September 2024

A More Sure Word
September 12, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 22:18-21
 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    Solomon, in writing to his son, says; “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge.” His statement is one we would do well to think over.

    Are the words of Solomon written in the book of Proverbs truly sound counsel and real knowledge for us all, or are they solely the writings of a father directed to his son? Are they intended for all ages, or are they merely the historical record of a father’s wishes for his family? Interestingly enough, you will find references to the Book of Proverbs used throughout the remainder of the Old Testament. However, is that alone enough to consider them as time-honored truths?

    Consider, if you will, that four of the writers of the New Testament also found them to be of great value and incorporated them into their writings. Paul uses them in Romans 12:19-20. James used these writings in Chapter 4, verse 6 of his book. Peter quoted these time-honored texts in 1 Peter 4:8, 17 & 18 and 2 Peter 2:22. In the book of Jude, verse twelve, these great words of wisdom are again recalled. I guess, most importantly, Jesus Himself referred to Proverbs 25:6-8 when he addressed the Pharisees in Luke 14:7-11.

    We have five witnesses, including Jesus Himself, who affirm that these are indeed valuable words to live by. We can trust that they are just as Solomon described them: words of wisdom, knowledge, and wise counsel to guide us in our lives, even today.  

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     We should never have to prove the Word of God. Nevertheless, it’s comforting to know that we can, and that we have sure words with which to guide our daily lives.

What words do you allow to guide your life?

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: September 12, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Daniel 8 – Daniel 12
  Proverbs 22:18 – 21

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Pro. 14-15
  2 Co. 1

Give A Penny To A Millionaire
September 11, 2024

 

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 22:15-17
 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    How foolish would it be to watch someone with obvious wealth go up to a man who is clearly homeless and living on the street, and ask him if he had an extra room and bed where they could stay for a few days? Then, when the homeless man replies, “I don’t have a place of my own to stay,” the wealthy person begins to cry and beg, “come on, please, let me stay at your place. It will only be a few days! I just need to save a little more money.” The homeless man might very well point to the sky and say, “Hey buddy, you’re standing in my living room right now!” To watch such a thing would seem ridiculous. Today’s text calls it oppressing the poor to increase riches.

 

    How about if you were to see a limousine pull up to a stoplight next to a man in an old rusty pick-up truck? The driver of the pick-up blows the horn and motions for the limo to roll down the window. When they do, he asks, “Hey, do you need a ride? I have plenty of room in the bed of my truck if you do.” Again, that would be silly, giving to the rich what they do not need.

 

    That is what is meant by “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” In both situations, no one is being helped.

 

    Often, people will live their lives, beating their heads against a wall, doing ridiculous things over and over, expecting different results. Then, when someone points out that what they’re doing isn’t helping anyone, they are told to mind their own business. The words of wisdom meant to help are not taken as a gift but rather are seen as an intrusion into an already troubled life.

 

    The same often happens in witnessing. A lost soul will do the same sinful things repeatedly and find no peace in them. Yet, when someone presents them with the gospel, they are told to mind their own business as they continue down a path of no hope. However, occasionally, someone will listen, and God gloriously changes their lives.

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    We are not going to win them all to Christ with the gospel. Nevertheless, for the few who will listen, it’s worth repeating.

 

Will you help the truly needy with the life changing Gospel of Christ?

 

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: September 11, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Daniel 4 – Daniel 7
  Proverbs 22:15 – 17

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Pro. 12-13
  1 Co. 16

I Saw A LION
September 10, 2024

 

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 22:11-14
 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor. The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    I remember a story about a young boy who came running into the house, yelling, “There’s a lion in the yard, come see, there’s a lion out here!” The frightened and nervous parents jumped up and rushed to the porch, only to find a mangy old dog in the yard. The father told his son, “Son, go to your room. You have scared your mother and me to death with your tall tales. I have told you that lying will get you in serious trouble someday. Go upstairs and pray. Ask God to forgive you for your lying. When you think you are forgiven, you may come down.”

 

    The boy had been upstairs in his room for a couple of hours when his mother called up and said, “It’s time for dinner.” As the boy quietly sat at the dinner table, the father asked him, “Son, do you think God has forgiven you for telling us there was a lion outside?” The boy said, “Yes, I do, but Dad, while I was praying, God told me that when He first saw that dog, He thought it was a lion too.”

 

    The slothful, or today we might say a lazy person in today’s passage says, “There is a lion without.” The reason he says this is simple: he is lazy, and this is just another excuse not to go out into the world and do his part. The excuses of the lazy are many. Where there is no real danger, obstacles are made up. When any little hindrance appears, they exaggerate it to enormous proportions.

