Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
May 2002
May 1, 2002
Proverbs 1:2 reminds us that the proverbs of Solomon
- inspired by the Holy Spirit - are "for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight....."
For many Christians, opinion polls and popularity polls have superseded
the authority of the Word of God. It's not "What does God's Word
say?", but rather, "In which direction is the majority going?
I'll follow!" Spurgeon once said, "Truth does not reign by the
ballot box, or by the counting of heads: it abideth for ever. All the
tongues of men and angels cannot make truth more true; and all the howlings
of devils and doubters cannot transform it into a lie."
Father in Heaven, forgive our proneness to bow at the opinions of others
at the cost of Your great wisdom. Let us be truly wise. Let Your proverbs
through Solomon - indeed let ALL Your Holy Word! - permeate our very beings
that we might understand Your Word and become disciplined to do Your will.
Through Christ our precious Savior we pray. Amen.
May 6, 2002
Proverbs 6:20-23 is a powerful portion of scripture. The
passage begins with (New Living Translation) "My son, obey your father's
commands, and don't neglect your mother's teaching." And then, after
several powerfully practical admonitions related to parental instruction
and responsibility (do yourself a great favor and read this in two or
three different translations), he says, "For these commands and this
teaching are a lamp to light the way ahead of you. The correction of discipline
is the way to life." Modern Christian parents are paying a great
price by not being deliberate and faithful in instructing their children
in the way of God. Their family structure is weak because of it, and the
church at large is therefore weakened for the same reason.
Holy Father, forgive our modern day spiritual laziness through failure
to be committed, intentional instructors of our children. Be merciful
to us. Help us to change that NOW before our children are so 'old' and
influenced by the godlessness around them that they don't care about Jesus
any more! Convict us parents to accept and carry out the responsibilities
You gave us for parenting. Humbly and earnestly we beseech you in Jesus'
name. Amen.
May 10, 2002
Proverbs 10:4 says: "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent
hands bring wealth."
Spiritually speaking, the greater poverty is when a Christian
fails to cultivate the habit of daily feeding on the Word of God and getting
his/her wisdom, direction, and counsel from God. Local churches are filled
with such poor people, unfortunately. So, diligence in this significant
area of our daily lives will bring great 'wealth' in terms of maintaining
our relationship with Christ and growing in His grace.
Precious Father, convict us of and forgive our spiritual
laziness. Stir us to daily godly diligence that we may experience true
spiritual wealth! Through Jesus our diligent Savior, Amen.
May 13, 2002
Proverbs 13:10 says, "Pride only breeds quarrels, but
wisdom is found in those who take advice." (One Translation says, "Only
by pride comes contention....")
Can't tell you how many times throughout the years Ruth
and I could have avoided arguments or quarrels....IF one of us would have
been willing to recognize/acknowledge right away that this was basically
about PRIDE...not something else. "I've been hurt, taken advantage of,
embarrassed, or shown up, or made to look 'small'....and I don't like
it! I'll (verbally) show you!!" How grateful we are for the Holy Spirit
Who, for years, has faithfully revealed to us in each situation "the wisdom
that comes from heaven...", and helped us avoid major quarrels that could
have led to more serious marital problems. The Bible is right: "Peacemakers
who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness"! (Read James 3:13-18)
May 16, 2002
Proverbs 16:2 says "People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives."
Self-evaluation can often be wrong, even for "the best
of Christians". Our proneness to look good and to be 'right' all the time
puts us at great disadvantage in the presence of the Lord, our holy God.
As a human, I appreciate the applause and esteem of those around me; but
it is the Lord's pure and most honest appraisal that will most help me
be all He intends me to be.
Dear Father, I confess my longing to be loved and appreciated
by others, even to the extent of sometimes making myself 'look' as good
or pure as possible when I know I'm not fooling You. Forgive my impudence
and pride. Freely examine my motives and grant me the grace to be honest
with those around me. This I humbly pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
May 19, 2002
Proverbs 19:1 (NLT) "It is better to be poor and honest
than to be a fool and dishonest."
We live in an incredibly materialistic time in our history.
So many of us would rather be 'rich' at almost any cost than to be 'poor'.
(The quote marks are to accentuate how wrongly we are prone to interpret
both wealth and poverty!) God knows the foolishness we are capable of
with too much 'wealth'; examples of character and financial dishonesty
and irresponsibility abound all around us, with both believers and unbelievers.
If only we Christians would listen to the Holy Spirit more than to our
own cravings for what cannot ultimately 'help' us to become any 'more'
or 'better' than what God intends us to be! (Proverbs 15:16)
Precious Father, we confess our misunderstanding regarding
Your perspective on 'wealth', which all-too-often feeds misguided intentions
and unhealthy ulterior motives within us. Grant us great forgiveness and
humble us to understand and accept that 'poverty' which benefits us far
more than we cold ever imagine! Through Jesus, Who "took the humble position
of a slave" (Phil. 2:7 NLT) I pray. Amen.
May 23, 2002
Proverbs 23:9 says, "Do not speak to a fool, for he will
scorn the wisdom of your words."
A characteristic of the fool is that he/she must always
be right. Try to correct them and they have a thousand excuses for what
they did or said. Try to instruct them and they already know what you're
going to tell them; they chide you for not realizing how intelligent they
(already) are, without your input. Try to 'enlighten' them with a word
of wisdom and you feel the scorn; or sense the condescension, if they
choose to answer you at all. The fool, in short, quarrels against every
sound principle of judgment by demanding his/her own way. (Pr. 18:1)
Dear Father, I've played the fool many times throughout
my life. I'm ashamed, frankly. You deserve better of me. Grant me forgiveness
and a renewed resolve to walk wisely before You and a watching world!
Humbly I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.
May 25, 2002
Proverbs 25:4 says, "Remove the dross from the silver,
and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith." (NLT)"
The process of purification for precious metals is hard,
to say the least. Quite a few times the metal is heated up to the melting
point so that the impurities can separate, rise to the top, and be taken
out and discarded. The goal: leaving the silver or gold increasingly more
'precious' and 'pure'. The serious Christian does not miss that this is
the Lord's process of purification within our lives, as well. Hard? Yes.
Tedious? Perhaps, if we miss God's holy purposes. Good? Absolutely, for
He wants the silver to be ready for the most excellent use by the Silversmith
- Himself.
Precious Father, forgive the arrogance within me that
chafes against the process of purification more than I hate the sins (impurities)
which keep me from being ready and useful to the Silversmith. Humbly I
resubmit to your purposes of purification and preparation for ministry
and service. Through the cleansing blood of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
May 31, 2002
Proverbs 31:4,5 (New Living Translation) says: "It is
not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave liquor.
For if they drink, they may forget their duties and be unable to give
justice to those who are oppressed."
From God's point of view, those who are in positions of
authority and leadership have many reasons to watch themselves in every
area of their lives, especially when it comes to alcoholic beverages.
The Bible does not prohibit drinking them, but it does warn against excess
and drunkenness. How many 'leadership-type' people (AND those in non-leadership
positions) could tell shameful stories of neglecting their responsibilities
or of being incapable of wise reflection and judicial decision-making
simply because they chose to 'guzzle' which led to 'craving'.
Father in Heaven, every addictive behavior begins with
a simple decision ('yes' or 'no') made by each one of us. Let us be so
in love with You and Your Word, and so captivated by the grace of God
(Titus 2:11,12) that we find the strength and resolve say 'no!' to those
things which distort our ability to think, speak, and act wisely. In Jesus'
name, Amen.
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