Read Pr. 21:1-2
This first verse always gives me comfort. No matter who is in control of our country, your company, or your family their heart is in God's hand. He will direct their heart even if they don't know God. Our president's heart is in God's hand and He can cause him to make decisions he wouldn't normally make because God controls his heart. Remember the Pharoah of Moses's time; God chose to harden his heart. It doesn't seem fair but how can the clay say to the potter 'why did you make me this way?' God creates people for evil and people for good all for the purpose of bringing his elect to the place he wants them. The word "heart" used in this verse means the feelings, will and even the intellect; the center of anything. The next verse says that man judges his actions right in his own estimation but God will study his heart. God will measure out why we do what we do and consider our motives. Why we do what we do is more important than what we do. We may give all our money to the poor but if God reads our heart and we are only doing it to be approved of man then man's approval is our reward. But if we give our of a pure heart really wanting to help the people he has created then we will be rewarded by God here and in heaven. The older I get the more I realize that what I do now will effect my eternity. I find that I want to do more things in secret unto him than I used to. Life is a really short time compared to eternity. Ecc. says that God has written eternity in the hearts of every man.
Lord, help us live today for eternity. Turn our hearts toward you and what you want.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Mon.'s Devo - Faithful Wounds
Read Pr. 20:29-30
Every season in our lives is purposeful. God even measured the worth of a man in money in the Old Testament. If he could go to war he was worth more than those who couldn't fight because they were either too young or too old. So the pride of a young person is their strength but the pride of the old man is the fact that he has knowledge and wisdom. That is what gray hair represents - years of learning and growing. Speaking of colors: our next verse has to do with blue bruises. When a wound is healing it turns blue which means the body is cleansing the wound of germs so it can heal. That is what emotional wounds do to our inner person. This verse says that wounds to our inward parts of our belly cleanse away evil. Have you ever noticed that when you get your feelings hurt you feel it in the pit of your stomach. Now we know that God is using this pain to heal something deep inside. It hurts for the moment but there is a higher purpose for the hurt. Isn't that comforting? We need those blows to our ego to bring us down to earth and draw us in to God. He is the healer who knows just what we really need although it may not look good at the time.
Lord, help us to trust your wounds because you say, "faithful are the wounds of a friend" and you are the closest friend we have.
Every season in our lives is purposeful. God even measured the worth of a man in money in the Old Testament. If he could go to war he was worth more than those who couldn't fight because they were either too young or too old. So the pride of a young person is their strength but the pride of the old man is the fact that he has knowledge and wisdom. That is what gray hair represents - years of learning and growing. Speaking of colors: our next verse has to do with blue bruises. When a wound is healing it turns blue which means the body is cleansing the wound of germs so it can heal. That is what emotional wounds do to our inner person. This verse says that wounds to our inward parts of our belly cleanse away evil. Have you ever noticed that when you get your feelings hurt you feel it in the pit of your stomach. Now we know that God is using this pain to heal something deep inside. It hurts for the moment but there is a higher purpose for the hurt. Isn't that comforting? We need those blows to our ego to bring us down to earth and draw us in to God. He is the healer who knows just what we really need although it may not look good at the time.
Lord, help us to trust your wounds because you say, "faithful are the wounds of a friend" and you are the closest friend we have.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Fri.'s Devo - Dare to Dream
Read Pr. 20:27-28
I woke up today and asked God what he wanted to say to me and he said, "Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you knowest not." Jer. 33:3 I'd say that is a loaded canon. I looked up other "call unto me's" in scripture and found these: In Ps. 102:2 David prayed "Hide not your face from me in the day when I am in trouble, incline your ear unto me; in the day when I call answer me speedily." Ps. 116:2 "Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." Jer. 29:12 "then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." If God searches us and knows everything about our bodies inside and out then he knows all our weaknesses and secrets and all our strengths. He has chosen to have mercy on our sins and cover us with the blood of Jesus. To think anything less is to not honor God. He is a God of love and tender mercies. He wants us to call out to him about EVERYTHING... even the smallest details. He is a detail God and loves when we come to him about the simplest things and the big things. I would not trouble a stranger with my trivial thoughts but I would tell my closest friends. God wants to be our closest friend, so don't think you are boring him or taking up his time: He lives in eternity.
Lord, today, I am going to call out to you about everything. Expand my imagination to pray for things that I would normally think impossible because I know that nothing is impossible with you.
