Our Daily Bread

We’ve all heard of people who are so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good. We’ve also heard about preachers who promise their flock great reward in heaven, but ignore life’s difficulties. Some people accuse them of being “pie-in-the-sky prophets” who have forgotten that we must still live in the world.

When I was in college, my roommate was engaged to a woman who lived 800 miles away. He was a worrier and a pessimist, so he was constantly questioning the closeness of their relationship. He would worry that they were drifting apart. If a day came without a letter, he would convince himself that she didn’t love him any longer and was about to break up with him.

I’m not a talented guy,” says John Haggai. “I don’t sing, I don’t preach. I don’t teach. I guess I’m just here to help people.”

A British newspaper reported that a woman had hidden $20,000 worth of jewelry in a plastic bag, hoping to prevent burglars from finding it. Later, having forgotten about it, she accidentally threw the bag out with her garbage. Several workmen searched for 9 hours in a landfill before finding her treasure and restoring it to her.

A local official sadly observed, “The place to pray has now become a place to prey—that’s P-R-E-Y.”

If you’ve recently experienced a great spiritual victory, take a minute to check your luggage. You may have returned from the battle with something you definitely don’t need.

What happened to the great city of Ephesus? Often mentioned in the New Testament, it was one of the cultural and commercial centers of its day. Located at the mouth of the Cayster River, it was noted for its bustling harbors, its broad avenues, its gymnasiums, its baths, its huge amphitheater, and especially its magnificent Temple of Diana. What happened to bring about its gradual decline until its harbor was no longer crowded with ships and the city was no longer a flourishing metropolis?

As the bus rounded another bend in the Israeli road, I was not prepared for my reaction to what I would see. There stretching before us lay the Sea of Galilee. Its beauty sparkled in the bright sunlight, but my heart was not touched just by its natural grandeur. No, the tears of wonderment that clouded my vision came when I realized anew that I was in the land of Jesus’ earthly life.

A government official recently said we have no way of making sure that a terrorist group or a madman will not obtain nuclear weapons. Some people responded to his words by saying that the human race is on the verge of destroying itself.

Is salt good or bad? It’s not that simple, is it? For instance, the salt that melts dangerous ice on winter roads is also the salt that eats through the steel of cars. And the salt that an athlete needs to prevent dehydration is the salt that some experts believe plays a significant role in many health problems, such as high blood pressure.