- Tuesday, 8/17/21 Proverbs 12:12b, The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. The unseen root TOTALLY affects the seen fruit. If your root is good, your fruit has the CHANCE to be good. If
your root is bad, there’s no chance for good fruit. Also, elimination of the root guarantees no fruit. Now, flip the coin: have you eliminated the root of your sin, or simply pruned back on the branch and the ugly fruit? (A blunt thought.) Are you fairly quick to share your opinion or even something that you KNOW to be true? Consider...Proverbs 12:23, A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. It says that the prudent is NOT quick to share what he knows or thinks. But, let’s go a step farther: maybe the untimely sharing of truth makes it an instance of “proclaiming foolishness.” Timing, as well as substance, are both crucial to imparting truth and changing the life of the listener.
- Wednesday, 8/18/21 Psalm 17:4, Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Sometimes, another cannot help you. We can only eat for ourselves. We can only think for ourselves. Only we can forgive sins against us. Only we can get right with God about our sins. Only we can put on the whole armor of God. Here, only we can keep ourselves from the deadly paths. Proverbs 12:24a, The hand of the diligent shall bear rule. Is this an absolute statement from God? “SHALL bear rule.” Then, I guess any efforts at self-promotion are evidences of doubting that God can orchestrate the future; that He can give us the desired responsibility at the right time. We (I) are far too often concerned with the offices we hold instead of the diligence we show. If we’ll be what we ought to be, He’ll make sure we get the chance to do what we ought to do.
- Thursday, 8/19/21 Psalm 19:1b, ...the firmament sheweth [God’s] handywork. If we want to be like God, we need to be predictable. Not boring, not never spontaneous, but predictable and dependable. Are you? Your mood? Your actions? Can you be counted upon to do as you said? Proverbs 12:27, The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. To not put the finishing touches on a job often severely detracts from the result. To put it another way: “No job is done until the paperwork is filed.” Or, “Have you dotted every “i” and crossed every “t”?” (An undotted “i” may be confused with sloppy “u” and an uncrossed “t” might be read as an “l.”) That “message” that you searched for in the woods, shot, and retrieved may be misread if you don’t do the anti-climatic wrap-up work. Application: put away your tools; take out the garbage; wipe up the final mess; get the check into the mail; kiss and make-up.
- Friday, 8/20/21 Psalm 142:4, I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. Our personal feelings of loneliness may be a sign from the Lord that someone else needs a friend. Eyes off of self: go serve another. Jeremiah 37:2-3, But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah the king sent...to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us. They would not hearken, but asked the preacher to pray for their good. How ARROGANT!!! But, aren’t you and I often as wicked? We need to assess our diligence to hear, to repent, and to implement what we read in our Bibles and hear from the pulpit. (And even maybe from what a FB preacher posts...)
- Saturday, 8/21/21 Psalm 63:1a, O God, thou ART MY God; early will I seek thee. Once we have God, we’re to continue to seek Him. Look for Him in His word, in His creation, in His provision, in His correction; in His ever present goodness. Have you seen Him recently? Yesterday? Today? “I’m not sure what the Lord would have me do in this situation...” Have you ever said this? I have. Psalm 23:3b, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. His path will be righteous. If any of the available choices are not, or less righteous (choices that result in less church, less devotion to Him, no time to serve, giving less), He’s not in it.
- Sunday, 8/22/21 Proverbs 15:24, The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. We have to live here on earth, but we’ve gotta constantly remind ourselves that this globe is only a stepping stone to LIFE above. Keep looking up. Proverbs 15:10a, Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way. We are all prone to wander and drift from the Lord. It may be a warning sign that we have gone one step farther and begun to forsake Him when we find correction especially distasteful. Maybe we’re becoming too proud to admit that we need correction? Maybe we “know better.”
- Monday, 8/23/21 Psalm 69:5, O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. He knows them. You know them. And you know that your will won’t win out against His holy conviction. So get it over with: confess and get cleaned up and get back to a joyful Christian life. Yes it does!!! Psalm 69:6b, Let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. Yes it does!! You can wish it weren’t so, but it is so. Our sin DOES affect those around us. Do you really love _______ more than those you live with or go to school or church with? THHAAAATT??? Come on!!! Confess it and quit it.
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