Tuesday, 3/29/22 Psalm 23:2-3a, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. We need
TIME to recharge our batteries. Without v2’s stillness and v3’s restoration, we wouldn’t survive v4’s “shadow of death.” All down time isn’t wasted time. Compare Psalm 23:5a, Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, with Psalm 3:5, I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. There will be more days of simple sustainment rather than fancy feasts. We all like Christmas Day and our birthday, but there are 363 other normal days. If you will discipline your mind to enjoy the normal, than the big days will truly be “feast days.”
- Wednesday, 3/30/22 Proverbs 24:3, Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established. Middle-aged folks, how long has it been since you asked God for wisdom to guide your household? We’ve been doing it for a decade or two...we still need God’s wisdom. And we need understanding so as to “get” our mate. Psalm 71:8, Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. However good we are; however far we’ve come in our Christian walk from what we used to be/do; however stellar our reputation is, there are heights of love and depths of devotion that we’ve not gotten to yet. Improve! Correct! Repent! Strive! Each of us need to be praying about some area in which we see the need to grow. (Of course, the best of us have a thousand such areas.)
- Thursday, 3/31/22 Psalm 71:23, My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. Pastor often exhorts us to think about Christ in church. When we sing, do we just follow along with the leader, or do we focus on what we’re saying and about Whom we’re singing? Psalm 132:1-2, Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions: how he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob... The psalmist was praying on David’s behalf. With whom are you synchronizing or harmonizing your prayers? Whose goodness are you reminding God of when asking Him to alleviate their burden? Who calls you when they really want to get through to Heaven? Maybe we, you and I, need to become more of a pray-er?
- Friday, 4/1/22 Have you been faithful in your duties and responsibilities? Proverbs 28:20, A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. If you’re not swimming in blessings, maybe you’re just not noticing them...cuz He said. Luke 23:8, And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Herod wanted to see Jesus perform like some street magician. But, aren’t we so often just like that too? If God doesn’t answer our prayers immediately and bless us how we think we need to be blest, we get upset at Him or question what’s wrong in the relationship. (We do the same with people, too.) We need to come to Him as God, on His terms, trusting His will and His actions and not our short-sighted, selfish, temperamental viewpoint. (Written for me primarily.)
- Saturday, 4/2/22 Psalm 72:18, Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. Do you believe this to be a true statement? Then, your current situation, problems, heartbreak, health issues are “WONDROUS.” Praise Him that they’re so awesome you can’t understand them. Lord, increase our (my) faith... Psalm 73:2-3, But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. FOR I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Note the cause and effect: V3 causes v2. Seeing the prosperity progressed to envy, which almost caused the psalmist to slip away. We must discipline our minds. When we look at the unsaved, we MUST look at the whole picture, not just the “nice” exterior. When you see them, see condemnation, not prosperity.
- Sunday, 4/3/22 Luke 1:46, And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord... Does our soul (our desires, personality, jokes, speech, thoughts, will, choices) magnify Him? Magnify self? Magnify foolishness? (Ouch...) Psalm 77:10, And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. The psalmist had been complaining over his circumstances. (You & I have never done that, have we?) Then, he came to his senses and realized what his weak, worn spot (infirmity) was: he was focusing on the short-term negatives and forgetting God’s long-term positives. He HAS been faithful; He HAS been present; He HAS blest abundantly; He HAS loved in spite of disregard...and He’s done it for years. We’re all guilty, but you and I need to get off of God’s back and, ON PURPOSE, remember “the years of His right hand.”
- Monday, 4/4/22 Proverbs 1:3, [One purpose of the Proverbs is for us] to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity... “Lord, teach me how to learn. Help me to be on the same wavelength as You.” Luke 7:9, When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. The faith of the centurion amazed the Lord. Note that the preceding verses dealt with obedience. Pastor’s definition of faith: believing God enough to obey Him. Do you have enough faith to tithe? to go to church faithfully? to serve? to forgive? to submit? to obey the government? to trust God in sickness? to rejoice when everything is going wrongly?
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