Our Daily Bread

During the dark days of World War II, Adolf Hitler was tyrannizing Europe and herding millions of people into concentration camps. No wonder there was a widespread belief that the end of history had arrived.

Thomas Boston, a young minister and fly fisherman from Scotland, wrote this in his diary in 1699: “Reading in secret, my heart was touched with Matthew 4:19, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ My soul cried out for the accomplishing of that to me, and I was very desirous to know how I might follow Christ, so as to be a fisher of men.”

“Don’t worry. Only the good die young.” This was the reply of an unbelieving man to his sister when she expressed concern that he wasn’t ready to meet the Lord.

For centuries, Albanian clans were known for their bloody family feuds. They considered it cowardly not to avenge the death of one of their own. Sometimes retaliation would set off a chain reaction that left 25 to 30 people dead before it ended.

It is well-known that our emotions can have a profound effect on our bodies. And the condition of our bodies can affect our emotions.

My friend Ron wasn’t having a good week. His new job had thrust him in the midst of some people who were foul-mouthed, rude, and obnoxious. Ron is one tough guy, but after 2 months of working in that environment, he wasn’t sure he could tolerate any more ungodly, uncouth behavior.

A number of years ago, Jim Kaat, a star pitcher for the Minnesota Twins baseball team, was asked by a sportswriter what it meant to be a Christian and a professional athlete. Kaat answered by relating an experience that had taken place on the pitcher’s mound a couple of weeks earlier.

A business executive, after hearing an inspiring sermon, said to the preacher, “Your sermon was excellent. However, if you were one of my employees, I would have to fire you.” Then he explained, “You’ve sold me completely, but you didn’t close the deal.” The preacher was convincing, but he didn’t call for a commitment.

In a lighthearted Time magazine essay, Sarah Vowell tells that she signed up for a 3-hour, $39 course called “Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People.” Regretting that she didn’t stick with music lessons as a child, she made it her goal to learn to play one piece by memory. What she found was that even this seemingly simple task required hours of practice. There is no such thing as “instant” piano. But as she continued to practice, a recognizable melody began to emerge from her fingers.

British pastor Joseph Parker was asked, “Why did Jesus choose Judas to be one of His disciples?” He thought deeply about the question for a while but could not come up with an answer. He said that he kept running into an even more baffling question: “Why did He choose me?”