DAILY DEVOTIONALS
The Faithful Soldier
His name was Hiroo Onoda and was the last Japanese soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army to surrender after WWII some 29 years after it ended. His assignment by his commanding officer was to remain undercover in the Philippian jungle and spy on American troops.
On Final Approach
This is a very familiar term to airplane pilots. In any flight there is the takeoff, the trip or journey and with the airport in sight the final approach and finally the landing. For pilots, some flights can be a piece of cake with no mechanical or weather problems.
Olympic Winners
My wife and I watched some of the prerecorded Olympics and I was amazed at those athletics. Most have spent years in difficult, rigorous training and sacrificing much just to get the chance to compete in the Olympics. Yes, there were those that stood out with the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals but in my opinion everyone that made it there was already a winner.
Being a United States Citizen
It is a very special privilege to be a citizen of this great country. We have many opportunities and freedoms like no other place in the world. A natural born citizen, the easiest and most assured way, is when both mother and father are legally married to each other, are US citizens and you are born on US soil or one of its provinces.
Pure Drinking Water
We can live without a lot if things, but good water is not one of them. In many areas in the world and even in our country there are water problems. Bad water or contaminated water can make you sick and even kill you. My younger brother is going and has been going to many parts of the world helping people get pure water.
Dead Mouse
We smelled a strange odor coming from the kitchen. My wife asked me if I had forgotten to take out the trash and I said no. As the day went on the odor became stronger and it wasn’t very pleasant. I started looking in the cabinets and finally found one where the order seemed the strongest.
Ho Hum Drudgery
Sometimes we just get tired of the same old routine. I may get it in the summertime, but it can happen any time. I cannot explain all the reasons. Maybe we want a change or feel like what we do does not really make a big difference. It could be we do not feel appreciated. I worked with a man years ago that was really an inspiration to me. He was always on time for work and had such a good attitude.
No Help Wanted
Years ago, a young man and his family moved to our town. He got a job in a local business, and I would go by every now and then and visit with him. I started talking to him about his relation-ship to God, (1 John 5:11, 12). He said he didn’t have one, but was interested, (Mathew 6:33, Hebrews 11:6). I encouraged him to take his family to Church just for his children’s sake.
Free at Last
Over the years I have visited and worked with the youth in prison. I have talked to, prayed with and tried to help them with their relationship with God. While talking to them I became aware of a few things they are very concerned about. One was their families, and another was how much time or what requirements they must complete before they are free. Each one of them has broken the law at least once and some of them many times.
