Complacency or Hate

Reading: Song of Solomon 1-4 and 1 John 2

 

Scripture: 1 John 2:2, He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

Thoughts: When reading 1 John this verse about Jesus being the payment for our sins and the sins of the world resinated differently with me today. Not only am I where I am today because of the gift that he gave us through his Son, but what suck with me was when he made the point to say not just for us but for the whole world. Yes we know John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. In that we know He loved the world yet are we sharing that love with the world? If we truly believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, how much complacency or hate do we have in us to not share the gospel with those around us. I know I struggle with sharing with people, I know I make excuses and find reasons why I can’t yet I know that if I stepped out that He would be there with me to overcome those hangups I have. Are we telling others about Jesus paying for our sins or are we keeping that to ourselves? 

 

Prayer: Father God, I thank you did send your Son to Earth and that we have the opportunity to be reconciled to you and that we are no welcome in the Holy of Holies where you reside. I thank you that you are the provider of all things, through you all blessings and provision come. I thank you that you are working in my life, molding and refining me that I can be a better father, a better husband, and a better follower of you. I ask that you help me to overcome the pride and fear in my life that is keeping me from walking out your plan. 

Be in the light as He is in the light.

Reading: Proverbs 30-31, Psalm 96, and 1 John 1

Scripture: 1 John 1:5-6, This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Thoughts: When I was reading about God being the light and we when we claim to be in fellowship with Him, yet we still walk in the dark it says we are I lier. As I was reading, I was thinking about my struggle with lust, I am grateful that most of the time I can avoid falling into the temptations, but it happens. There are those who walk in the darkness and believe the are in the light, walking deceived by the evil one. We are called into the light and into fellowship with the Father, yet we are always being tempted into sin. When we have the unconfessed sin and are not repentant we are walking in the dark pretending to be in the light. God is working with me to completely remove lust from my life. Where are you walking because there is not a was to keep your toe in the dark and walk in the light of God?

Prayer: Father God, you are the light of the world, you open our eyes to see the things in our lives where we have iniquities in our live. You call us into the light, and I ask you that you help us to set aside those things we are holding onto, keeping us in the dark and keeping us from you. I thank you that you are molding and refining me every day. I thank you that you provide what we need and leading and guiding me every day. I ask that you continue to open my eyes and give me your discernment that I can see the traps and snares the evil one is placing before me. 

Vision for life

Reading: Proverbs 28-29, Psalm 48, and 2 Peter 3

 

Scripture: Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

 

Thoughts: This proverb about vision not only speaks to those of faith but also to the world, for those in Christ and in the Church we are given vision through Holy Spirit and are given a path or some times just a destination. With that vision we know where to strive, we have that destination in mind. Are we developing a culture of vision in our home that will give direction to our family and direction to the next generation? Back during the World Wars our nation was unified in vision to the point that because of the shortages that came from the wars, our government encouraged people to use every available chunk of land to grow food to help one another. We are not unified in vision or purpose and it feels like there are those in power who are seeking to divide us so much that we can no longer stand. Let Holy Spirit lead us and guide us and seek the prophetic vision that He has for us. 

 

Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you sent Holy Spirit to dwell within us and bring us wisdom and understanding to this world. I thank you that you are pouring out your love and peace on us every day. I thank you for your blessings and provisions. I thank you for the vision you have given me and I ask that you help me to see it more clearly and with more understanding. I ask that you encounter those in power that they know you more and that they are able to walk in your was and seek you instead of their own selfish desires. 

Wise in your own eyes.

Reading: Proverbs 26-27, Psalm 98, and2 Peter 2

Scripture: Proverbs 26:4-5, Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
 
Thoughts: We all have this tendency to be foolish from time to time, and most grow out of it and develop wisdom as we age. I have seen this disturbing trend into not telling children no, affirming everything they say and do. This trend of affirming all things in them before they have learned to enough to have developed true wisdom are creating people who are wise in their own eyes. We need to seek out those people in our lives who will help us to walk in truth, we are living in an echo with other like minded people who we have never met due to the internet and social media. It is easy to find and build those echo cambers where we hear only our own ideas reflected back to us. Let us welcome those with opposing ideas and those who challenge ours to have conversations and discussions about these differences that we can truly develop wisdom. Salomon in his great wisdom from God was able to speak to this nearly three thousand years before the invention of the internet and social media where does your wisdom come from?
 
Prayer: Father God, you are where all truth and all true wisdom flows. I thank you that you are pouring out your love, your truth, and your peace upon us every day as you provide for all our needs. I thank you for those in my life that walk with you and seek you and are willing to discuss so that we can be that iron sharpening one another. I thank you that you are refining me and molding me into the man you have called me to be. I ask that you help me to grow in your wisdom and walk in your ways that I may not be the fool who see himself as wise. 

