Category Archives: Daily Devotionals

Daily Devotionals

PROVERBS  SIXTEEN…

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Verses 13-17     

This passage starts off with rule number one in the Christian life…”Commit your works to the Lord!” Can we commit everything that we are doing to the Lord day by day or are there things we do that we would be ashamed to have the Lord see?

What about the TV programmes we see and the  magazines we read? Do they exalt the Lord or honour him in any way at all? David had a similar thought when he said to trust in the Lord, and to delight in Him. Then we are able to commit all that  we do to Him, knowing that He will hear us.

We see the opposite of this in two more things that are an abomination to the Lord ….. those who are proud and those leaders who do sinful things. God can do nothing for these sort of people until they turn to Him in humbleness and repentance. Then God will cleanse them (verse 6) and give them the true wisdom that is worth more than gold (verse 16). He will direct their steps, give them peace and help them to be honest and just in their dealings.

 To be honest and true, in all that we do, Is the way to honour the Lord,

For He hateth the proud, whose knee is not bowed,

And who never consider His Word!

 

Daily Devotionals

The Diligent Son

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     PROVERBS  Ten…. (v.1-3)

     We all know families where there are diligent children and slack ones. It goes without saying that parents are glad when their children do well, and worried when they don’t. Have we ever stopped to wonder which type of child (of God)  we are?

Solomon  goes on to say that the treasures (and  pleasures!) of the wicked are worthless and futile, whereas righteousness gives life……how many times we see this in the Scriptures! John says we are not to love (get taken up with, sucked into) the world system, because love of that will chase out the love of God’s things. Just as air and water fill a container…..the more water, the less air and vice versa  so the more world in our lives will drive out the Spirit’s influence in our actions and attitudes. One will drive out the other, and as righteousness delivers from death, so those who do the will of God have eternal life.

The Lord is no man’s debtor, and those who honour Him, He will honour. (1 Samuel 2:30b).  We are told here  that the soul of those who seek Him will grow fat and not be famished, while those who ignore Him will lose their soul altogether.

The son who works, will his father please,                                                          Stores  treasure in heaven and worldly lusts flees;                                      God has said He will honour the man,                                                         Who seeks His face and follows His plan.

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Daily Devotionals

Things that God Hates!

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Proverbs 6:16-19….Solomon here lists seven  things that God hates…..let’s look at each one and then evaluate our own selves….

  1. A PROUD LOOK….. God can do nothing with a person who is too proud to come to Him with their problems. The “I’m good enough” syndrome can’t be fixed by God…..it can only be dealt with severely.
  2. A LYING TONGUE…. There is not a person alive who is not guilty of telling a lie at some stage, or of stretching the truth. God hates this. He is all truth Himself, and anything less in others is abhorrent to Him.
  3. HANDS THAT KILL…. Anyone who has thoughts of hatred is the same as a murderer as far as God is concerned.
  4. A HEART THAT IMAGINES WICKED THINGS….. what do we feed our minds on in our leisure time, in our reading or what we watch on TV?
  5. GETTING INTO MISCHIEF…. Where do our feet take us? Where do our fingers take us on the web? To places where it would be better if we weren’t there?
  6. We can lump six and seven together under the title of GOSSIP….a “false witness and making trouble”. We must be very careful in what we repeat and the way we repeat it.

Let us always remember to only do what will bring glory to God!

God hates these seven horrid things,                                                                         That no glory to Him  ever brings;                                                                                   Pride and lies, and hands that kill,                                                                                    Feet, mind and tongues with mischief filled.                                                  These things to God no glories give,                                                                       Remember this while here we live.

 

Daily Devotionals

Waiting…..

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Have you ever thought about the word “wait” and all that it means?  How the word “wait” is actually a double sided word? When we go into a restaurant, the “waiter” comes to us for our order, and then we have to “wait” while it is being put together. The waiter brings it to us and then “waits” on our needs while we enjoy the meal.

One of the hardest things in the world is to wait for something. In this modern world, everything is expected to be instant….everything is faster and smaller and more disposable as the next model comes along.

We read in the Bible that before the Lord can bless a person, He has to “wait” on them. He waits for them to turn and call on Him so He can be gracious to them and bless them. This is the way He waits on His people, by giving them His blessings and all that they need as they ask Him.

