Basic Truths | Finding God in Everyday Life

  We still have a landline for our home phone. The phone rang yesterday and the caller ID indicated it was a spam call. It made me stop and think about how much life has changed. Years ago the sound of a phone ringing made me happy because it meant that I might get to talk with family or friends that I hadn’t heard from for awhile. Today I rarely ever answer the phone when it rings because almost all the time the caller is someone I don’t want to talk to.   God calls us each and every day because He loves us and wants us to have the best day and the best life we can have.   We should always try to be open to His call. We need to allow ourselves to have some quiet time each day when we block out the noise of the day and allow God to get through to us.   He may be the persistent voice that Samuel heard calling his name in the night. He may be the gentle whisper that Elijah experienced after the Lord was not in the strong wind, earthquake, or fire. Perhaps that is m...

  I remember several years ago when my wife had surgery. We were sitting in the waiting room waiting for the operation to be over so we could go in and see her. After a few hours, the surgeon came out and said that everything went fine and that my wife was doing well. We were relieved and overjoyed to hear the good news.   Our world is in such a difficult place today.   The news reports seem to be just an endless stream of anger and suffering and division.   We need to remember that God brings us good news every day.   We have the promise of salvation and God’s presence in our lives today , bringing us His peace and joy and assistance whatever we do and wherever we may be. And it’s all freely given!   As we have received good news, we in turn need to be the bearer of good news to those around us. We should be witnesses by our words and actions such that others can see that there is something different about us, something good that they would like fo...

  I don’t have a very large wardrobe. I have a certain number of clothes that I like and feel comfortable in and that’s what I tend to wear. Sometimes my wife will buy me a shirt as a Christmas or birthday present. When I wear it, she notices and comments on it. It makes her happy that I value and use the gift that she picked out especially for me.   God provides spiritual gifts to His people. The gifts He has given to you are ones that He picked out especially for you. We honor and please God when we use our gifts productively.   How do you determine what spiritual gifts you may have? You should pray about it; God wants you to use your gifts so you should expect Him to answer your prayer. See if He shows you a need in your local church or community or otherwise puts something on your heart. Other Christians may help you to discern your spiritual gifts. They may see something in you that you may not have fully appreciated yourself. You can go online and find dozen...

  My birthday is coming around again soon and, no, I’m not dropping hints for presents! When I was a kid, I looked forward to getting toys and games and other fun things on my birthday. Now that I’m older, I appreciate getting practical gifts that I can use. When I get something that is unexpected, personal, and useful, I feel especially blessed because I know the giver cared enough about me to find the right present.   God loves us dearly and knows us intimately. He greatly desires to bless us with good gifts. The gifts He gives us are perfect for the person that we are. Among these are what we call spiritual gifts. They are referred to in a few different places in the New Testament. Romans 12:7-8 lists prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and showing mercy.   1 st Corinthians 12:8-10 lists wisdom, knowledge, discernment, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.   Ephesians ...

  God has blessed me with talents in certain areas. The flip side is that there are other things for which I have absolutely no aptitude.   Fortunately, I have a wife who is handy around the house. I also have a good friend with a kind spirit who can seemingly fix anything.   Each of us has our own unique talents and abilities.   They all come from God. We have the responsibility of cultivating our talents and using them for the kingdom. This is not a recommendation; this is a responsibility. We will be called to account for how we have used the gifts that God has given us. Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-28) applies to us today.   The king gave his servants talents (a form of money at the time) before he left, in varying amounts according to their abilities. Upon his return, each servant was called to give an account of what he had done with what he was given. Th e king congratulated and rewarded those servants who had earned a return for him....

  What would you do if the governor or your future in-laws or some other important people agreed to come to your house for dinner?   I suspect you would clean the house until it shone, put out your best china, and fix a fancy meal. Imagine how they would feel if you served them leftovers from last night’s dinner instead!   Even if the food was very good, the implication would be that you didn’t think enough about them to give them your best.   Unfortunately this is exactly what many Christians do with God. He is deserving of all the best they have to offer but they give Him the leftovers of their lives.   They give Him what time they have left over after they finish doing the things they enjoy and give Him what money they have left over after they pay for their big house, fancy cars and other things they want.   God deserves to be our highest priority, otherwise we have elevated whatever is above Him on the priority list to the status of our god. ...

  I rely on my Maps app when I’m driving to an unfamiliar place. I have on a few occasions wound up somewhere other than where I wanted to be even though I followed the directions perfectly because I put the wrong address into Maps.   It’s important to think about your goals in life. If God is not a part of your goals, your life may be heading in the wrong direction even if everything seems to be going well.   I suspect that many, if not most of us, never consciously think about what our personal goals are, what we strive for in life. We may have objectives we want to accomplish, e.g. graduating from college, getting a good job, or starting a family, but not about the person we want to be or the kind of life we want to live.   Our goals will determine the priorities and direction for our lives. We can pray as the psalmist did, “Direct my footsteps according to your word” (Ps 119:133). The Spirit will guide us and give us what we need to achieve our goals....

 I was working in the yard today when I got a bad itch in my back that I couldn’t reach. I said in jest that it seemed like a design flaw that there were places we couldn’t reach. I got an answer back immediately that it showed that we were not to make it on our own, that we needed the help of others.   The Christian life is not designed to be lived in isolation. This is not to say that an individual cannot be called by God to separate themselves for ministry, only that this is not the norm. We are part of the Body of Christ. We are interdependent, none of us has all of the gifts and talents that we need for the work that is set before us. “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rm 12:4-5).   We are called as Christians to minister to others. What we sometimes forget is that we are also called to be ministered to ...