Devotionals

I attended high school with a guy that had, by my estimation, superhuman athleticism.  He sprinted faster than anyone on the football team and jumped higher than anyone on the basketball team.  His explosiveness out of the starting blocks earned him first place in nearly every sprinting event at every track meet.  The problem, however, was the application of his ability.  At best it [...]

One insurance company writes, “Leaving a legacy means giving something that will be valued and treasured by those who survive after your death.”  On reaching a noteworthy work anniversary, I had a coworker get a distant look in his eye and remark that he was going to change his attitude to focus on his “legacy.”  In the insurance company’s case, the focus is exclusively [...]

Genesis 19 describes the distinctly undignified origins of the Moabite people involving Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his elder daughter.  While Lot had a blood connection to the patriarch of the Hebrews, the subsequent history of Moab parallels that of other heathen nations of the ancient Near East.  It was known for its devotion to false gods, with its chief deity being Chemosh, referred to [...]

Our habit is to think the best of ourselves.  We give ourselves a pass more often than we like to admit and perhaps more often than we even realize.  We think, “Well, at a minimum I meant to.”  Or, “I did try really hard.”  Or, “At least I started.”  With these and countless other rationalizations we excuse ourselves for failing to thoroughly obey. The honest evaluator knows that way [...]

“When you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to leave.”  This is a line from an old TV show in which the master is training a young student the art of Kung Fu.  In the story there is a clear delineation between the master and the student.  In this system, the master is always the master and [...]

I have two friends that are very serious golfers.  It’s much more than recreation and way beyond a hobby.  It amounts to a part-time job and they never miss “work.”  They do not know each other but I had a similar experience with both.  Shortly after developing a relationship they each asked, “Do you golf?”  Trying to be clever I gave the same answer both times.  [...]