Our Daily Bread

Envy may be defined as “resentment at the success or happiness of others.” Many cultures regard envy lightly. A home remodeling company in Washington, DC, ran an ad that actually appealed to this vice. It used such phrases as “living room lust” and “kitchen envy.” It went on to state that you could become the envy of your neighborhood while enhancing the value of your home.

Sin saps us of our God-given strength. We become spiritually weak and decrepit, but often we imagine that we’re just as hardy as ever.

When she heard that her best friend’s baby died, Andra didn’t know what to do. Should she call her friend right away or wait a few days? What should she say? She asked her mother, Mary Farr, a children’s hospital chaplain, for advice. “Phone her now,” her mother said. “Tell her you love her and that you’ll call back later.” Andra followed that advice, and it meant a great deal to her friend.

Like many young children, I had a favorite book of nursery rhymes. I particularly remember Humpty Dumpty, a big, egg-shaped creature with a painted face and skinny arms and legs, perched happily on a wall. Then he fell and broke into countless pieces. As a child, I felt the hopelessness of the situation whenever I read that they “couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.”

Honesty must be woven into the fabric of our character if we are to have an effective testimony for Christ. Even the secular world recognizes the importance of integrity.

Our culture elevates certain people to the category of “star” because of their ability in sports, music, acting, or some other talent. The stars who are often appreciated and loved the most, though, are those who accept their popularity graciously and maintain humility despite their greatness. They are humble stars.

Comedian W. C. Fields (1880-1946) could make audiences roar with laughter, yet he himself was chronically unhappy. Religion apparently played no part in his life. But it’s been said that as he faced the possibility of dying, he started to devote time to reading the Bible. When he was asked about his new interest in Scripture, Fields, always the comedian, replied, “I’m looking for loopholes, my friend. Looking for loopholes.”

Pastor and author F. B. Meyer once confided to a friend that he felt welcome in any home in England except his own. His loveless marriage was a source of deep heartache. Yet Meyer believed that he, by his aching soul, was being prepared to give love and strength to others, and especially to his wife at the end of her days. He wrote these words to her:

The long dry summer season in Lebanon and Israel usually ends in October with welcome rains that are often accompanied by strong winds, lightning, and thunder.

Two friends were talking about a movie that one of them had seen recently. As he began to describe the film, he characterized it like this: “You wouldn’t want to take your pastor to watch it with you.”