- Tuesday, 2/22/22 Psalm 105:3, Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. The sentence structure caught my attention: “(You) LET the heart of others rejoice.” I wonder how
often I squelch people’s joy/good days with my negativity. If someone shares a positive, do you “counterbalance” it with a negative? Psalm 27:1, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Every born-again believer should be able to make this statement easily. On the surface, we know it, but we forget it. We need to frequently remind ourselves of exactly Who is our Father and what He is capable of.
- Wednesday, 2/23/22 Proverbs 22:1, A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The thing we all see in the verse is the comparison. I just saw: “chosen.” We must CHOOSE the paths that lead to a good name while shunning those that do not. Proverbs 23:3, A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. On one end of the spectrum picture a child lost in thought happily wandering in the park unaware of any possible threats. On the other end, picture a soldier deep in enemy territory surrounded by the enemy. To the degree we are aware of our potential danger and peril, to that degree we’ll be much more alert and thus, safer.
- Thursday, 2/24/22 Ezra 9:3, And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. The prophet reacted this way to a lack of separation in the people of God. I wonder how he’d look at my life and yours...? Ouch. Proverbs 22:5, Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. “Froward” means, “not willing to yield or comply with what is reasonable or required; perverse; disobedient.” We must be aware that this describes the basic nature of our hearts, and we must “keep” it (restrain, erect boundaries, walk guard around) under control.
- Friday, 2/25/22 Psalm 106:33, Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. I’m guessing we all could do better at taking the Spirit’s advice regarding our words: quantity, quality, timing, tone, etc. Psalm 34:10, The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Either this verse isn’t true, or we usually have the wrong definition of what constitutes “a good thing.”
- Saturday, 2/26/22 Psalm 34:4, I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Are you seeking Bible knowledge? Answers to life’s questions? Deliverance from problems? And easier life? Or, are you seeking to know a real Person? It’s easy to lose the distinction. Nehemiah 1:3, And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Walls were meant to separate the citizens from the influence and danger of foreigners. Not having them was a cause for reproach, shame, and danger. Do you have walls of separation in your life? Are they as high and as thick as they used to be?
- Sunday, 2/27/22 Matthew 6:13, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... Why are we to pray that God keeps us from temptation? Wouldn’t any good father do that for his children? Maybe it is to simply remind us of the danger of our own falling. Be aware of your sinful tendencies. Esther 2:14, In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name. There is plenty of wrong in everyone. We can focus on and proclaim their goodness or their sin. Esther entered a heathen beauty contest, committed fornication, and became a concubine. Yet, she was a courageous woman used by God. It is possible to acknowledge someone’s transgressions without trumpeting them. So, you and I need to examine ourselves: do we emphasize the badness of people or their goodness? What if that person emphasizes OUR badness: how do we treat them in return?
- Monday, 2/28/22 Psalm 38:21, Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. It’s not wrong to feel forsaken (even Jesus did), but it’s wrong to not do that which you are supposed to because of your feelings. Live by choice: choose obedience and faith, NOT by choosing to listen to your deceitful heart. Psalm 37:1, Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Psalm 37 is written to believers about the wicked. It’s simply jam-packed with commandments that we can do, (& nowhere does it say to complain about or try to change the wicked people’s behavior.) We CAN do what the psalm commands us to do, and there are promises made to us for doing what we’re supposed to do.
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