Our Daily Bread

In the 60s and 70s, much was heard about the right of individuals to “do their own thing.” People were encouraged to be themselves, to get to know themselves, and to express themselves.

As children, we loved hearing three words shouted in slow succession before running a race on the playground: “Ready . . . Set . . . Go!” But have you ever been running along at top speed and heard the signal: “Ready . . . Set . . . Stop”?

Few crimes are as senseless as arson. In late 1993, portions of the Southern California landscape were blackened by a rash of brushfires set by arsonists. Woodlands vanished, homes were reduced to ashes, animals and human beings lost their lives.

When I taught in a Christian college, I directed travel-study tours of Europe. Before I left for the first tour, I was somewhat apprehensive, but I knew that a Christian brother, Sotos Boukis, would be assisting us during the 7 days our group would be in Greece. I was relieved to discover when we arrived at our hotel that he was there waiting for us. His knowledge, guidance, and personal assistance were invaluable. It gave me great peace of mind to have him with me.

Protection comes in many forms. A rabbit dives for his hole. A deer runs for the dense cover of a swamp. A 2-year-old runs for his dad’s pant leg. A marine digs in under cover of supportive artillery. But what does a Christian do? Where does he hide when surrounded by danger?

In June of 1994, 62,000 men gathered at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis for an event called Promise Keepers. One goal of the conference was to challenge men to demonstrate integrity by adhering to the principles for godly living set forth in the Bible. According to one report, the men started meeting that goal right away.

Our society idolizes the so-called “beautiful people”—popular entertainers and models whose youthful faces dominate the pages of the magazines at the supermarket checkout. But such attractiveness has nothing to do with the kind of beauty that delights the heart of God.

I was surprised to come home from work and find out that I was a violator. That morning, I had put out some wood I no longer could use, expecting it to be picked up with my garbage.

The article in Newsweek magazine called it “the ultimate reunion.” Was it to be a gathering of war veterans? Perhaps a banquet in honor of our country’s living ex-presidents? No, it was nothing of the kind—just a rumor that the surviving members of the popular music group the Beatles and Yoko Ono, widow of deceased Beatle John Lennon, were “thinking of doing something together again.”

Certain names from the past can elicit a variety of responses. The mention of Hitler, for example, brings feelings of contempt. On the other hand, a great historical figure like Churchill brings a positive response. Even within the circle of our own acquaintances, we remember some individuals with thankfulness, while we think negatively of others whose lives were spent in selfish pursuits.

It was dawn, and I was painfully aware of being only a few weeks into widowhood. After another restless night, I felt too weary to pray for myself. “Lord,” I sighed, “I need someone to pray for me right now.”

As Adam and Eve faced temptation for the first time, many things were true of them that are not true of us. They lived in a perfect environment and uncorrupted society. No family influence could be blamed for their choice to do what is wrong.

My granddaughter Bree loved the circus, but she was afraid of the tiger. She had no reason to be, however, because the huge old cat had been tamed and was caged. It was hopelessly overweight, and I suspect it no longer had any teeth. Along with its lion friends, the striped beauty went through its routine in meek subjection.

Imagine waking up some morning, walking into your living room, and finding a huge man you had never seen before sleeping on your couch. That’s what happened to a Michigan pastor and his wife. In fact, it was the pastor’s wife who discovered the slumbering hulk.

Nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus said, “I am coming quickly.” Since then, some have wrongly tried to predict when He will return. Others have scoffed. Was Jesus wrong? Did something happen that He didn’t foresee?

The Computer Ethics Institute has proposed 10 commandments for computer users. The laws include:

The well-known evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould wrote, “A crab is not lower or less complex than a human being in any meaningful way.” But would Mr. Gould carry out his theory to its logical conclusion? I doubt it. It’s likely that he’d think nothing of dining at a fine restaurant and enjoy eating crabmeat. But I’m sure he would be appalled if the same menu offered a dinner of grilled human flesh served with French fries.

Missionary Jack Shiflett was speaking to one of his supporting churches. Having spent 11 years in Spain, Shiflett talked about the frustrations of presenting Jesus to people who don’t think they need the gospel.

London music student Richard Steel prized the old violin that had once been his grandfather’s. One day Richard tried to help a bus driver who couldn’t get close to the curb because of a barrier. Putting aside his old violin, he removed the obstacle. But then the driver, unable to see the books and the violin, drove over them.

Envy is a temptation we all have to deal with. The people of God may wonder if a disciplined life is worth it when they look at the pleasures of those who reject and even mock God.

One summer afternoon I climbed a hill near my home. When I reached the top, I stretched out on the grass to relax.

The ritual of anointing is practiced in almost every religion and among all races. Although application of oil may sometimes be done for medicinal reasons, frequently it is also thought to imbue a person with certain desired qualities or powers. Some people in East Africa, for example, pour lion oil on themselves, hoping to gain courage and strength for some great task.

The story is told of a man who raised chickens. Among them was a rooster whose occasional crowing greatly annoyed a neighbor. Early one morning the disgruntled neighbor called the farmer and complained, “That miserable bird of yours keeps me up all night!”

One of the most beautiful confessions of love in all of literature is the one Ruth made to Naomi. In vowing to return to Israel with her, Ruth pledged, “Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17).

As a lawyer, as a congressman, as Governor of Ohio, and as President of the United States, William McKinley had a close relationship with his mother. He either visited her or sent a message to her every day.

