Our Daily Bread

In his book The Divine Intruder, James Edwards portrays the prophet Jonah as a man who was grieved by the grace of God. Jonah had been told by God to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, but he believed that the wicked city deserved to be destroyed for its brutality and cruelty, not pardoned.

I first met Noel when he was in the early stages of overcoming drug dependence. He had put his faith in Christ, and he was becoming a well-established disciple. One day he admitted, “When I first trusted the Lord, I felt powerless and needed to depend on Him for everything. But now that He’s made me stronger, I’m afraid I’m not depending on Him as much.”

In 1989, CBS presented a television miniseries called Lonesome Dove. It’s a gripping story about two former Texas Rangers in the Old West who face many perils as they drive a herd of cattle northward to Montana. In it Captain Woodrow Call agrees to the deathbed wish of his friend Gus McCrae to bury his body in Texas.

Some people go through life looking in the rearview mirror. They yearn for the “good old days” when life seemed better. Families were stronger, Christians were nobler, people were happier—or so they think!

A young couple moved to Banff. This vacation paradise located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies is surrounded by majestic mountain peaks. The awesome beauty of the slopes changes with the seasons—glistening snow, bright wildflowers, golden autumn leaves.

The patriarch Isaac was an old man when he said, “I do not know the day of my death” (Genesis 27:2). That is true of us whether we’re young or old. We never know when the thread of life is going to be broken. This fact was vividly illustrated by something that happened in France in 1965.

I once read about a woman who felt very much alone at her workplace because she was the only Christian. She was often ridiculed for her faith and accused of being narrow-minded. Finally she became so discouraged that she considered quitting her job. Before doing that, however, she talked with her pastor. After listening to her complaints, the minister asked, “Where do people usually put lights?” “In dark places,” she replied.

The term “sandwich generation” is often used to describe people who are being squeezed between the demands of their children and the responsibility to help their own aging parents. It’s not a new dilemma but one that has been complicated by families living far apart, an increasing number of working women, and the pressures faced by single parents.

One night during a thunderstorm, a mother was tucking her young son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, “Mommy, will you stay with me all night?” The mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, “I can’t, Dear. I have to sleep in Daddy’s room.” After a brief pause, the boy replied, “The big sissy!”

Bodyguards are usually employed to protect wealthy or prominent people. Most of us can only imagine what it would be like to walk among our enemies with someone at our side who commands their immediate respect, and whom they fear.