Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
February 2003
February 2, 2003
Proverbs 2:5 says "....you will understand the fear of the Lord and
find the knowledge of God."
Ever heard anyone say, "I just wish I could understand the Lord!"?
He gives us the answer in Job 28:28: "....to shun evil is understanding".
We already know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
(Proverbs 9:10). We also know that His desire is so intently for us that
He makes it a point to inspire us to fear Him so that we will not turn
away from Him (Jeremiah 32:40). So, with the revelation of that knowledge
powerfully and practically at work in our hearts on a daily basis, we
echo Solomon's sweet prayer: "Give me wisdom and knowledge...."
(II Chronicles 1:10). No wonder Jesus Himself said as He communed with
His Father, "this is eternal life (this is really where it's all
at; this is where the rubber meets the road; this is what we both long
for in the lives of humans, because this is where it all begins): that
they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have
sent" (John 17:3).
Precious Father, we're learning that to "know Jesus" involves
much more than merely quoting a scripture or two or being able to relate
a couple Bible stories. We sort of have this way of 'complicating' Christianity.
We are prone to resist our personal responsibility to obey Your gracious
promptings to make the right choices. This week, teach us afresh to truly
understand You as Solomon taught, and to 'find' true understanding. Amen.
February 3, 2003
Proverbs 3:9,10 say "Honor the Lord with all your wealth, with the
first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine."
I want to focus on something other than material wealth on this one. Each
of us has an unbelievable 'wealth' of energy, thoughts, time, and responsibilities,
just to name a few. So accustomed are we to the idea of giving the first
fruits of our 'wealth' that we have carelessly passed over the rest of
our 'crops' from which we should be honoring the Lord as well. For example:
What if every Christian honored the Lord by 'tithing' the first fruits
of their time to Him? Would local churches really need to hire 'extra
help' to get all the church-related tasks finished? Would pastors have
to repeat so often their calls for help? For example: What if I truly
honored the Lord with my thought life by keeping the shortest accounts
possible with Him when sinful or dishonoring thoughts trouble me? Would
I be so spiritually weak and helpless when someone came up to me needing
my help through prayer and a word of encouragement? I think you get the
idea. Now spend just a few minutes of this day honoring Him by thinking
of other areas of 'wealth' in your daily life which deserve to be given
back to Him.
Father in heaven, grant us the courage to generously honor You with
all the 'wealth' we have; 'wealth' that we may have deliberately been
trying to hide from You, or 'wealth' which we just didn't think about
honoring You with, because we didn't think that You would be interested.
We bless You for Your forgiveness of us! Amen.
February 7, 2003
Proverbs 7:21 says "With persuasive words she led him astray; she
seduced him with her smooth talk."
The context speaks of the adulteress. In today's world, she lurks behind
advertisements in the slickest magazines, movies, clothing stores, and
even in children's toy and clothing stores (!). Great care must be given
lest the most tender (our children) or the most seasoned (we adults) be
seduced and persuaded by the honey-coated and smoother-than-oil speech
(Proverbs 5:3) intended to prompt us to cast aside pure morals and living
for Christ. There is another seductress today - a theological one - whose
intent is to clutter the mind and heart with foolish thinking. For example,
'open theism' implies that God is not truly all-knowing or sovereign.
There are things which He (supposedly) doesn't really know until they
take place in our lives. Then He can deal with them. Such 'smooth talk'
brings God down to the human level, and exalts man to near Godlike stature.
We must not be 'led astray' by such foolishness. We must not "go
near the door of her house" lest we give our best strength to another!
(Proverbs 5:8)
Precious Father, who gives discretion for keeping us on the right
track and for not being tricked into physical or spiritual adultery, may
our whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless until the coming of
Jesus! (I Thessalonians 5:23). Amen.
February 9, 2003
Proverbs 9:8 says "Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke
a wise man and he will love you."
The wise person is teachable because she's always wanting to learn more
truth. He sees the value of correction which diverts him from the potential
'disaster' of a closed mind, and which leads instead to broader understanding
and a sweeter disposition. Not so the mocker. Rebuke one; you'll know
in an instant. Who are you to think you can talk to me like this? Who
made you judge over me? What gives you the right to come barging into
my life like this? I have enough problems in my life without having someone
intrude into my life and tell me how to live! etc., etc. A wise Christian
learns to guard, correctly handle, and wisely pass on pearls of wisdom
(Matthew 7:6) lest we "throw them to pigs". Truth becomes trampled
on and then the unteachable person (the blind guide of Matthew 15:14)
turns and verbally tears us to pieces. How sweet it is, on the other hand,
to have a truly wise/righteous person dealing with us when we need correction!
(Psalm 141:5)
So, Father, let a righteous person strike me or rebuke me - it will be
kindness! If they reprove me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse
it. I need to love You, Your people, and Your Word more! Amen.
February 11, 2003
Proverbs 11:1 says "The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate
weights are his delight."
