Where Does Your HOPE Lie?

April 29, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:5 – 8 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     Have you ever asked someone if he, or she were saved, or going to heaven after death, only to hear, “Well I hope so?”

     Almost everyone hopes someday they will end up in the place we call heaven. There are probably as many different ideas of heaven as there are people. Everyone pictures heaven with the golden streets, and the pearly gates just a little different from the next. However, when you think of hell, most everyone envisions some sort of pain, and torment. When asked where someone wishes to spend eternity, seldom would you hear “I think I would rather go to hell than heaven.” I have never officiated at any funerals where someone walked up and said, I sure hope they are in hell when I get there.

     Heaven is the hope of almost everyone. However, there is only one sure way to get there. That is to put your faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, and His righteousness. It’s to accept what He did as the total payment for your sin. Yet many unsaved people are hoping someday they will be saved before they die, but they’re not ready to make today that day.

     Hoping to make it somehow is not good enough. In today’s verses, it says; “When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” All his hoping will be over, and hell will become an eternal reality.

     Hope of eternal life was not created for the lost. Hope is given freely to those who are justified in Christ. When life is over here on earth, our hope of eternity will just have begun.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     I am so glad that we do not have to live a hope so life when it comes to salvation. I know Jesus really died for my sins, and that He forgave me when I accepted Him. He is my only HOPE.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 29, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  2 Kings 6 – 9     /     Proverbs 11:5 – 8

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  1 Samuel 21-24    /   Luke 20:27-47

Do Unto Others…

April 28, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 11:1-4  A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     Dishonest practices are something God cannot stand. If you think you hate it when someone takes your stuff, God hates it even more. Why would that be? It’s simple. God is all holy, just, and fair, in every dealing, with everyone. God is not different, with different people. He treats everyone exactly the same. No matter your gender, race, or anything else man has used to divide us, God never sees anyone different from another.

     Therefore, there are no rich, or poor before God. So for anyone to take anything from another person by deceptive practice, it is a sin to God. He sees the thief on the street who grabs your things and runs off with them, the same as the businessperson who unjustly charges you more than you should be paying. He looks at the sales clerk who overcharges at the register, the same as the customer that gets too much change back, and will not return it. In Gods eyes, it’s all the same. Being unjust, is unacceptable to God.

     Why do people do so anyway? Believe it or not, it’s the pride thing. Businesspeople will often think; I deserve to get more and more, no matter whom it hurts. To make a fair profit on a product is fair. But gouging people just because you can, is a sin. The person who receives too much change back feels, I deserve this for all the times I’ve been cheated. However, this is also pride. Probably the person from whom you received too much change, is not the one who has ever cheated you, and you are taking their money unjustly.

     Pride in us causes us to sin. Godly wisdom says; I will treat others, as I desire to be treated. This means, I will be as honest as I can, because we serve a God who is always just with us.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     This is a form of the Golden Rule. “Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.” Better yet, “Do unto others, as God has done unto you.” He is a fair and just God. He has also been a very merciful, and gracious God to us as well.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 28, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  2 Kings 2 – 5     /     Proverbs 11:1-4

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  1 Samuel 18-20    /   Luke 20:1-26

Grumble, Grumble, Grumble

April 27, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

Proverbs 10:30-32 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

In my years of ministry, I’ve seen this happen time again. If you let a person, who’s spouting off nonsense, sowing discord, and spreading lies, do so long enough, eventually everyone will see through them, and be turned off by it. Sadly, these folks often do a lot of damage on the path to self-destruction. Most often, this damage is to the ones closest to them.

For the most part however, people hate to be around negative people. That’s unless they themselves are also negative. If so, they’ll get together to grunt back and forth, all the junk they’ve been spreading. This group of friends can usually be found with a permanent frown on their face.

I know some people, who, when I see them coming; they feel as if they have to say something negative about somebody before I walk off. If I try to cheer them up, they’ll get bored with me, and go find someone else to depress.

Not only do they live in a constant search for dirt, but also they often live with bad health. You know it’s been proved, that people who smile, live longer than people who don’t. Some of you haven’t smiled in so long, you may find it hard to even finish reading this devotional.

“The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom.” In other words, they contribute helpful things. They know the difference between what is beneficial, and what is destructive in another’s life. They share constructive comments that guide in growth, and not harm. Let’s live life with joy in our heart.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

“I’ve got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart.” Is that true? Then bring it up to your face, and let everyone know.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 27, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  1 Kings 21 – 2 Kings 1     /     Proverbs 10:30-32

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  1 Samuel 16-17    /   Luke 19:28-48

Weekend Review

April 25 & 26, 2020

Proverbs 10:22

The blessing of the
LORD,
it maketh rich,
and he addeth no sorrow with it.

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 16 – 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 16 – 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

April 27, 2020  1 Kings 21 – 2 Kings 1   Proverbs 10:30 – 32
April 28, 2020  2 Kings 2 – 5                    Proverbs 11:1 – 4
April 29, 2020  2 Kings 6 – 9                    Proverbs 11:5 – 8
April 30, 2020  2 Kings 10 – 13                Proverbs 11:9 – 12
May 1, 2020      2 Kings 14 – 17                Proverbs 11:13 – 16
May 2, 2020      Proverbs 10 -11                      
May 3, 2020      No Passages Assigned    

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

April 27, 2020  1 Samuel 16-17        Luke 19:28-48
April 28, 2020  1 Samuel 18-20        Luke 20:1-26
April 29, 2020  1 Samuel 21-24        Luke 20:27-47
April 30, 2020  1 Samuel 25-27        Luke 21
May 1, 2020      1 Samuel 28-31        Luke 22:1-34
May 2, 2020      2 Samuel 1-3            Luke 22:35-71
May 3, 2020      No Passages Assigned

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

  APRIL 25, 2020     1 Samuel 14-15    /     Luke 19:1-27
  APRIL 26, 2020     No Passages Assigned

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

April 24, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

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 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 quick, 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 now when you call me a liar, I’ll ask you to prove it. When you can’t, I know you’re just a troublemaker, and 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’ll get in heaven somehow.” Or; “I’ll 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’re the liar, and also the one who was lied too?

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

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

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 24, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH 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