Folding of the hands.

 Reading: Proverbs 24-25 and 2 Peter 1

 

Scripture: Proverbs 24:30-34, I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

 

Thoughts: Each generation seems to be moving away form the willingness to do a hard days work. 200 years ago, in the early years of our nation, most men had hard physical jobs such as carpenters, blacksmith, wagon maker, and farmers. Just a few generations ago the group called the Boomer had the work ethic of hard work, but brought into the office setting. Gen X sought more office type work and grew up outdoors still understanding that it takes hard work to better ones self. Millennials and Gen Z may not have known a world without the internet or smartphones, and one of the biggest hope and dream of many of them is to become famous in some way and make money off playing games and making social media content and do as little as possible. With the mentality of give it to me because I deserve it verses I will work for what I want. Seems to me to have bread an entire generation or two in western society who exhibit the mentality of the slugger who Salomon wrote about. Are we falling into the trap of the sluggard letting the the weeds in our lives top take deep root and break dow the walls allowing the robber to come in and to steal kill and destroy our lives and the lives of those around us. 

 

Prayer: Father God, you showed us the work ethic to have in creation, work 6 day of good work of making all things and take a day of rest. I thank you for you pressings and provisions that I can walk in your love and in your grace. I ask that you help me to keep prospective on how I work and how I rest that I may show my faith by my works and to point those around me to you. 

Suffering

Reading: Proverbs 22-23, Psalm 101, and 1 Peter 5

 

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10-11, And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Thoughts: We all are going to suffer in some ways shape or form weather we are suffering for Christ or if we are suffering in life, there will be suffering. I thank God that He sent his son to pay the price for us to be in right standing before God. His gift calls us into his glory. Then restoration to our Father, the conformation into the family of God, the strength needed to overcome all things in his name, and we are now established citizens of the kingdom of heaven and sons and daughters of God. Yes there will be pain in this life we live in a fallen world where sins and iniquities have become ingrained in our lives thought generations of living in this fallen world. Yet we are called into his glory, get up and walk in it.

 

Prayer: Father God, you are the great provider, you gave you son as a way to get back to you, you give us the peace and understanding in our times of need. I thank you that you are pouring your love our on us every day. I thank you for your provisions and blessings that I get to walk in every day. I ask that you lead me and guide me in all that I do. I ask that you help me to walk hi your ways and in your truth. 

 

Eyes wide shut.

 Reading: Proverbs 20-21, Psalm 11, and 1 Peter 4

 

Scripture: Proverbs 21:2, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. 

 

Thoughts: We all like to think we are right all the time, and that those who has different views then I do are wrong. Are we walking in our own way, or are we seeking to walk God’s path that he has laid before us. When we seek that path we are called to God is weighing our hearts and our motives. I grew up trying to bargain with God, if you do this for me, I will give up this or that. Maybe we all go through that age, or even have spent time thinking about God that way. I feel like we all at some point try to sacrifice enough to get something we think we need. When he looks into our hearts and sees all the things that we have hidden away from the world is he going to see what he call good and holy, or is he going to see this ugly mess that we have not allowed him to work out with us and can.  

 

Prayer: Father God you alone are worthy of all praise and honor, may your glory shine over this place. I thank you for your provisions and the blessings you are pouring out on us. I thank you for your molding and refining you are working in my life. I ask that you help me to see when I am seeking and walking in my own understanding and not seeking you in the situation that is going on. I ask your blessings on this nation that all who are in the government, I ask that they encounter you and see you in all they do. 

What are you speaking?

Reading: Proverbs 18-19, Psalm 16, and 1 Peter 3 

Scripture: Proverbs 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

 

Thoughts: As I was reading today going through these proverbs and the wisdom that God gave to Salomon, I started thinking about what my words say about me, and what am I speaking into my wife and children? As much as I love my wife and children my words and my tones don’t always show it. The power of life and death are in the tongue. Not only do we need to watch and bridle our tongue around and with our family but in the world around us. We are told that “they will know us by our love.” When we are participating in the hate and distain for one another the way the world is our tongue is speaking death. Our tongues don’t only speak death outwardly but we have the tendency to speak these things over ourselves, “I’m a bad parent”, “I’m fat”, “I’m stupid”, “I’m useless”, these are all lies that the evil one had convinced us to speak over ourselves.  We are a child of the one true King and nobody should speak ill of a child of God not even that child. We are loved and we are to love as he loves, and not just loving the world as he does but loving ourselves as he does. 

 

Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you love me more than I could ever understand and know, you are the one who pours life into me everyday. I thank you that you are my provider, you have given me everything I need and even things I want. You provide abundantly and exceedingly more than I deserve. I thank you that you are leading and guiding me, I ask for your discernment, help me to see where I’m going astray and help me to see the root causes of things in my life that we can come together against them that I can serve you more.