Basic Truths | Finding God in Everyday Life

  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...

  I’ve been sneezing lately. I don’t usually have allergies, perhaps it’s the cat shedding. I’m hearing “God Bless You” a lot. There is debate over its origin as a response to sneezing. Some say it goes back to the Middle Ages when the plague was active, with one of the symptoms being sneezing. Anyone who sneezed could have the plague and thereby be very much in need of God’s help.   I read something online yesterday from a lady who didn’t want people to say “God Bless You” to her because she didn’t believe in God. Myself, I like it when people say it to me and I like to say it to others. I try to say it meaningfully and not just as a reflex action. It may bother some people, but it’s my very tiny way of witnessing to others.   God told Aaron that He wanted him, as the Israelites’ High Priest, to pronounce this blessing on the people, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you a...

  We had a row of crape myrtle trees against our back fence for many years. We decided to have them removed three years ago. The gentleman who did the work warned us that, despite his best efforts, we were likely to see shoots popping up in the yard for years to come because crape myrtles have extensive root systems that persist even when the tree is cut down. He was right! We have dozens of shoots in the yard. I’ve been trying to eradicate them but they are resistant to all treatments. Very frustrating.   We may have particular areas in our lives that we’re not very happy about, where we are falling short. We need to deal with them as soon as possible, because the longer we wait, the more their roots become established and harder to get rid of.     How we root out sin and bad behavior in our lives is more complicated than what we can deal with in a few words. However, we can start with some basic principles that should be adhered to in order to make progress...

  I lived and died for baseball when I was a little kid. As an adult, I had to settle for playing softball, which I enjoyed as well. An important part of being a good hitter or pitcher is to be able to focus on what you need to do in the moment.   There’s a phrase that’s used, “Win the next pitch”. It means that you should concentrate on what is right before you, not worrying about the last pitch or at-bat or looking ahead to the rest of the game, being less concerned with the outcome than in being ready to do your best in the task at hand.   “Win the next pitch” has a spiritual application as well. We should concentrate on being our best selves today , making an effort to win today’s battles, overcoming whatever obstacles we face in these 24 hours. We can’t look back at how we have come up short in the past. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (Isaiah 43:18). We also can’t allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed by what may lie ahead. Jesus tells us, “Do...