Promise for Today - The Way to Your Happy Place

My child, do not forget what I teach you. Always think carefully about my commands. If you obey them, you will live a long life. You will have peace in your mind. And you will enjoy your life.
Keep hold of faithful love. That will be like a beautiful necklace that you always wear. Think about what it means to love other people. If you do that, you will make God happy. People will also be pleased and they will respect you.

Proverbs 3:1-4 EASY

Trust in the Lord completely. Do not think that you understand things well enough for yourself. Whatever you are doing, remember that the Lord is with you. Then he will show you the right way to go.

Do not think that you are already wise enough. Obey the Lord and refuse to do evil things. If you do that, it will make you healthy and strong.

Show that you respect the Lord in the way that you use your money. Offer the first part of the harvest from your farm to him. If you do that, you will store more food than you need for yourself. You will have more wine than you can drink.

My child, if the Lord warns you that you have done something wrong, accept it. Do not be upset if he warns you. He is doing it because he loves you. When a father loves his son very much, he warns him when he does something wrong.

Anyone who finds wisdom is in a happy place! So is the person who has learned to understand things.

Wisdom helps people better than silver or gold will ever help them.

Wisdom is more valuable than the most expensive jewels. Nothing that you might want for yourself is as good as wisdom.

Wisdom is ready to give you a long life. She will also give you riches and honour.

Wisdom will be your guide through a happy life. She will lead you in ways that keep you safe. Wisdom is like a tree with fruits that give life to the people who pick them. The Lord blesses everyone who keeps hold of wisdom.

The Lord used wisdom to create the earth. He understood the right way to create the heavens. He used his knowledge to pour water from under the earth into the rivers and seas. He caused the clouds to send down rain.

My child, always keep hold of wisdom and a good mind. Make sure that you keep them safe. They will give you strength in life. You will enjoy life, like a beautiful necklace that you wear.

You will be safe as you travel through life. There will be no danger to make you fall down. When you lie down to sleep, you will not be afraid. You will sleep well with peace in your mind. You will not be frightened of any trouble that might surprise you. Trouble may destroy wicked people, but you will know that you are safe. The Lord is the one who will take care of you. He will protect you, so that no danger can hurt you. 

Do not refuse to help those people who need help. If you are able to help them, do it! If you can give your neighbour the help that he needs, do not say to him, ‘Go away! Come back tomorrow, and then I will help you.’

Do not think of ways to hurt your neighbour. You should help him to trust you.

Do not quarrel with other people if they have done nothing to hurt you. You have no reason to accuse them of anything wrong.

Do not be jealous of cruel people. Do not try to copy the things that they do. The Lord hates wicked people. But he makes righteous people his friends.

The Lord curses the homes of wicked people, but he blesses the homes of righteous people. The Lord laughs at proud people who laugh at other people. But he is kind to humble people.

Wise people will receive honour. But fools will only have shame.  

Verses 5-35

Prayer:

Father, 

         Help us to keep our eyes open and focused on You. To walk only where You lead us. To bless and help those who need help. Keep our hearts softened to Your will and way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Promise for Today - Wisdom, Understanding and Common Sense

For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
Proverbs 2:21 NLT

Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.
Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.
Proverbs 2: 1-11 NLT

Prayer:

Father,
           Your Word instructs us to ask You for wisdom if we don't have it. So we come before You and ask for it, because You promised that You would give it to us and not chastise us for doing so. We know when we ask that our faith must be in You alone - according to Your Word. And so it is, Lord. We're not wavering. Our loyalty and trust is in You alone. We will not be unsettled as the waves of the sea, tossed and blown by the wind. Give us Your wisdom, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pretty Good

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
Proverbs 3:13-15 NIV

When you plan to make an investment, do you go with a sure thing or something you hope is good? Financial experts will tell you there's no such thing as a "sure thing", so you try for something that seems pretty good. Gold, for instance, and then hope the bottom doesn't fall out of the market.