I woke up today and asked God what he wanted to say to me and he said, "Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you knowest not." Jer. 33:3 I'd say that is a loaded canon. I looked up other "call unto me's" in scripture and found these: In Ps. 102:2 David prayed "Hide not your face from me in the day when I am in trouble, incline your ear unto me; in the day when I call answer me speedily." Ps. 116:2 "Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." Jer. 29:12 "then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." If God searches us and knows everything about our bodies inside and out then he knows all our weaknesses and secrets and all our strengths. He has chosen to have mercy on our sins and cover us with the blood of Jesus. To think anything less is to not honor God. He is a God of love and tender mercies. He wants us to call out to him about EVERYTHING... even the smallest details. He is a detail God and loves when we come to him about the simplest things and the big things. I would not trouble a stranger with my trivial thoughts but I would tell my closest friends. God wants to be our closest friend, so don't think you are boring him or taking up his time: He lives in eternity.
Lord, today, I am going to call out to you about everything. Expand my imagination to pray for things that I would normally think impossible because I know that nothing is impossible with you.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Thurs.'s Devo - A Consuming Fire
Read Pr. 20:22-26
I was reading in Numbers today about a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath and since that was work God told Moses to bring the man outside the camp and stone him. In the very next chapter God severely judged Kohath and his family for challenging the authority of Moses. God caused the first earthquake and it swallowed them up with their homes and fire came out of the earth and burned up the 250 men that offered unholy incense. If that wasn't enough God had Moses call all the people together and told him to take a censor of fire and incense to stop the plague and make atonement for the people because he wanted to destroy all of them. That day 14,700 people died of the plague. So that brings some light to the scriptures today. God hates sin and knows how to deal with it. It is not our job to even the score or get revenge, God is really good at that. He knows when you are getting cheated and when you are being the one who is cheating and nothing gets by him. He also rewards those who give secretly and don't expect anything in return. Verse 26 says that a wise king will scatter the wicked and crush them. We are to scatter and crush our enemies but our enemies are not flesh and blood but principalities and powers. Our job is to pray and obey. God may have us tell someone a hard thing but it will be his words and God's words break yokes and set people free, they don't damage them.
Lord, thank you for reminding us that you are a holy God who hates sin. You defend us and cover us with the blood of Jesus that we can live righteously and escape your wrath. Help us in our dealings with people that we recognize who our real enemy is.
I was reading in Numbers today about a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath and since that was work God told Moses to bring the man outside the camp and stone him. In the very next chapter God severely judged Kohath and his family for challenging the authority of Moses. God caused the first earthquake and it swallowed them up with their homes and fire came out of the earth and burned up the 250 men that offered unholy incense. If that wasn't enough God had Moses call all the people together and told him to take a censor of fire and incense to stop the plague and make atonement for the people because he wanted to destroy all of them. That day 14,700 people died of the plague. So that brings some light to the scriptures today. God hates sin and knows how to deal with it. It is not our job to even the score or get revenge, God is really good at that. He knows when you are getting cheated and when you are being the one who is cheating and nothing gets by him. He also rewards those who give secretly and don't expect anything in return. Verse 26 says that a wise king will scatter the wicked and crush them. We are to scatter and crush our enemies but our enemies are not flesh and blood but principalities and powers. Our job is to pray and obey. God may have us tell someone a hard thing but it will be his words and God's words break yokes and set people free, they don't damage them.
Lord, thank you for reminding us that you are a holy God who hates sin. You defend us and cover us with the blood of Jesus that we can live righteously and escape your wrath. Help us in our dealings with people that we recognize who our real enemy is.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wed.'s Devo - Our Lamp
Read Pr. 20:16-21
Our mouths can get us into serious trouble or they can set us free. If we use our mouths to deceive to get what we want, or to slander people and ruin their reputation to make ourselves look good, or to curse our parents because we didn't believe they were good parents, then we are using our mouths to curse and the curse will fall on us. I we use our mouths to speak truth, to counsel others using the Bible, or bless others then the blessing will fall back on us. We all carry a lamp which can light a broad area and influence many people that will come behind us, or our light can be put out and our influence stopped. If your light is to remain then it must be the light of the glory of God full of the oil of the Holy Spirit. The world can give you instant success but in the end it will not be blessed, but God can give you a light that will shine into eternity. That is the light we want. Then we can say like Samuel: "For you are my lamp, O Lord; and the Lord will lighten my darkness." 2 Sam. 22:29. Pr. 13:9 says, "The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out."
