Category: Daily Devotionals

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Day 26: The Wisdom

“The mouth of the righteous speaketh WISDOM, and his tongue talketh of judgment.” Psalm 37:30

When I chose the word wisdom from this verse for today’s devotional, so many verses on wisdom jumped right into my head! Did this happen to you also? If so, out of all of the verses which verse came to the forefront of your mind? Mine was James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Wow! That was a mouthful!

I would like for us to look a bit closer at this verse, but first, let us look at the definition of the word wisdom. Wisdom means the quality of having good knowledge, experience or judgment. Wisdom is also characterized by soundness. If we were to throw in some synonyms, we could include prudence, shrewdness, discernment, and insight.

In I Kings 3:12, God grants Solomon’s request for wisdom. Solomon could have asked anything of God, but he asked for wisdom. He could have asked for money, fame, or health but he asked for wisdom. Do you think that Solomon really    understood the depth of his request? Do you think that he realized that having wisdom from God was of far greater value than anything else that he could have asked for? I would like to think so! What about you?

You and I, my friend, need wisdom as well! We need to find ourselves in a place where all else pales besides the necessity of wisdom. We need wisdom in each and every aspect of our lives. Not just any wisdom will do though. No, we need “wisdom that is from above.” The wisdom that only God can give. The wisdom that is …

· Pure — not mixed with any other substance

· Peaceable — free from conflict

· Gentle — having or showing temperance (restraint); kind

· Easy to be intreated — not hard, or difficult, or painful when being implored or petitioned

· Full of mercy — compassion or forgiveness is shown when it is within one’s ability to do otherwise

· Full of good fruits — it produces quality results; results that are pleasing to God

· Without partiality — having no unfair bias

· Without hypocrisy — having no claim to practicing moral standards and beliefs which one’s behavior does not       conform

Again, wow! This! This is God’s wisdom! Man’s wisdom and judgment come nowhere near this. If we are wanting wisdom, as Solomon desired and asked for, we must also seek our wisdom from above! If we try to seek it any other place or try to speak it any other way, our mouths will reveal the truth. For when we speak wisdom, the true test is … is it “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of  mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy?”

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Day 25: The Preserving

“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are PRESERVED for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:28

Who loves to grow a garden? Is it a flower garden or a vegetable garden? I personally have not grown a garden (either flower or vegetable). First of all, because I have a black thumb! I grew up with my mom having a house full of plants (live ones) and also a garden. I have only been able to keep one live plant alive in my house and it is a start off of one of my grandmother’s so I do make a little more effort with it … although it has its moments as well.

We were just at our friend’s house while traveling for meetings and my husband asked her where her garden was this year. The last time that we were there we got to spend some time out in her garden picking from the fruits of her labors. We not only got to pick, but come supper time, we got to feast on it as well. Yum! This year she only has tomatoes though and they were not ripe yet. I was sharing with her about our fig bushes how big and healthy they are and how abundant the figs are on them this year. So, guess what she did? She gave me a case of pint jars. Why would I need jars? To preserve those figs when they ripen!

For a number of years in the fall time, we had some friends who would bring us bushels (yes, I said bushels!) of apples from the North Carolina mountains. Now, there is nothing better than a mountain apple. But, when I had so many at one time, I needed to preserve them. I did this in a number of ways. One was by making apple pie filling and freezing it. Yum! Another was by baking apple pound cake. Double yum! Yet another was making apple butter. Triple yum!

In this verse, David is reminding us that God has preserved His saints. To preserve means to maintain or more literally  retain. When I think of this, I immediately think of my salvation. God has not only saved me, but He has saved me for ETERNITY! He has retained [continues to keep possession of] my salvation. He has preserved my salvation. Hallelujah! Is not this shouting ground?

Once I am saved, I will ALWAYS be saved. I may sin, but it is not a sin unto the loss of my salvation. Christ died on the cross one time, my friend. He paid it ALL that day. Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.” I will continue to sin, while living in this house of flesh, and Christ will forgive me when I confess that sin to Him, but I do not have to get saved all over again. He did that work ONE time!