This Word tells us that wisdom and understanding are more profitable than gold, silver and jewels. We can easily understand how to begin to invest in gold, silver and jewels, but how do we invest for wisdom? Our Promise for Today declares that wisdom yields better returns than gold. Where do we start?

Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” What does it mean to fear the Lord? It means to have the utmost reverence for Him. To acknowledge His Lordship. To trust Him and be totally submitted to Him and His authority. THAT's the beginning of wisdom. Stay in God's Word, trusting with an undivided heart and we will get the best return for it. If you're reading through the Bible in a year, we just read Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,[emphasis mine] and he will show you which path to take. Wisdom. Understanding.

The world's experts have their own ideas of how to gain wisdom and they seem pretty good. However, you cannot trust what doesn't have a firm foundation. Pretty good is not pretty. Neither is it good.

Prayer:

Father,

          We choose You. We choose Your Way. You promise that if we ask for wisdom, You will freely give it to us. We want it, Lord. We need it. We trust You to show us Your Way and how to walk in it. Help us, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Through the Bible in a Year
Reading for January 14th

Genesis 30:1-31:16
Matthew 10:1-23
Psalm 12:1-8
Proverbs 3:13-15

The Right Path

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV

How many times have you found yourself facing a really tough situation while being unable to figure out what to do? You wracked your brain for solutions to no avail. How long before you realized you should have sought God first? 

It's His wisdom we pursue. His understanding we seek. His direction we require to righteously follow in His footsteps. 

Prayer:

Father,

            With everything that we are, we choose to trust You and to not walk in self-sufficiency. With every step, every breath, every beat of our heart, we recognize and acknowledge that it's by Your mercy and grace that we have life and it more abundantly. Direct our paths, Father, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen


Through the Bible in a Year
Reading for January 10th
Genesis 23:1-24:51, 

Matthew 8:1-17, 

Psalm 9:13-20, 

Proverbs 3:1-6

Advent - Day Thirteen

From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25 NLT

The Gift of Obedience

Joseph's head hit the pillow hard that night, anchored by his heavy heart. He just had the most honest discussion with his betrothed, Mary, and heard some unexpected news. Joseph's reaction to Mary's Immaculate Conception has us wondering what could have been. Matthew was the only Gospel writer to give perspective to Joseph's response.

Joseph pits his faith against human doubt. Divine conception is only possible with God's power, and we believe this by faith. But imagine hearing this for the first time from his point of view? Honestly, it would make me question God’s plan, too. For a carpenter, it’s natural to desire to see the plan before he starts. It's in his nature to make sure all the pieces fit well to make a polished finished project.

With all the questions of doubt and worry a new dad would have, shame and unknown concerns added pressure and weight to his mind that night. However, Joseph cried out to God like a righteous man. The father-to-be went face down before the Lord; he was literally floored.

"Lord, show me what I should do," Joseph prayed. He didn't want to expose the love of his life to disgrace, but he needed a plan to save face with the community. He planned to divorce her quietly and protect Mary from public scandal. It was all he could do since their wedding plans had taken an unexpected twist.

He fell asleep. Then Heaven dispatched another angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” After receiving confirmation from the angel, Joseph knew what to do to honor God and Mary. God commanded Joseph's obedience over his own understanding.

Advent reflection: Obedience is best when God asks. Position yourself face down before the Lord, and you will hear God's directions clearly. We must forgo our right to understand and simply obey. Many times understanding doesn’t come until after we move in obedience. The Lord wants our complete trust in His abilities and immediate obedience. God is sovereign, and He knows what He’s doing... He has every detail planned out for us, so we only need to obey Him.

****************

Prayer:

Father,

           Please forgive us for every time we have chosen our perceived right to understand why or how over our immediate obedience to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pointing

Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat—each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.
Isaiah 28:24-26 NLT

This parable so beautifully guides us in our salvation process. When we hear the Gospel - God's pursuit of us - we love Him because He first loved us. We are saved. Do we automatically know what to do from there? No, of course not. They've even written books such as, "What Next?" to help guide new Christians. 

