Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

Throughout life we will all face many battles. Often we will know what we need to do to fight. But what do we do if the enemy is unpredictable and doesn't fight fair? In American history the British redcoats came to the new world to subdue the colonists, force them to pay taxes, and make them submit to the king of England. As they prepared for battle the soldiers took their formation and marched proudly into the war. Much to their surprise they ran into an unlikely enemy. The American minutemen did not fight with the typical warfare of the day. They did not have uniforms that made them stand out. Instead they wore clothes that blended in with the landscape. They hid in the trees and behind rocks and pelted the British with bullets from their hiding places. The King's soldiers were unprepared for this guerrilla warfare and suffered greatly for it.

There are certain times of the year that just beg for you to come home, grab a hot cup of tea or cider, and sit by the fire. The brilliant autumn leaves, the cooler temperatures, and the darkening nights just lend themselves to cozy evenings with family and friends. Dad and I have always made it a habit to take evening walks. We started after we got married when we didn't have much money and only a small apartment. Every night in Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, we would put on our tennis shoes and make our circuit around the town. Sometimes we grabbed an ice-cream cone at the local dairy store and other times we would stop at the local library and browse through the latest magazines and books. But most often we would just talk and dream about the years ahead. After having you children and moving to our country home in Ohio we continued to take these regular evening walks. The view is so much different here than in our suburban town in the East, but the enjoyment is the same. Recently we started out as the sun was setting behind the trees. By the time we completed our loop, the evening shadows had deepened and the air had gotten a little cooler. As we stepped it up on the final stretch I could see the front porch lights flickering in the distance and the warm glow of the girl's bedroom light shining through the window. The lights of home called to me out of the darkness and I longed for the safety and warmth that was waiting there.

There is not a whole lot in this life that can be accomplished without discipline. It takes discipline to get up in the morning on time for school or work. It takes discipline to eat healthy meals. It takes discipline to train for a sports team. It even takes discipline to schedule regular rest into a life full of activity and responsibility. Why, then, when we will make the effort to train ourselves for all sorts of daily chores and activities, do we often neglect the most important training of all? The other day I had a brilliant idea. After having spent much of the fall season watching Abigail and her friends play volleyball, I thought it would be fun to learn how to bump, set, and maybe even serve. I never played this game in high school, but, hey, how hard could it be? "Come on, Abby, show me how to do this," I said. We both ran outside into the cool autumn air where she showed me the correct position for my hands and then passed me the ball. My first try ricocheted off my left wrist and nearly broke the kitchen window. Nevertheless, we tried again. And then again. And then again. Soon I decided that maybe I would do better at serving, but that didn't go much better. My visions of quick success started to look bleak as I tried to follow Abigail's detailed instructions, but completely missed the ball. After we both dissolved into a pool of laughter, I finally admitted that maybe this "simple" game wasn't as easy as it looked. It would take a lot of discipline and practice to perfect the skills needed to play - time that I did not have.

Have you ever heard the expression, "You are what you eat?" How well your body functions is dependent on the nutrients you put in it. That is why it is important to make healthy choices when it comes to meals and snacks. Each part of your body's systems are affected by what you put into your mouth. Our minds are also affected by what we put into them. If one makes a habit of watching movies that are filled with coarse language, he will become used to these obscenities and eventually these words will slip from his lips. If one's eyes view pictures that are unwholesome, the images will stick and create thoughts that may eventually turn into wrong actions. Though it may be obvious that feeding our minds with ungodly things is a problem, there is another problem just as great. When thinking or learning about spiritual things it is important to make sure that you are ingesting sound doctrine.

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.