Life's Little Frustrations

A devotion for today.

Life's Little Frustrations

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."
PHILIPPIANS 4:6,7

Paul Dickson discovered that the size of the cut he inflicted on himself while shaving was directly proportionate to the importance of the event he was shaving for. That led him to an interest in other "universal laws" evident in daily life. The following are a few of the many he has collected:

1. "No books you lend are lost except those you particularly want to keep.

2. "There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, hire someone, or tell your kids not to do it.

3. "You can throw a burnt match out of the window
of your car and start a forest fire easier than
you can start one under dry logs in your fireplace
with a box of matches and the complete edition
of the Sunday newspaper."

Let's face it, more often than not it's life's little annoyances that get to trigger our "worry / frustration button" and cause us to overreact in one way or another.

As one of my favorite ditties goes:

"It's the little things that bother us / and put us on the rack / you can sit upon a mountain / but you can't sit on a tack."

Most of us have at least one worry / frustration button — and as long as this button is active, it's a good reminder that I still have some growing to do — and will until I get to the place where I quit worrying and overreacting and learn to trust God for everything!

Hmm. I see I still have a ways to go! ~ Dick Innes

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to keep growing in 'faith and love and every grace' so I can get to the point where I can accept life's frustrations without getting my buttons pushed, and trust you in every situation. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

A Double Standard Part 2

Continued from: A Double Standard


Well, they don't need to waste millions of tax dollars searching for an intelligence somewhere out there. Without the aid of even a telescope, look up at the night sky and what do we see? "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" (Psalm 19:1-2).

Take a microscope and look at our DNA. And what do we see? "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood be the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1-20).

Man knows there is a higher intelligence - he realizes there is something more. The knowledge that there is an infinite God is written on man's heart and is obvious from everything around us. Scientists need neither telescopes nor electron microscopes to see what God has already revealed about Himself and the world.


Sign of Design: Gouldian finches exhibit a fascinating design feature. In the young nestlings, there are two pairs of pearly-iridescent, blue-purplish nodules at the margin of the beak. In conditions of dim light, such as would occur on most occasions inside the nest, these nodules readily pick up and reflect the faint light from their surrondings. Although they produce no light of their own, they appear to "glow" in all but total darkness. Their obvious purpose is to act as guides for the parents of the youngsters, so they can unerringly find the right spot into which to place the food they bring to their offspring. The nodules are not apparent in the adult, in which they are no longer needed.

A Double Standard

Do you see what is so illogical about the search for nonhuman intelligence? If these same scientists would exchange their telescopes for microscopes, and look down into the DNA making up the chromosomes, they would see the most complex code, the most complex language in the entire universe. They would look at this and say, "Chance!" Yet if they receive the simplest ordered sequences possible from outer space, they are prepared to say, "Intelligence!"

Nobody has ever seen a complex language like DNA evolve by chance. Scientists know it takes information to get information, but they refuse to consider that an intelligence is responsible for life here on Earth. They refuse to accept the possibility that God, as spoken of in the Holy Scriptures, is that intelligence, the infinitely intelligent God of creation. Why? It would mean that this Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, is Lord over them. They would have to kneel and worship Him and accept responsibility for their sinfulness and their need for salvation.

As these scientists look into outer space, it is as if they are shaking their fists at Jesus Christ, defiantly saying: "We refuse to accept you as Lord over us!"


Sign of Design: God designed the rib, along with the periosteum. He would certainly have known how to remove the rib in such a way that it would later grow back, just as ribs still do today - without requiring any sort of special miracle. Adam would not have had any permanent area of weakness in his rib cage, but would have had, for all of the hundreds of years of his life, the same number of ribs that you and I have today.

The Forest of Life

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
PSALM 16:11

Where I live, not far from a lazy meandering river, most of what I can see when I step out my back door are trees. The trees are tall, regal, and towering (I know there are much bigger trees in the west, but 40 - 50ft is towering for my area of Oklahoma). From the almost perfectly straight, pole-like Black Walnut, to the haunting Blackjack Oak that keeps its rough and jagged dead branches, all the varied trees have a beauty of their own.

Though when I go to work for an older lady that goes to my church, who lives on a high hill that overlooks the meandering river that cuts through the sea of green (or mostly green) trees and fields, I see all the things that are hidden behind the trees. Down in the trees, I can admire their individual beauty, but will become easily lost without guidance. Up on the high hill I can see clearly where I should go.

In the same way, as God leads us through life, we can become lost if we don't ask Him for guidance, and once in awhile, God will lift us up to the heights to let us have just a glimpse of how He sees the forest of life. As I travel through life, I "admire" many of the experiences I am able to have, but will find myself lost and confused, unable to see through the mist that constantly flows around me, and unable to understand which way I should go. That is when I must stand strong on God and trust Him to guide me through.

I relish the few chances I have to be on the "high hill," as close to God as I can get. But I know that trusting God and accomplishing what He wants me to do, requires boldly trekking into the forest of this world, proclaiming the good news of Jesus, with His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, guiding my every step.

Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
PSALM 17:3-5

Written by: Zachary J.

P.S. Many exciting things will be happening in my life, so for the next few weeks, although I will continue to post on a regular schedule, I am going to be very busy and won't be able to do much commenting, if any at all.

Behind The Scenes

He must increase, but I must decrease.
JOHN 3:30

People around the world instantly recognize Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from the children’s TV show Sesame Street. But Caroll Spinney is not a well-known celebrity, even though he has brought both characters to life on the popular program since 1969. A skilled puppeteer, Spinney has been content to work behind the scenes.

I believe God calls every follower of Jesus to take a similar approach in making Him known to the world. John the Baptist told his listeners: “I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ . . . He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:28,30). John acknowledged that he was not the bridegroom, but only His friend (v.29).

Oswald Chambers reminds us: “Goodness and purity ought never to attract attention to themselves, they ought simply to be magnets to draw to Jesus Christ. A beautiful saint may be a hindrance if he does not present Jesus Christ but only what Christ has done for him; he will leave the impression—‘What a fine character that man is!’—that is not being a true friend of the Bridegroom; I am increasing all the time, He is not.”

Jesus the Savior is onstage. We must be behind the scenes. ~David C. McCasland

When you share the Lord with others,
See that He is on display;
For the world to see Him clearly,
We must not get in the way. —Sper

He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:17