 

    It’s easy to look at people who are not willing to work for physical gain and say, “Yup, that’s them, the slothful.” However, what about those who will not work for the Kingdom of God to do their part in winning souls? I wonder if they see lions too.

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    Satan is like a roaring lion, the Bible says. It also says, “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” Oh, dear Lord, open our eyes to see that you have defeated the roaring lion of Satan, and that we need to be busy in your harvest fields today. Amen.

 

Are we seeing LIONS that God’s sees as puppies?

 

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: September 10, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Daniel 1 – Daniel 3
  Proverbs 22:11 – 14

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Pro. 10-11
  1 Co. 15

 

Learn To Discern
September 9, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 22:8-10
 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    I believe every Christian wants to help people if they can. It’s born into us at our new birth. We desire to be like Christ, who desires to help those in real need. “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed.”

    The key to helping someone is the ability to discern his or her real needs. Let’s look at three types of people considered in our verses today.

•     First, “He that soweth iniquity.” Often, the generous heart of a well-meaning saint is taken advantage of by those who have only themselves in mind. Our desire to show the love of Christ to the hurting may interfere with God’s work in their lives and His desire to bring them to repentance. Sometimes, blindly helping is not really helping at all; it may just enable a sinful lifestyle.

•     Then there are the poor, those who are truly in need of help and rightfully deserve it. It could be a church member, another Christian, or an unsaved family with whom you’ve been working, and you understand their genuine need. Refusing to help someone in this situation with what God has entrusted you with is unjust. Remember the old phrase, “what goes around comes around.” Giving to the truly needy out of a kind and loving heart will result in God’s blessings poured out upon your life.

•     The third type of person mentioned is the scorner. Helping someone because you think by doing so, they will quit gossiping or stop acting ungodly is nothing more than a bribe. This approach almost never works out. Paying someone not to do or say something is a perversion of justice. There is a reason the police do not usually make deals with hostage takers; it’s only a pacifier, not a solution. God is the only solution to every real sin problem.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Being a good steward means doing what is right with the provisions God has given you. Let’s extend help when possible, but before doing so, let’s pray first and ensure that we are helping.

How might God use you in someones life today?

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: September 9, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Ezekiel 44 – Ezekiel 48
  Proverbs 22:8 – 10

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Pro. 8-9
  1 Co. 14

WEEKEND REVIEW
September 7 & 8, 2024

Proverbs 22:1

A good name is rather
to be chosen than great riches,
and loving favour
rather than silver and gold.

Work Week Devotions
Through The Book Of Proverbs

     What a joy it has been to be with you this past week. I pray these WORK WEEK DEVOTIONS have been a blessing to you as well. To receive them daily in your e-mail box go to LIHWMinistries Sign-Up Page – Living In His Word Ministries and sign up. Each day these devotions will be delivered directly in your e-mail box.

      As previously mentioned, with WORK WEEK DEVOTIONS, we will only be publishing Devotional Thoughts Monday – Friday.

     On Saturday we suggest you re-read the entire chapter we have been studying this 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.

As we Journey through Proverbs, if you have any questions
Please send them to LIHWDEV@LIHWMinistries.org

Also, you would be huge help and blessing if you 
might write a review on these devotions on
Review Work Week Devotions (amazon.com)
or 
Review Work Week Devotions Journal (amazon.com)

WEEK 35 – Day 6:

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

Proverbs 21-22

WEEK 35 – 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
OLD & NEW TESTAMENT TODAY AND TOMORROW:

September 7, 2024
Pro. 6-7
1 Co. 13
September 8, 2024
No Passages Assigned

NEXT WEEKS UPCOMING SCHEUDLES:

SCHEDULE 1 – Bible In a Year – with Proverbs Study 

September 9, 2024
Ezekiel 44 – Ezekiel 48
Proverbs 22:8 – 10
September 10, 2024
Daniel 1 – Daniel 3
Proverbs 22:11 – 14
September 11, 2024
Daniel 4 – Daniel 7
Proverbs 22:15 – 17
September 12, 2024
Daniel 8 – Daniel 12
Proverbs 22:18 – 21
September 13, 2024
Hosea 1 – Hosea 6
Proverbs 22:22 – 25
September 14, 2024
Proverbs 22 – 23
September 15, 2024
No Passages Assigned

 

SCHEDULE 2 – Old & New Testament

September 9, 2024
Pro. 8-9
1 Co. 14
September 10, 2024
Pro. 10-11
1 Co. 15
September 11, 2024
Pro. 12-13
1 Co. 16
September 12, 2024
Pro. 14-15
2 Co. 1
September 13, 2024
Pro. 16-17
2 Co. 2-3
September 14, 2024
Pro. 18-19
2 Co. 4
September 15, 2024
No Passages Assigned