Who Doesn’t Like Gifts?

May 07, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:26-28 He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     When I was young, I could hardly wait for my birthday or Christmas to come around. I just knew there were going to be presents wrapped just for me. Everyone seemed so happy seeing that I was happy in receiving the gifts too.

     As I grew a little older I started to want to give presents to the people I liked. I didn’t always have a lot of money, but I always seemed to come up with something. After they had unwrapped the gift, my first question was, “Do you like it?” If they said yes, (which most people do,) I felt so good that my gift made them happy. However, at Christmas, I was still looking around for what everyone had brought for me as well.

     Now as a grandparent who God has blessed beyond what I deserve, I still look forward to Christmas and birthdays. However, now I’m not so concerned with what presents they may have brought for me. My greatest joy is watching the grandchildren as they tear into those packages. I see their eyes light up, a scream of joy over here, a, “look mommy what I got” over there. To me, it’s not about the presents I receive any longer. I get such a kick out of bringing joy to their life by giving. In return, I get their love all year long.

     You can’t wrap true love up in anything but the heart. God desired that we all should be able to experience that kind of unselfish joy, and happiness. This is why He teaches us about giving all year long. Then, as we give to others, not looking for anything in return, God gives to us His love through others, all year long.


THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     God’s economy makes much better sense than man’s does. In man’s economy, what you get you try to keep for yourself. In Gods economy, as you give to others what God has shared with you, you inherit the blessings of those around you as well. With God as the financier, how can we lose?

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 07, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  Chronicles 4 – 6    /     Proverbs 11:26-28

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Samuel 14-15   /    Luke 24:36-53

God Or Greed?

May 06, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:23-25 The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

Greed encourages greed. It almost seems bewildering how often God shares with us how we should be willing to give, and give liberally.


In our verses today there are several comments pointed at the Christian, or the righteous such as; “the desire of the righteous is only good,” “there is that scattereth and yet increaseth,” “the liberal soul shall be made fat,” and “he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

We do know that within our self, we are not righteous, but that we are only made righteous. This took place when we put our faith in Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross. Now, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, our once dark, angry, greedy heart, has been turned into a life full of the light of the word, and filled with the love of Christ.

This love, which is now in us, is why God says that we as believers should desire to give. Love in itself is giving. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Love is always about giving. God doesn’t need our money. He doesn’t need what we’ve collected in our banks and lives to take care of everything in the world. What God does desire is our heart. It’s from the heart man either loves and gives, or becomes greedy.

Today’s verses also say that the wicked can expect wrath, and, they hold on to, or withhold everything, and still end up with nothing. Often the reason lost people choose not to give is that they see the world as a greedy place. They see others who are not willing to give to help one another, so they hoard everything, but end up with nothing. When we die, we take nothing of this earth with us. However, love will last forever.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

In the New Testament, Jesus tells us the same principle again in Luke 6:38. It says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” Whom do you think we should believe, God or greed? I’ll choose God every time. How about you?

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 06, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  1 Chronicles 1 – 3     /     Proverbs 11:23-25

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Samuel 11 – 13   /     Luke 24:1-35

It’s Still A Dog

May 05, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:20-22 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     I was walking down the street the other day, and saw a woman walking her dog. This was not so strange, except for the fact that the dog had on a sweater. Now it may have just been me, but it seemed like the dog was really moving fast, and kept looking left to right, right to left, as if to say, “I sure hope none of my dog friends see me dressed this way.”

     Now I know, some of you dress your dogs this way, and I guess if it makes you happy to dress up your dog as children do their dolls, it never hurts anything. There actually might be some good to it if it’s really cold out or something. However, one thing we need to remember is this, under that sweet little cardigan, there is still a dog. You can paint their toenails a rainbow of colors, give them a cute hair cut which often cost more than your hair cut did, and put ribbons in their hair. However, at the end of the day, they’re still dogs.

     What’s the point in all this? People are very much the same way. You can dress up the outside, and clean up real nice. You might say all the right things, and even go to all the right places. Nevertheless, if you have never accepted Jesus as your Saviour, under all that, you’re still lost.


THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     The word froward means crooked or perverse. It’s referring to someone who is a fraud, or phony. The meaning of the word abomination is something disgusting, or the same as to make one sick. If you put them together you see people pretending to love the Lord when their life shows they don’t, makes God sick. Just as we bathe to wash of the grime of this world, we should also examine ourselves, and ask for the washing of God’s grace from all sin, to be sure we don’t stink before Him.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 05, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  2 Kings 22 – 25      /     Proverbs 11:20-22

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Samuel 7-10   /   Luke 23:27-56

Mad About Nothing

May 04, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:17-19 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     Two men worked together for months. Not really best friends, but they got along ok. One day, one of the men overheard the other man call him by name, and say, “He thinks that we are friends, but were not.” The words seemed to cut like a knife. He had never done anything to make this man dislike him. Not one harsh word ever. Not a cross look, or anything he could recall, nothing.

     Day after day for weeks, he would see him in the shop, and as he walked by, he would smile and say, “Hey, how’s it going?” Out of courtesy, he said; “fine.” Yet, in his heart, daily he hated it more, and more. So much so, he started clocking in at the other end of the plant, just so he did not have to see him.

     One day, at a family reunion, he saw him there. What? Why is this person at MY FAMILY REUNION? I hate him. He has no business here. As he walked over to talk with him, the man turned around and said; “Hey How’s it going?” That was it. He couldn’t take it anymore. “How’s it going?” He replied. “Terrible, that’s how it’s going. What in the heck are you doing at my family reunion?” The man chuckled and said; “that’s funny, I was just telling a guy at work the other day who had asked me if we were friends, and I said, you thought we were friends, but we were not… we’re relatives.” Immediately the man realized he had only heard part of the conversation, and had been angry for weeks for nothing. Whom did it hurt? It hurt only him.

     Anger eats at us, and only us. “…He that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.”


THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Anger and hate are like a cancer. It will eat at you, and cause all types of mental, and physical problems. Forgiving is really a better way to go through life. Anger takes a lot of work to maintain. Forgiveness you can give over to God.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  May 04, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  2 Kings 18 – 21      /     Proverbs 11:17-19

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Samuel 4-6   /    Luke 23:1-26

Weekend Review

May 02 & 03, 2020

Proverbs 11:14

Where no counsel is,
the people fall:
but in the multitude
of counsellors 
there is safety. 

Work Week Devotions
Through the Book of Proverbs

      As you know by now, with WORK WEEK DEVOTIONS, we only publish our Devotional Thoughts on Monday – Friday. On Saturday we suggest you re-read the entire chapter we have been studying this past week, and if we will be going into the following chapter the next week, we encourage you to read that chapter as well.       

There are never Devotions on Sunday. 

Thank you for joining us as we
journey together
Through Proverbs in 2020.

WEEK 17 – Day 6

     On Saturday, we suggest you re-read the Proverb we have written from this past week and the week to come.

Proverbs 10-11

WEEK 17 – Day 7

     Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastor’s heart. Whatever Scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs.

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS

May 4, 2020     2 Kings 18 – 21           Proverbs 11:17 – 19
May 5, 2020     2 Kings 22 – 25           Proverbs 11:20 – 22
May 6, 2020     1 Chronicles 1 – 3     Proverbs 11:23 – 25
May 7, 2020     1 Chronicles 4 – 6     Proverbs 11:26 – 28
May 8, 2020     1 Chronicles 7 – 9     Proverbs 11:29 – 31
May 9, 2020     Proverbs 11 – 12                     
May 10, 2020   No Passages Assigned    

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

May 4, 2020     2 Samuel 4-6            Luke 23:1-26
May 5, 2020     2 Samuel 7-10          Luke 23:27-56
May 6, 2020     2 Samuel 11-13        Luke 24:1-35
May 7, 2020     2 Samuel 14-15        Luke 24:36-53
May 8, 2020     2 Samuel 16-18        John 1:1-34
May 9, 2020     2 Samuel 19-20        John 1:35-51
May 10, 2020   No Passages Assigned

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

    MAY 02, 2020     2 Samuel 1-3   /     Luke 22:35-71
    MAY 03, 2020     No Passages Assigned