Ongoing Meditation
Meditation on God's Word doesn't have to end when your devotional time is over. You can continue the blessing by taking Scripture with you throughout the day.
Of Time And Trees
People who don't want to wait 4 decades for a globe Norway maple to grow in their front yard can buy a 30-foot specimen from a New York nursery for $42,000. A 50-foot European beech is a "bargain" for only $20,000. In spite of the prices, the country's leading nurseries report soaring sales of mature trees.
Which Wisdom?
Is it wise to be bitterly envious of other people's possessions, talents, or good looks? Is it wise to be selfishly ambitious—and then brag about what your ambition brings you?
Just Pretending
In his youth, John Philip Sousa, the grandson of America's great composer and conductor by the same name, received large sums of money as a guest bandleader. Soon, however, his conscience began to trouble him. He knew that he was asked to conduct because of his famous ancestor, not due to his own ability. In fact, the younger Sousa couldn't read a note of music. So he decided to give up his lucrative charade and start earning a real living.
The Sanity Of Confession
In 1976, a psychiatric examination was ordered for a woman who admitted she "willfully and knowingly" attempted to kill President Ford. When she was informed that there was a possibility she could be sent to jail for life, she replied that she could see "no reasonably honest and honorable" way of avoiding it. "There comes a point," she declared, "when we each have to answer to ourselves, and it is with our own conscience that we must make peace."
What Is Success?
The magazine article summarized the life of a former winning NCAA basketball coach and network sports announcer. Throughout his colorful coaching career he had been obsessed with the game and with winning. But years later, stricken with cancer, he came to realize the triviality of the goods and values to which he had been passionately devoted. "You get sick and you say to yourself, 'Sports means nothing,' and that feels terrible."
Encourage Yourself
Talking to oneself is something many people ridicule in others and vow they'll never do themselves. They assume it's a sign of losing touch with reality. In light of what we read today in Psalm 42, though, let's think about it.
The Storm Will Pass
The local TV meteorologist occasionally points to his map and says something like, "Well, friends, I'm afraid that things are going to get worse before they get better!"
Sent By God
If God sent you to do something significant for Him, how would you expect to be treated? Like a dignitary in a motorcade? How would you expect to feel? Important and confident? Secure in knowing exactly where you were headed and what you were to do?
