Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

There are nights when it is hard to sleep. The deepening shadows play havoc on the mind and stir up all the worries of the day. As the brain tosses and turns frantically trying to make sense of all that is happening, the elusive answers slip away and sleep refuses to come. As I lay tossing and turning the other night, I couldn't help but replay a history lesson from the Old West. Dad and I love to watch American Experience on PBS. Every once in a while we search the internet for a program that looks interesting and the other night we were engrossed in the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These two men became dissatisfied with their difficult youth and chose to become bandits in America's Old West. They, along with a posse of disgruntled outlaws, terrorized the national banks and railroad companies. Butch Cassidy, previously known as Robert Leroy Parker, was the mastermind behind the crimes. Because of his precise planning and perfect execution the gang was able to steal thousands of dollars from their targets with flawless get-a-aways. There just didn't seem to be any way to catch the Wild Bunch Gang and they became infamous throughout the frontier. Many a railroad man and bank teller lost sleep on account of the ever present fear of a hold-up from these dangerous desperados.

It is very popular today to accuse Christians of being judgmental. When a follower of Jesus chooses to do (or not do) certain things that other people engage in regularly, they are many times labeled as prideful or exclusive. It is often wrong to base our opinions of someone's standing with God on what we can observe of their choices or abilities, but there are other times when our ability to discern is crucial. The Bible is filled with wisdom regarding when we should judge others and when we should refrain. So the question begs an answer: "To judge or not to judge?" In 1 Corinthians Paul is addressing a young church living in the middle of a very immoral society. Corinth, a principal city of Greece, was located in the middle of an important trade route between Asia, Italy and the west. It's pivotal position in the world, while bringing many different travelers and wealth, also brought many ungodly and lewd influences.

I am fascinated with clocks. When Great Grandma passed away I was thrilled to inherit her grandfather clock. I remember visiting her when I was little and listening to the chimes of the old clock striking every quarter hour.  There was something intriguing about the consistent ticking and the slowly moving hands making their rounds. This past week we sold a number of beautiful and unusual clocks for a family that obviously loved these old time pieces as well. Their grandfather clock would have hit most ceilings at 9'7" tall. There were numerous wall clocks, banjo clocks, and a really neat Dickory Dickory Dock clock where the little mouse from the nursery rhyme moved upwards as the time passed. But the clocks that interested me the most were the "Mystery Clocks." They were different from most and get their name because it is a mystery how they kept time. 9'7" Grandfather Clock Why all this fuss about clocks? Besides the beauty of the timepieces and their wide variety of unique construction, the time that these clocks keep governs our lives. Each strike of the hour reminds us that we live in 24-hour intervals. All our activity revolves around those sweeps of the clocks' hands. When we are young time seems to pass slowly. But as we grow older the insistent ticking reminds us of how short life is and the urgency of completing our tasks.

One of the most thrilling things that can happen is to have someone of importance complement you. So often we work hard at our jobs or our pastimes and we wonder if anyone really notices. Although the personal fulfillment of a job well done, even when no one else notices, can bring great satisfaction, there is nothing like having our efforts applauded - especially by someone who knows and understands the difficulty of what we have done. I considered this the other day when I, along with the rest of America, listened to a young 16-year old girl display her vocal talents on "The Voice." After listening to the other talented musicians before her, there was no doubt that Shelby Brown was the best. But the biggest thrill was to see the reaction of the four judges. They each hit their buttons and turned their chairs as she reached a beautiful climax with perfect pitch, power, and emotion. As each professional profusely expressed their appreciation of what she had done and practically begged for her to join their team, you couldn't help but vicariously share her joy in their exuberance.

Don't you wish the Bible had an index that would tell you exactly what to do in every circumstance? If it did then you could look up things like the best colleges to attend or best place to raise a family. Maybe you could even search how to handle middle school conflicts or what event to attend when having a scheduling conflict. Though this ancient book typically does not have specific answers to specific situations, God has filled it with truths that will guide us. But God does not leave His children to random guessing about the decisions they need to make. He promises that if we lack wisdom, we can call upon Him at all times and He will guide us through the process. His wisdom is infinite and there is nothing that can stump Him. He also sees the future so nothing is left to chance. When we call upon Him in our confusion He will generously give out of His endless supply of knowledge and understanding. I remember when I was in high school, I had a chemistry teacher who was not very helpful. I switched schools when I was a junior and, because my previous school's schedule was different, I ended up in this class with mostly sophomores. I felt very out of place and uncomfortable. On top of all this, chemistry was not an easy subject for me and I felt confused most of the time. Whenever I would raise my hand and ask for help my teacher would condescendingly respond, "You should know that, Honey!"

It is part of human nature to rush through things. Whether it is a good meal, our homework, or even a life experience, we are conditioned to hurry up, get it done, and move on to the next thing. But there is so much we miss when this is our mode of operation. Some things just have to be done slowly. I found this out when I started to do some light weightlifting. I heard that women my age should spend some time strengthening their muscles in order to keep the body working properly and to ward off diseases like osteoporosis, so I searched through the closet and found my hand weights. Since this is not my favorite activity, I figured I would just get it done quickly every day. I found a book of exercises and proceeded to pump my way through them as fast as I could - let's face it, it is easier to lift the weights when you have some momentum behind you. Then Dad explained to me the proper procedure. If you want to see the best results, it is important not to rush. After warming up, move the weights in an unhurried and controlled fashion. Work the target muscles using a full range of motion when exercising. Breathe deeply and rest between repetitions. This is not the easy way, but it's the best way to get more out of your workout program and grow stronger. Consistency and endurance produce results.