(7-22-19)- Monday Jeremiah 9:23–24, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.’”

I have been blessed to do many wonderful things in my life which I could boast about, but in doing this I would be giving myself glory and not God. Before I became a Christ follower my goal was to accomplish great things for myself. Once my spirit connected with God's Spirit my desires changed. Jesus transformed my desires to be what God desired. Instead of seeking glory on earth, I realized that the only glory worth achieving was that which glorified God. In this way my life became much more meaningful and joyful.

Through the prophet Jeremiah we are told to not boast in wisdom or strength or riches but in knowing the Lord. As we were created in the image of God, we were created to know God and worship God and live for God. When we get into ourselves as we boast in our achievements, we lose focus of what our life is to be about. The good news is that the Bible consistently brings us back to the truth of who we are and why we exist. May the word of God have authority in our lives to keep our eyes on the reason we are here: to love God and love others.

Lord, may the Bible be the authority in my life to remind me of what is important and how I should boast in You alone. Amen.

Why do people boast about their own accomplishments? According to the verses above, on what should we boast? Why is it better to live with this philosophy and practice? May God’s grace and peace be with you.

(7-23-19)- Tuesday 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

The song "One Tin Soldier" was written in 1969. It tells the story of two neighboring tribes, the warlike Valley People and the peaceful Mountain Kingdom which possesses a great treasure buried under a stone. The Valley People demand the treasure. The Mountain People respond that they will share it with "their brothers", but the Valley People invade and slaughter the Mountain People. On overturning the stone, they find nothing except the words "Peace On Earth" inscribed beneath it. This songs displays the attitude that people often have of wanting the riches of what others have and thinking they will only be happy when they get it.

We live in a society that stresses wanting and obtaining. Our arrogance leads us to think that we can take it for ourselves. God’s word puts things in perspective and shows us what is really important. What is important is not arrogance or self-achievement or wealth. These things will not bring us happiness. What will make us happy is to live as we have been created to live: by doing good deeds, being generous, and sharing with others. When we live in this way we will not only be blessing others in this life, but we will be laying up treasures for ourselves when we get to heaven. God has given us the Bible to help us see what is good and helpful. God has provided His word to us so that we can be wise in the right things and live in the right way. May we read the scriptures so that they will direct our lives as God desires.

Lord, thank you for Your word and the truth in it. Help me to not be arrogant to think I can know what I need better than You. Guide me and lead me this day, O God. Amen.

Why do you think God told Timothy to command the people in this passage? What is he to command them? How do you see arrogance leading people to make the wrong choices? Why is it better to live as the verse commands us as opposed to thinking wealth will make us happy? Blessings.

(7-24-19)- Wednesday Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

I read an article the other day talking about 25 ways that you can use Coca-cola. One way is to clean toilets. All you have to do is pour the drink in the toilet and wait for an hour before you scrub with a brush and then flush and you can have a sparkling toilet! Another way it is useful is to clean windows. Because of the presence of the citric acid in the drink, it makes a wonderful window cleaner. It can also kill all kinds of bugs, clean rust off of many items, and remove paint from your furniture. Now I have never used Coca-cola for any of these, but many have and believe in it. It has power that I didn’t know about. I’m not sure I want to drink it, but it can be useful in many ways.

The Apostle Paul tells us that he is not ashamed of the gospel (the wonderful news that forgiveness of sins and salvation are found in Christ) because of its power to work in his life. Yet, there are many who don’t believe in Jesus and haven’t experienced this power. We can tell people about Jesus but that won’t necessarily make them believe, just as my reading about the power of Coca-cola doesn’t make me believe. To believe we have to put it to work. As you have believed in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, it needs to be evident in your life. As people see the difference Jesus makes in your life it will lead them to want that same power in their lives as well. Therefore, don’t be ashamed of being a Christ follower. Share the gospel and live it as well!

Lord, I do believe in You. I pray that this belief will be evident in my life and the power of Your gospel will be seen as well. Amen.

Why was Paul not ashamed of the gospel? Why should we not be ashamed of the gospel? Why are some people shy about sharing the gospel? How is the power of the gospel evident in your life? Have a great day.

(7-25-19)- Thursday 2 Peter 1:3- “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

Several times I have purchased an item from IKEA that I had to put together myself. The good news is that it comes with detailed instructions telling me step by step how to build it. As I follow the directions I am able to somewhat easily construct it so that my finished product is what it should be. Even more, Tami assists me in reading the directions and together we are able to discern clearly what the instructions are telling us to do. It also includes all the hardware I need to build the desk or cabinet that I have purchased.

Peter tells us in the verse above that God gives us what is necessary for faith and life. The Bible is like a direction manual giving us the guidance of how we should live. We have step by step instructions through God’s word telling us what God wants us to do and how God wants us to be. If we want to “build” ourselves to the finished product of how God has designed us, then we need to make sure that we take care to follow the instruction manual. If we want to be complete and not end up with extra “hardware”, then we need to make sure that we put to use the gifts of the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit and the disciplines of the Spirit that are given to us. We should not think that we have to do this on our own, but be grateful that God has given us the directions to follow.

Lord, thank you that You give my everything I need to live a godly life. May I seek this knowledge through Your word and follow Your directions. Amen.

Why is it important to understand that God gives us what we need to live a godly life? Why does this require us looking diligently at the Bible? How well are you following God’s instructions for you? Have a wonderful day.

(7-26-19)- Friday John 14:26- “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The other day Tami was trimming my hair. As she was doing this she was having trouble seeing what she was doing, so she asked me to turn more to the light. After this she had a much better view and was able to cut what needed to be trimmed. The light illumined my hair in a way that gave her the ability to isolate the long from the short hairs. We both realized how this might “shed light” on the scripture verse today and teach us the importance of light. In fact, I remembered once my sister, who is an optometrist, telling me that good lighting is one of the most important factors in helping the eyes to see.

Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will be given to us as an advocate. He will be with us to help us in many ways, but one important way is that He will illumine God’s word for us. This means that He will shine on the word of God in a similar way that light illumines something we need to see. He will allow us to see distinctly the truth that God is seeking to convey to us. By shining on the word of God we will be taught what is true and what is not. We will learn what is right and what is wrong. He will help us to remember in the important times of life what we have been taught by Jesus. As we read the Bible we need to open ourselves up to what God wants to speak to us and let the Holy Spirit give us understanding of not only what it means but also how it applies to our lives as Christ followers. May we allow the Holy Spirit to do this for us.

Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit who illumines Your word for me. May I open myself up to the Holy Spirit speaking to me and teaching me as I read the Bible. Amen.

Why is it important to have good lighting to see? How does the Holy Spirit illumine the truth of God for us? How can you allow the Holy Spirit to do this for you more? Have a wonderful day.