January 19-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:1-2, My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Observe what it is saying.
Solomon pleads with his son not to forget but to always remember his teaching. In fact, he tells him to locate these instructions in his heart. They are not to be merely a moral checklist, but they are to become who he is at the deepest level. The psalmist said it this way in Psalm 119:10-11, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” This is Solomon’s desire for his son, and this is God’s desire of what His children are to do with God’s eternal word. Solomon says the benefit of taking his word to heart will prolong his life and bring him peace and prosperity. When we internalize and live by God’s eternal truth, we will find that it pays off in the best possible life here. There are always exceptions to this, but overall, clean, holy living improves the quality and quantity of life. Spiritually speaking, it is always true that when we take God’s word to heart and live His way, we will prolong our life for all eternity in the most abundant peace and prosperity that we can ever imagine.
Relate it to your life.
To take God’s word to heart infuses me with a new quality of life that leads to tremendous peace and spiritual prosperity.
Do something.
Father, download your word into my heart as I read and reflect upon it. May it transform me at the deepest parts of my being so that every thought, word, and deed is influenced by You. Amen.
January 20-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:3-4, Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Observe what it is saying.
The Hebrew word for love is “hesed,” which is a rich, dynamic word that cannot be translated easily into one English word. It describes an unfailing, loyal, devoted love that is demonstrated in generous acts of mercy and kindness. It occurs especially in covenant relationships between Yahweh and His people, between husband and wife, and between believers in Christ in the Church. It is the kind of committed love that holds relationships and communities together regardless of trials and troubles. Faithfulness speaks of what is reliable and true. It demonstrates itself in absolute trustworthiness. These pair of attributes are highlighted throughout Scripture as belonging to the Lord. Psalm 89:1, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” The same qualities that describe God are to characterize who we are. They are the fuel that drives our heart’s desires and motives. The presence of the qualities reveal the Holy Spirit is forming the nature of Christ within us. Such qualities provide a positive witness and standing before God and mankind.
Relate it to your life.
When I have been redeemed and filled with the Holy Spirit, I can expect that the loyal love and truth of Christ will be formed deep within me.
Do something.
Lord, I surrender myself to Your Spirit so that I can have Your special kind of love and absolute trustworthiness dwelling deep within my character. Shine Yourself through me for Your glory. Amen.
January 21-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Observe what it is saying.
These are the best known and memorized verses in the book of Proverbs. They offer the wisest decision that we can ever make in laying a solid foundation for our lives to be built upon. Trust is the key to any relationship. We put our confidence and count on others to be who they said they are and whom we deem them to be. When we put our wholehearted trust in the Lord instead of putting that trust in ourselves, we are declaring that we have absolute confidence that God is who He says He is. His word identifies Him as the true source of life, light, and love. When we are convinced that He alone is the one true God then we demonstrate that we value and love Him more than anything else, including ourselves. When we humbly surrender our desires and control and place them into His hands, we are making a declaration that we have overwhelming confidence that He will lead us along the right paths which lead to abundant life, purpose, and joy. With this remarkable promise, it is no surprise that these are some of the most memorized verses in all of Scripture!
Relate it to your life.
When I declare my trust in the Lord, I give up control and surrender myself to the Lord’s total leadership.
Do something.
Lord, I declare today that I trust You with all my heart. I am putting all my confidence in You. I believe You alone are the way, the truth, and the life. I surrender myself to You. Amen.
January 22-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:7-8, Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Observe what it is saying.
In our human fallenness, filled with pride and arrogance, we often think we know better. We make decisions on our own without checking in with the Lord first. We create our own version of the Christian religion by pulling in pieces from culture, politics, and other philosophies. We pick and choose what we want to follow from Scripture. We might choose to go our own way without any consideration of what Scripture teaches. However, this is not the way of wisdom. As we have discovered already, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. To truly fear the Lord will be to shun and run away from all manner of evil. We refuse to have a hint of any form of immorality attached to us. We understand that the Lord’s way is the only way to abundant life. In fact, it provides the best possible opportunity for us to live as healthy as possible now and throughout eternity. Solomon makes the point that what we believe and how we translate that belief into daily living really does make a difference in the quality of life we can expect to enjoy now and evermore.
Relate it to your life.
If I truly have a healthy fear of the Lord, then I will run from every temptation and shun all sin as contrary to the holy and healthy life God desires for me.
Do something.
Lord, make me passionate to follow Your word, will, and way. May I shun and run from anything that is not from You. Make me healthy and holy in every possible way. Amen.
January 23-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:9-10, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Observe what it is saying.
