God has given each of us talents and skills. There is an easy way to tell if we are using our talents wisely. The sign is wear and tear from usefulness. When we meet a farmer, his hands are rough and calloused. His skin is thick from being outside in all types of...
Suppose we have a boss who favors one person. That one person gets promotions yet he breaks all the rules and doesn’t work as hard as the rest of the team. How do we handle such a boss? The Bible refers to the “term masters and slaves” quite often. We are all...
Young people are always playing the dare game. I dare you to stick out your tongue at Mr. Jones or I dare you to skip a class are two examples of kids tempting others. They will continue to nag and bully until the child gives in. When the child gets a consequence...
Throughout our lifetime if we haven’t already heard comparison terms we will at some point. People compare themselves to others and fail miserably. They make such statements as, “If I could just be like her or look like him I would be popular.” “If I could only...
There are times we can sit and speak to God through prayer for a long time. We are either excited or distressed over something so we continue to express our feelings to God. Other times we are too shocked over a circumstance that all we can do is just sit. Words do...
God has created us in His image with each of us being one of His Own unique masterpieces. We occasionally hear people speaking about a certain person and how he/she is gifted by God with a special talent. Sometimes it leaves us wondering what is so unique about us....
Sometimes when we worry about upcoming events or things on our schedule that we dread it’s best to concentrate on what we have going on right now. There is a phone call to a relative we have been putting off or a letter needing our response. Why keep putting off...
When we pray it opens up the floodgates of heaven onto the object of our prayer. Heaven is huge and compared to heaven the object of our prayer is the size of a pin point. Having that much power focused onto our petitions opens the door to resentment because God...
Our Lord knows all things. He knows the outcome of each choice we make. When we trust Him with the desires of our hearts He knows how to bring about situations where these desires can be met. Many times we desire certain friendships, acceptances or vocations and we...
Those who know of our love for Jesus Christ are always watching. They are looking for the differences in us compared to the habits of those who do not yet know Him. People notice our smiles and feel our peace when we are around them. They watch and wait to see if we...
During these times of persecution and times where things go from bad to worse, God has not changed. His focus is on us at all times. Nothing can separate us from His love. It is during these difficult times we experience His divine shelter and protection. We...
There was an old western show that is rarely shown today. The story was about a wolverine. That wolverine would come during the night and rob a family of their meat and other things they depended upon to live. The oldest male in the family gathered with other men...
God has His Own beautiful ways of showing His presence to us. Throughout the day sunbeams shine a brilliant light on all creation making all things clear. There is no mistaken that only God can create beautiful wildlife, nature and streams. When night falls we see...
There is a stage already set. When you walk into the theatre you see all the props in place. You stand among the empty seats and wonder what this production is all about. You quickly learn it’s either all about you or all about God. The empty seats are filled with...
We plant a seed and water it only to see nothing. We can pull up a stool and sit for hours and see nothing at all. The Bible is specific when It refers the type seeds planted being what sprouts. Only in delayed photography can we really see a flower grow. ...
Wouldn’t it be nice if things worked out the way they should each time? Hard work earns a good living and loyalty gains trust of others. The person needing the most attention gets it the quickest. People who contribute nothing are last to be considered. These are...
Many people fill their minds with trying to figure every thing out. While there are things that come into our lives that need our attention in order to work out many things aren’t meant for us to handle at all. We can avoid being late by always leaving early. We can...
Any athlete can tell you that there is only one winner. All competitors strive for first place and the much sought after medal. While there is prestige in a silver or bronze medal it’s not first place. These second and third place winners try harder for the next...
We sometimes pray and ask God to send us the desires of our hearts. We pray for what we think we want and from our perspective we are sure it’s the right thing. It’s something we have wanted for a long time and our vision of the outcome is very detailed and...
In today’s world it’s happing more and more. The Bible is very clear when It states in several places that the last days are evil. We watch the news and see reports of all types of unthinkable things which has become a normal way for some to live. Mothers will have...
While some people seem to never have a care in the world or face any hardships most of us do. There are difficult situations that come and go but others seem to linger. We are never given a choice of which problems come to us but we do have a choice of how we...
Any musician can tell us that most instrumentalists want what is referred to as first chair. Many times a player who is out of tune will not even recognize how they play because the competition is more important to them than making a joyful noise. It’s the same way...
It’s a fact. People will wrong other people. Many of us will pick up the phone to find a sympathy partner or an ally. While there is some comfort getting with others to plea our case, the important thing to remember is Christ is the Victor. When our thoughts and...
There are those who excel in everything they do. There are those who get by with everything they impose. There are those who endure a lifetime of hardships. We have all wondered why and nobody can figure out a logical answer. However God knows all things. It’s a...
As a young person having a job at a fast food restaurant is an opportunity to grow. The pay is very little and the work is hard. The hours are long and the glamor is not that great. When that young person wants to move to a better position he will apply at places...
As young people we attend school. The teacher stands before a classroom of students giving instructions. These instructions will reveal which answers on upcoming tests will be the correct ones. There are students who will not listen and unfortunately will give...
We are free to choose our responses but it’s our responses that choose to either reward or punish our choices. The Bible speaks much about wisdom. In fact wisdom is to be cherished more than gold. Wisdom keeps us out of trouble. It’s a wise thing to do to think...
The closer we become to God the more some people alienate themselves from us. We get along fine with them. In fact we have had some of these people in our homes. We have laughed and cried together. We have gone out on weekends to enjoy a program or a vacation. We...
How often do we hear someone ask how they can pray for us? Rarely do we hear the words, “here, let me get that for you.” When a parent, boss or even a coworker asks us to do something, what is our attitude in return? Occasionally a person in authority will demand...
There are certain things in life that are achieved by going about it the right way. Hard study makes good grades in school. Hard work earns promotions and raises. Proper respect for people earns trust and friendships. These type of achievements are the right thing...
We dart to and from places. We race to get the best bargain. We pack our days full of activities. We get a call from a friend who needs to talk and our day is too packed to listen. We say will call them later and later never comes. We completely forget....
When we ask God to make us a great musician He leads us to a situation where we labor in practices. We miss note after note and we get turned down time and again for playing opportunities. When this happens we wait and follow the last instructions given by God. When...
A band consists of many instruments each playing its own part. The beauty created when all instruments come together to play a song is pleasant to a listening audience. The music heard is the song as a whole and never a lone instrument. Some may feel that playing...
Today there are trials in our lives like never before. Numerous requests are being made for others to pray for them in certain situations. These requests are real and it is a true fact that without God in our lives we can do nothing. The devil is still on the...
There are times we pray for a certain thing or situation in life and it seems we get hardships instead. Occasionally God will grant our desires almost immediately and we are encouraged by those answers. Most of the time our answer to prayer will be the type where we...
Airplane pilots are quick to advise that landing a plane requires remaining focused on the center line. The center line takes us safely to the final destination. Though turbulence and wind try to blow a plane off course during the journey the focus is always the...