Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

Thanksgiving is a time to consider our blessings. This should be our attitude all year long, but since 1863 our country has celebrated this holiday in response to a proclamation made by President Abraham Lincoln. He declared a national holiday to be held on the last Thursday of November to "praise our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." Every good and perfect gift we have received has come from the Father of lights. He gives us life. He gives us family and friends. He gives us homes, clothing, and food to eat. He provides for us physically and emotionally. And He has made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are certain things you just want to hear over and over. When a special person pays you a compliment or declares their love, it bears repeating just for the sheer joy. Great Grandpa Thomson was partially deaf. When he was around fifty years old, doctors  discovered cancer in one of his ears. He had surgery that, thankfully, removed the source of the problem, but it left him hard of hearing on that side. Great Grandpa used this problem to his advantage. Whenever someone would say something nice about him, he would cock his head, cup his good ear and say, “Could you please repeat that, I didn’t quite hear what you said?” This became a humorous family joke over the years and it always brought a good laugh.

Most of the time when we are doing something wrong we know it! Just passing a county sheriff parked along the side of the road reminds me that I have a tendency to drive too fast, especially when I’m late. But other times there are things we do wrong that we don’t even realize. Certain attitudes and thought processes become so ingrained that they seem natural. Unless they are exposed they will continue on unnoticed by the perpetrator. We have been having our house’s siding replaced. We didn’t realize how overdue our remodeling was until our contractor removed the old siding. Underneath were rotting boards that had been deteriorating from exposure to wind and weather. No wonder the house was losing a lot of heat in the dead of winter! Thankfully, our talented carpenter/handyman is correcting this problem (Thank you, Ryan Stover!).

Knowing where to find answers is a crucial ability. Some may have encyclopedic knowledge, but there is no way one person can recall all information about every topic. However, when that person has the ability to search the appropriate source, they are well on their way to success. A huge part of my job is answering the phone. Throughout the day I answer questions or direct callers to someone who can give them the information they need. Many times I say, “Hold on, while I check on that.” I then make another phone call or search our files for the appropriate response. Hopefully, I can satisfy the customer’s inquiry.

Being young can feel like a detriment. Youths are generally energetic and enthusiastic, but their inexperience often leads to assumptions that they are not as competent as those who are older. This may be true in certain areas, but a young person’s good character will show itself by careful action and attitude. Timothy was a young man who had been given significant responsibility. Paul left him in Ephesus to instruct and lead the church there. Because of his youth some were not giving him the respect he was due, but Paul told Timothy not to worry about this. Instead he encouraged him to prove himself by his actions and his attitude. His speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity would speak louder than words and would give a good example to others, even those older than he. By living this way he would spur others to take inventory of their own lives.

The mindset of our culture and the mindset of God are diametrically opposed. We long for things in this broken world that God wants for us. Freedom, power, and peace are built into our psyches as humans, but our methods of achieving these goals have become skewed from God’s intention and design. Everywhere we go we see the error of our ways reinforcing the world’s lies and brainwashing us all, but especially our youth. The other day Abigail and I were shopping. We had taken a trip to the local mall and were enjoying some time together while searching for some needed clothes. We went in and out of several shops before ending up in the American Eagle Outfitters store. While Abigail perused the jeans section I took a look around the store.