Basic Truths | Finding God in Everyday Life

  I bought a new car 3 years ago. It has been a good car for me so far. I haven’t had any mechanical or other issues with it yet. I tend to keep my cars for awhile. I owned my three previous cars for 12 to 13 years each. For me, the measure of a car is not how it looks and smells when it’s new but rather how it stands up over time.   I see our Christian walk in much the same way. We are subject to all kinds of difficulties and just general wear and tear over the years because that is the nature of our life in this world. The test of our faith is how well it stands up to the various trials in our lives. It makes no sense to buy a new car and then just keep it in the garage to preserve the shiny finish and new car smell. A car is meant to be useful, even if using it causes it to run down. In the same way, we are called as Christians to be useful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should expect some bumps and bangs and breakdowns along the way. We should try to keep oursel...

  We recently vacationed in Hawaii for our 30 th wedding anniversary. We were amazed at the natural beauty all around us, from the different hues of blue in the ocean, the bright colors of the tropical foliage, to the majesty of the volcanoes and mountains. God has created a world that is not only incomprehensibly complex in its workings but is beautiful as well.   We are created in the image and likeness of God. He has gifted us with the ability to appreciate beauty and the capacity to create beauty. Until now, I have never fully appreciated this gift. Beauty adds a richness and joy to our lives. It can touch us at the heart of our being. Our loving God wants us to enjoy His creation. We can look forward to the majesty and beauty that awaits us in heaven. As Paul writes, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).   Take time out to look for the beauty in life today, whether in the world around you or in the p...

  I grew up in New Jersey and lived all my life there until I moved to Texas to go to college. After I had been there for about a year, I came back to New Jersey to visit. My friends and family told me that I had begun to develop a “Texas accent”. Once I took the time to actually listen to myself speak, I had to admit that they were right.   We face the same situation spiritually. We will tend to become like the people we associate with. This can be a blessing if we are associated with other believers. It can be a challenge if our associates do not share our Christian beliefs and lifestyle.   It is much easier to go with the flow than to go against it. As Christians, we are called to be in the world but not of the world.   Paul states that, if we wanted to avoid associating with sinners, we would have to leave the world (1 Cor 5:10). John cautions, “Do not love the world or anything in the world…..The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the wi...

  As a doctor, I have always emphasized the importance of getting regular checkups. It’s important for adults to make sure that there aren’t any chronic health issues that have popped up, to screen for potentially deadly cancers, to discuss lifestyle issues, and to generally make sure that everything is going well. Regular checkups are equally important for our pediatric patients, especially for the very youngest of them. Here, we are not so much concerned with chronic illness but rather that the child is growing and developing normally. It always makes me sad when a patient presents with a serious problem that could have been dealt with much easier if they had only come in sooner for a regular checkup.   It’s important for us to have a spiritual checkup once in awhile.    There are many different ways to do this. You can attend a retreat, a mission, or another program through your church. You might want to spend some time with a trusted spiritual advisor. ...

  I have occasionally seen signs at clothing stores or security areas that the mirrors I’m looking at are two-way mirrors, meaning that someone on the other side of the mirror can see what I’m doing. I guess it’s just my personality but I tend to feel self-conscious if I think that someone may be watching me.   We tend to go about our lives as though no one else sees the things we do in private. We should reflect on the fact that the whole world is an open book before God, who sees all that we do individually and collectively. We read in Hebrews, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:13). In the Book of Revelation, John reports having a vision of Jesus, who told him to give messages to the churches in seven cities. Jesus said that He was aware of what was going on within those churches, saying to them, “I know your deeds”, and told them how they needed to repent...

  I have talked before about God’s providence. I was witness to it again last week on our vacation. We had rented a car at one location and driven it for a few days. On our last day, we were going to drive it through some remote areas to another city a few hours away where we would drop the car off and catch a flight out of town. On our last stop before leaving town, our car just died. Nothing.   As it happened, we were less than ½ mile from the airport where we rented the car so I was able to walk there and get a replacement vehicle. We continued on our journey with only a little delay. If our car had broken down at any of our stops along the way, there would have been almost no chance that we could have gotten another car in time to make our flight connections. For those of you who have been through this before, you know that this was not just mere coincidence but the grace of our loving God. God is good!   As this story illustrates, God is a God of providence. He l...

  Have you ever driven through a stop sign or a red light? Did you get a ticket? If you didn’t, I’ll bet you were looking around to see if a police officer was going to pull you over. How did you feel if you got a ticket, or, how do you think you would have felt if you had gotten one? You shouldn’t really be angry with the officer because it wasn’t their fault. You might try to blame the road conditions or someone else for distracting you but the bottom line is – it was your fault. You might simply be thankful that you didn’t cause an accident and hurt yourself or someone else.   Our municipal leaders put up stop signs or traffic lights in places that could be dangerous for us. If we don’t obey them, sooner or later we will come to harm. We may beat the odds ten times but the eleventh time could bring disaster.   God also puts stop signs and red lights in our path. This encompasses more than just the Ten Commandments or other admonitions against sinning. It also involves ...

 Today is the 4 th of July, or, as it is officially known, Independence Day. It’s a good day to give thanks for all the freedoms and blessings that we have. It’s also a good time to think about independence and dependence.   We give thanks today for the freedom we have to worship as we choose. We should never forget that our greatest freedom was won for us by Christ on the cross. As Paul writes, “Now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Rom 6:22).   We tend to think of independence in a favorable context. According to society’s view, independent people think for themselves and provide for themselves without needing anybody’s help. They are strong and successful. On the other hand, we view the dependent person in a negative light. We wish that they had a little more spine and initiative to do things for themselves.   As is true in many areas, God’s values tu...