God not only preserves me (retains me), but He also preserves me (maintains me). My salvation is secure in His retaining and my life in Christ is also secure in His maintaining. Each and every day, I have the assurance that He is with me! Each and every day, I have the assurance that He will guide me! Each and every day, I have the assurance that He wants what is best for me! Each and every day, I have the assurance that God PRESERVES me! Is He preserving you also, my friend?

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Day 24: The Departing

“DEPART from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.” Psalm 37:27

Have you departed today? To depart means to leave … more specifically for a journey. This is interesting because I always saw the depart as a moving away from, but never as the beginning of something else. As I searched the scriptures for  other departings, guess what I found? I found that when someone departed, they were headed in a different direction … a new destination. Is not this exactly what God desires of us … to depart from (turn our back on) the world and to follow Him?

In today’s world, it seems like everyone is a “Christian.” Yet, it really breaks my heart to see so many who claim Christ as their Savior who do not love the things of God. There is no change in their life. II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” If they truly are a Christian (have been saved) for any length of time, there WILL be a change in their life. Can you imagine taking a bath and getting all cleaned up and then putting your old, sweaty, dirty clothes back on? Yuck! Yet, many do this every day spiritually.

James in chapter 3 gives us much instruction also on our tongue. The tongue is a very powerful tool. Not only that, but it is a very powerful indicator of our spiritual life as well. I am not talking about cursing, although we will get to that, but I am talking about “Christians” talking to others, non-Christians and Christians alike, with such hateful and bitter words. Recently I was exposed to this in someone else’s life and to be honest, I was in shock! James lays it on the line right here in verses 10-18 of chapter 3:

10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing, My brethren, these things ought not so to be! [my punctuation of exclamation]

11Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter:

12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17But the wisdom that is from above is frist pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Oh, my friend, please heed this! If you are still doing these things and say that you are a Christian, you are on the wrong path. Depart, my friend! Turn away! Get on the true path of life in Christ! Let Him change you today!

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Day 23: The Mercy

“He is ever MERCIFUL, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” Psalm 37:26

Growing up, I heard the phrase, “Mercy, mercy, Mr. Percy!” Well, I am not sure who Mr. Percy is, but I do know that mercy does not come from a person but from God Himself. Deuteronomy 4:31 “(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.”

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown to another when it is in your power to punish. Ouch! God shows mercy to us every single day, but how much mercy do we show to others?

Let us look today at some times that God has or will show mercy to us:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” When we are in the need of mercy, let us find ourselves boldly bowing at His throne!

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)” Wow! He showed mercy to us EVEN when we had a life full of sin!

I John 1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” So many times, verse 9 is quoted and verse 10 is overlooked. How often do we truly go to God confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness? Not enough, my friend! Why do you think that is? Probably because we do not feel like we have sinned … and therein lies a whole study unto itself! In a nutshell, we do not come often enough before a righteous and holy God to see the obvious difference in our lives. For who can do so and not leave changed?

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Not only does the Lord require in us to love mercy, but He desires for us to do justly and walk humbly with our God.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Thank the Lord His mercies are not just a one-time thing, but EVERY morning as I arise from my bed, His mercies are renewed unto me! GREAT is HIS faithfulness!

Lastly, but definitely not least, let us be left with this reminder today … Luke 6:36 “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”

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Day 22: The Bread

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging BREAD.” Psalm 37:25

When I think of bread in the Bible, I think of the spiritual food that is the Word of God. In just a few short days, we will be in the middle of the year 2019. Six months will have passed with six more months to go. At the beginning of a New Year, many find themselves making resolutions to read through the Bible that year. I myself have done so before. But, as I grow older, I have come to realize that although the reading of the Bible is a good thing and something that we need to do more often, I feel that we need to take that a step further and actually study the Bible.

