Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
September 2003
September 2, 2003
Proverbs 2:9 concludes a long paragraph building up to the benefits of
God's wisdom for us if we're willing to take the time to avail ourselves
of it: Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every
good path.
I am so grateful that, as a young man, I had ample teaching, instruction,
and modeling by enough godly people to convince me of the absolute goodness
and rightness of Almighty God (Psalm 25:8,9). It wasn't just the human
teaching and modeling, though. The Spirit of God faithfully instructed
me in the course of daily life. My heart goes out to those who go through
childhood and get well into adulthood before they come to grips with the
awareness that, apart from divine intervention, human nature's sinful
condition will always skew our ability to distinguish between what we
perceive as 'bad' from what the Lord knows is absolutely 'good' for us.
That's why the thoughts leading up to today's verse of focus are of such
significance. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit will teach us at any given
time or age in our lives, regardless of lost, wasted, or misspent opportunities
of the past. He will always be there to instruct and teach us in the way
we should go. He will always counsel us and watch over us for His holy
purposes (Psalm 32:8). But we must be listening.
Thank You, Holy Father, that you have given us both the desire to
understand and the ability to accept as altogether just and fair that
which You bring into our lives for our growth in maturity. We love You!
Amen.
September 4, 2003
Proverbs 4:20 says, My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely
to my words.
One translation says "incline your ear", which means to stretch
it out; to turn your ear toward the sound so as to better hear. Why do
we need to 'hear' the Word of God? To gain understanding (Proverbs 4:1).
Why is it so important to listen to what God says? For the spiritual sake
of the next generation (Psalm 78:1-4). Why should we reflect on the beauty
of life as described by God in His Word? To learn, to gain a heart of
wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Why should we pay attention and listen well as the
Lord attempts to speak to us through His Word? To assure spiritual stability
through discretion and knowledge (Proverbs 5:1,2). Why should we not forsake
the teachings of the Word of God? Because, under the sovereign oversight
of and application by the Holy Spirit, they will guide us, watch over
us, and speak to us (Proverbs 6:20-22). Why bother to memorize the Word
of God and hide it in our hearts? To not sin against Him and to experience
life as He planned (Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 7:1).
Holy Father, teach us to listen. Train us to recognize Your voice.
Make us proficient in hearing, paying attention, and applying what You
say in Your Word. Amen.
September 6, 2003
Proverbs 6:20b reminds us to not forsake your mother's teaching. The word
used for 'forsake' means "to thrust off", "to cast off",
"to let it fall" to the ground. Any child who has had the privilege
of being instructed by a godly mother should consider him/herself greatly
honored. Children should not be ignored or left alone as though it is
their own responsibility to become prudent in the affairs of life. They
need someone to model God's goodness for them. By divine design, they
should have a mother whose own faith has been tried and strengthened through
life experience. That mother, having grown to love the Lord with all her
heart, will have gone through and learned from the discipline her own
natural stubbornness and rebellious proclivity required, that disobedience
and resistance to godly instruction should lead to the purging of evil
behavior (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) from the heart of the child. Every child
of godly parents should be raised knowing the seriousness, from God's
point of view, of dishonoring parental authority (Deuteronomy 27:16).
If only the children of today could know the great promise which comes
with obedience and honor for parental authority! (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Merciful Father, give us many more godly mothers...and therefore more
godly, obedient children. For Jesus' sake, and for the sake of a godly
church and nation we pray. Amen.
September 14, 2003
Proverbs 14:23 says that All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk
leads only to poverty.
It's sort of 'fun' and fascinating - but also sad! - to be around some
of the talkers of this world. They get all consumed with themselves and
talk up a storm. You walk away and easily think that these hyped-up people
are the shakers and movers of the world. And some of them are. But there
are many who are "clouds without rain". In their desire to project
themselves, they end up chasing fantasies of verbal grandeur which lead
to nowhere (Proverbs 28:19). When the dust which the storm of their many
words has raised settles, everything's the same. The job hasn't been done;
it's merely been talked about. That kind of 'laziness' is greatly disappointing,
in the world or in the church (Proverbs 12:24). Jesus reminds us that
there is 'danger' in working for that which spoils (John 6:27). So, as
the writer of Hebrews outlines, serious disciples of Christ seek to be
diligent in two main areas of ministry: our love for Him, and our desire
to (spiritually) help those around us (Hebrews 6:10,11). In other words,
little talk, lots of 'work'.
Father of action, thank You for modeling the power of communication
which uses few words and banks heavily on deeds. In light of the Cross
and the empty tomb, empower us, now, to diligently live a life worthy
of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus. Amen.
September 16, 2003
Proverbs 16:1 is a wonderful reminder that to man belong the plans of
the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
Hear me now and believe me later: it is GOD Who puts in our hearts that
which is necessary to be focused on Him and to fear Him; to desire for
obedience and then to obey (Philippians 2:13). Really, honestly, on our
own we don't have what it takes for such righteousness (Jeremiah 10:23).
To not believe that is to be unbelievably conceited and deceived and to
ultimately pit ourselves against God Himself! That kind of 'gift' must
come from above, from Him (James 1:16,17). So, when we make plans to do
something, there is one phrase that you will hear from the lips of every
authentic, serious, Bible-believing Christian: Lord willing (James 4:15).
We have the freedom to plan the course; the individual steps, believe
it or not, are (must be!) determined by Him (Proverbs 16:9). That should
affect our response to the daily issues of life. Our sovereign Overseer
greatly longs for each of us to (a) want His purposes more than our own
[Proverbs 19:21]; and through obedience and submission to Him to (b) revere
His Holy, matchless name [Nehemiah 1:11].
Father of awesome planning, we long to hear Your voice and to feel
Your gentle touch of direction for our lives. We are desperate for You
to teach us the way we should go on a daily basis (Psalm 32:8). We know
You love us! Amen.
September 18, 2003
Proverbs 18:23 reminds us that a poor man pleads for mercy, but a rich
man answers harshly.
It was Jesus Himself Who set the standard: blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Years ago, when I first
read this proverb and reflected on it, I was tempted to think only of
earthly treasure or poverty. Only when I realized that there was such
a powerful spiritual teaching and application to it, did I begin to see
in me and in many others a frightening truth: it is possible to be a Christian
but forget that the humility and brokenness because of our sin which drove
us to Christ in the first place continue to be essential ingredients to
be seen in the daily Christian life of every child of God. In the book
of Ruth (2:7), Ruth is a type of the Christian. Boaz
is a type of Christ. Notice the humble spirit with which she pleaded to
be allowed to "glean and gather among the sheaves". No demands.
No insistence to be treated in a special way. She recognized her true
condition and the corresponding dependence upon another (Another?) which
that poverty necessitated. The rich person, on the other hand; the person
who has forgotten their humble beginnings of repentance and brokenness,
feels that God owes them something. Listen to them talk; 'listen' to their
attitude; watch their demeanor. To them, God is unfair. God owes them.
And, that's a shame!
Father, teach us to tremble at Your Word. Let us daily remember that
You esteem the one who is humble and contrite in spirit (Isaiah 66:20)....and
let us walk in that humility. For Jesus sake. Amen.
September 20, 2003
Proverbs 20:22 says, "Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!'
Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you."
The fruit of the Spirit is self-control. And the circumstances of today's
scripture put self-control to the test as much as any other of which I
know! Human nature, being what is (depraved, weak, uncontrolled, retaliating),
I naturally want to strike back at those who might do me evil (today's
verse and Proverbs 24:29 - and others! - reveal our propensity to do so).
The most difficult task is to respond instead to the Holy Spirit and,
in His power, make every effort to be kind (I Thessalonians 5:15); then,
to bless instead of insult (I Peter 3:9). The consequences of violating
that are great: "evil will not leave your home" (Proverbs 17:13).
The word 'wait' refers to binding together, perhaps like a rope, by twisting.
When you wait for the Lord, guess Who you're bound together with in waiting
for His deliverance? Yes, He Himself is 'twisted together' with you in
the situation, waiting for the perpetrator's foot to slip, for He knows
their day of 'disaster' is near (see Deuteronomy 32:35). So, when tempted
to say, "I'll get you for this!", we are wise to think things
through in advance, thinking of others, not ourselves; thinking of His
purposes, not ours (Romans 12:17). It is to this we are called. And, check
it out: the reward is great! (I Peter 3:9)
Glorious Father teach us to patiently wait and trust You in times
of difficulty. Teach us to truly believe in Your sovereign authority over
all things, including those issues which would tend to bring out unhealthy
emotional responses from our hearts. Amen.
September 22, 2003
Proverbs 22:11 tells us that he who loves a pure heart and whose speech
is gracious will have the king for his friend.
From over 40 years of leadership, one thing I have for sure learned is
that a person in authority really doesn't want too many 'yes men' around
him. Nor does the godly leader find much comfort or help in those around
him whose only method of communication seems to be to 'vent' or to constantly
and angrily suggest that things are wrong or that he (the leader) is 'out
to lunch' or something. Through the years I too have realized the need
to have people of integrity (Psalm 101:6) around me; people who like Mordecai,
truly do work for the good of the people (Esther 10:3). Years ago, a godly
man gently 'rebuked' me in front of many of my peers as I chaired an important
meeting. I remember standing there for a very brief moment - in silence,
with everyone looking at me bug-eyed, wondering how I was going to handle
it - and then saying, "You know what? You're right. And this is what
we need to do." I really appreciated his honesty in speaking the
truth (Proverbs 16:13). What a blessing to have people around you whose
lips are anointed with grace (Psalm 45:2). I fully understand how they
would become a friend, a confidant of the leader.
Father of grace, bring many humble, gracious, well-favored people
into the lives of Your leaders within the church. You know how much we
need them! For the sake of Your church I pray, Amen.
September 24, 2003
Proverbs 24:24 says: Whoever says to the guilty, "You are Righteous!"
(innocent) -- peoples will curse him and nations denounce him."
