Daily Devotions in Proverbs

Void Of Understanding
March 19, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 7:4-7
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     Talking about some subjects in life presents itself as a bit difficult. It’s often hard to face discussions about sickness and disease. It is not always easy to talk about world tragedies, such as deaths from volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, which take hundreds of lives. It is uncomfortable for parents to talk about drugs with their children because they sometimes come off sounding out of the loop. While a parent may be thinking of marijuana and LSD, the youth are faced with crack, methamphetamines, or the latest designer drug.

     Therefore, instead of facing difficult issues, we often do the wrong thing and avoid them. Rather than putting ourselves in the uncomfortable position of not knowing about a subject, we just say nothing. The problem is someone is teaching the teens and youth of today. If we do not, the world will.

     Solomon talks to his son, a simple one who lacks understanding. They are not the mentally disabled, who sometimes cannot decide for themselves. Nor a child raised away from society, sheltered from the real world. This person just did not have any warning of the dangers of the world. Naive to the sin around them and the price paid because of sin. They are void of understanding because they do not know the truth.

     As hard as it is for us to talk with our children and friends about the price of sexual and social sins, we must reconsider the consequences. If we don’t tell them the truth, we can be sure Satan will tempt them with a lie.

     

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     As you go through your day today, take a look around you. Observe all the people who are walking by: those in your class, in your lunchroom, at the restaurant you dine in, and neighbors on the streets where you live. See all your friends and your neighbors in the community. Has anyone warned them of the price of sin? Have you? If not, ask yourself this: Who will?

Will the Good News of salvation
shine through your 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: MARCH 19, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
   Joshua 8 – 11
   Proverbs 7:4 – 7

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Deuteronomy 4-5
  Mark 16

Did I Say That?
March 18, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 7:1-3
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    As a pastor of a local church, I am responsible for feeding the flock with the Word of God every week. This means that in a year’s time, I will pray over, ponder, and prepare, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, approximately 52 Sunday morning messages, 52 Sunday evening messages, 52 Wednesday night messages, 52 Sunday School lessons, an occasional Men’s Bible Study, Retreats, Revivals I may preach, and outside ministry lessons and messages. With a few weeks off for vacations and others filling the pulpit during Revivals and Missions conferences, that works out to well over 200 speaking opportunities per year. So, when someone comes up and says, “Three years ago you were preaching on… (whatever topic) … and you said such and such, which really spoke to me, and I have never forgotten it,” sometimes I should confess, “Well, friend, that makes one of us.” Truth be known, I do not remember every word I say.

    Here is a major concern: even though I may not remember the exact words I have used, it’s evident that someone else may remember them well. This makes it crucial that what I say is right, to the best of my knowledge. Keep in mind that the 200-plus speaking engagements per year are only the preaching and teaching opportunities for which I had time to sit down and prepare the words I would say. However, I talk to people every single day. So now, let’s multiply that by 24 hours in a day and 365 days a year, and you come up with a lot of time and a lot of talking for which I am accountable.

    We are all responsible for all the words we say. When we tell our children to listen to us, we must be careful about what we say and be sure that they hear us correctly. Because they will listen to everything we say. It may seem as if they remember most of what we hoped they’d forget and forget all of what we wanted them to remember, but the truth is, they hear it all.

      

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    In Psalm 141:3, there is a great prayer for parents, and for preachers. “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”

What will people hear you say 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: MARCH 18, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Joshua 4 – 7
   Proverbs 7:1 – 3

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Deuteronomy 2-3
   Mark 15:24-47

 

WEEKEND REVIEW
March 16 & 17, 2024

Proverbs 6:23

For the commandment is a lamp;
and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction
are the way of life:

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 10 – Day 6:

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

Proverbs 6-7

WEEK 10 – 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:

March 16
Deuteronomy 1
Mark 15:1-23

March 17
No Passages Assigned

NEXT WEEKS UPCOMING SCHEUDLES:

SCHEDULE 1 – Bible In a Year – with Proverbs Study 

March 18, 2024
Joshua 4 – Joshua 7
Proverbs 7:1 – 3
March 19, 2024
Joshua 8 – Joshua 11
Proverbs 7:4 – 7
March 20, 2024
Joshua 12 – Joshua 15
Proverbs 7:8 – 10
March 21, 2024
Joshua 16 – Joshua 20
Proverbs 7:11 – 14
March 22, 2024
Joshua 21 – Joshua 24
Proverbs 7:15 – 17
March 23, 2024
Proverbs 7 – 8
March 24, 2024
No Passages Assigned