II Timothy 2:15 tells us to “STUDY to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” What does this verse tell us to do? To study, correct? There is a difference between reading and studying. In college, I had a professor for History of Civilization that LOVED to give pop quizzes. If I had not read the required reading for that day, you can imagine the outcome. What if I had only had time to read it? What if I had taken time to actually study it? I guarantee there would be a much more pleasant outcome after studying versus reading!

How much time did you spend yesterday reading God’s Word? What about studying it? We need to not only read God’s Word, my friend, but we need to STUDY it! Most people claim to be Christians yet hardly can find time for church and   never pick up their Bible in between times. It is no wonder that we do not grow for we are not eating our spiritual bread that God has provided for us! We cannot grow physically without food and neither can we spiritually!

You do not have to be a college graduate to be able to study and grow from the Bible. Here are a few basic tips from what I do:

· I read and study from a King James Bible with Scofield notes. I use the cross-reference column a lot.

· I have, in the past, used devotional books to give me a scriptural starting point and thought.

· I use an online dictionary to look up words … even ones that I think that I know already, because I have been surprised a time or two! Defining words makes the verse come to life and get more personal for me.

· I use a notebook. I put down the date, the passage of scripture or verse. Any cross-reference verses that I find and any thoughts that God brings to mind.

· I occasionally use the internet to google certain topics or to look up a book in the online commentaries. I also use a Strong’s concordance app.

· If you are looking for an all-in-one type of book to invest in, I suggest Nelson’s three-in-one Bible Reference Companion, which can be found on Amazon inexpensively.

If you are one of the minority who does read and study your Bible daily, what are some things that you find helpful? Do you like to use a devotional book, write in a journal, use commentaries (book form or online) or even type your thoughts out?

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Day 21: The Steps

“The STEPS of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

Father’s Day this year has come and gone. If you were on Facebook or the internet for any length of time, I am sure that you saw pictures of fathers holding their son’s hands as they walked along. That seems to be used often during this time of year. They say that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That is probably most true of this picture. Even though you see it in still life, can you just imagine all the words that have been spoken between the two down through the years as that young lad grew up?

Another popular picture during Father’s Day is a small son trying to follow in the steps of his father. Of course, his legs are shorter and his feet smaller, but he tries none-the-less. Does he fit into each one? No, I am positive that he does not. Yet, that does not stop him from trying. Then an amazing thing happens, that young son begins to grow. His legs get a bit  longer each year. He has new shoes this year because his feet have also grown. Then one day, he becomes that father.

God is our Father and as our Father, he will guide us with His footsteps. David tells us here that “the steps of a good man are ordered [established] by the LORD.” Can you see that here? Our Father has already walked ahead of us paving (establishing) the way, so to speak. We have no reason to question or doubt which path to follow for He already has     established it! How easy is that?

Verse 24 takes our steps a bit further for it says that when “a good man” falls, “he shall not be utterly cast down.” As a child learning to walk, what happens? He will fall. But, when he falls, he does not stay down. No, before you know it, he is back up on his feet trying again. He may not have done it perfectly the first time, but he will not let that hinder him from trying again … and again … and again.

In our Christian walk with God, how many times have we faltered and fallen? We have believed another lie that Satan has told. We have gotten our eyes off of God and onto man. We have let self dictate when and where we will go. There are many stumbling blocks in life, are there not? These are only a few. It only takes one to make us mess up. But, let us not let that one keep us down for the count. Let us rise up and go at it again. One day our legs will be long enough and our feet big enough to fit more comfortably in the pathway that God has established and laid out before us.

Trivia question: How do you know if you are on the right path? There will be joy and delight (verse 23), correct? When we travel, there is no joy or delight when we find that we have taken the wrong path. But, even if we have not reached our destination yet, as long as we stay on the right path, there we find joy and delight. So, let us not forget the truth of that little chorus that we learned as a child in church … “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is  follow!”

If we follow Him, He will keep us on the right path.