On the east side of London, pipes for a large drain were being laid in a trench. Suddenly the dirt walls collapsed, and several workmen were buried. Amid the great excitement and confusion a crowd gathered. Many bystanders watched as several people tried to rescue the victims.

One of the toughest tests we face while serving God is betrayal. I saw it happen to a loving pastor. He encouraged a gifted teenager in his congregation to go to Bible school. He arranged for financial support. He continued to mentor the young man after graduation, letting him preach on occasion.

When American financier John Pierpont Morgan died in 1913, his last will and testament revealed his genuine faith in Jesus Christ. He had prefaced his specific bequests with these significant words:

A troubled Tallahassee couple had been kicked out of their house and were sleeping in a battered car. They were afraid their three children would be taken from them and placed in a foster home. But then they won $709,943 in the state lottery.

Many years ago a speech research unit at Kenyon College conducted a test in cooperation with the US Navy. The purpose was to discover how the tone quality of the voice affected sailors when they were given orders. A number of experiments revealed that the way a person was addressed determined to a large extent the kind of response he would make.

Cedarville College president Paul Dixon tells the story of a high school girl who was in the audience several years ago when he was speaking about the need to tell others about Christ. As she listened, she decided she wanted to make a difference in her high school. She asked God to give her an opportunity.

One grasshopper seems insignificant as it leaps across the lawn. But when it joins forces with other grasshoppers, the resulting swarm can soon devour all the vegetation in its path.

Do you believe God is good, even when life isn’t? Mary did, and I gasped with amazement the day I heard her pastor share her story at her funeral. She, being dead, yet speaks!

Humor can be cruel and offensive, but it can also be kind and helpful. I have used it in sermons to make a point or in meetings to break the tension. I have also profited from humor when it pointed out my faults.

It was one of those split-second exchanges between a 16-year-old girl and her father, but it spoke volumes. While he was out of town, she had broken her curfew and stayed out too late with her boyfriend. Now she had to talk to Dad about it. Embarrassed and afraid, she sat quietly looking down at her hands in her lap while the discussion went on. She apologized and they decided on a suitable discipline.

How would you describe your spiritual life? Is it marked by steady growth as you walk in fellowship with Jesus and learn from Him each day? Or is it an up-and-down kind of roller-coaster ride with times of intensity followed by seasons of indifference?

Many Christians are anxious and troubled. Although they are experiencing the “rest” of salvation that accompanies the forgiveness of sins and are looking forward to the eternal “rest” of heaven, their souls are still in turmoil. Fearful and doubting, they seem to be continually burdened by life’s problems.

As a boy, I was always thrilled to discover a newly constructed robin’s nest. It was fascinating to watch for the eggs and then to wait for those featherless little creatures with bulging eyes and gaping mouths to break out of their shells. Standing at a distance, I could see their heads bobbing unsteadily and their mouths wide open, inviting mother robin to give them their dinner.

Studies conducted by the National Geographic Society provide some fascinating insights into the behavior of chimpanzees. Observers noted how the leadership of a chimp community changed because of a dramatic bluff used by one of the lowliest members of the colony.

All those years of training in good grammar couldn’t stand up to a few hours of being with a friend who mangles the language. That was my observation recently as I overheard my second-grade son Steven talking with one of his friends.

An 86-year-old retired insurance broker says that after much careful thought he has concluded that “there is no personal God and no life after death.” He says there’s no evidence to support these beliefs. But he’s wrong. Scholars have shown that the New Testament books are authentic documents and that Christ’s resurrection is a historical fact.

I once heard of a Christian seminar titled, “How To Live A Stress-Free Life.” Such an unrealistic hope promptly made me stressful! Yet, we all long for relief.

A young man who had entered a monastery wrote to his father and told him how wonderful it was to be there. Every morning at 2 o’clock the men would arise to chant ancient sacred songs.

From early history, man has dreamed of flight. With the invention of the hot-air balloon, he first soared aloft in 1783.

A man attended a meeting where the guest lecturer was extremely long-winded. When the listener could stand it no longer, he got up and slipped out a side door. In the corridor he met a friend who asked, “Has he finished yet?” “Yes,” the man replied, “he’s been through for a long time, but he’s not aware of it! He simply won’t stop!”

When King Solomon wanted to construct a temple for the Lord, he was overwhelmed by the knowledge that he could never make one that would be fully adequate. In awe he exclaimed, “Who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him?” (2 Chr. 2:6).

What does the word Yankee mean to you? Robert W. Mayer, in a Wall Street Journal article, writes, “To people in other parts of the world it simply means someone from the United States; to people in the United States it means someone from north of the Mason-Dixon Line; to us Northerners it means someone from New England; to New Englanders it means someone from Vermont; to Vermonters it means someone from the Green Mountains.”

Nellie Pickard loves to tell people about Jesus Christ. She does it so often that she’s written a series of books describing how she witnesses in everyday situations. In Just Say It! she tells about her phone call to a health-food store. She had noticed that bee pollen was on sale, so she asked the manager about the benefits of using it. “You’ll live forever,” he replied.

Some time ago an acquaintance of mine was “taken in” by a smooth-talking salesman who stopped at his place of business. The man displayed some attractive jewelry which he said he had purchased at a tremendous discount. He was especially proud of some very expensive-looking watches that had a well-known name on the dials.

Every once in a while, some scholar announces what he claims is an original contribution to human knowledge. Congratulations—if it really is. But often the new discovery is just an old truth that the Bible has taught throughout the centuries.