Why Daily Devotions?
“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalm 5:1-3 KJV)
Here I am—grounded again and it’s only the start of day two. Dad’s hidden behind the newspaper with his morning coffee. Mom’s running around the kitchen finishing lunches, flipping pancakes, and reminding us she can’t take us to school if we miss the bus.
My little sister, not yet old enough for kindergarten, has spooned applesauce all over her hair and my younger brother has just informed Mom that it’s his turn to bring the mid-morning snack to class.
I picked at soggy pancakes, thinking of ways to ask Mom and Dad about the dance this Friday night. The dopest guy in the entire school has asked me to go and telling him my parents won’t let me would mean ridicule from all my friends. Just five more days and I won’t be grounded anymore but that’s too late. One whole week of solitary confinement just for lying; it’s not fair. I’ll never get caught lying again!
I hate my life. Mom and Dad are always concerned about money and bills, I always get stuck baby sitting my brother and sister, and we never do anything fun. The only thing we do together as a family is go to church. Why go to church anymore? Why should I read my Bible or pray? Why am I so miserable? If I’m a Christian, then why do I feel like I’m swimming around in a fishbowl with nothing to look forward to?
* * *
Does this reflect the way some of your days start? Do you feel the despair and discouragement this teen feels? Think about how many days you start out with feelings of selfishness and anger, letting emotions rule your behavior and decisions. Were you able to have a quiet time and Bible reading any of those mornings? And if so, was it enough time to really grasp God’s Word and wait for Him to speak to you?
David, the psalmist, knew the secret of a close relationship with the Lord. “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” (Psalms 5:3 NIV1984)
In the morning our minds are fresh, not yet bogged down by the problems of the day. It’s a good time to communicate with God and “breathe deep the breath of God.” The teen in this story had a gloomy outlook for the day and defeated her trust that God was in control. She had a distorted “fishbowl” view and was feeling injustice at her punishment.
But the crime justified the punishment and by her statement, “I’ll never get caught lying again,” it’s evident that her heart hasn’t changed. Spending time with God and meditating on His Word would have given her understanding about the situation she couldn’t grasp by herself. Daily devotions and quiet time with the Lord can free you from the confines of the world.
Devotionals provide an opportunity to grow and discover new truths. The Lord has a special path for your life. Know your God, He’ll fulfill your vision and free you from the fishbowl!
Life Application:
How’s your day been? Ever feel like going back to bed and starting all over again? Try a devotional for breakfast. You may not need the oats!
Cindy Scinto, Editor, iBeGat.com
Book Review – “The Witness” by Josh McDowell
International Adventure: “The Witness” by Josh McDowell
(2 July 2010; 192 words)
Marwan Accad, a security agent, is the only witness to Rafeeq Ramsey’s murder. After some investigation, he becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Marwan goes on the run in a chase covering both sides of the Mediterranean. From Monte Carlo to Casablanca to Cairo, he relies on his brother Ramy and his friend Kadeen to keep him hidden from French Inspectors Goddard and Lemieux. Along the way, Marwan has to use false identities and he meets Dalia Nour who sends him into a whirlwind romance.
The descriptions in this book are excellent and the action is amazing! From page one, the reader is thrown into Marwan’s race to clear his name. Obviously, there’s a lot of violence involved, but it’s not graphic. There are also minor drug and alcohol references.
When it comes to Marwan and Dalia’s romance, again, nothing is graphic, but there is innuendo. The only thing I found odd about the book was some similar character names: Ramsey (the murder victim) and Ramy (Marwan’s brother); Colette (Goddard’s partner) and Claudette (Ramsey’s wife).
Overall, a great read if you love action and adventure!
(Tyndale House Publishers provided this book for review.)
ESTHER LOPRESTO
I am first and foremost a Scribe of the King. It is my desire to serve God through the written word. I have been creating stories since age three. I would tell them to entertain my family, but didn’t start writing them down until age eight or nine.
Since then, the need to write has been insatiable. At age nineteen, I had my first book, Where’s My Other Sock?, published by Tate Publishing. Then, I graduated from community college with a degree; not in anything writing related, but in accounting. Currently, I’m hunting for a bookkeeping job and working on several books or story ideas. In my stories, I challenge the reader’s imagination with adventures into the fantasy realm. Some stories lean towards mystery/suspense or general fiction, and I try to write for all ages. I find my inspiration from JRR Tolkien’s works and from the Randomness of everyday life.
SDG. (read more…)
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