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Day 20: The Blessed

“For such as be BLESSED of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:20

I do not know about you, but here we are half way through this chapter and it seems like David is obsessed with the   wicked, the evildoer, and the cursed being cut off. It can be quite easy for you and me also to find ourselves obsessed with all the wicked, the evildoers, and the cursed as well. But, I do not believe that is what David is trying to show us here. I believe that there were just as many in his day as ours, and I believe that he is reminding himself, because they seem to take up his world, how little they matter. In the process, we are also getting that gentle reminder … maybe because we need it as frequently as he did! Hmm?

Putting that aside, today I want to focus on the blessed. I am blessed! Are you blessed as well? A favorite hymn at   Thanksgiving time is “Count Your Blessings (name them one by one).” When was the last time that you sat down and counted all of your blessings? Has it been awhile? Is it a little overdue?

I catch myself being negative a lot. There always has to be at least one pessimist in the group, right? Unfortunately, I take that role too seriously and too often. Instead, I need to get my vision refocused on God’s blessings instead. When our daughter was young and she would say something negative about something, we would tell her to then tell us three    positive things about the thing that she just said something negative about. Boy, that changed the picture in a hurry!  Maybe we need to try this in our lives!

The word blessed is found 290 times in the Bible. Nine of those times are found in one chapter … Matthew 5. Do you recall what this chapter is about? It is the “Sermon on the Mount” and is often referred to as the Beatitudes, am I correct? This section of scripture alone could be its own little mini-series.

What does the word blessed mean?  Blessed means favor or gift bestowed by God; approval. We have already noted that it is mentioned nine times in Matthew 5. Have you noticed something else about the verses in the Sermon on the Mount? There is a pattern there. I had never seen it before, but when I was studying for this devotional, I read a comment that jumped out at me about this. All of these blessings (God’s favor or approval) are bestowed upon the most unlikely people and things, are they not? Is that not just like the God that we love and serve?

This is such a profitable reminder to you and I that we should not pattern our lives after the world and all it has to offer. Instead, we should focus on the qualities that are mentioned right here in Matthew 5 … poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hunger and thirst after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaker, persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and when men will revile us and say things against us falsely.

Matthew 5 even goes on to tell us why He has blessed us … to be salt and light. How blessed are you? Now go forth as salt and light and share with the world what God has done for you!

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Day 19: The Satisfaction

“They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be SATISFIED.” Psalm 37:19

David told us in verse 18 that, “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.” Then here in this verse, he goes on to tell us that the upright will not be ashamed. To be ashamed means to be embarrassed or guilty. When there is evil all around you, you have no need to be ashamed … IF you are living righteously. When children are playing in a group and one does something wrong, who should be ashamed? The one who is guilty, correct? When the parent or adult comes to correct the guilty party, you (the nonguilty one) have nothing to fear.

The latter part of this verse is where I want to actually focus today … on the satisfaction. Who is satisfied in this verse? The upright. The ones who are living and serving their Lord. When the cupboards get low on stock, it is the upright that God will satisfy … that God will provide for. Verse 25 says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” It is the righteous and the upright who will be satisfied.

Luke 15 tells us the parable of the prodigal son. I always thought a prodigal as a person who had wandered away. But, I just looked up the definition and found out that I need to read the dictionary more often instead of guessing on my own! Because the definition of prodigal (as a noun) means a person who recklessly and extravagantly wastes money. As an   adjective (describing a noun), it means the same thing. Who knew this?

The prodigal here in Luke 15 had it all … he had clothes, he had food, he had a father who loved him, he had protection, he had help … he lacked nothing. But, somehow his mind got that all twisted up and it came up completely dissatisfied. How in the world did that happen? We see it every day in this world, do we not? Not just in our young people, but in our adults. They are not satisfied and they take that dissatisfaction and turned it into an all-out reckless, extravagant wasting of what God has given them. The prodigal was the same way and what happened? He found out the true meaning of   dissatisfaction, did he not? Is his story making the room start to get a little warmer than what is comfortable? Is it because you are finding yourself in the prodigal’s shoes? Have you found yourself, instead of being grateful for what you have, dissatisfied?

