Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire
April 26, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 10:27-29
The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        “Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire.” Back when I was in kindergarten, saying that phrase to another kid was really letting them have it. You might as well have cussed at them as to say something like that. Kids would sometimes go running to the teacher crying, “They called me a liarrrrrrrrrr.”

 

      We hated to be called liars back then. In fact, to this very day, I hate to be called a liar. If you really want to get my blood boiling quickly, just tell me I’m lying to you when I know I’m not. Now I know preachers are not supposed to get angry, but nobody likes to be called a liar, including preachers.

 

      The difference between now and back then is that now when you call me a liar, I will ask you to prove it. When you cannot, I know you are just a troublemaker, and I walk off content. In grade school, if you called me a liar, I would bloody your nose and walk off content. I think God is much happier with the way I deal with it today.

 

      However, what if you got to the end of your life and found you had been lying to yourself? Nothing that you believed was true, was true. Things you thought would happen did not. That’s how a lost person will feel one second after they die, if not just before they die. All their life they thought, “I will get into heaven somehow.” Or, “I will get saved someday.” The best lie Satan lets people tell themselves is, “I have plenty of time.”

 

    Whom do you beat up when you find out you are the liar, and also the one who was lied to?

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.” Someday, and even now, we can rejoice in the fact that our resurrected Saviour has prepared a place for us. This knowledge should strengthen our walk today as we live victoriously in Him.

 

What is it that yoou are building your hopes upon?

 

 

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: APRIL 26, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
   1 Kings 18-20
   Proverbs 10:27-29

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   1 Samuel 12-13
   Luke 18:31-43

 

BOO! Did I Scare You?
April 25, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 10:24-26
The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        BOO! Did I scare you? Probably not. Nevertheless, it seems that most people have some fears. Some are afraid of the dark. Others are scared of heights. Take them up in a tall building or on a mountain, and they become stiff as a board.

 

      Girls, especially, seem to cultivate a fear of spiders. Most little girls and babies don’t seem to let those little multi-legged creatures bother them. However, after the early teen years, you can often send them screaming down the sidewalk by just presenting them with these crawling little presents.

 

       Some people are afraid of closed-in spaces, some fear being alone, while others dread being in a crowd. It seems that different people have different fears.

 

      However, there is one fear that the saved and the unsaved look at from different viewpoints. If you are not saved and life comes to an end, the one fear you will have is, what if all those Christians were right? What if there really is a hell? What if there is no second chance? What if there is a God who has final judgment on me? If you’re unsaved, your biggest fear has to be meeting God without salvation. If He’s real, then so is hell!

 

      For the saved, “the desire of the righteous shall be granted.” We will see Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He’s the salvation for the lost. Our eternal destiny will be realized. Our earthly wish shall be granted. If He’s real (and He is), we have no fear of hell, as we’re going to heaven. The only fear we have is that a friend or loved one may not join us.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     You might scare me with a snake. You might cause me to think twice if we’re up on a high place with no railing. However, there is one thing you can’t do. You can’t make me wonder about or fear my eternal destiny. That has been secured by Christ, is guaranteed, and will be granted.

 

Does the thought of Eternity cause you concern?

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: APRIL 25, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Kings 14-17
   Proverbs 10:24-26

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   1 Samuel 9-11
   Luke 18:1-30

It’s Worth More Than GOLD
April 24, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 10:21-23
The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom. The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

      Gold, gold, I found gold! Can you imagine what it must have been like to witness the thrill of prospectors in the Old West discovering gold? To be there when their hard work paid off, and they finally uncovered what they had been tirelessly searching for?

 

      However, shortly after the first prospector claimed his site and rightfully began mining his discovered gold, came the outlaws and villains of the day. They initiated a reign of terror, killing people, driving honest miners off their claims, and stealing their hard-earned gold. They took something for which they had never worked.

 

       But how could they possibly enjoy their ill-gotten gains? The truth is, they couldn’t truly enjoy it. If they had no conscience regarding their actions and no remorse for their sins, they would ultimately meet their fate in hell. Their brief years on earth with someone else’s treasure would pale in comparison and become insignificant after their initial moments in hell. If, later in life, they were convicted of their wrongdoing and sought God’s forgiveness, all the days they spent with stolen goods would haunt them as a constant reminder. The gold they coveted so desperately would become a stark symbol of their sinful nature.

 

      When God rewards those He has made righteous for living in accordance with His Word and will, there is never any sorrow mixed with it. No guilty conscience to weigh them down. God blesses His own with love, land, laughter, and life. In contrast, those who believed a sinful life would bring them happiness are left with loneliness, lost love, fading memories, and a lack of true life.

 

      I once read the words of someone who said, “What good is money if you can’t enjoy it honestly?” Indeed, what good is it? God’s blessings are eternal and come without any sorrow attached.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     The joy of a Christian life is that we don’t have to spend half our life, looking over our shoulder. We can spend all of our life looking up, and forward. 

 

What are you looking toward 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: APRIL 24, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Kings 11-13
   Proverbs 10:21-23

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   1 Samuel 5-8
   Luke 17

 

If You Can’t Say Something Nice…
April 23, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 10:17-20
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth. He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

      My parents used to tell me, “If you can’t say anything good about somebody, then don’t say anything at all.” What they were trying to teach me was not to speak ill of someone.

      In today’s passage, we hear a similar message, but in King Solomon’s language: “He that uttereth slander is a fool.” This means that speaking ill of someone and degrading them is foolish. It makes you appear childish and insecure about yourself.

      However, earlier in the same passage, it seems to say almost the opposite: “He that hideth hatred with lying lips…is a fool.” Does this mean that not saying anything would also make you foolish? Well, not exactly. You have to notice the word “lying” in there. Saying nice things about someone while lying is just as foolish as speaking ill of them.

    So, what’s a person to do? Verse 19 holds the clue. Don’t just be running your mouth to see how fast your lips can fly. If you see someone doing something wrong, approach that person in private to address the matter in a loving and caring way. If someone deserves praise, offer open praise, but avoid going overboard. People can tell when you’re being insincere. Overall, it comes down to being honest in all things.

    Consequently, maybe the saying my parents used should have been, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, refrain from saying anything negative to others.” However, if you truly care about someone, you need to go to him or her privately and lovingly help them when possible..

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     The Bible teaches us to be prepared and willing to forgive others for their wrongdoings against us. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting; it means choosing not to hold their actions against them. Is there someone in your life whom you need to forgive? Entrust it to the Lord today.

How might your words effect someone else’s life today?
How might your words effect 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: APRIL 23, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
   1 Kings 8 – 1 Kings 10
   Proverbs 10:17 – 20

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   1 Samuel 2-4
   Luke 16:18-31

Making A Dollar Go Farther
April 22, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 10:14-16
Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    During the years I spent working in factories, I noticed a truth that I believe Scripture is trying to convey.

 

    As an unbeliever, when others and I, who did not know Christ as our Savior, worked a full 40-hour week like everyone else, at the end of the week, I would still be broke. I never seemed to have money for anything. I looked around and saw some of these people working 50, 60, and even 70 hours in a week and still not getting ahead. Even those who seemed to have many of life’s luxuries were not satisfied with them. They were always wanting more or working longer to maintain them. When bonus time came around, some would cash those extra checks and hide the money from their spouses, fearing they would not get to keep any of it if they did not.

 

    When I accepted Christ as my Savior, things changed. I still had the same job, and I didn’t get a raise for being saved. I began tithing, which meant I was now taking ten percent, and more, from the check that never seemed to be enough before, and gave it to the Lord. However, it felt like life had a new purpose. Somehow, my money was going farther. God began convicting me about some harmful habits I had formed. When I finally quit them and surrendered them to Him, I had even more money.

 

    The labor of the righteous is just the same as the labor of the unrighteous, yet it seems to yield more. God seems to multiply it somehow and bless those who serve Him.

 

    Our verses today say, “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life.” It is a real life, and a fulfilling life in Christ.

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    We only have a limited number of years on Earth with our loved ones. It’s a shame that so many people strive so hard to acquire material possessions that they will ultimately have to leave behind. Life is meant to be lived. Live it in Christ, and He will make so much more out of what you already have.

 

What you spending your precious days and hours on?

 

 

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: APRIL 22, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Kings 5-7
   Proverbs 10:14-16

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Ruth 3-1 Samuel 1
   Luke 16:1-17