Solomon understood the principles of stewardship. The Lord owns all of the earth and everything in it. We are His wealth managers. God has entrusted each of us with a portion of His estate to watch over and care for. When we honor the Lord with what He has given to us, we demonstrate that reverence in a very practical way. We offer him the firstfruits. As it literally states, the first portion of the crop belonged to the Lord. Think how difficult it would be after a long winter with no fresh food to take the very first of the crop and give it back to the Lord. What they so wanted to enjoy for themselves belonged to God. It was a difficult act of faith that relied on God to provide the complete harvest to fill up their barns and vats. The first line item on their budget was: Giving to the Lord. We do not honor the Lord if we do not give. We do not honor the Lord if we only give what we have left over. We do not honor the Lord if we do not give Him the best of what He has already given to us. We give as an act of faith and trust that He will do what He promised and provide everything that we need, and even more.
Relate it to your life.
How I give or do not give reflects how much I trust the Lord and desire to honor Him with what He has first given to me.
Do something.
Father, You own it all. Everything I have is a gift from You. I have been given the incredible privilege of being Your wealth manager. Please give me wisdom to invest Your portfolio well. Give me such faith to trust and give back to You what is Yours before I go on a spending spree for myself. Amen.
January 24-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:11-12, My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Observe what it is saying.
Discipline is a sign of love. It is not a sign that we are no longer wanted or accepted but that there is work to be done in our lives for us to become spiritually pure. By His grace, God lets us reap what we have sown so that we will be awakened to our sin and folly and return home again. Parents do not discipline their children because they enjoy doing so but because they deeply love their kids, they give appropriate correction so they will live the best possible life. Our Heavenly Father does the same. He is not out to get us. He does not delight in our punishment. However, He is unwilling to shield us from discipline because He wants us to live according to His word and way so we can live the abundant, joy-filled life that only comes through obedience to Him. God’s love for us is so pervasive that it continues to bring comfort, conviction, and correction throughout our lives. We should be quick to tell God, “Bring it on” so that we will not be robbed of the joy of intimate friendship with our Lord today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
Relate it to your life.
Even though I do not enjoy it, I welcome the discipline of the Lord signaling His love and desire for my spiritual maturity.
Do something.
Lord, bring me discipline when I need it. Keep Your continual correction plan in place so that I can grow up in the faith and be presented to You as spiritually mature. Please do not give up on me! Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:1-2, My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Observe what it is saying.
Solomon pleads with his son not to forget but to always remember his teaching. In fact, he tells him to locate these instructions in his heart. They are not to be merely a moral checklist, but they are to become who he is at the deepest level. The psalmist said it this way in Psalm 119:10-11, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” This is Solomon’s desire for his son, and this is God’s desire of what His children are to do with God’s eternal word. Solomon says the benefit of taking his word to heart will prolong his life and bring him peace and prosperity. When we internalize and live by God’s eternal truth, we will find that it pays off in the best possible life here. There are always exceptions to this, but overall, clean, holy living improves the quality and quantity of life. Spiritually speaking, it is always true that when we take God’s word to heart and live His way, we will prolong our life for all eternity in the most abundant peace and prosperity that we can ever imagine.
Relate it to your life.
To take God’s word to heart infuses me with a new quality of life that leads to tremendous peace and spiritual prosperity.
Do something.
Father, download your word into my heart as I read and reflect upon it. May it transform me at the deepest parts of my being so that every thought, word, and deed is influenced by You. Amen.
January 20-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:3-4, Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Observe what it is saying.
The Hebrew word for love is “hesed,” which is a rich, dynamic word that cannot be translated easily into one English word. It describes an unfailing, loyal, devoted love that is demonstrated in generous acts of mercy and kindness. It occurs especially in covenant relationships between Yahweh and His people, between husband and wife, and between believers in Christ in the Church. It is the kind of committed love that holds relationships and communities together regardless of trials and troubles. Faithfulness speaks of what is reliable and true. It demonstrates itself in absolute trustworthiness. These pair of attributes are highlighted throughout Scripture as belonging to the Lord. Psalm 89:1, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” The same qualities that describe God are to characterize who we are. They are the fuel that drives our heart’s desires and motives. The presence of the qualities reveal the Holy Spirit is forming the nature of Christ within us. Such qualities provide a positive witness and standing before God and mankind.
Relate it to your life.
When I have been redeemed and filled with the Holy Spirit, I can expect that the loyal love and truth of Christ will be formed deep within me.
Do something.
Lord, I surrender myself to Your Spirit so that I can have Your special kind of love and absolute trustworthiness dwelling deep within my character. Shine Yourself through me for Your glory. Amen.
January 21-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Observe what it is saying.
