January 2024

Don’t Jump Without a Chute
January 19, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 2:1, 2 & 5
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;… Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        In our study during the past couple of weeks, we have seen in verse seven of chapter one “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge.” This is the key verse of this book. Ok, you might ask then, just how do I find or obtain this fear of the Lord? That would be a valid question since God said this is what you need to obtain knowledge.

      It would also be somewhat cruel if God told us what we needed to do but then gave us no instruction on how to do it. It might be likened to me telling you that skydiving is fun but forgetting to explain about the parachute. After you jumped from the plane, you would have a right to think that I was not telling the truth about how much fun this was. The closer you came to the ground, the less you would find skydiving to be fun.   

 

     Our life is much the same. The closer we come to the end of life, the more we realize just how much we really need all the details to completely enjoy it. God says in Proverbs Chapter Two exactly how to find the fear of the Lord.

 

      First, He says LISTEN! “Receive the word” and “incline thine ear” refers to learning. Listen to what God says. Learn as much as you can about who He is and what He desires.

      Second, He says REMEMBER! Don’t just read the word, hide it in your memory. You will need this information later.

      Thirdly, He says ACT UPON IT! Don’t just sit there with a head full of knowledge; do something with it. If you do, you will understand who God is, what He knows, and how He wants you to live.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Knowing about a parachute and jumping without it would make no sense. In fact, you would have to agree that would be unwise. Knowing about God and not using His wisdom to help in life—well, I think you get the picture. Let’s be as wise as God allows us to be.

What have you learned and done today
that will help you
in your life tomorrow?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 19, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Genesis 36 – Genesis 39     /    Proverbs 2:1 – 2

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
    Genesis 40-41     /     Matthew 13:1-35

Which Will You Follow?
January 18, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 1:29-33
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        The battle has always been between right and wrong, good, and evil, serving self or yielding to the wisdom of God. Adam and Eve faced it in the Garden of Eden. The people of Noah’s time faced it back then. The Children of Israel faced it as they were delivered from Egypt and walked across the desert. Even Jesus faced it when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness.

      These verses at the end of chapter one set up the rest of the book of Proverbs. Here are the choices given to man. You can chase the world’s promises with all its elusive and misleading dreams. Proverbs 1:32 says, “…and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” It does not say that prosperity MAY destroy you, POSSIBLY COULD, or that there is a CHANCE IT MIGHT, but it WILL be your destruction. On the other hand, you can listen to the wisdom of God. If you do, God promises you will dwell safely and in peace. Why? Because what God teaches you is how to live right.

      When living God’s way, you’re not spending all your time wondering if you’ll be caught for having things you didn’t get legitimately. You’re not wondering if people will catch you in a lie. You’re not living a lie. You’re living life. A real life, as God intended. It’s a life with a clear conscious of who you are, what you’ve done, and where you stand in the scheme of all eternity. The “fear,” which means your respect and worship of God, as it says in Proverbs 1:7, “…is the beginning of knowledge.”     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Now that we know the two alternatives, it might almost seem unnecessary to ask the question: which will you follow? Nevertheless, here it goes: ‘WHICH WILL YOU FOLLOW?’ Will it be God’s wisdom… or humanity’s elusive dreams? 

When you see it like this, is there really a choice?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 18, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Genesis 32-Genesis 35     /     Proverbs 1:29 – 33

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Genesis 38-39     /     Matthew 12:38-50

Could God Say No?
January 17, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 1:25-28
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        Have you ever heard the old saying, “what goes around comes around”? That statement has generally proven to be true in life. The Bible expresses this concept in various ways. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” It’s the same idea. God is extremely patient with us. He doesn’t, at the first sign of sin, cast us aside.

      Nevertheless, God will not be patient forever. I know this may be difficult for some people to accept, but that’s what the Bible says. It states that His wisdom will mock our problems. Why? Because when He was urging us to seek this same wisdom, we mocked Him. Now, when things fall apart because we wouldn’t listen, and as we look back at His wisdom that would have worked, it’s too late. It’s seen as an unattainable truth. What goes around comes around. What we sow, we reap.