 

SCHEDULE 2 – Old & New Testament

March 18, 2024
Deuteronomy 2-3
Mark 15:24-47
March 19, 2024
Deuteronomy 4-5
Mark 16
March 20, 2024
Deuteronomy 6-8
Luke 1:1-38
March 21, 2024
Deuteronomy 9-11
Luke 1:39-56
March 22, 2024
Deuteronomy 12-14
Luke 1:57-80
March 23, 2024
Deuteronomy 15-17
Luke 2:1-24
March 24, 2024
No Passages Assigned

Oh No! I Broke It
March 15, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 6:32-35
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        My wife has a talent for picking out small figurines in stores, bringing them home, and making them look great in our house. We had only been married for a short while when she began to decorate. A knickknack here, a thing-a-mo-bob there, and the place started to feel like a real home.

    One day, as I was walking through the house, I accidentally knocked one of these little do-hickeys off the table. It fell to the floor and broke, and I immediately thought about how upset she would be. How was I going to fix this? I located some glue and began collecting the pieces to put it back together. I managed to reconstruct it almost completely, except for a few fragments of dust that I swept up and discarded.

      Not too many days later, she was doing something men typically don’t do very often—dusting. And sure enough, she noticed the difference. There were no children, animals, or anyone else to blame. I was caught. Fortunately for me, it wasn’t a precious heirloom passed down for generations; just a garage sale trinket I had broken.

      The point is, no matter how hard I tried or how careful I was, that little object would never be the same. It was cracked, and the tiny fragments of dust were gone. You could not tell unless you looked closely, but it was permanently damaged.

    The heart of a spouse is also very precious. Once broken, it will never be the same. We can try to mend it with love, and time may help us forgive, but the cracks will always remain. Only a miracle can fully restore it. Isn’t it wonderful that our God specializes in performing miracles?

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     Needless to say, I am much more careful today in the house than when I lived alone. Of course, I have made mistakes, but I’ve never repeated that one again. A heart, once broken, is not easily mended. Only God can truly mend a broken heart.

Don’t we all need God to do miracles in our lives?

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: MARCH 15, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
  Deuteronomy 33 – Joshua 3
  Proverbs 6:32 – 35

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  Numbers 34-36
  Mark 14:43-72

Some Things Get No “Do Over’s”
March 14, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 6:29-31
So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    If I am a thief, and I decide to steal something from you, I can usually give it back or replace it. If I have told a lie, I can tell the truth and kind of make it right. Even if I were a murderer, I could give my life for the taking of another. For most things, there is a payment that can be made that will in some way, somewhat satisfy the penalty for that sin.

    However, in sexual sin, there is none. A man or woman who betrays the trust of a loving spouse can never completely get that thought out of their mind. We may forgive one another, and by the grace of God continue in our life, but adultery carries with it a penalty that can hardly be paid. It’s that feeling of guilt and betrayal that cannot be repaid.

    If a man or woman finds their spouse having an affair, it will cut to the very heart of their marital relationship. A relationship that is built on love, trust, and honesty. Without these, we really have no marriage. How can two be one if they do not love one another? How can two be one if they cannot trust and be honest with one another? It would be like the mind telling the hand, “really, it is ok, just stick yourself into the running fan.” When the hand does so, it would be cut and mangled. Why? Because the hand trusted the mind to be honest with it, to love it enough to tell it the truth. Once the body finds the mind to be dishonest with the hand, none of the body will trust it. It would then take a long time of faithful, loving instruction for the mind to gain back that trust.

    The same is true in a marriage. Once this area of trust is violated, it seems to destroy all areas of a marital relationship. Trust may be restored over time. Yet, memories last a lifetime.

      
THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    Pray that God will keep you faithful in your marriage. If you’re not married, pray for the Lord to unite you with someone you can truly love for a lifetime.

 

What might God do to help you be faithful?

 

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: MARCH 14, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Deuteronomy 29 – 32
   Proverbs 6:29 – 31

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Numbers 32-33
   Mark 14:17-42