Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

Why is human nature drawn to drama and tragedy? All through the years people have been mesmerized by the tragic and horrible. In the days of ancient Rome, citizens gathered at the Colosseum to watch men and women be torn apart by raging lions and wild beasts. They cheered and celebrated as the sharp teeth of vicious animals crunched the bones of the unfortunate gladiators and defenseless criminals.

The dewey grass soaked the cloth of Jesus' robe as He knelt in prayer that terrible night. Surrounded by the pungent smell of olives in Gethsemane and serenaded by the snores of His followers, the Savior sought comfort and strength from His heavenly Father. The minutes ticked by as great drops of sweat, the color of blood, dripped from His face and moistened the ground even further. Understanding fully what He was about to suffer at the hands of hateful men, the Son of God firmly set His mind on fulfilling His Father's will.

Have you ever listened to a country music song? I know you have, but have you REALLY listened? Country songs are usually about some type of love - loving your man, your girl, your mother, your pickup truck, your dog - you get the picture.  When you take the time to process the words, you will uncover the world's view on love - a view that is usually dishonoring and self-serving.

Singing is a regular occurrence in our house. For no apparent reason someone will break out in a song and others will jump in to join the group. It is not an uncommon scenario for Walt Disney songs to be belted out (with all the voices and lyrics).

The green-eyed monster is a term referring to envy which was first used by Shakespeare in his play Othello. The ancient Greeks believed that the emotion of envy created an overproduction of bile in the body, thus causing the face to become an unpleasant green color. The color green is also used to describe someone who is ill. The envious feeling of discontentment or covetousness in regard to another's successes, possessions, or advantages, though it may not actually turn your face green, will  certainly produce a sick outlook on life - an outlook that will hinder the kind of love that the Bible describes.

I can still hear your childish voices reciting the first Bible verse we taught you. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind..." was practiced and referred to often in our house from the time each little one could speak. These two words encompass so much of how we should love and act towards one another. Yet these same words are so hard to put into practice. We now often laugh at the infamous video of you siblings quoting this verse, only to seconds later start grabbing and yelling at each other.