Swindlers are a dime a dozen in the world in which we live. On a daily
basis, on both a worldly and a spiritual level, people are bilked and
betrayed by dishonest behavior of one kind or another. I recall suggesting
an annulment for a woman - shortly after her wedding - whose 'husband'
was discovered to have another wife and child whom she knew nothing about.
I remember 'representing' some poor Indians in Panama whose 'patron' (economic
'helper', lender of $$) was adjusting the scales and fleecing them of
4-6 pounds every time he weighed a bag of rice they were trying to sell
in order to repay their debt to him (see Amos 8:4,5). I have to admit
that all the weights in my bag, also, are tainted by the sinfulness of
my naturally perverse human nature (Proverbs 16:11). Correct standards
for the broad spectrum of honesty required in daily life come from the
Lord; I must humbly walk with Him lest any form of dishonesty ultimately
defraud me of the quality and length of life God intended (Deuteronomy
25:13-16).
Father of pure and holy scales, instill within me a growing desire
to delight You by righteous living. For Jesus' sake, and for the sake
of the gospel, I pray. Amen.
February 13, 2003
Proverbs 13:14 says "The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death."
Through Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 23:28), God said, "let the
prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word
speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares
the Lord. "Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?" Paul the Apostle stated
(II Corinthians 2:17), "we are not like so many who peddle the word
of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with
sincerity, like men sent from God." No wonder He looks for Christian
men and women and young people who are willing to ingest the Word of God
and be saturated with it! He wants people to turn from the snares of death
(II Peter 3:9 Proverbs 16:6)! He wants them to live longer (Proverbs 9:11
16:17)! He loves to observe the upward growth and movement of the righteous!
(Proverbs 15:24)
Wise Father, let Your wisdom become an active part of our lives as
we immerse ourselves in Your Word and seek to pass it on to others! Through
Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
February 14, 2003- [Ruth and
I head to Guatemala at 3 a.m. tomorrow. Be back late Feb. 22]
Proverbs 14:33 says, "Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning
and even among fools she lets herself be known."
To perceive the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, dirty
and clean, healthy and unhealthy, righteous or unrighteous, and consistently
separate the two so we're on the right path for the glory of God is the
result of wisdom the Lord places in hearts. Fools even know the difference,
though they won't fully embrace God's ways. [Example: At age 18 I was
rebuked by an ungodly man whose mouth was basically garbage; he didn't
like something 'bad' I said!] By God's grace, because His wisdom reposes
in their hearts, wise people think before speaking (Proverbs 15:28). When
they do speak, they act wisely, out of knowledge (Proverbs 13:16). They
exercise self-control (Proverbs 29:11), overlook insults (Proverbs 12:16),
and know how to withhold information in a timely way (Proverbs 12:23).
On this Valentine's Day, I'm so grateful for the love (and wisdom and
discernment) God has mercifully placed in my heart because of my faith
in Christ. Aren't you?
Father, You've given us so much! We love You for helping us to discern
right from wrong and good from bad. And, we love You for giving us the
will (desire) to truly love You by doing what is good and right! (Philippians
2:13) Amen.
February 17, 2003 [We returned very early from
Guatemala - emergency - my father died yesterday morning. Pray for a Christ-honoring
Memorial service on Friday, 2 P.M.]
Proverbs 17:6b says, "....and parents are the pride of their children."
How proud I am of my father, whose faith in Christ several years before
my birth prepared him and mother to give us all Bible names (David, James,
John, Rebecca, and Sarah), to instruct us in the way of the Lord (Deuteronomy
6:7), to see that each one of us had made a personal decision to trust
Christ as our Savior (II Timothy 1:5), and to do everything possible to
see us nurtured in our young faith. I'm proud of the grace of God in his
life. I will miss him. But, I will see him again. One day, maybe soon,
we will dance together in the presence of the One Who saved us both by
His grace, through His shed blood on the cross. For dad, every tear has
been eternally wiped from his eye; for him, there is no more death, or
mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). Hallelujah for the cross!
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have
their being. I love You for loving my dad....and me! I'm so glad he's
with You. If I may dare to say it to You this way: my loss is heaven's
gain. Amen.
February 28, 2003
Proverbs 28:19 says "He who works his land will have abundant food,
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty."
Lack of discipline in daily living produces poverty (Proverbs 23:20,21).
It brings sadness to our hearts - and how much more to the heart of the
Lord! - to see someone carelessly squandering their wealth - whatever
size or amount! - (Luke 15:13) The 'wise' live a totally different lifestyle.
The Bible says that it is the foolish person who 'devours' all he/she
has (Proverbs 21:20). Pagans live that way and then try to make you feel
guilty for not joining them in the same "flood of dissipation"
(I Peter 4:2,3). As we prepare to spend eternity in a home where there
is no waste-related poverty, let us "behave decently". Let us
"clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ", not thinking
about how to gratify the (wrong) desires of the sinful nature! (Romans
13:13,14)
Merciful Father, in grace discipline us to not chase the fantasies
of this evil world, but to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives
in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. With desperateness
many of Your children pray this, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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