Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

Dear Barabbas, How are you? Oh, I suppose that was not a good question. How could any man condemned to death on a Roman cross be anything but crippled with fear? I wish your present hardships had never happened, but your past decisions have placed you in a very desperate situation. You must have known that participating in rebellions against the Roman government would be very dangerous. Yet you still attempted these treacherous actions and in the process got caught up in horrible terrorist crimes resulting in murder and more. I am sure at the time you thought you were being brave and courageous, fighting for what you believed in, but it is easy to get caught up in emotions and follow them to your fate.

Thousands of voices filled the Indiana Convention Center with the words from Martin Luther’s great hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. I had never heard such a great choir of God’s people joining together in praise of our God. It truly was a thrill, but I almost missed it! Monday morning Dad and I had planned to attend The Gospel Coalition's bi-annual conference in Indianapolis. After some struggling to decide if I should go or not, we decided that Dad would go early in the church van and I would come later.

Throughout history, there has been much talk about a man named Jesus. Many recognize His name or are even able to mention a few facts they have learned through the years, but quite a few have the same question: “Who really is Jesus anyway? This is a good question and the answer holds the key to life itself. From the time Jesus physically walked on this earth, people were pondering His identity, and there were many different opinions. One day Jesus asked His closest followers, “Who do people say I am?” The answers were varied. Some thought He was John the Baptist returned from the dead. Others thought He was Elijah or one of the other prophets.

Throughout the years people have developed different types of maladies. Take writer’s cramp for example. Thousands of years ago this was not a problem as our forerunners preserved history orally and the average person did not know how to write. Since then we have suffered from a plethora of discomforts like tennis elbow, trigger finger, and carpal tunnel syndrome, which have all developed as a result of new activities. Even recently I heard of an even newer problem: text neck is neck pain and damage stemming from looking down at modern devices for too long. This is the way of our world now and we are suffering for it.

The words, like angry racquetballs, bounced off the four walls of the neat little home. Harsh dialogue spoken from the depths of raw emotions ripped back and forth – the competition was on. Raised voices shouted wrongs from the past and hearts ripped to shreds on both sides. In the heat of the moment, all that mattered was winning. But the satisfaction of the “I’m Right” game lasted only briefly, and a moment of smug glory ended poorly. An important relationship was damaged. What a price to pay for being right!

Life at one hundred miles an hour – that’s what each day feels like sometimes. We rush and worry about all that needs to be done, constantly running and thinking ahead to the next thing. Usually in all the rush we miss the joy of the moment. This weekend Dad and I spent some time away in the heart of Amish country. We love to retreat to a quiet inn we found a few years ago. From this special place we find rest that we don’t often get in the busy life of family business, church and school activities and home responsibilities. Things slow down and it’s easier to focus.