Growing up, I remember my dad saying his favorite hymn was “Satisfied.” The words go like this … “V1: All my life long I had panted for a drink from some cool spring, That I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. V2:     Feeding on the husks around me, Till my strength was almost gone, Longed my soul for something better, Only still to hunger on. V3: Well of water every springing, Bread of life so rich and free, Untold wealth that never faileth, My            Redeemer is to me. Chorus: Hallelujah! I have found Him, Whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings, Through His blood I now am saved.”

IF we seek our satisfaction righteously, we will never be dissatisfied again!

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Day 18: The Knowing

“The LORD KNOWETH the days of the upright; and their inheritance shall be for ever.” Psalm 37:18

I searched in my Bible app how many times the phrase “the LORD knoweth” is found. I discovered that those three words appear 22 times in the Bible. What does it mean to know? It means awareness through observation, experience or       information. In other words, it means knowledge that is gained, correct?

Can you imagine being God? Think about it! He is THE Creator of the entire world. As the Creator, does He not know every single thing about us? He does, right? So when David tells us here that He knows … He REALLY knows … all the good, the bad, and the ugly! In case, we may not know what He knows, let us look at some of those 22 passages today.

· He knows how vulnerable and weak that we are as sheep of His pasture. He knows and He protects us. Genesis 33:3 “And he said unto him, my lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.”

· He knows when we walk through the valleys and through those dry, barren places called the wilderness. He knows and He not only walks with us but He holds our hand. He makes sure that we do not lack anything. Deuteronomy 2:7 “For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great    wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”

· He knows our hearts if there is some sin or rebellion that we are harboring there. He knows and He is waiting for us to come to Him in repentance. Joshua 22:22 “The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD …”

· He knows who is His. He may not have Facebook or Instagram, but He surely does not have any problem following us along. He knows where we are walking, where we are standing and where we are sitting. Psalm 1:6 “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

· He knows us by name … what a blessed thought! He does not address me as, “Hey, you over there with your back turned to me!” or “Hey, you are the one who said that you did not have time for me today.” He knows me and He answers when I call. II Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Let me close with Isaiah 40:28-29 “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth  power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

He knows us … let us know Him!

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Day 17: The Arms

“For the ARMS of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.” Psalm 37:17

In today’s society, what is a symbol of physical strength? Our arms, correct? Or more specifically our biceps. So when David starts speaking of the wicked in this verse, he immediately starts with addressing their arms. I believe this is because that is where the symbolism of the wicked’s strength lies … in their arms … in their human flesh.

David then goes on to share what happens to the arms of the wicked … they will be broken. Do they break themselves? I do not believe so. I believe that they are broken by the Lord Himself. If you have ever broken or injured one of your arms, you find out really quick how important that arm is. It not only holds the strength of your body, but it also plays a major role in the functioning or capabilities of your body. Am I not correct? What are some of those important functions of the arms?

1)  To support the weak — Romans 15:1 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” There have been many a time when I have been weak physically that I longed for someone to come along and take care of me. I felt too weak to do what I needed to do. There were even times when in my weakness, I did not even know what I needed to do to get out of it. Often my mind was too foggy to make heads or tails out of life in   general. How many others around us are physically or spiritually weak and could use our arm to support them?

2)  To work (labor) — I Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of the his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” God intended for man to take care of and provide for his family by working with his hands. If he fails to do so, what does the Bible call him? An infidel. What does an infidel mean? Basically, he is a traitor. He is a heretic. He has chosen his own path and it is not a good one.

3)  To protect the young — Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” I know in this world today we are seeing more and more parents who neglect their children to satisfy their own flesh and their own desires. But, God made parents to take care of and protect their young ones.

How precious is it for us also to care for the young ones of others. How many mothers and fathers have been alone in fighting the devil over their children? As a parent, I loved to see other Christian adults love my child and pray for my child. Ones who I knew would have my child’s back if I was not there. Ones who my child was comfortable enough to trust.

4)  Lastly, to stand in the gap — Ezekiel 22:30 “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” God is looking for men and women who will stand firm on the truth of God’s Word. Ones who will make up a hedge of truth and right. God will uphold our arms … if we use them for righteousness! What is your choice today?