Increasingly, as we become more 'enlightened' (say what?!), we hear of
those who call evil good and good evil; people who put darkness for light
and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter
(Isaiah 5:20). People are losing properties they've had in the family
for years; property which was to figure in their senior and retirement
years. A new mall or something else takes precedence over their inheritance
or their personal financial well-being, and it's approved by those whose
mantra is: "We must think of the future and of progress!" Unborn
babies by the millions have the life sucked out of them - literally -
and those who have perpetrated such heinous crimes are 'innocent' and
therefore 'righteous'....by law. We could go on. Does God care? You bet!
Those who deny justice to the innocent God says He'll not acquit (Exodus
23:6,7). The wording used is: "acquitting the guilty and condemning
the innocent - the Lord detests them both." (Proverbs 17:15) It's
reasonable, then, that there should be a 'payback time' in which the judgment
of the Almighty is carried out (Proverbs 28:27). It's a dangerous thing
to either dishearten the righteous through injustice, or to encourage
the wicked not to repent of their injustices (Ezekiel 13:22).
Father of holiness, teach us to fear You. May we humbly - and fearlessly!
- stand up for righteousness today. For Jesus' sake...and for the sake
of the innocent around us, we pray. Amen.
September 26, 2003
Proverbs 26:24a says, A malicious person disguises himself with his lips,
but in his heart he harbors deceit.
The Holy Spirit has given every child of God unusual ability to speak
the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) without the need to disguise one's
self. That is, there is no need to pretend to be someone else and say
things that do not truly represent what you feel or believe; certainly
not to God, to a spouse, a friend, a family member, or to a fellow Christian.
The word 'malicious' that is used here denotes a person who is hateful,
one who in their heart is actually taking the position of an enemy. 'Harbor'
implies that there is a prearrangement of thoughts and words so as to
intentionally deceive by not being truthful. Be wary when someone's speech
is always smooth like butter, but you sense something else is going on
(Psalm 55:21). They could be concealing hatred (Proverbs 10:18); plotting
evil (Proverbs 12:20); spreading a trap (Proverbs 29:5); or planning to
shoot some deadly arrows (Jeremiah 9:8). Let us get rid of every form
of malice (Ephesians 4:29-31) so that we not grieve the Holy Spirit. Let
us, instead, speak only what is truly helpful for building others up according
to their needs. What we say should be truthful and should help those who
listen.
Father of love, we confess our tendency to deceive others with words
that are not truthful. Please forgive our oft intent to pretend to be
someone else by 'doctoring' the truth. Train us to not speak unless we
can be honest and truthful. Bring us more under Your sovereign authority
that the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts might be pleasing
and acceptable in Your sight (Psalm 19:14). Amen.
September 28, 2003
Proverbs 28:10 says: He who leads the upright along an evil path will
fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.
A 'Christian friend' of a friend set up a 'ponzi' scheme. He received
untold amounts of monies from those who trusted him to be wisely investing
on their behalf. His promise was to pay them 10% on their investment.
But he was spending it on other things and then trying to keep up with
payments by paying back a few at a time with others' money as it came
in. Our friends lost many thousands of dollars of retirement and college
funds for their children. Obviously, they were devastated! And, the one
who led them along that path to nowhere ultimately ended up with a hefty
prison sentence. It's easy to become intoxicated with visions of grandeur
or promises of wealth and to be induced in one way or another to go astray,
led by those following the serpent's cunning ways (II Corinthians 11:3,4).
The enemy places obstacles before us (Romans 16:17,18). He infiltrates
our ranks (Galatians 2:4), and with the empty, boastful words of his cohorts,
appeals to our desire for greatness or riches or fame, and entices us
to momentarily set aside discernment and prudence (II Peter 2:18-20).
We must be as wise as serpents. We must stay tuned to the voice of the
Holy Spirit Who will warn us of those who masquerade as 'helpers' but
whose intent it is to lead us down an evil path.
Wise Father, through Your Holy Spirit, teach us to tune our spiritual
hearing to the principles of Your Word. Help us to see and to avoid the
traps the enemy is continually preparing for those who love You. For Jesus'
sake, Amen.
September 30, 2003
Proverbs 30:12 reminds us that there are those who are pure in their own
eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth....
There's a period of time in each human's life (often somewhere in our
teens) when we feel that we're invincible; we're on our way to great things;
we're so talented that nothing (or no one) will stand in our way; we're
on the right track and everything we do is intrinsically fair, right,
and good (Proverbs 21:2). We're too young and foolish to fear anything,
not even God. Self-flattery blinds us to our true condition (Psalm 36:1,2).
We might claim to know God and His ways, but our actions deny Him and
ultimately reveal that, apart from Him, we are truly unfit for doing anything
good (Titus 1:15,16). The 'filth' of our true condition remains, for all
have sinned and come short of God's standard of righteousness.
Thankfully, by God's grace, the presence of Jesus in our lives changes
all that. We accept the truth of our sinfulness. Through faith in Him,
we are cleansed from the 'form' of godliness with which we fooled ourselves
into thinking that apart from Him, we were anything! We are brought into
the full realization of 'content'; that is, Jesus in us, the Promise of
all the good things God has in store for us (II Timothy 3:5; Colossians
1:27)!
Thank You, Father, for opening the eyes of our understanding! Amen.
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