Lord, may the light of your presence shine through us today.
Our mouths can get us into serious trouble or they can set us free. If we use our mouths to deceive to get what we want, or to slander people and ruin their reputation to make ourselves look good, or to curse our parents because we didn't believe they were good parents, then we are using our mouths to curse and the curse will fall on us. I we use our mouths to speak truth, to counsel others using the Bible, or bless others then the blessing will fall back on us. We all carry a lamp which can light a broad area and influence many people that will come behind us, or our light can be put out and our influence stopped. If your light is to remain then it must be the light of the glory of God full of the oil of the Holy Spirit. The world can give you instant success but in the end it will not be blessed, but God can give you a light that will shine into eternity. That is the light we want. Then we can say like Samuel: "For you are my lamp, O Lord; and the Lord will lighten my darkness." 2 Sam. 22:29. Pr. 13:9 says, "The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out."
Lord, may the light of your presence shine through us today.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tues.'s Devo - Let us Boast in You
Read Pr. 20:14,15
If you have ever been to Mexico or any country where they have vendors you have witnessed this. The person wanting to buy will look at the item he wants and bring out all the faults of the piece to make the seller drop his price. He will bargain back and forth till he gets the price where he wants it then after the transaction he will boast about what a deal he got. I don't know if this is deception or not since most of these countries love to banter over a cost. It is a game to them. The next verse brings perspective to money. For all the money in the world there is nothing compared to being able to speak knowledgeably. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are always compared to precious gold, silver and jewels. This verse compares knowledge to a precious jewel. In the Hebrew "jewel" means "something prepared for armour, artillery, a weapon, etc." So knowledge is a weapon that if used wisely will accomplish great exploits.
Lord, help us to prioritize our possessions and realize the greatest treasures are not tangible. May our boast not be in what a good deal we got but in the wonderful saviour we have been freely given.
If you have ever been to Mexico or any country where they have vendors you have witnessed this. The person wanting to buy will look at the item he wants and bring out all the faults of the piece to make the seller drop his price. He will bargain back and forth till he gets the price where he wants it then after the transaction he will boast about what a deal he got. I don't know if this is deception or not since most of these countries love to banter over a cost. It is a game to them. The next verse brings perspective to money. For all the money in the world there is nothing compared to being able to speak knowledgeably. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are always compared to precious gold, silver and jewels. This verse compares knowledge to a precious jewel. In the Hebrew "jewel" means "something prepared for armour, artillery, a weapon, etc." So knowledge is a weapon that if used wisely will accomplish great exploits.
Lord, help us to prioritize our possessions and realize the greatest treasures are not tangible. May our boast not be in what a good deal we got but in the wonderful saviour we have been freely given.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Mon.'s Devo - Happy 2011!
Every year I ask God for a word for the year. Last year's word was "contend" and it was a true word. I had to contend for my house, my family, and many other things. This year God told me to look up what the number 11 meant. It means "the end". So that is my word. It is the end of vain imaginations, striving, contending, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc. God led me to Esther 7 where Esther is finally getting to expose Haman for who he is and Haman is getting his reward for his deception. Mordecai is getting promoted for his righteousness and faithfulness. He was clothed in royal robes with a golden crown and garments of linen. They whole city rejoiced and were glad. The Jews were filled with gladness, and joy and honor and instead of being attacked by their enemies, the Jews are allowed to fight their enemies and they are totally victorious. And many of the people of the land became Jews because the fear of the Lord fell on them. Esther asked that all of Haman's 10 sons be hung and the king granted her request. Mordecai sent out a decree that the Jews celebrate for two days because God had given them rest from their enemies, he turned their sorrow to joy and their mourning into a good day. They called this Purim. So that is our word for 2011. You may be in a tight spot now but God is going to avenge your enemies and turn everything for your good. In Esther, it didn't happen till the last month of the year which for them was in Aug. or Sept. so even if you have to wait know that God is at work for your good. I also think God is going to do a great victory for the Jews so keep your eye on the news.
Lord, thank you that you still deliver your people and your Word becomes more and more powerful through the ages.
Lord, thank you that you still deliver your people and your Word becomes more and more powerful through the ages.
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