Basic Truths | Finding God in Everyday Life

  We were trying to program our oven the other day and needed to look at the instructions. The manufacturer didn’t give us an instruction manual, only a link where we could go online to get the information. It irks me that many companies don’t give you printed instructions any more. I know we live in a digital age but it’s so much easier for me to have instructions right at hand when I need them.   God has given us an instruction manual for living. The Bible gives us all the information we need for knowing how God wants us to live. My bible study took me to Micah this week, where I read, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). I was really struck by this, even though I’ve read it many times before. We’re told that “… the word of God is living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) because it has the ability to speak to us in whatever circumstances we may be in. It gu...

  Somehow or other, a recent conversation I was in got around to having regrets. Any time I hear the word regrets, I immediately think about “My Way”, the song popularized by Frank Sinatra. The song is about someone looking back on his life, saying, “ Regrets, I've had a few, But then again, too few to mention ”. He doesn’t have many regrets because “I did it my way”.   Now, like most people, I have a few regrets when I look back at my life. For me, though, my regrets are usually because I did it my way, instead of doing it God’s way. Even though I know that God’s way is the best, if not the most direct, way, I sometimes still try to get away with doing it my way and asking God to bless it.   The Bible has many examples of people who didn’t trust in God’s way. When the Israelites were in the desert, God desired to give them the land of Canaan. They refused to go to battle to win it, because they were afraid of the people living there and didn’t trust God to give ...

  I’m currently in the Book of Daniel in my daily bible study. Daniel led an amazing life. Carried off to Babylon as a young man, he rose to become one of the leaders of the Babylonian empire. When the Medes conquered Babylon, they thought so highly of Daniel that they continued his position in authority. He is a shining example of faithfulness, first to God and also to the people he served. There are many examples of his devotion to God and to His will. On his arrival in Babylon, Daniel refused to eat the king’s food because it would have violated the dietary laws God gave to the Israelites. Daniel had to speak God’s word of judgment to both King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar when doing so could have cost him dearly. He continued to pray to God even though the king ordered that anyone who did so would be thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel never glorified himself, always giving credit to God for whatever he was able to do. In return, God protected him, blessed his work, and prosper...

  My wife’s birthday was a few weeks ago. I think she had a nice day. Our daughter came and spent the day with her and we had the usual cards and presents and cake. I enjoy my birthdays even though they remind me that I’m a year older. It’s nice to have other people make a fuss over you and treat you special. A few times I didn’t feel well or there were other problems but, even so, the day was special to me.   Many Christians go through their day with a frown. They don’t look happy and they certainly don’t look like they feel special. I feel bad for them because it seems like they are missing out on their blessings.   Think about it. This day is special! You are loved by the almighty God, creator of the universe. He knows you by name and He gave you life today. He promises to be with you and wants to spend time with you today. He has a message of hope if times are tough, that He is faithful and always there for you. He provides your daily bread. Even more, He has ...

  Another cruise story! We went to see the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben in Mexico. The temples and other structures are between one thousand and two thousand years old. They were only discovered about 50 years ago. On our way out there, I was wondering how Mayan temples several stories high could go undiscovered for so long. Our guide at the site explained to us that, over time, the native vegetation grew over everything and covered it so completely that all you could see was some hills. The top picture is a building that was left covered up because it had too much damage to be restored while the bottom picture is a temple that was uncovered.   We are at risk of having the same thing happen to us spiritually. Jesus gave us the parable of the sower and the seed. Some of the seed fell among thorns. These are the people who “…..hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitfu...

As I mentioned previously, we went on a cruise last month. We saw an illusionist show one evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve been to several illusionist/magician shows over the years and are always amazed at the tricks they perform. I know you can go online and read how a lot of these tricks are done but I’ve never wanted to because that would take the fun and wonder out of them.   During a magic show, it’s fun to be fooled. It’s a different story in everyday life. The powers of this world try to get us to believe an illusion about what we need and what’s really important in life. Happiness is the goal and the way to get there is through success, pleasure, and the accumulation of possessions and power, regardless of what you do to get them. They try to make us believe that only the material matters and that the spiritual is an illusion and is of no consequence.   God holds to the opposite view. John wrote to the early Church, “Everything in the world – the cravin...