Heed Instruction

Devotion

2-26-10

Heed Instruction

Proverbs 8:33

“Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.”

 

This morning as I was reading Proverbs 8 I was taken back with the reality of how personally wisdom and understanding are talked about.  It is almost as if they are people and have a personal identity.  I wondered why.  I am not sure I have a clear answer to that but I am nevertheless sure that God is making a powerful point to us through it. 

God wants wisdom and understanding to be personal to us. Just like food and water is personal to us because we need it to live so wisdom and understanding is personal to us because we need them to live eternally.

 

If we neglect food and water what would happen to our bodies? They would stop functioning, become ill and die.  Well perhaps we need to take wisdom and understanding to that point of seriousness in our daily lives.  Without them we will not only suffer physically but spiritually as well. 

 

Proverbs tells us that it was wisdom and understanding that God used to create the earth. In fact long before the earth was formed wisdom and understanding were active in God. It also tells us that if we will seek wisdom and understanding we will find it.  By wisdom we can live righteously, receive riches and honor, power, and enduring wealth. It is better than silver or fine gold. It speaks truth, knowledge, and noble things. 

So what is it that makes wisdom and understanding so important and able to do so many things?  We can find that answer in Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

 

Ok then, perhaps now we see the value in what God is saying to us. Wisdom and Understanding come from the fear and knowledge of God. If this is so, than is it possible for an unbeliever to have wisdom and understanding? No it is not. 

When a person rejects the Lord and fails to have any kind of fear or reverence for the Almighty God than they are walking foolishly away from life. 

God is wisdom and God is understanding.  If we desire to be filled with wisdom and understanding in our lives than does it not make perfect sense to embrace the ONE who is wisdom and understanding?  

 

No matter what we need in our lives, health, finances, relationships, security or jobs, wisdom and understanding are vital tools to help us deal with our circumstances and to make the decisions that best fit our situations.  But let’s keep in mind what we have learned today about wisdom and understanding.  We can only have them by seeking God, because He is wisdom and understanding.

 Embrace His word, hold fast to His truths, seek Him and find Him, heed His instruction and be wise and do not neglect it.  In so doing you will receive His wisdom and understanding for your lives.

Wow Let's Pray

Devotion

2-25-10

Wow Let’s Pray

I just finished re-reading Monday through Wednesday’s devotions and I couldn’t help but laugh at Wednesday’s.  As I read it I realized there were a couple of words that did not belong in it.  I had mistyped two words; oh they were real words, but the wrong words.  I guess that’s what happens when I write half awake.  Thank goodness we have an understanding God and great fellowship amount my brother and sisters who will laugh with me.

 

Ok, today I want to pray for us because I know that this week’s lessons have been a heavy dose of self examination.  I am sure that we all want to be able to decrease our self focus and increase our Godly focus, but at the same time our sinful flesh just keeps getting in our way.  Therefore I want to pray for you and encourage you to keep moving forward, trusting in God’s words.

 

Dear Father,

I know we have been reading in Your word about how we need to decrease our self focus and to increase our focus on You, yet too many moments throughout the day we forget.  I was thinking about the sticky notes and what a great idea it is to remind u, but then I realized it only works if we will really use them. 

 

Father, I believe You have provided a way for us, but as for myself, I seem to run from it.  I am sure that many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are doing the same thing.  So my prayer for them, for all of us, is that we will seek Your face every morning, afternoon and evening.  Oh please provide a reminder to us that Your ways are the best.  When we feel a temptation to eat something we shouldn’t, to say something that might be dishonoring to You, doing something that could hurt our witness, lying about something that would damage a relationship, etc. pour out Your Spirit of truth into our minds so that we are convicted to do the right thing.  It seems so easy to just set the reminders aside because we are not really ready to surrender our wills to You.  I don’t know how You will do it, but I know You can and I trust You to fill our hearts with Your desires.  Speak to our spirits that we long to be in Your will and to live a life that honors and glorifies You.  Show us Your mercy, grace and forgiveness when we set You aside, then gently pulls us back beside You and whisper to our minds the words of truth so that we are never deceived by the lies of the enemy.

 

 Father, every person reading this today is doing so because they want to know Your will for their lives.  They are searching for answers to their problems. They are reaching for hope and encouragement, so I pray they are receiving it, not just through these devotions, but through their personal relationship building with You.

I pray that my prayer is not a lie, Father, within my own life.  I pray those reading this will be honest with You and their selves.

 

Thank You Father in advance for the many answers You are going to show us.  Thank You for Your mercy and unconditional love.  Thank You for taking our sinful flesh and making a way for us to live with You forever.  We are blessed to be called Yours, and we are honored to carry Your name.  I pray we will each take note of whose we are and who owns everything in our lives, You! I pray we will decrease and You will increase in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. 

 

In Jesus name and to Your glory

Amen

HIS

Devotion

2-24-10

HIS

Psalms 24:1

"The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it."

 

Have you ever stopped to look closely at the things around you?  What about the people in your lives, do you really see them for who they are? When you look into a mirror do you notice who you are?  It is very easy in our every day lives to be so busy with our "to do" lists, and so consommé with our responsibilities that we can not see the most beautiful part of our lives.  In fact all too often we not only do not see the beauty of our lives we do not see the one that is really responsible for our lives. Ok, so maybe it sounds like I am talking in circles, so let me explain it a bit clearer.

 

We have been studying about how we are to set ourselves aside and to increase the lordship of God in our lives.  So I want to share a short example for you that I heard the other day.  A visiting pastor was talking about how a church he visited was completely out of debt.  He asked the pastor of that church how he was able to get the members to be so giving and the pastor told him, "sticky notes, that's how."  Not sure what he meant by that he asked the pastor to explain. He told him that the church had sticky notes made for every member of the church and they were to stick them on everything they had.  Put it on their cars, their houses, their tools, radios, clothes, and even on themselves, etc.  This would remind them to give. The powerful reminder came from what the sticky notes said. They simply read, "HIS." That one word reminded them that everything in their life belongs to the Lord and with that reminder they would be able to make their decision as to how they should give.  Well, that was a great idea I thought to myself as I listened to our visiting pastor tell the story.  I was going to buy me some of those sticky notes and do it for myself.  But before I could even buy them I had an opportunity to share the story with a co-worker.  This is where it gets exciting for me.

 

It was just the other day when a co-worker and I went out for coffee together to talk. We had had many conversations about issues in her life that she was struggling with and how important it is to always seek God's wisdom when making a decision.  As we talked the story of the sticky notes came to my mind and I shared it with her.  I told her how everything needed a sticky note on it and that is when she asked me this question, "Even my "female" body parts?" I look straight into her eyes and said, "Yes."  Suddenly she looked up and told me that she understood now.  She said she was driving a car that she has not paid for yet and so she is really careful how she takes care of it.  She continued to tell me that she had noticed that she takes better care of things that do not belong to her. Now I was in awe!  It made even more perfect seas to me as well.  Not only would the sticky notes remind me that everything is His, it would cause me to think about how I am taking care of His things, including myself.  After we left the coffee shop my mind had all kind of thoughts running through it. The sticky notes that read "His" would also be a continual reminder that He needs to increase in my life and I need to decrease by putting selfish desires aside.

 

 

Do you remember John 3:30?  Write it down from memory, or as much of it as you can and then go to God's word and look it up.  If you missed any of it, write it again correctly. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now write down Psalms24:1

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Write Psalms 24:1 again and this time insert your name into it at the end where it says, all who dwell in it. Example: Marcy who dwells in it. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Now write a list of everything that you now understand belongs to the Lord in your life. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ok, if you understand that the Lord is the owner of all life and of all things, is you willing to label everything in your life, including yourself, with sticky notes that say HIS? 

If you are, than let me challenge you with doing it.  I did it today and every time I wanted to reach for an unhealthy snack I couldn't take it because I know I am His. 

 

Knowing that all of the earth and all who live upon it belong to the Lord, truly believing it helps us to make wiser decisions.  Helps us to have better relationships, and helps us to think before we do or say things.  You see even the impatient driver who almost pushes you off the road is HIS.  Even the spouse you are so mad at right now is HIS.  Even those rebellious children are HIS. And yes even the one who has hurt you, abused you, abandoned you, rejected you, or lied to you is HIS.  Your wallet or purse, your home or your car, your spouse and your children, they are all HIS.  So how will you care for all of it?  Will knowing everything is HIS cause you to be willing to allow Him to have it all?

Place your life, your spouse, children, grandchildren, family, home and the things you own, your work, your needs, worriers, fears, doubts, dreams, hopes, finances, future, and yes even those you do not like at the foot of the cross and watch what God will do with it all.  He always takes care of His.

 

 

Father, I pray we will each label all we have and our hearts with HIS. You lead our lives, our decisions, our families, our homes, our churches, and job in such a way that they will bring You glory.  In Jesus name Amen.

 

What do your sticky notes say?

Faith, a Safe Harbor

Devotion

2-23-10

Faith, a Safe Harbor

John 3:30 and II Corinthians 5:7

 

Oh I am so excited to take you on this journey in God’s word today.  It is so amazing how God has it lined out for us to live by faith in Him.  He gives us the assurance that as we walk by faith He is going to show us and confirm to us what His perfect will is for our lives.  So my dearly beloved let’s get right into the word and hear what He wants to tell us and show us today.  However, before you begin please stop and go to the Father and lay down before Him any sin in your life.  Remember if there is hidden sin or known sin in your life and you do not confess it to the Father, you hinder your ability to understand what the Lord is saying in His word.  Our hearts, minds, and spirits must be pure before the Lord ready to receive what He has to say.  So stop now and talk to the Father.  I pray He fills you with wisdom.

 

Ok, now let’s begin.

We will once again begin with John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Now write this verse down inserting your own name in the place of the word “I”.

 

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Ok, now write it again and this time replace the word “He” with the word “Jesus” and replacing the word “I” with your name.

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How does it feel to make such a statement?  Does it help you to see just what He is saying in that short verse?  You are making God’s word personal for you, as He wants you to, because He personally died for you and left His words here for you to help you, teach you, encourage you, and reveal to you what His perfect will is for your life within His complete plan for His kingdom. 

 

Now let’s move on to II Corinthians 5:7 Look it up and write it down.

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Here is another short verse in the Bible with a powerful meaning for our lives and confirms John 3:30 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

What do you think the Lord is saying with this verse?  Take a few moments to meditate on it and ask the Lord to reveal His truth about it.

Now, how do you think John 3:30 and II Corinthians 5:7 confirm one another? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What does it mean to walk by faith?  To know this answer we need to know just what faith is.  Faith is, believing God will do what He says He will do before He does it. For example, do you believe that God will provide your every need like He says in Philippians 4:13?  If you say yes to that question, then let me ask you another one.

·         If you are working two jobs, which are keeping you so busy you have no time to study His word and too tired to serve Him by helping others, could you give up one of the jobs to have time to do those things?

·         If you have been asking God for something for a long time and suddenly it is right there in front of you but your spouse doesn’t like it, could you wait for it with a good attitude towards your spouse?

·         If your child has walked away from the Lord and has reject you, could you be calm in your spirit, yet strong in the knowledge that your child will return to the faith?

·         If everything around you is in turmoil and everyone around you says there is no hope, will you listen to them or will you believe what the Lord tells you in His word?  Can you separate the world’s ideas from God’s ideas?

·         When you are out of money and still have bills to pay, will you panic or trust that God will provide your needs?

·         Could you walk away from a job that dose not operate with godly values and challenges you to do things you know are wrong, could you walk away from that job without fear for your future?

·         When your child is ill and the doctors give you no hope, could you pray with faith that God loves your child and has a perfect plan for them?  Could you let them go, knowing that God’s perfect will is still being made complete through your child’s death?

·         If you lost your job, like so many are doing right now, could you rest at night without fear for your future?  Could you walk with your head held high knowing that no matter where you are in your life right now that everything is going to be alright?

Well my dearly beloved if you walk by faith and not by sight you will not be looking at the situations in your life, you will have your eyes on Jesus and KNOW that He is still working out the perfect plan for your life.  Faith is believing He will do what He says He will do before He does it.  Here is my example for you today.

 

When my husband was an unbeliever and said he wanted nothing to do with God, I began praying for his salvation.  Over the years of praying for him the Lord spoke to my heart and revealed that I had asked Him enough.  This is what I heard Him say to my spirit.

“Get up and stop crying for your husband’s salvation. Do not ask Me again.  It is already done.  I want you to begin to praise me for His salvation.”  This is what I did.  Oh yes many people thought I was crazy or thought I was trying to be my own Holy Spirit when I stepped out of church to stay home with my husband as a ministry to him.  But it didn’t matter what others were saying, I knew in my heart, mind and spirit that God had promised me that my husband would not only be a believer, but also that he would serve the Lord and lead others in their spiritual growth as well. I was confident that we would one day sit in church together worshiping the Lord. 

So did God do it?

A great big Yes!  And let me tell you, the process was not easy during that journey but oh it was so sweet because God had taught me about walking by faith and not by sight because of it.

 

It is my prayer that you too will catch hold of the truth that God is in control and wants you to give Him control of your life and the lives of your loved ones.  When He is in control everything always works out for the good.

Having faith in Him is the assurance that everything will work out even if you have to step away from what the world says you should do.  You can do it dear beloved, you can take hold of the Master’s hand, believe He is in control and by faith allow Him to steer the ship of your life into a safe harbor.

It's Not Me or You

Devotion

2-22-10

It’s Not Me or You

John 3:30 and Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Last week we talked about decreasing ourselves to increase Jesus in our lives.  This week we are going to expand on John 3:30 by confirming it with other verses in the Bible.  Today we will focus on Proverbs 3:5-6.

 

Every one of us has issues we are faced with that tempt us to put our own thinking and reasoning in front of the God’s thinking and commands.  Oh we may not think we are doing it, we may even try to rationalize our ideas to mesh with some verse in the Bible, but it is easy for us to do because we become so emotionally involved with the issues or situation we are dealing with.  We are human and there is no condemnation in those feelings, however, they will not get us to where the Lord wants us if we do not learn how to put them at the feet of Jesus.

 

To make this clearer to understand I will share a situation and the common response to it.  Afterwards we will see what God’s word says about how we should respond. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Kirk have been working day and night to make the payment on their new home and two new cars, they are tired, overworked, their bodies ache and they are becoming frustrated with each other over every little issue.  Mrs. Kirk suggests that they need to step back and examine how they are doing things according to God’s word.  In her study she finds that God wants a just balance in her life and that she has pushed Him aside for the things of the world. She shares what she has learned with her husband.  He agrees and they talk about how they can fix the situation.  Mrs. Kirk thinks they should get rid of one of the cars and the cable TV as well as put some of their investments on hold.  Mr. Kirk thinks they just need to work harder for a few more months and hit the payments on the cars hard to get them paid off.  He doesn’t want to lose what they have worked so hard for. Mrs. Kirk says the Bible tells them that God will supply their needs, while Mr. Kirk says that God will give them strength to do the work He has blessed them with. Though both of them are correct in what the word of God says, the question is, are they using the word of God correctly? 

 

Round and round they go with one idea after the other but with no solution to their problem.  Why? Because they are faced with a situation where both sides want to be right and cannot see the other’s point of view.  It becomes a battle of the will and neither side wants to give in or give up. They both believe they are right and can’t understand why the other does not see it.  Therefore, division begins. 

 

So what about you?  Have you ever been faced with a situation like this in your relationships, within your family or in your church?  I am sure you have, because where there are two humans there will be different ideas.  But how do you handle such situations?  Well, let’s take an honest look at ourselves through God’s word and see what He says about it.

First of all please go back to John 3:30 and read it out loud and write it down. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Now look up Proverbs 3:5-6 and read it out loud and write it down.

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Do you see how these verses deal with the same thing?  They are both telling us to set our own ideas and desires aside and to pick up God’s idea, His way. 

 

For us to decrease means that we are allowing God to have control of our lives.  For Him to have control we must surrender our will to Him.

 

Let’s think about the example story you read above about Mr. and Mrs. Kirk.  They both thought they were right.  How do you think they could come to an agreement?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us we are not to lean on our own understanding; that means we are not to come up with our own plan apart from God’s help.  In order to do this we must know what God’s word has to say.  We need to understand that God is God and His word is perfect and true.  God keeps His promises and will not fail us.  If we do not truly believe this we will not be able to live a life of faith in Him.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us to TRUST the Lord with all our hearts.  How do we do this? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Trusting God means you BELIEVE He will do what He says He will do.  Proverbs 3:6 tells us that He will direct our paths.  But when will He direct our paths? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That’s right, when we acknowledge Him in all we do.  To acknowledge Him in everything it means we must allow Him to tell us how to do everything. Had Mr. and Mrs. Kirk understood this they could have avoided many of their problems. 

 

The question we all must ask ourselves is this.  Do I trust God with my life enough that I could step out in faith to do something that the world would think I am crazy for doing?

If Mr. and Mrs. Kirk had gone to God’s word together, prayed together, and sought God’s will together with the willingness to put aside their own ideas, they would have found a unity and peace in their situation.

We must surrender the stuff, our will, our self reliance, self-righteousness, and unwillingness to give in.  God wants us humbled before Him and to trust Him enough that we could lose everything, give it all away, or stop everything we are doing to wait on Him and believe He will do what He says He will do.  It’s not about me or you it is all about Him and His faithfulness.

To be continued tomorrow…