Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

I can still hear your childish voices reciting the first Bible verse we taught you. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind..." was practiced and referred to often in our house from the time each little one could speak. These two words encompass so much of how we should love and act towards one another. Yet these same words are so hard to put into practice. We now often laugh at the infamous video of you siblings quoting this verse, only to seconds later start grabbing and yelling at each other. 

Thanksgiving dinner was ready to eat - well, almost. There was still one dish baking. The traditional scalloped oysters had been prepared and slid into the oven, but because of the doubled recipe it was taking a lot longer to bake. We waited and waited, but finally decided to get started anyway. Hey, the top of the casserole was crispy, so we were sure it would be fine.

What is love not? This is a question that has been running through my head lately. In the last hours of Jesus' life on earth He spent a great amount of time exhorting His followers to love one another. God is love and if we want to be like Him we must exhibit the characteristics of love that prove we belong to Him. But do we sometimes misunderstand what love is and replace it with actions or attitudes that are not in tune with God's love nature?

Ripples of water licked the edge of the beach front on beautiful Lake Pleasant in the Adirondack Mountains. The summer sun shimmered pleasantly while many guests lounged on the warm sand soaking in its rays or cooled their tanned skin in the crystal clear waters. In the distance engines roared to life, laughter filled the air, and water skiers tried their sea legs for the first time of the season. Everyone was relaxed and away from the pressures of every day life except for a few.

Life is full of day-to-day difficulties. It is important during these experiences to call out to the Lord in prayer. He wants us to pray continually and keep in touch with Him through the day. But there are other times when a critical situation rears its ugly head - you know, one of those disasters that sneaks up unawares and drops you to the ground in desperation.

On the last day of our camping trip this summer, we had packed all our gear and were preparing to return to the car for the twelve hour ride home. I settled my pack in the middle of the canoe and then cautiously made my way to the bow of the boat. As I was waiting the vessel started to drift. When Dad reached for it, we became unbalanced, tipped, and I fell into the water.