These are the best known and memorized verses in the book of Proverbs. They offer the wisest decision that we can ever make in laying a solid foundation for our lives to be built upon. Trust is the key to any relationship. We put our confidence and count on others to be who they said they are and whom we deem them to be. When we put our wholehearted trust in the Lord instead of putting that trust in ourselves, we are declaring that we have absolute confidence that God is who He says He is. His word identifies Him as the true source of life, light, and love. When we are convinced that He alone is the one true God then we demonstrate that we value and love Him more than anything else, including ourselves. When we humbly surrender our desires and control and place them into His hands, we are making a declaration that we have overwhelming confidence that He will lead us along the right paths which lead to abundant life, purpose, and joy. With this remarkable promise, it is no surprise that these are some of the most memorized verses in all of Scripture!
Relate it to your life.
When I declare my trust in the Lord, I give up control and surrender myself to the Lord’s total leadership.
Do something.
Lord, I declare today that I trust You with all my heart. I am putting all my confidence in You. I believe You alone are the way, the truth, and the life. I surrender myself to You. Amen.
January 22-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:7-8, Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Observe what it is saying.
In our human fallenness, filled with pride and arrogance, we often think we know better. We make decisions on our own without checking in with the Lord first. We create our own version of the Christian religion by pulling in pieces from culture, politics, and other philosophies. We pick and choose what we want to follow from Scripture. We might choose to go our own way without any consideration of what Scripture teaches. However, this is not the way of wisdom. As we have discovered already, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. To truly fear the Lord will be to shun and run away from all manner of evil. We refuse to have a hint of any form of immorality attached to us. We understand that the Lord’s way is the only way to abundant life. In fact, it provides the best possible opportunity for us to live as healthy as possible now and throughout eternity. Solomon makes the point that what we believe and how we translate that belief into daily living really does make a difference in the quality of life we can expect to enjoy now and evermore.
Relate it to your life.
If I truly have a healthy fear of the Lord, then I will run from every temptation and shun all sin as contrary to the holy and healthy life God desires for me.
Do something.
Lord, make me passionate to follow Your word, will, and way. May I shun and run from anything that is not from You. Make me healthy and holy in every possible way. Amen.
January 23-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:9-10, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Observe what it is saying.
Solomon understood the principles of stewardship. The Lord owns all of the earth and everything in it. We are His wealth managers. God has entrusted each of us with a portion of His estate to watch over and care for. When we honor the Lord with what He has given to us, we demonstrate that reverence in a very practical way. We offer him the firstfruits. As it literally states, the first portion of the crop belonged to the Lord. Think how difficult it would be after a long winter with no fresh food to take the very first of the crop and give it back to the Lord. What they so wanted to enjoy for themselves belonged to God. It was a difficult act of faith that relied on God to provide the complete harvest to fill up their barns and vats. The first line item on their budget was: Giving to the Lord. We do not honor the Lord if we do not give. We do not honor the Lord if we only give what we have left over. We do not honor the Lord if we do not give Him the best of what He has already given to us. We give as an act of faith and trust that He will do what He promised and provide everything that we need, and even more.
Relate it to your life.
How I give or do not give reflects how much I trust the Lord and desire to honor Him with what He has first given to me.
Do something.
Father, You own it all. Everything I have is a gift from You. I have been given the incredible privilege of being Your wealth manager. Please give me wisdom to invest Your portfolio well. Give me such faith to trust and give back to You what is Yours before I go on a spending spree for myself. Amen.
January 24-Wisdom
Write out the Scripture.
Proverbs 3:11-12, My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke,12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
Observe what it is saying.
Discipline is a sign of love. It is not a sign that we are no longer wanted or accepted but that there is work to be done in our lives for us to become spiritually pure. By His grace, God lets us reap what we have sown so that we will be awakened to our sin and folly and return home again. Parents do not discipline their children because they enjoy doing so but because they deeply love their kids, they give appropriate correction so they will live the best possible life. Our Heavenly Father does the same. He is not out to get us. He does not delight in our punishment. However, He is unwilling to shield us from discipline because He wants us to live according to His word and way so we can live the abundant, joy-filled life that only comes through obedience to Him. God’s love for us is so pervasive that it continues to bring comfort, conviction, and correction throughout our lives. We should be quick to tell God, “Bring it on” so that we will not be robbed of the joy of intimate friendship with our Lord today, tomorrow, and forevermore.
Relate it to your life.
Even though I do not enjoy it, I welcome the discipline of the Lord signaling His love and desire for my spiritual maturity.
Do something.
Lord, bring me discipline when I need it. Keep Your continual correction plan in place so that I can grow up in the faith and be presented to You as spiritually mature. Please do not give up on me! Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals