Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

I wish I could be like her! These words sometimes float across my mind when I am feeling down on myself. I look at some of the weak areas of my life, compare them to a strong point in someone else's life, and wish that I could be different. When it comes to character qualities it is easy to imagine that you were just not born with the ability to think in certain ways. But I believe this is just an excuse. Though we each come into the world with certain personality traits, we have the ability, with God's help, to grow in the areas that we are weak. This is confirmed by a statement that the Apostle Paul made in Philippians 4. It is easy, when you read Paul's writings, to think that he always had things dialed in. Once he came to know Jesus he knew all the answers, he was courageous in the midst of deep trials, and always had the right attitude. But in today's verse Paul states that he learned to be content in all circumstances. This was not an attitude he was born with. He learned it.

There are lots of things I like about living in our small town. I love chatting with friends while picking up a gallon of milk at the local grocery store. I love riding my bike to our cozy library and picking out a movie with the help of a familiar and friendly face. I enjoy getting an ice-cream cone or penny candy at Mom and Dad's Dairy Bar. And I like being greeted by name at the local bank. But there is one recent activity that has been fun as well as encouraging.

As I have been reading about Joshua, Moses' successor, I have heard God tell him over and over to be strong and courageous. Joshua had a huge mission ahead of him. He would be the one to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. There were lots of strong enemies and the task was daunting.

Last week my mind meandered down memory lane as I spoke with an elderly gentleman on the phone. He had called our office about a business matter, but in conversation I found out he lived near my old stomping grounds. Having been gone from my New Jersey roots for 21 years, I savored the reminiscences of places and people that I have not seen for many years.

I asked myself this question yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work. As I tidied up my bedroom and made the bed, the TV news reporter's voice caught my ear. I paused from my chores to watch the footage of four crazy men who had the "brilliant" idea to skydive over an active volcano in Indonesia this week. Garbed in wing suits and parachutes, these daredevils dove from a helicopter and soared over Mt. Bromo in the East Java Province of Indonesia.

Living in a world of sin, it is hard to keep the mind clean and pure. No matter where one goes he or she will be bombarded by images, thought patterns, and music that pull in the direction of ungodliness. Even walking innocently through the grocery store one's eyes will be assaulted by unsavory magazines that line the racks by the checkout. What is a guy or gal to do?