargains lately?  Found any good buys?  A trait of human nature makes us all want to get something for a good price.  Haven't you ever come home from a big sale with items you saved so much on, but really did not need?  That dress that really did not fit, or that shirt with a collar an inch too big.  Nearly everybody, when he or she is honest, will have to admit that he has something he does not need, or even did not really want, something that did not fit, but bought it anyway because it was a bargain.  You, too?  Welcome to the club.  Why did you do it, anyway?  Because it was a bargain?  But have you really saved when it does not fit?  We are all bargain hunters because of that tendency of human nature to want something for nothing.

Sometimes genius is slow coming to the surface. Think your youngster is a slow learner?  It's possible he's just not interested in the trivial. The fact is that many of our most famous people showed no indications of being outstanding when they were young.  To the contrary, many of them, like Thomas Edison, were actually considered slightly slower than their contemporaries.  Two of the world's best loved humorists, Will Rogers and Mark Twain, showed little interest either in school or in humor in their early years.  As a child, Albert Einstein was slow in learning to talk; then as a boy he was considered backward.  Ignace Paderewski, the great Polish pianist, was in his late teen years before he showed any interest in learning to play the piano.

Richard Senac stumbled across the great need people have for someone to listen to them.  No, he isn’t a counselor.  He was a hospital nurse recruiter who found that getting people up in the morning was no small task, so he started a business called Roosters, named after the barnyard creature that crows about the time the sun rises.  Roosters was a telephone calling service that would awaken you in the morning with a variety of several hundred different sounds, from a 21‑gun salute to fingernails scratching on a blackboard if your starter takes something a little more bizarre to get you going in the mornings.  Roosters would also put you to sleep at night with a variety of sounds.