Our Daily Bread

Whether the company is Twentieth Century Fox in Hollywood or Twentieth Century Data in Dallas, time has caught up with these companies and they’re a century behind. Should they change their names? Consultant Frank Delano says, “You can’t do business in the 21st century with a 20th-century name. You need a name that is really universal with no limitations.”

When Jesus promised His disciples that He would one day return to earth, He said He would come at a time they did not expect (Matthew 24:44). Therefore, people today who set dates for Christ’s second coming are really wasting their time. Jesus never told His followers how to calculate the day of His return. Rather, He emphasized that our main priority is to make sure we’re ready for Him, and that we are occupied in His service when He comes (vv.45-46).

I read a story about a woman who was dying. She had lived a good and moral life and had never felt she needed a Savior. But when a minister offered to come and talk with her, she allowed him to visit. The pastor explained the way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Emphasizing that Jesus died for the sins of everyone in the world, including her, he urged her to trust the Savior.

What did Jesus mean when He told His followers that they were “the salt of the earth”? (Matthew 5:13). In the ancient world, salt had many uses. For one, it preserved food. Without salt, meat and fish would quickly spoil. In a similar way, Christians who uphold God’s moral standards can slow the decay of society.

If you were in the midst of a disaster, would you think to witness to people around you? John Harper did.

When we pray for others, we become partners with God in His work of salvation, healing, comfort, and justice. God can accomplish those things without us, but in His plan He gives us the privilege of being involved with Him through prayer.

I am often asked to speak on the subject of stress. I’m not an expert on stress, just an experienced sufferer! I simply share counsel from God’s Word that helps me live less stressfully and more restfully. Many listeners are desperate for any new insight I might offer. What blank looks I sometimes get when I make this particular recommendation: “Get more sleep!” In their longing to deepen their experience of God’s peace, they were hoping for something more spiritual than that.

For many teenagers who run away, returning home isn’t always all they had hoped for. More than a few 15-year-olds have been confronted by a father who has snarled, “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you. It’s bad enough that you’ve given your mother migraines ever since you outgrew the backyard. But now you’ve done it. Coming home doesn’t change the fact that you’re just a dirty little delinquent.”

Many of us own a copy of the Bible. Some of us may have many copies in different versions and even different languages. This ancient book, written originally in Hebrew and Greek, with small portions in Aramaic, is still “the most influential book in history” according to a 1996 survey of United States citizens.