On the other hand, as we wait on Him for the answers to our prayers, we are blessed as we see how He works in our lives to give us the answer that we need. Those who do not turn to Him, can never know His blessings, any more than a person can expect a meal at a restaurant without paying for it.

Isaiah 30, verse 18…..    And thus will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

 

Daily Devotionals

Don’t Get Scammed!

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PROVERBS  Six…. (v.1-15)

DON’T GET SCAMMED!!!! Solomon here is warning his sons to not stand as guarantor for anyone…..friend or stranger! How many times have people got caught out doing just this!!

This warning stands good for every single person….. it is better to give straight out, rather than to lend hoping to get it back one day. People’s word of mouth is not enough……how many friendships have gone sour because of broken promises! Don’t feel sorry for the other person, or you will end up feeling  sorrier for yourself in the long run.

This seems to be hard advice, but often people get themselves into a mess because of their own foolishness, and the only way they will learn is the hard way. Paul too, expands this thought when he definitely says to keep away from being tied to an unbeliever in any way, shape or form! This rule is for our own good and peace of mind.

Often the other person is in trouble because of their own laziness or carelessness…..take a lesson from an ant! It is busy and forward looking, preparing for the future. Keep away from those who try to sponge on you……they are only there for what they can get out of you !!

Give, don’t lend,  is good advice, To keep one’s friend is better;            Don’t let yourself then get  enticed, Or you’ll be tied, by  lawyer’s letters!!!

 

Daily Devotionals

Through the Furnace

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       We had some visitors from another area, and were taking them around the local sights. One of these was a glass blower at  work behind the gallery that was selling a lot of his work. There were some beautiful pieces on display, all brightly colored and different shapes. The man was in his workshop at the back of the gallery which was open for people to watch him at work.

    We went in and up the stairs where we could look down on him plying his art. The furnace was heated up and the tongs he was using were red hot. As he pulled the shaped vase out of the heat, he pulled and twisted at the neck of it to form a shapely edge. But time and time again, he had to put it back into the heat because he wasn’t satisfied with how it looked.

    It reminded me of the Master Glass Blower at work in our lives, as He molds and perfects His people to make them become what He wants them to be. We may not like the heat of the fire we have to go through, or the pulling and twisting that we are subject to, but when it is all over, we are more like the finished article that He wants us to be….a thing of beauty and fit for His use!

Daily Devotionals

Watch it, Son!

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PROVERBS  FIVE…. (v.1-23)

This entire chapter is about Solomon warning his sons against the wiles of wicked and scheming women and the dangers of loitering around where they congregate. One can’t help wondering what age Solomon was,  when he wrote these things!

It is one thing to be wise in matters concerning others and another to be wise concerning oneself or one’s family! How many times people can lay down the law (quite rightly in many cases!) for others, but bend the same rules for themselves or  their children!

Let us always remember that God’s laws apply equally to ALL, and let us also front up to the wrong we are allowing in our own lives, and admit our weaknesses to others.

    Solomon’s weakness for foreign women led to his ultimate downfall in direct disobedience to God’s commands. God never makes rules to spoil our fun, but to protect His people. If we feel ourselves slipping, let us do as James says…..humble ourselves to admit our weaknesses to others and ask them to pray with us in the matter. We will be doubly strengthened to withstand, and be blessed for it.

      God’s rules are made to keep His own,  From falling and a-tumbling     We cannot walk this life alone, But need God’s help to keep from          stumbling.

 

 

Daily Devotionals

Proverbs Four…..

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Verses 11-27

It is one thing to know the right thing to do, and another thing to put it into practice!! Hang onto what you know is right, and don’t deviate from it.                                                                                                                                                       The best way to use wisdom is to avoid temptation in the first place….don’t go where temptation abounds…..avoid it like the plague, don’t even look towards it! Use your head before you lose it!! Don’t ever deliberately  go into, or  start, anything doubtful  thinking you can handle it. You won’t be able to, because God won’t be there  with you in it. Those ways are the paths of darkness, and you will surely stumble.

The ways of God’s wisdom are the paths of light, life  and strength. Don’t turn to the right hand or to the left, but keep a straight course with your  eyes fixed on the goal of
God’s wisdom and righteousness!

S-I-N is a very little word, But it often spells disaster,

You must leave it very much alone,  Or it will become your Master!