BOO! Did I Scare You?

April 23, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

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 for 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, and is guaranteed, and will be granted.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 23, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH 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 22, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

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! Wouldn’t it have been something to be around when the prospectors in the old west discovered Gold? To be there when their hard work paid off, and they finally found what they had been searching for?

     Nevertheless, not shortly after the first prospector claimed his site, and rightfully started mining his found gold, came the outlaws, and villains of the day. They began to kill people, drive honest miners off their claims, and steal their gold. They took that for which they never had worked.

     How in the world could they possible enjoy it? The answer is they couldn’t really enjoy it. If they had no conscience of what they had done, nor any repentance for their sin, they would die, and go to hell. Their short years on earth with someone else’s treasure would seem pale, and far-gone after their first moment in hell. If later in this life they were convicted of their sin, and asked God for forgiveness, all the days they had with the stolen goods became a haunting reminder. The gold they wanted so badly, became the conviction of their sinfulness.

     When God rewards those He has made righteous, for living in accordance to His Word and will, there is never any sorrow mixed with it. No guilty conscience to deal with. God gives to his own love, land, laughter, and life. To those who believed a sinful life would bring them joy, God leaves them with loneliness, lost love, languishing memories, and loss of real life.

     I once read a person’s writing who said, “What good is money if you can’t enjoy it honestly?” What good is it indeed? God’s blessings are eternal, with no sorrow mixed with it.

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?

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 22, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH 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 21, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

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 use 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 talk bad about someone.

     In today’s passage, we hear the same thing, only in King Solomon’s language. “He that uttereth slander is a fool.” It means to bad mouth, and degrade someone is foolish. It makes you look childish, and insecure about yourself.

     However, earlier in that same passage it seems to say almost the opposite. “He that hideth hatred with lying lips…is a fool.” Does this mean then, not to say anything would make you foolish as well? Well, not exactly. You have to see the word “lying” in there. To say nice things about someone, and be lying, is just as foolish as badmouthing 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 deal with the matter in a loving, and caring way. If someone deserves praise, give him or her open praise, but don’t go overboard. People can see when you’re making things up. 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, don’t say anything at all 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 says we need to be ready, and willing to forgive people of their trespasses toward us. Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgiving is you not holding it against them again. Is there someone you need to forgive? Give it to the Lord today.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 21, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH DAILY PROVERBS
  1 Kings 8 – 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 20, 2020

DAILY PROVERBS:

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 that I spent working in the factories I noticed a truth, which I believe scripture is trying to teach.

     As an unbeliever, when others and I, who did not know Christ as Saviour, 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 the ones who did seem to have many of life’s toys were not satisfied with them. They were always wanting more, or working longer to take care of them. When bonus time would come around, they would cash those extra checks, and hide the money from their spouse, claiming they would not get to keep any of it if they didn’t.

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

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

     Our verses today says: “The labour of the righteous tendeth to life.” It’s a real life, and a great life in Christ.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

We only get so many years here on earth with our loved ones. It seems a shame so many try so hard to obtain so much, which they will only have to leave behind. Life is meant to be lived. Live it in Christ. He will make so much more out what you already have.

GOD TALKING TO ME:  April 20, 2020

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH 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

Weekend Review

April 18 & 19, 2020

Proverbs 9:10-11

The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom:
and the knowledge of the holy
is understanding.
For by me thy days shall be multiplied,
and the years of thy life shall be increased.

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 15 – Day 6

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

Proverbs 9-10

WEEK 15 – 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 20, 2020   1 Kings 5 – 7        Proverbs 10:14 – 16
April 21, 2020   1 Kings 8 – 10      Proverbs 10:17 – 20
April 22, 2020   1 Kings 11 – 13    Proverbs 10:21 – 23
April 23, 2020   1 Kings 14 – 17    Proverbs 10:24 – 26
April 24, 2020   1 Kings 18 – 20    Proverbs 10:27 – 29
April 25, 2020   Proverbs 10 – 11                     
April 26, 2020   No Passages Assigned    

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

April 20, 2020    Ruth 3-1 Samuel 1   Luke 16:1-17
April 21, 2020    1 Samuel 2-4             Luke 16:18-31
April 22, 2020    1 Samuel 5-8             Luke 17
April 23, 2020    1 Samuel 9-11           Luke 18:1-30
April 24, 2020    1 Samuel 12-13         Luke 18:31-43
April 25, 2020    1 Samuel 14-15         Luke 19:1-27
April 26, 2020    No Passages Assigned

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY

    APRIL 18, 2020     Judges 21-Ruth 2   /     Luke 15
    APRIL 19, 2020     No Passages Assigned