We know we should read the Bible - God's Word. It helps to plow up our hard hearts. We get washed by the water of the word - preparing the soil of our souls to receive the seeds of Truth. An unplowed field is overtaken by weeds and rendered fruitless. So we must cultivate the soil, then sow the seeds of the fruits we want to harvest in our lives. Planting is not enough, we must also know how to harvest. We must learn to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Just reading the Bible doesn't save us. It points us to the God who does.

God's Word contains the wisdom and understanding we need to live our lives as ambassadors for Christ, so we can point the way for others. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Help us to learn Your process, Your purpose for our lives. Thank You for loving us and pursuing us to be in right relationship with You. Help us to help others see You in Your fullness and glory. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Get Understanding

They will answer, “We will come back, because you are the Lord our God. On hilltops, we worshiped idols and made loud noises, but it was all for nothing— only you can save us."
Jeremiah 3:22b-23 CEV

I don't know if you've ever done this before... I'm talking about trying to convince God why He should let me have my own way in something He knows is not the best for my life. In reality, I know it, too, or I wouldn't try to rationalize it.

However, the Truth is that more than likely, we will do it anyway, and try to convince ourselves it's all good...until it's not. You see sometimes, it's as though God says, "Go ahead..." He knows we're going to anyway. It's not His will, but just like a child, before we get understanding, sometimes we have to incur the consequences.

Oh, and there will be consequences! Christ has already paid the price for us, but if we don't come back at His invitation, there WILL be hell to pay. Literally.

Prayer:

Father,
          O that we would recognize the futility and the sheer stupidity of arguing with You over what is best for our lives. Just like Your Word says, our hearts are deceitfully wicked and will lead us astray. Apart from You we cannot know what is good and right and holy. Remove the blinders from our eyes, the hardness of our hearts and break our stubborn wills as we submit to Yours. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Going My Way

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 

And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

We get a little bit of wisdom and think we know where we're going and how we should get there. 

The catch is to NOT lean on our own understanding of it. Proverbs 14 tells us there is a way that seems right, but the end leads to death. Whatever understanding of life we grasp, we must keep it connected to God. We must acknowledge Him in every step we take, every plan we make, so that we stay on His chosen path for our lives. 

Going my way is only the right way when we keep our way aligned with Him. 

Prayer:

Father,

          We choose to trust You, Lord, with our whole heart, undivided, not distracted or pulled aside by the ways of the world. Keep our hearts and minds focused only on Your way, so that we arrive safely to our eternal destination with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

To Communicate

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29 KJV

Have you ever had a conversation or discussion with someone of a much different opinion than yours? You wonder, what’s the use in even trying to persuade them. And while in some situations it is true that it really doesn't matter all that much; what do you do when it IS a matter of life or death in the eternal weight of it?

First, I would encourage you, according to God’s instruction, don’t get argumentative. Communication breaks down when we get up in arms. As we continue in our text for today, verses 31 and 32 read: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Remember, you may have been just as hard-headed at some point in your life. I know I was. Verse 15a reads, we will speak the truth in love…

Secondly, if the conversation starts to escalate, step back. Breathe. Matthew 12:36-37 warns us that we will give an account on judgment day for every idle word we speak. Verse 37 states, The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you. (That’s scary…) Don’t let your passion override your peace.

Carefully choose your words. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) tells us: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work. Remember - the only words that have the power to change anything come from the Word of God or those words prayed according to the will of God. Put the Word(s) to good use. 

Prayer:

Father, 

            We know according to Your Word that Wisdom is the principal thing and therefore, we are to get Wisdom. You also admonish us, that in all of our getting, we are to get understanding. Give us understanding, Father, in how to reach those around us with Your Truth and Your love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Power to Shut Him Up

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV

Oftentimes, phrases such as "Power in the Blood," "Blood of the Lamb," "Plead the Blood," are heard and maybe even used, but many times without true understanding. I wonder what would happen if we truly understood the power in the shed blood of Jesus the Christ.