      In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 it says, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” God will give people what they thought they wanted. People have tried to change this passage to say everything but what it says. It is the New Testament upholding the Old Testament. It is proof that God doesn’t change. Our verses today say, when terrible trouble comes, “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:” The truth is always the truth. What a terrible thing to think that God might someday have to say no!     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     The Bible says that today is the day for both saints and sinners to make things right with Him. He’s still calling, urging you to accept His wisdom and embrace a new life. 

 

Will you accept today? Wisdom is calling.

 

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 17, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
     Genesis 29-Genesis 31     /     Proverbs 1:25 – 28

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
     Genesis 35-37     /     Matthew 12:1-37

 

 

What Will You Do With Wisdom?
January 16, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 1:21-24
She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        If you go to court on any given day, you will find someone standing before a judge with the defense, “I did not know that was against the law!” While this may be the truth (though doubtful), the judge will likely respond, “ignorance of the law is no excuse.’ In other words, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the rules of this town before coming here. Some judges may extend grace if they genuinely believe the person was unaware, but that is at the discretion of each judge.

      God is making the same plea. He has given us wisdom, and it is apparent everywhere. It is found in common sense, which informs us about right and wrong. Wisdom is not hidden in a secret place or confined to one book among billions. In today’s Proverb, it’s depicted as a woman inviting us to come and learn, but people won’t listen and go their own way. I have heard people ask, “What will it take to get your attention?” That is the lesson here.

      Three groups of people are addressed:

•   The Simple Ones are the young who have not learned. They have their life ahead and decisions to make.

•   The Scorners are those living in sin, making fun of what’s right, but they wonder in the back of their mind.

•   Finally, The Fools, those who have hardened their heart against God and his wisdom.

      Each started life in the same place, with equal opportunities as wisdom calls.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     As wisdom calls through the pages of God’s Word, what will you do? Will you hear it and leave without it? Will you hear it and make fun of it or refuse to listen? These choices leave you alone and without God. However, you could learn it, love it, and God will guide you. 

 

What will you do with WISDOM?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 16, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Genesis 26-Genesis 28     /     Proverbs 1:21 – 24

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Genesis 33-34     /     Matthew 11:20-30

 

It Can’t Happen To Me!
January 15, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 1:18-20
And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        Not me! It can’t happen to me! That’s the attitude we all have. Somehow, we believe that bad things only happen to other people, and we see ourselves as invincible. “It can never happen to me.” The truth is, bad things can happen to anyone.

      However, wouldn’t it be somewhat foolish to deliberately make bad things happen and then complain about it? Would you take a knife and start sawing off one of your fingers, all the while screaming and crying, “please stop, this hurts”? No, you would simply stop. Yet, many people today have the advantage of witnessing the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, greed, and hatred on others’ lives, and yet they continue to fall into the same old traps. Somehow, they believe they’ll be able to stop whenever they want to. That’s just one more of Satan’s snares, as our verses say, “taketh away the life of the owner.”

      I have sat with alcoholics and drug addicts after years of abuse, witnessing their painful withdrawals. I’ve seen the sorrow and pain they endure, hearing their pleas to “make it stop,” referring to the physical agony caused by their addiction. I’ve also heard from people dying of lung cancer, who’ve been told that tobacco is the cause. Yet, they sit with a cigarette in their mouth, saying, “I wish I had never started this.” Ted Bundy, in an interview just before being executed as a sex offender and serial killer, reportedly stated that he believed his lust began in his youth through pornography. What a trap people often set for themselves.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Will you fall into the worst trap of all? The trap of deceiving yourself by saying, “It cannot happen to me.” That is precisely what everyone else has said. Yet, it happens!

 

Do you beleive your immuned fromt he traps of sin?

 

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 15, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Genesis 23-Genesis 25     /     Proverbs 1:18 – 20

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Genesis 31-32     /     Matthew 11:1-19