“Our Daily Bread” http://odb.org/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
“Homily Grits Devotional” http://www.homilygrits.com/
Proverbs 14:12… There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (NKJV)
Friends, the opening scripture was written by the wise Solomon… And when Solomon gives us advice…we should pay attention… After all, Solomon was given wisdom by God to be the wisest man there ever was…2 Chronicles 1:11-12…
The natural man has been trained from his earliest years to become self sufficient… We are told that we can do anything we set our minds to… We learn about money at an early age… And we learn that success in life is measured by how much stuff we are able to accumulate in our lifetime… Those still living in this dog eat dog world, live by this earthly wisdom, that is drilled into just about everybody not living in a third world country…
Solomon, who wrote half of the Book of Proverbs…has much to say about a different wisdom that God wants all of us to understand… Solomon writes this, in…Proverbs 1:7… The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, Butfools despise wisdom and instruction. (NKJV)
Moses taught the Israelites exactly what “fear of the Lord” meant…right after God had given him the 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai… Deuteronomy 10:12… “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to loveHim, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (NKJV)
Pride, self-centeredness, and me, myself, and I…must give way to humility, submission, and a reverent “fear of the Lord”, for anyone calling themselves a Christian; if they want to be living for the Lord… Solomon goes on to write about the fear of the Lord again, in…Proverbs 8:13… The fear of the Lord is to hateevil;
Pride and arrogance and the evilway And the perversemouth I hate. (NKJV)
The Bible teaches us that we can do all things…but only with God’s help… On our own, we are doomed for failure… Philippians 4:13… I can do all things throughChrist who strengthens me. (NKJV)
Take notice what Solomon tells us once we become Christians, and now have a reverent “fear of the Lord”… Solomon tells us that this is only “the beginning of knowledge, Butfools despise wisdom and instruction”…
Fools in the Bible, are anyone who is not a Christian… God tells us this about those who choose not to fear the Lord, in…Proverbs 1:29-33… Because they hatedknowledge And did notchoose the fear of the Lord, 30 They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. 31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies. 32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, withoutfear of evil.” (NKJV)
So if we are ready to listen to the Lord, and don’t “despise wisdom and instruction”, then spending time reading God’s Word, the Bible…is really our absolute best way to learn more about the God of the universe…the Creator of heaven and earth… Feeding on God’s Word, as Jesus instructed us to do in…Matthew 4:4…is the best way to grow in our spiritual knowledge and wisdom of the Lord, as we learn how we can best please Him…
Because God’s Word is living and powerful, it will absolutely change the life of those that open the Bible and read it…as they digest the spiritual wisdom that God has given us to draw us nearer to Him… But be ready for God’s Word to reveal the hidden thoughts and intents of your heart…
Hebrews 4:12-13… For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom wemust giveaccount. (NKJV)
Here is a great link I found on why we should read and study the Bible…http://www.gotquestions.org/why-read-Bible.html
All of us “must giveaccount” of our lives to the Lord, when we pass on from this life…2 Corinthians 5:10… For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (NKJV) And since “no creature hidden from His sight”, my hope is that those that don’t know the Lord as their personal Savior will seek Christ while He may still be found…Isaiah 55:6…
Jesus tells us this, in… John 14:6… Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV) The “way” is through obedience to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… (See link at the bottom for more on God’s grace) The “truth”is found in the Word of God, and it will set the sinner free from Satan’s chains of bondage to sin…John 8:32… “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV) And the “life”that Jesus speaks about is eternal life in heaven with His Father…
We must either come to know the Lord as our personal Savior before we die…or fear final judgment at the “Great White Throne Judgment” upon our death… Here is scripture for more on this final eternal judgment for those God doesn’t know as a Christian, found in…Revelation 20:11-15… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rev20:11-15&version=NKJV
Heavenly Father, I pray that Your Word would cut right to the very core of the souls that You don’t recognize as Your redeemed children… I pray Lord, that these unredeemed sinners will be urged by You to seek the truth found through the message of the cross… I pray for a peace and a joy that only knowing You as our personal Lord and Savior can provide…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
Blessings in Christ, bruce r mills
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