Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

If you want to be successful in God’s eyes, you must carefully obey His word. And there is only one way to do this – you must know what God’s word says. God instructed the new leader of Israel, Joshua, to think about His words day and night. The law should always be on the tip of his tongue so that he could carefully obey everything God wanted. This is true for us today. We must read God’s word, but we must also hide it in our hearts.

For the umpteenth time Mary restlessly rolled her aching frame over on the mat she called her bed. The past two nights her body had tossed and turned almost as much as her weary brain. The thoughts and visions of that horrible day would not stop circling like ugly vultures reviewing the latest kill. "He never did anything wrong and the way they treated Him - the spitting, the mocking, the beatings." The streaks of crimson trickling down His face when they jammed the circle of thorns on His forehead were forever etched on her memory as were the screams of pain and the loud ring of steel against steel penetrating the hands and feet that did only good.

Since 1907 this has been the motto of the scout movement. All Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts make it their duty to be prepared in mind and body to know the right thing to do, to be willing to act on it, and to be physically fit to carry out the action when necessary. None of our family, aside from my brief stint with the Brownies in elementary school, has been a scout member. Even so, this motto is one that we should all consider making part of our life strategy.

There are some stories that always amaze me. Year after year I reread them and they never grow old. Instead they encourage me, strengthen my faith, and renew my desire to obey the Lord’s commands fully. During the Easter season we reflect on the events that occurred in the last week of Jesus’ ministry on earth. He had spent three years publicly teaching, healing, and revealing His identity to crowds of followers. Many had rejected His claim to be the Son of God, the Messiah, but many believed and followed Him.

Envy is a vice that can cause great damage. It reaches into the heart of relationships and creates much havoc. Like a mouse squeezing into a home through the tightest places, this trait can even find its way into Christian circles and fruitful ministries. The Corinthian church suffered the aftermath of envious leaders who infiltrated their midst after their spiritual father, the Apostle Paul, journeyed on to other places. Self-proclaimed apostles who lusted after power took charge of the congregation and began to deride Paul’s authority. By finding fault and casting doubt they convinced the Corinthians that Paul did not have their best interests at heart.

Your first reaction when a crisis occurs is crucial. It could mean the difference between life and death. Years ago when I took a first aid class we memorized a checklist of things that we needed to do in a crisis. The very first thing on the list seemed a little basic, but I soon realized how important it was. Over and over again the instructor had us practice what we should do. Immediately upon arriving at the scene we were to scream, “Call 911!” From there we were to begin the other techniques we had been taught.