The purpose is to cleanse us from ALL our sin and unrighteousness - to proclaim God's authority in our lives and over our lives. How do we have victory over the accuser of the brethren? By the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus shed His Blood on the cross for us) and the word of our testimony. In other words, we declare the Truth about the redemptive work of Christ's Blood in our lives! We are forgiven. We are set free. KNOW WHO YOU ARE in Christ - a NEW creation!

We can shut the mouth of the accuser by the power of the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) because by the Blood of the Lamb, we won't be giving the enemy of our soul anything to talk about! Let's shut him up!

Prayer:

Father,
            Open our spiritual eyes of understanding to see and to know the Truth of the power in the shed Blood of Jesus. Remind us to daily apply it to the doorposts of our hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Benefits of Wisdom

For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
Proverbs 2:21 NLT

Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.

Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.
Proverbs 2: 1-11 NLT

Prayer:

Father,
             Your Word instructs us to ask You for wisdom if we don't have it. So we come before You and ask for it because You promised that You would give it to us and not chastise us for doing so. We know when we ask that our faith must be in You alone - according to Your Word. And so it is, Lord. We're not wavering. Our loyalty and trust are in You alone. We will not be unsettled as the waves of the sea, tossed and blown by the wind. Give us Your wisdom, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Doing It the Hard Way

This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 

You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don’t want that.

Isaiah 30:15 GWT

I hear people all the time saying, "I'm tired of fighting for everything. I just want to rest a while." Why is it we cannot believe we are able to obtain that rest by returning to God? Why is it we struggle so with being quiet and trusting Him? Why is it we choose to do things the hard way? Why do we insist on making life harder than what it is or needs to be? 

We don't want to give up our "rights."  We want to do what we want to do - when, where, how, and with whom we want to do it. We yell loud and long that we want to be free, but the only way to be truly free is through Christ. 

We must realize that none of this Good News - God's salvation plan with its grace and mercy - none of it is because of anything we have done or ever could do! True confidence and hope are only in Christ and what He did for us at Calvary, not in or because of anything we've done ...even though we so desperately WANT to do something to earn it.

A little further in the same chapter, verse 18 reads, The Lord is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you.  The Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

Can we believe that He is waiting to be kind to us or will we continue in our own way - the hard way?

Prayer:

Father, 

            Please forgive us for always trying to do things in our own strength. Give us wisdom and understanding to be able to grasp the Truth of grace, mercy, and Your forgiveness. We want to rest - in You. We want to be strong by being quiet and trusting You. Teach us how, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

God's Retirement Plan +

"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both."Matthew 6:24 The Message

I listened to the man pour out how "awful" his life is because he feels he's reduced to living paycheck to paycheck. He never worried before about money in the bank because he always had it, but then he made some very bad life choices and has had to pay... literally. He's more concerned about how he's going to retire than how he lives his daily life right now. He's consumed with it to the point of obsessing, but come to find out, he has enough in his 401k to retire now and pay his bills - even though he's 16 years away from being eligible to retire. And he supposes he could sell some shares so he could pay cash for what he wants to buy now. However, he won't have what he had. He has spent his whole life working FOR retirement.

I wish we could see that life is so much more than working toward being old enough to retire. It's about living for the Lord in the here and now - in the present - and what we do to help those who God has placed around us. My colleague says he doesn't need to hear about God and yet, he keeps coming back... knowing I'm going to point him back toward the Lord.

If he could/would just read on from our text for today, starting at verse 25 NKJV, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

I pray that at some point, he will come to a place of understanding; that if God is his Source, he doesn't have to worry about the future. Since we spend our life working and we DO need a retirement plan, wouldn't it be wise to have the best one? Especially when the One who created the Plan has invested His life's blood into it and has the return results to prove it.

Prayer:

Father,           

We pray that Your Holy Spirit would continue to prepare the hearts of men to receive the seeds of Truth that You allow us to sow. Let us sow only good seed. Send others to water, Father, as we stand believing for You to give the increase for the harvest. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen