June 13, 2012 … His Love Endures Forever!

Blogger Note: Yes, God's love does endure forever; and we're feeling it today on our 47th anniversary.

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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicles , Chapters 6-7 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 136 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: 2nd Chronicles 6: 12-21:[NIV] … PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK and meditate on Solomon’s prayer -
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Highlight Passage #2: 2nd Chronicles 7: 1-3:[NIV] … 1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, "He is good; … His love endures forever."
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Highlight Passage #3: Psalm 136:[NIV] … PLEASE GO TO THE LINK for Psalm 136 and meditate on the Psalm which repeats the last words in 2nd Chronicles 7: 3 twenty-six times - Link Repeated here - 

My Journal for Today: I have a relatively new friend who is the author of the new book depicted in the graphic above in this journal entry. Matthew Bryan wrote the book, SuperPower: … Praying Like The Ancients out of a quest in his own life to recapture the power of prayer which had been exhibited in biblical characters, … just like we read of Solomon praying down fire from heaven in today’s chronological read in 2nd Chronicles 6-7 (I hope you’ve read the assigned chapters today).

Matthew Bryan believes – as do I – that we Christians have the same immutable power of prayer available to us Christians as Solomon had when he prayed to dedicate the Temple as we read of today. Our God is the same God Whom Solomon worshiped; and why would the power of prayer to those believers today be any different than it was for Solomon. And in some respects, we have an advantage in our prayer lives over Solomon, don’t we?

We don’t have to go to THE Temple mount in Jerusalem to experience the glory of the presence of God. Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, our temple, as born-again believers IN CHRIST, is our own hearts; and we can go into the Holy of Holies anytime and anywhere to pray down the fire (or glory) of God into our lives. So, as Matthew Bryan asks (and answers) in his book, “Why don’t we pray like the ancients who exhibited Spirit-empowered prayer?” Well, I leave it to you to get Matthew’s book to get that answer; and it can be purchased by going to this link .  

But let me give you a little teaser. ... SuperPower prayer – i.e., biblical prayer – is, according to Bryan, answered prayer. It’s deeply relational prayer (i.e., relating closely with God). It’s purifying; and it’s addictive (in the most healthy way!). And I agree with Matthew that many of us don’t capture the power of the biblical ancients in our prayer-life because we’re into stereotypical prayer formulas which are influenced by our culture, our church, our family traditions, and our own flesh.

I hope you read the passages to which I’ve linked you above and see the kind of prayer to which we Christians today can aspire and realize – IF – we’re willing to believe and come to God’s throne of grace fully expectant that God will answer our prayers – maybe not with fire coming down from heaven – but with miraculous and wondrous - answered - prayer which springs out of God’s promises with regard to our prayer life with Him (such as the one I love from Jesus in John 15: 7 - linked here for your meditation ). Do you believe that promise from Jesus?

I do; and I’m going after that promise … even today in my prayers!

My Prayer Today: … Oh yes, Lord. Your love does endure forever!!! >>>  And a special prayer of thanks in that regard, Lord, for the dear woman who became my bride 47 years ago today – on of the many significant 13s in my life. And I also thank you for becoming a part of Your bride on 4-13-83 … the most important 13 in my life when I became Yours forever. And now, dear Jesus, both my bride and I are wed to You as our Bridegroom for eternity. … Your love endures forever!!    Amen

June 12, 2012 … And God’s People Had Church!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Kings, Chapters 8 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day #2: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicle, Chapters 5 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: 1st Kings: 8: 1; 61 :[NIV] … 1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. … [After Solomon praised God and prayed for the people he charged the people] … “6 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day. “ 
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Highlight Passage #2: 2nd Chronicles 5: 2-3; 13-14 :[NKJV] … 2 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month. … [when the Ark was in place in the Temple, the people worshiped their Holy God] … 13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, “For He is good; for His mercy endures for ever:” that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. 

My Journal for Today: Wow! Only two chapters of overlapping historical description in today’s chronological reading assignment; but there is so, so much to which I could address my journal comments. However, in the highlighted segments of these two chapters, which I’ve copied above, you can read of the sense of joy and worshipful exuberance which Solomon and God’s people obviously felt as they brought the Ark of the Covenant into the completed Temple, which took seven years to build. Now, the people had a permanent place to come together to worship God, rather than the mobile “tabernacle,” where they had seen the presence of God for all of their 40 years in wandering through the deserts of the wilderness. And it was God’s timing which had them complete the Temple and bring the Ark, as a symbol of God’s presence, at just the time of the Festival of Shelters (or Tents), which God had established in the times of Moses as an annual way for the people to celebrate God’s protection and guidance of His children.

And what does all of this say to you and me as New Covenant believers now that the Temple has been destroyed and there is no longer Temple worship for God’s people? What does it say to New Testament, Messiah-honoring Christians about the corporate worship of God, now that even Messianic Christians (Jews who believe in Christ) no longer have a Temple for collective worship, having rather to worship under the Synagogue or “church” system. Well, I like what my Parsons commentary gave me this morning in my study of these two chapters in 1st Kings 8 and 2nd Chronicles 5. [See commentary in bold below]  

Why is there so much emphasis on the Temple in the Old Testament?
(1) It was a symbol of religious authority. The Temple was God’s way of centralizing worship at Jerusalem in order to ensure that correct belief would be kept intact through many generations.
(2) It was a symbol of God’s holiness. The Temple’s beautiful atmosphere inspired respect and awe for God; it was the setting for many of the great visions of the prophets.
(3) It was a symbol of God’s covenant with Israel. The Temple kept the people focused upon God’s law (the tablets of the Ten Commandments were kept in the Temple) rather than on the kings’ exploits. It was a place where God was especially present with his people.
(4) It was a symbol of forgiveness. The Temple’s design, furniture, and customs were great object lessons for all the people, reminding them of the seriousness of sin, the penalty that sin incurred, and their need of forgiveness.
(5) It prepared the people for the Messiah. In the New Testament, Christ said he came to fulfill the law, not destroy it. Hebrews 8:1, 2 and 9:11, 12 use Temple customs to explain what Christ did when he died for us.
(6) It was a testimony to human effort and creativity Inspired by the beauty of God’s character, people devoted themselves to high achievements in engineering, science, and art in order to praise him.
(7) It was a place of prayer. In the Temple, people could spend time in prayer to God. 

And the reason why I take the time and copy/paste this here for our review is to ask ourselves whether the church where we come together on Sunday mornings to worship is all of what the Temple was for God’s chosen peoples in the time of Solomon. Are we really excited to come to God’s place of worship and to praise/pray as Solomon did when he dedicated the Temple? Are we really coming together on Sunday TO WORSHIP the same loving/forgiving God Whom Solomon dedicated the Temple to worship? Or are we just coming together on Sundays out of habit or tradition or in some way to be seen by others as being believers?

I’ll let you mull over those questions with the hope that we all can become the worshipers in God’s house each Sunday morning as well as 24/7 during the week, … in living out our lives of worship, … the type of worship which God’s people experienced when they gathered in God’s Temple to worship their Lord in the days of Solomon. And to help you mull over this point of worship, let me link you to a wonderful song, performed by Hillsong, which says much about our worship experience in life. 

My Prayer Today: … Lord, may every day of my life be “church” or my “temple worship” of You as it should be for all of God’s people. Amen

June 11, 2012 … Furnishing God’s Temple

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Kings, Chapters 7 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day #2: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicle, Chapters 4 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link -

Highlight Passage: 1st Kings: 7: 13-14; 40; 49:[NIV] … 13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was from Tyre and a skilled craftsman in bronze. Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him. … 40 He also made the pots and shovels and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work he had undertaken for King Solomon in the temple of the Lord: … 49 the lampstands of pure gold (five on the right and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary); the gold floral work and lamps and tongs; … [more items described] … 
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Highlight Passage #2: 2nd Chronicles 4: 7 :[NKJV] … [Items for Temple described and repeated in detail] … 7 He [Huram by Solomon’s specifications] made ten gold lampstands according to the specifications for them and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

  My Journal for Today: Above and below, besides a few highlight passages of text taken from today’s chronological reading in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, you see two photos I took when my wife and I were in Israel – in Jerusalem – in 2009, where an institute there is rebuilding all of the items for what they believe will be the restored Temple, which will, in their orthodox Jewish beliefs, will be rebuilt one day and refurnished exactly as described in these Scripture passages I have studied this morning. The Institute, there in Jerusalem, has rebuilt hundreds of items to the specifications found in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, along with historical documents which have been found to describe how Solomon had the Temple furnished; and they have these items ready for when, in their beliefs, Messiah comes and ushers in the New Jerusalem.

Now, we of the New Covenant, of course, believe that the Messiah has already come; but we join the Orthodox Jews in the belief that Yeshua (i.e., Jesus) will come again and restore His Temple for the millennial reign on earth; and who knows, perhaps the items, like the giant menorahs pictured above [which were once built as described in 1st Kings 7: 49 and 2nd Chronicles 4: 7, will be used to refurbish the Temple for Jesus when He comes again.

But when we were in Israel, it was impressive to see the faith of these young Jews, so arduously rebuilding the items in preparation for what they believe will be the the coming of their Messiah; and it was a bit disquieting to think that if these young, faithful Jews who don’t receive Christ as their Savior before the return of Yeshua, … because they will never be able to see their Messiah reigning again over His promised peoples, … us knowing that if they die before the 2nd coming, they will spend eternity in hell. It was, to say the least, a disconcerting experience to see these young people so faithfully working to duplicate the items we read about in these passages above and not having a clue about their eternal fate if they could not see that their Messiah had already come and would someday come again. And there were some in our holy land pilgrimage which ached to share the truth with them; but we were not allowed to do so while we were there. We could only pray that these young, faithful Jews would – before they died – come to see the truth of their Messiah as we know Him in Jesus, the Christ.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help all Your chosen ones see – in their lifetime – the truth of Your coming and the reality that You will come again. Amen

June 10, 2012 … Consider the Outcomes While Building

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Kings, Chapters 5-6 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day #2: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicle, Chapters 2-3 [NIV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: 1st Kings: 5: 12-14 :[NIV] … 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. … 13 King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men.14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home..
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Highlight Passage #2: 1st Kings 6: 7 :[NIV] … In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. 

My Journal for Today: Now, after an interlude of chronological reading through the Proverbs, we come back to Solomon building God’s Temple, as covered in parallel passages in 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles, linked above for your study. Today, in my journaling, I’m going to focus on two passages from the 1st Kings version, copied above.

And in 1st Kings 5: 12-14, I was impressed by the wisdom, concern, and sensitivity of Solomon as he recruited three times the number of workers needed, using many from neighboring lands (see the 2nd Chronicles version), which took the pressure off of the families in Israel at the time of this monumental temple-building task. So, often these days we see our governmental leaders having no sensitivity for the family structure when they plan for projects or tax the public to build something in our land. Solomon realized the truth – as the family goes, so goes the nation. Oh, … how I wish our politicos would get that message!

Then, in 1st Kings 6: 7 we read of just how much Solomon revered God in the building of His Temple, honoring the Lord by not having the noise of even one hammer to be heard in Jerusalem, the city of his father, David, as the project was undertaken and completed. All the stone work and building were done at a distance from Jerusalem and brought and assembled on-site to avoid noise in the city, which was primarily done to honor God. How often do we think of GOD FIRST when we’re building our temples [or lives]?

God’s word, in the New Testament, refers to our bodies as being God’s Temple (see 2nd Cor. 6: 19); and so, do we take the stewardship in the building of our physical temple as seriously as did Solomon when he was building God’s Temple? Unfortunately, I think we see (or personally experience) a lot of poor, noisy (i.e., sinful) construction techniques when it comes to the building of our bodies, which is the Temple of God’s Spirit for our lives. Should we not be treating our temple bodies the same way which Solomon treated the building of God’s Temple in his day?

I know, … I’m meddling!! … But I’m doing so out of personal conviction from today’s reading/study; because my human, sloppy default temple-building techniques are way too noisy with my gluttonous dietary habits and lazy exercise disciplines. How about you? Could we be building our body-temple as did Solomon, thinking first of God and His way of building and then being sure that the outcomes of the building were fashioned to consider the families of God?

That’s the message of conviction I get from today’s study; and I am praying to become a better builder of God’s Temple in my life.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to build my body-temple as Solomon did Yours, … first with Your consideration and then being sensitive to the outcomes as they effect my family. Amen

June 9, 2012 … As We Think – So We Become!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 22-24 [NKJV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 23: 6-8 :[NKJV] … 6 Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so Is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, … but his heart is not with you. 8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words. ============
Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 24: 5-6 :[NKJV] … 5 A wise man is strong, … yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 … for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, … and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 

My Journal for Today: Three more chapters of the Proverbs today; and you’ll have to read through Chapters 22-24, linked above, to glean what God has for you today; but in the two highlight passages above, God spoke to me loudly and clearly this morning, saying, ”Your mind will guide you, Bill; so do all you can to shape your mind to MY way and not your own.”

I think of the mega-wisdom of Proverbs 23: 7a (in the NKJV, copied above), shouts out at me, crying,   As a man thinks, in his heart, SO IS HE; and I capitalize the latter phrase because it shouts out that I become how I think. And isn’t that so true, my beloved? Our minds, … i.e., our thinking, … guide our choices and our actions. And even the context of Prov. 23: 6-8, which tells of how we tend to take in what the rich/famous say to us as being true, when, in fact, so often, others – especially those in power – are only trying to capture our favor by expecting us to believe what they say. Think of a political campaign as an example. Do you believe everything that a politician says to you? … Duh!! … Of course, you don’t. Just because someone says something, trying to shape or reshape our minds, doesn’t make it true, does it? Why do you think advertisers use slick imagery to appeal to our minds [?]; … yes, so that we’ll follow our influenced minds, choosing to buy their products/services.

Why do you think Satan has established his beachhead of internet p0rnography in our culture? Yes, to influence the minds of mostly men, to follow their minds into the tarpits of sexual sin. Truly as we think, so we become!

So, how do we protect our minds, and therefore protect our hearts, against the pollution of sinful thought manipulation in our world? Well, … the second of today’s highlighted passages gets at that. Proverbs 24: 5-6 wisely advises us that our strength in doing battle in our world, especially since we know life is a spiritual war EVERY DAY, comes in the strength of the number of truly wise people with whom we surround ourselves. In other words, God’s word here is advising us to surround our minds with those we KNOW can/will give us Godly-wise advice. And beware of making “Lone-Ranger Christian” decisions, especially choices which involve our own, personal feelings.

Feelings can – and many times will – be influenced by our deceitful hearts (see again Jeremiah 17: 9), … hearts which simply cannot be trusted unless the feelings are corroborated by God’s truth and more practically by the advice of others who are wise in the ways of God. Hence, our two mind-protecting and validating strategies must me … #1 … to confirm our feelings against God’s word … and #2 … to use wise counsel to back-check our feelings before deciding.

That’s why the Apostle Paul was so confident to advise the church that they could follow or imitate him (see 1st Cor. 11: 1. He knew that his mind was shaped in/by God’s word; and he was closely following Jesus via God’s Spirit. Therefore, he could say to other Christians, “Follow me, because I follow Christ!” Paul’s mind was protected and filtered through God’s truth; and so, by letting God’s truth lead him, he could confidently tell others to follow his way - … because it was God’s way.

The questions become, … #1 … how confident are we that our minds are so steeped in God’s truth that we will make decisions which are Godly choices rather than selfish one? And secondly, are we surrounded by Godly people who can help us make Godly choices? If we can answer with a confident “YES!” to both of these, we are doing what we need to do to protect our minds and become the Godly person whom God intends for us to become.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for your truth to guide my steps and for surrounding me with others wise in Your ways to help me walk with You. Amen

June 8, 2012 … Doing Life God’s Way

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 19-21 [NKJV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 19: 16 : [NKJV]… He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, … but he who is careless of his ways will die.  
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 20: 24 :[NKJV] … A man’s steps are of the Lord; … how then can a man understand his own way?  
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 21: 2 :[NKJV] … Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, … but the Lord weighs the hearts. 

My Journal for Today: Okay, again today three more Chapters in Proverbs, #s 19-21; and today God’s Spirit (I believe) has shown me three proverbs which I – and maybe you – need to heed to live out our lives GOD’S WAY. And the warning for not doing life God’s way comes in the first highlighted proverb above - He who keeps the commandments keeps his soul, … but he who is careless of his ways will die. … And in this guiding truth, we read the reality of the human condition, my nature, which so often leads me to make ill-begotten, even sinful choices (i.e., actions which wreak of death). Why? Because I simply ignore or selfishly circumvent God’s way to do life MY WAY. And right now the old Frank Sinatra standard bubbles to my consciousness, where “Old Blue Eyes,” sings “I did it my way.” If you want to listen to the 1969 hit, go to this link . Our human default just wants to do it our own way, doesn’t it? But God wants us to have the best in life, … HIS BEST. … BUT … the only way we’re ever going to have life at its best is to live it GOD’S WAY; and the only way we’re ever going to do that is to live by His commandments as this first proverb today charges.

But the second of today’s proverbial truths give us a related warning, when it says, A man’s steps are of the Lord; … how then can a man understand his own way? … Life is so complicated and getting more complicated – very quickly – as it passes before us. And so often we move down the roads of life, making ill-begotten, poorly calculated directions, which our lack of understanding or human selfishness dictates; and we just don’t realize that we’re not making those directional choices by following God’s way, … but rather doing it – as Frankie sings – “my way.” And though God always is there with us, even going ahead of us (see Deuteronomy 31: 8), we can be led off of God’s track and into danger because we simply didn’t choose to seek out God’s way and follow it. Oh how it behooves us to take the time to seek out the will and the way of God by heeding His word. Oh, the pain and agony we could avoid!

And finally today we read one succinct warning as to walking down the roads of life, in the final highlight passage above, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, … but the Lord weighs the hearts. … How many times have you – like me – just knew that we had made the right choice; and walking down the road our choice led us and into really bad consequences. It is so easy to let our deceit-ridden hearts [see Jeremiah 17: 9] con our own minds into thinking that our self-driven choices are what God has for us. Many times this even leads us to doing good things for the wrong reasons. For example, have you ever done something which everyone would consider a “good thing;” but down deep in your heart you were doing it for human recognition and not for the goodness which the action produced? That’s what it means in this proverb by God helping us to do the right thing for HIS heart and glory and not for our own.

Oh, my fellow Christian, … so much of our trek through life needs to be modulated by how we pursue and follow the ways God leads us, rather than doing it “MY WAY.” So, rather than doing life as Sinatra sings, … should we not be doing life … HIS WAY?

Can I just imagine if I really lived life following how Jesus lived His, … fulfilling the old Jewish proverb (and truth) … to … Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind?   And if we did do life this way, as Jesus said (in Luke 10: 28, "Do this, and you will live;” what would our life be like?

And as we walk through life today – this very day – and we’re going to make some choices, some of which may be critical; will I do it “MY WAY” or do it GOD’S WAY?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to overcome self and do life YOUR WAY … this very day! Amen

June 7, 2012 … Do It God’s Way!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 16-18 [NKJV] To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 16: 3, 18 : [NKJV]… 3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established. … 18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. ============
Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 17: 3 :[NKJV] … The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 18: 13, 15 :[NKJV] … 13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him. … 15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. 

My Journal for Today: I’m on wisdom overload this morning as I’ve been led to go through three chapters of Proverbs each day for the last few days. Each day, I’ve prayed to God’s Spirit to embolden His thoughts, which have come through Solomon, for my enlightenment and edification; and He has, in the Spirit of James 1: 5-6 given me an abundance of what I’ve sought; and today is no different. So let me share a few my own proverbial highlights from today’s meditation.

First, Proverbs 16: 3 is like a pro-active way of living out Prov. 3: 5-6. You know the latter – I hope – … to trust ALL in the Lord, and He will direct our paths. But committing – COMPLETELY – what we do for the Lord, God’s way here will be for Him to give us the mind power to accomplish any/all we do for His glory. The question becomes – am I doing what I’m doing COMPLETELY for my God; or am I doing it for me? Good question, huh?

Next, from the same chapter, this time verse 18, is that old saying that many of us know; but few of us live – that “pride goes before a fall.” Sure, … most Christians want to do life God’s way; but what is the first thing that gets in the way of our living for God’s glory? Yeah, … our PRIDE, … but … maybe I’m the only one in which my lack of humility is the biggest stumbling block to my living the way God would have me live. I’ll have to leave it to you to deal with that tidbit of God’s wisdom; but personally, I’ve got a long way ahead of me in dealing with this proverbial truth. All I can say here, this morning, is, … “OUCH!”

And then, from Proverbs 17: 3 I’m reminded of the reality that life’s hot moments – when I seem to be boiling in circumstantial stress – are likely for my own good and for God’s ultimate glory. And, … the truth of Romans 8: 28 bubbles up to my mind right now … that ALL things work together for the good of anyone who is truly born-again.  And when we feel the heat of life, it’s probably just God boiling all the dross out of our soul so that we can be purified to reflect His light more clearly into the world, which is becoming such a murky, dark place.

And finally, the final two verses which popped out at me today, Prov. 18: 13, 15, are really related and are truths to which I really need to pay more attention. And the bottom line from these two verses screams to me that I need to get all the facts before I jump to act. And whoa,… how true that is!! Decisional patience is truly one of my chronic weaknesses. How often do I jump to decide or to act without getting all the info I should have. Well, … confession; … WAY TOO OFTEN!!! Patience is one of the fruit given to all Christians (see Gal. 5: 22, 23); but in my fruit basket of life, this is one fruit that needs more ripening and maturation. And this is one proverb which strikes me where I live; crying out for me to me to get more wisdom – filtered through God’s word – before, so often, I leap before getting all the fact.

Well, those were some jabs which God gave me to the gut this morning. I hope you read through all three chapters of the Proverbs this morning; and if the ones I highlighted here don’t touch you; God will most certainly use the wisdom in these proverbs to touch you with some gem of God’s truth or maybe the heat of his purifying pressure to help you become more of the Christian you need to be. That is my prayer for you today.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, for any who read through your word with me this day, help us all be purified by the heat of Your truth. Amen

June 6, 2012 … Wisdom OR Folly ... Glory OR Gluttony – We Choose!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 10-12 [NKJV] To study these chapters, go to this link - 

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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 13: 20 : [NKJV]… He who walks with wise men will be wise, … but the companion of fools will be destroyed. 
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 14: 12 :[NKJV] … There is a way that seems right to a man, … but its end is the way of death. 
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 15: 14 :[NKJV] … The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, … but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. 

  My Journal for Today: Once again, I repeat with some degree of assertion, that reading through the Proverbs is a very personal task/assignment; and if you’re following along with me, what I glean through my trek through this book of wisdom may be very different from what any reader of my devotional journal entries might find if he/she was meditating through the same passages of Proverbs. So, I do hope you’re doing your own study and are letting God’s Spirit, as am I, convict/direct your mind/heart to harvest God’s truth FOR YOU as you study through the Proverbs – in this case, today, Chapter 13-15.

For me, though, the three verses, highlighted above jumped off the pages of my reading today, causing me some degree of reinforcement and encouragement; and to journal these impressions, let me first start with highlight passage #2 above, “There is a way that seems right to a man, … but its end is the way of death.” And if you’re like me, a redeemed and grateful sinner, seeking after God’s will and His way in this life, you know, that we sinners are most vulnerable to our own choices, especially since, as God’s word, through Jeremiah (in Jer. 17: 9) we are reminded that our hearts (i.e., our spiritual beings) are wicked beyond measure; and like a wild stallion, our flesh must be broken and tamed unto self-control by our surrender to God’s Spirit. My friend[s], my default mechanism – i.e., my human spirit – is a wild and unruly creature by nature; but praise God, I now have access to the reforming and morphing power of God, the Holy Spirit, Who resides in me, as a saved Christian, to rely upon and to follow as my Savior has commanded me (see Luke 9: 23).

And to help me be in a continual state of recognized brokenness and self-control (i.e., an attitude of humility and meekness, as was modeled by Jesus – see Matt. 11: 29), I think we all need to implement Prove 13: 20; and that is to surround one’s self with cohorts of wise and proven followers of Jesus Christ. I’ve always been stricken by the instructions of Paul to wayward Christians in the wild church (in Corinth) when he wrote to them that they could follow his lead in discipleship because he knew – and was confident – that he (Paul) was following Christ [see 1st Cor. 11: 1]. So, ask yourself, … “Am I following the lead of Christians whom I know are Godly and wise and are closely following God’s will and way by knowing and being led by God’s word?” If we are, we are wise disciples. If we are not, we are FOOLS!

And that brings me to the advice highlighted as #3 today in Proverbs 15: 14, which you can read above. And Solomon’s point here screams out the question, “Are you feeding on God’s wisdom or are you feeding on the junk food offered by the world and all of Satan’s sugar pushers?” Think about it, fellow Christian. We know the result of those who gluttonously chow down on processed sugar poison and junk food. They get stupidly fat and become addicted to the foods of the world. But those we know whose minds/hearts feed, in a disciplined way, on God’s truth – from His word – are lean and mean when it comes to their Christian life. Who are we, … fellow warriors [?], … the fat ones who are so addicted to the sugar poisons of the world; … or are we the lean and mean service machines who can be use for God’s glory because we’re feeding on God’s truth in His word?

Personally, my friends, I’m doing all I can to feed on God’s word – like I have here this morning – eating all that God would want me to consume every day for my spiritual sustenance. And though I do struggle against my obsessive/compulsive gluttonous nature, I do so try to follow disciplined Christians in feeding on the raw power of God’s word which helps me to be lean and ready for action in warfare as a soldier in God’s army.

So, my friends, though I may sound like I’m a bit “cocky,” I repeat Paul’s charge … that you can imitate me, because I’m doing all I can to follow my Lord into battle every day. Common, soldier, … let’s do business for God today, feeding on His word and seeking His ways by following the walk of His proven, effective leaders.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I submit to others who know Your ways and seek Your will from Your word. Amen

June 5, 2012 … God's Wisdom … For ME ... Today

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 10-12 To study these chapters, go to this link - 

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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 10: 3 : [NKJV]… 3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked. 
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 11: 24-25 :[NKJV] … 24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. 
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 12: 1 :[NKJV] … Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid. 

My Journal for Today: Now, after going through the first nine chapters of Proverbs in my chronological Bible reading plan, I now come to Chapter 10, which is the beginning of the section of proverbs from Chapter 10 to Chapter 24, which Solomon either wrote or collected and which have been canonized into Scripture as part of God’s wisdom literature for His people. Here’s what my Parsons Commentary states about these chapters of the Book of Proverbs: These short couplets are what we commonly recognize as proverbs. They cover a wide range of topics. The first section was written by Solomon. The next two sections were written by others but collected by Solomon. These sayings give people practical wisdom for godly living at every stage of life.

And because these collected sayings are not God’s commands, but rather God’s collected wisdom, they must be digested and used by the man or woman of God to become a more Godly man or woman. Therefore, this is an individual seeking posture and process; and I cannot, when reading, studying, and meditating upon Proverbs, write my observations, prayerfully sought from the guidance of God’s word and led by God’s Spirit, to apply to YOUR life (i.e., any who might be reading my journal entry today about the proverbs). However, … I will give one bit of personal advice from my take on a powerful New Testament teaching from Jesus’ brother, James, who wrote to wisdom seekers in James 1: 5-6:  5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

In other words, and as an example from my reading Proverbs, Chapters 10-12, my citing three highlight verses above which struck my mind and heart as having personal application – FOR ME – may not have an personal application FOR YOU at all. Hence, applying James 1: 5-6 to MY reading of Proverbs, if I’m humbly and diligently seeking God’s wisdom from the Proverbs, deeply believing that God’s Spirit is going to guide my life as I seek His wisdom in these passages (see Prov. 3: 5-6 and Ps. 119: 105), then God will give to ME - generously - what I need for MY life. But YOU have to do YOUR OWN seeking from God’s wisdom literature to find God’s wisdom for YOU and YOUR life. So, this morning the three passages above struck my consciousness as being applicable FOR ME. I hope that you have read the three chapters of Proverbs this morning FOR YOU with a James 1: 5-6 attitude; and YOU have been guided for YOUR LIFE by God’s wisdom today.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank you for giving me Your mind through Your word today. Help me to apply it this very day for Your glory. Amen

June 4, 2012 … The Two Women In Our Lives

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 7-9 To study these chapters, go to this link - 

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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 7: 1-5: [NKJV]… 1 My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, You are my sister, And call understanding your nearest kin, 5 That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words. 
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 Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 8: 1-2 :[NKJV] … 1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? 2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet. 
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs :9 1, 13-15 :[NKJV] … 1 Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; … 13 A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing. 14 For she sits at the door of her house, On a seat by the highest places of the city, 15 To call to those who pass by, Who go straight on their way.  


My Journal for Today: Reading on in Proverbs, chapters 7-9 today, God pictures our everyday struggles of the mind verses the flesh as our response to the proclamations of a woman of wisdom (appealing to the mind) and the allures of the woman of folly (appealing to the flesh). Two women in our lives, … both clamoring for us to follow them, … but using two very different strategies.

The woman, wisdom, is solid, resourceful, and always able to provide all we need for life; but she is pitted against the thieving woman of the senses, the one who clamors with her alluring, sweet voice, which appeals to every part of our flesh. What the woman of folly can supply is only passing; but it is ever so sweet. The woman wisdom, on the other hand, is rock solid; and when we choose to listen to her, she can provide us with all we need to live in life. The fool’s harlot, however, can only give us temporary pleasure, which always leads to some degree of death in our soul.

Solomon wanted his son (as God wants all believers) to recognize that the pursuit of truth (i.e., wisdom) gives all we need for life; and the response to the folly of sensuous pleasure can only lead to death when we choose to respond to her siren call to our senses. And everyday Solomon’s son (and that’s all of us) are going to be faced with these two women, wisdom and folly, crying out for us to follow them; and the one we choose to follow will lead us to life or death.

Jesus gave His disciples this choice one day as a group of followers came after Him. He said (in Luke 9: 23 “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” In that moment Jesus was speaking the voice of wisdom to those who will also hearing the voice of folly calling to their senses; but they (we) must choose to follow the ultimate voice of wisdom; and that is Jesus as He speaks His truth through His word.

Today, my dear one, we are going to be hearing the voice of the two women, wisdom and folly, crying out to our minds and our senses. We will have to respond to one of them. Which will it be?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I am here in Your word this morning, listening to Your beautiful voice of wisdom; … and I choose to follow You. Show me Your way of life. Amen

June 3, 2012 … Wisdom – God’s Map Thru the Sexual Minefields

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 4-6 To study these chapters, go to this link - 

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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 4: 4-7: [NKJV]… 4 He [Solomon’s Father, David] also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; THEREFORE, … get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” 
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 5: 1-4, 21-22 :[NKJV] … 1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding, 2 That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. … 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths. 22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. 
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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 6: 20-24 :[NKJV] … 20 My son, keep your fathers command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.21 Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck.22 When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you.23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 

My Journal for Today: Well, if you’ve read and studied along with me in this chronological trek through the Bible this year, on more than one occasion I have made a reference to a word picture I latched onto from a mentor years ago which has served me so well in dealing with a stronghold of sin in my life. He pointed out to me that one would be wise, if having to traverse a minefield either to follow someone who knew where all the mines were or to have a map of the mines in the minefield. And he went on to insure that I knew and internalized that God’s word – i.e., His truth/wisdom – was God’s map through the minefields, as we tried to avoid the explosive and deadly mines of sin in our lives.

And that is exactly what God was doing for Solomon’s son [and all believers] as Solomon, being the voice of God, the Father, did all he could to pass along the advice that David had given him to avoid one of the deadliest minefields any boy, becoming a man, can avoid and that is the minefield of sexual sin. And because of my past and my now calling in ministry – helping Christian men recover from habitual sexual sin, and learning how to traverse the minefields of sexual sin in our XXX-laden culture – this section of Proverbs has a special and powerful meaning for me.

Here was Solomon, having that dreaded “sex talk” with his boy, … doing all he could to show the lad (which is any immature believer learning to avoid the minefields of sin in life) how to get through the minefields of sexual sin without being severely damaged. And today, apparently as in Solomon’s day, sexual sin is one of Satan’s biggest and most deadly minefields in life. Our spiritual arch enemy has a vast and extremely deadly minefield for anyone in life – especially us guys – to traverse; and as Solomon warns his son in today’s chapters of Proverbs, the only way to get through this minefield successfully is to have God’s word so deeply embedded in our minds/hearts that it becomes God’s map through the minefields.

The author of Psalm 119 knew this when he wrote Psalm 119: 9, 11: How can a young man cleanse his way; … by taking heed according to Your word. … Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You (Lord).   And God told Joshua much the same thing as a prescription for spiritual success in all the battles of life which were to be ahead of Joshua, when God proclaimed (in Joshua 1: 8), … You shall meditate in [God’s word] day and night that you may observed to do according to all that is written in it. Then … you will have success … 

Knowing – i.e., deeply knowing - God’s word (i.e., His wisdom) and praying to seek God’s wisdom from it (see James 1: 5-6) is the only way to negotiate the minefields of life, especially those laden with sexual bombs, like p0rnography addiction, homosexuality, and other forms of sexual sin. So, I pray that we (Christians) will take heed to this advice from Solomon. Unfortunately he didn’t live by his own advice; and the book of Ecclesiastes chronicles the deadly outcomes which Solomon had to deal with in his life by not heeding God’s map through the minefields.

May we take God’s advice to Joshua [in Joshua 1: 8] and trek successfully through the minefields of life, walking safely and securely by the light of God’s word [see Psalm 119: 105].

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I have Your word secured in my mind and heart as a light unto my path, … and I will use it to move through the minefields of life. Amen

June 2, 2012 … God’s “GPS”

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Proverbs, Chapters 1-3 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: Proverbs 1: 1-7: [NKJV]… 1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 
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Highlight Passage #2: Proverbs 2: 1-5: …[NKJV] 1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.. 

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Highlight Passage #3: Proverbs 3: 5-6: …[NKJV] 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

My Journal for Today: Wow! I’m a bit in awe of where and how to start this journal entry now that my reading plan has led me into the Book of Proverbs; and here today to study the first three chapters. I like what my Parsons Commentary had to say about the Proverbs - ” What the book of Psalms is to prayer and devotional life, the book of Proverbs is to everyday life. Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living. This book is not just a collection of homey sayings; it contains deep spiritual insights drawn from experience. A proverb is a short, wise, easy-to-remember saying that calls a person to action.“

Solomon apparently wrote most of the Book of Proverbs, especially the first 9 chapters, early in his kingship; and he was probably led by God’s Spirit to write these poetic signposts to wisdom before his own pride and arrogance got in the way of his own walk with the Lord. In other words [and this is only my observation], … if Solomon had walked-the-walk of life as he wrote about it in his own Proverbs, he would not have ended up compelled to write the book of Ecclesiastes later in his life to confess for himself and to help others to realize that it is so, so easy for us to get complacent, lazy, and so filled with pride that we don’t do what he, Solomon, was trying to get others to do in following God and letting God’s Spirit guide us as believers to a wise and Godly life.

That’s certainly the purpose of the Proverbs, as you can read above in the first highlight passage (Prov. 1: 1-5), where we read Solomon challenging the believer, in this case young, immature, believers, like a father speaking to his son, … to become wise, … with the essence of wisdom coming from one’s fear of (i.e., reverence in following) the Lord. Certainly, Solomon had been given all the tools of intellect by God to have the ability to write what we read in Proverbs. God blessed him with the highest degree of human understanding and Spirit-led insight. But even though He had all of what a human would need to do to live a wise/Godly life; he blew it! What Solomon wrote in Prov. 3: 5-6, copied above, he simply either became prideful and arrogant or just plain lazy in seeking to grow further, motivated by the awe of His God, because we know that he was not able to live up to his own proverbial writings, and he got off track, … not walking-the-walk as he had talked-the-talk [i.e., written] from God’s Spirit.

In other words, somewhere along the way, using Prov. 3: 5-6 as truth, he followed his own, likely, fleshly, understanding, rather than following closely the understanding of life he had been given by God; and he went down the road of vanity as he ended up confessing in Ecclesiastes, which led him to crushing failure.

Dear one, … I hope we’re grasping the lessons which Solomon’s written warnings give us in Proverbs; and we don’t have to come back later in life, having to confess, repent, and be restored onto the path of righteousness from a life diverted into the tarpits of sin. God, through Solomon’s writings in Proverbs wanted us to seek His way and will from His word, living in awe of His holiness and following God’s road to eternal life, … rather than leaning on our own ways and going down the path of selfish pursuit, which can only lead to death.

Incorporating the Godly wisdom of the Proverbs into our life, with the assumption that we know and believe all that is written into the rest of God’s word (i.e., Scripture), we will be given God’s direction-finder, … a Spirit-enhanced “GPS” device [a “Godly Positioning System”], which will, if we follow it, lead us to walk-the-walk of a Godly life.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I want You as my “GPS” for life; and I mostly find my way by seeking Your will and Your way from Your word. Amen

June 1, 2012 … Living As Christ’s Bride

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Song of Solomon, Chapters 1-8; To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: Song of Solomon 1: 4: … 4 Take me [the Shulammite maiden] away with you [King Solomon] — let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. 
Highlight Passage #2: Song of Solomon 5: 16: … [Now Solomon’s wife] … 16 His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.
Highlight Passage #3: Song of Solomon 8: 6: … [Later … Solomon’s wife] … 6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. 

My Journal for Today: Well, today’s chronological read was – in my estimation – an unfair assignment – to read, reflect, and meditate on the entire book Solomon wrote to capture his love for a Jewish maiden who became his wife; and some scholars say this poetic book allegorically captures God’s love for His people as well as a pre-incarnate picture of Christ, the ultimate Bridegroom, wooing, winning, and loving His Bride – the Church.

So, how can one do all that in one morning?! Not fair!!; … because there is so much beauty, emotion, and down-right sensuality upon which a reader can meditate and reflect in this very different book of the Bible. But this morning I’ve done what my reading plan editors asked; and while I did so, some of my reflections are captured in the three highlight passages I’ve copied above.

And the first of these above is the Shulammite maiden, the beautiful, tanned, young woman whom Solomon was drawn to, expressing her surrender to the King, who swept her off her feet with the sensuality of their feelings for one another. And in this scene, I was taken back to when I was first emotionally swept off my feet by my pursuing prospective Bridegroom, … My Lord, Who, with such power and purpose, swept me from my spiritual foundation and pursued me with His love. And I responded, receiving my Lord’s pursuits, surrendering all that I was to His love and His forgiving grace. He came for His bride; and I was His.

I hope you read through the Song of Songs and reflect on how you are Christ’s bride, sealed forever in an eternal friendship and glorious covenant love relationship; and as our Groom, He is going to come back for us … to take us to His Kingly and heavenly court in order to consummate the relationship for which I am preparing my linens for the wedding feast of the Lamb, … for my beloved Bridegroom, Lord, and King (see Rev. 19: 7-8). Oh what beauty we can read – in the Song of Solomon – of that coming wedding feast.

My second observation, from the second passage listed above, is that my Bridegroom is my “bestest” friend. I know that superlative adjective is not even a word; but when it comes to the eternal relationship I now enjoy – and will enjoy forever – my Savior and Lord, the Bridegroom Who will come for His bride, the Church, sees all who receive His salvation love as HIS “FRIEND,” … just like He referred to the man who was let down through the roof for his healing in Luke 5. I am His bride and He is my friend. How cool is that?!!

And finally, from the third of the passages, copied above, I see my lover and Bridegroom as my protector and the one who will always be there because I’ve been sealed unto His heart forever in a love relationship that cannot be broken. And my fellow Christian, there is nothing more endearing than having that kind of relationship with the One Who gave His all to bind me with Him to eternal life together.

Reading and reflecting on this long assignment may have been a bit of a chore, especially for one, like me, who has a reading disability; but it was well worth it, to have God tell me and show me – in His word – from the pen of Solomon just how much my Lord and King loves me as His Bride; and now in that role, as it says in the passage of Revelations cited above, I need to be preparing my linens (i.e., with my acts of obedient righteousness) for His return, … when He, my King, will take me to His home in heaven to be with Him forever.

My Prayer Today: … Oh, Lord, I am overwhelmed with Your love. Amen

May 31, 2012 …. Pride Goes Before a Fall

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Chronicles 1 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 72 … To study this Psalm, go to this link - 
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Reference Passage: Reference passage for Today’s Bible Study: Deuteronomy 17: 14-20 … To study this passage go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage : 2nd Chronicles 1: 7, 10, 12, 14-15 … 7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." … [Solomon’s reply] “10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?" … [God’s response] … “…12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have." … [Following God’s providence to Solomon] … 14 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones… 

My Journal for Today: Today’s read from the chronological reading plan has me reading the parallel passage to what I studied yesterday from 1st Kings, chapters 3-4; … today from 2nd Chronicles 1, and I’m asking that any reader with me here take the time to read the copied verses from this chapter which I’ve provided for your study.

And in doing so, I was stricken by how Solomon, with the bestowing of God’s grace of wisdom, wealth, and power, chose to let his own pride get in the way of sound judgment, even going against his own written advice to his own son and to other believers in Proverbs 16: 18, where he wrote, [NIV] " Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."

You know, it is not uncommon, at least for this Christian, that our pride can take hold, especially when things are going well. Have you ever experienced the feeling that you are in control and can do no wrong when things are going really going well for you? I sure have! … And that is what apparently happened for Solomon. As you can read above, God really unloaded a pile of wondrous grace upon Solomon when the Lord noted that Solomon had humbly asked for wisdom rather than asking for wealth and power when he was given that opportunity by God. And so, what did Solomon do with all that God provided for him? He went out, and in his arrogance, he ignored the instructions (i.e., commands) that God had levied on kings in God’s Book of the Law.

Again, as I did yesterday, I’ve provided any reader with a link to the passage in Deuteronomy 17 where God gives His rules for the kingship of God’s people. And in these boundaries, we see God saying that no king will accumulate vast numbers of horses, gold/silver, and wives; and Solomon, as we can read in 1st Kings 3-4 and 2nd Chronicles 1, as well as from history, did all of these things, blatently mocking God with his kingly choices.

And as we also know from Solomon’s own writings (Proverbs 3: 34), God resists the mockery of pride and gives His grace only to the humble. So, as I wrote yesterday, when one reads the reflections of Solomon later in life in the book of Ecclesiastes, it is not surprising that Solomon would proclaim [go back and read Ecclesiastes, chapter 2] for others who would come after him that his life had become wracked and ruined by his own VANITY and pridefulness.

So, my friend, if things are really going well for you; and you are being given a lot of good things in life from God’s providence, … BEWARE! It is so easy to fall into the same trap in which Solomon did, letting pride go before a fall. 

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to avoid my own deceit-ridden heart and to continue to see You in all things and at all times, even when I am being given so much by Your grace. Amen

May 30, 2012 …. Using God’s Providence for HIS Glory

Passage of the Day: Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Kings, Chapters 3-4 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Reference Passage: Reference passage for Today’s Bible Study: Deuteronomy 17: 14-20 … To study this passage go to this link -
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Highlight Passage : 1st Kings: 3: 11-12 … 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this [i.e., wisdom] and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 
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Highlight Passage #2: 1st Kings: 4: 29-34 … 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. 

My Journal for Today: Today, in my chronological read through Scripture, I was led to read about Solomon’s early rule in 1st Kings, chapter 3-4; and this reading is filled with paradoxical contradiction. In the first highlight passage above from 1st Kings 3: 11-12, we read of Solomon being given the option by God’s providence of having anything that God could/would provide, including power, wealth, etc. However, Solomon chose to receive WISDOM from God; and God favored Solomon, making him the wisest man on earth as God’s king over His people. In fact, as we read in the second highlight passage, copied above from 1st Kings 4: 29-34 we read that people and rulers came from all around the middle east at the time to see how Solomon ruled with the HUMAN wisdom God had given the King.

 And yet, paradoxically, we read early in 1st Kings 3 how Solomon was already making ill-begotten decisions by marrying the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh, … the first of hundreds of wives, all human (and selfish) decisions which breached God’s commands/laws which were laid out for any who would become king over God’s chosen people. Use the link above and go to the Deuteronomy 17 passage where these kingly rules were laid out by God; and you will see that even though God gave Solomon all the human brain-power it would take to rule over God’s people and to lead Israel as a nation, he (Solomon) did not exercise that God-given prowess wisely.

And isn’t that the same human paradox that we Christians have in these New Covenant times? According to the Apostle Peter, inspired by God in Scripture (see 2nd Peter 1: 3-4) … 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. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  ,,, And even with God’s imparting to us everything He gave to Solomon, don’t we blow it in life just like he did?

And if you’ve read the book of Ecclesiastes, which was Solomon’s chronicle of confession on how he did not choose to use his God-given wisdom wisely, we see that just because God gives us what we need to reflect His holiness and love in this world and our lives, we still have the responsibility to CHOOSE to use it as God instructs we use His providence … FOR HIS GLORY! And as God instructed Solomon (and any king or leader of God’s people), we need to use God’s Book of the Law, i.e., His word - Scripture, for us to be able to make Godly choices and live Godly lives. You can read those instructions, which Solomon most certainly had, in the Deuteronomy passage, linked above. And these were the same instructions given to Joshua when he was given God’s instructions for leadership in Joshua 1: 8; and that is to be in, stay in, and live by God’s word. Because, … when anyone, and especially God’s leaders, do that, God will bless them with His own success and prosperity in the tasks God lays out for us to accomplish (i.e., God’s will for our lives).

HOWEVER, my dear co-reader, the opposite is also the case. When we DO NOT annex and employ God’s word, gleaning His will, and living His way, we will fail in being His witnesses and shining His light in this ever darkening world. THEREFORE, it is my desire (and my prayer today) to be all what I can be – for my God’s glory – by doing all I can to live in/from His word so that I can seek His will and live by His way, becoming the light which my Savior commanded me to be (see Matt. 5: 16) so that I can glorify my Father in Heaven.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for giving me what I need to live in Your purpose for my life. Now, help me to seek Your wisdom out in Your word, and to live by it EVERY DAY of my life. Amen

May 29, 2012 …. An Obsession With God’s Word

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 119 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 119: 9-16 … To study these chapters, go to this link -   
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 119: 105-112 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage : Psalm 119: 9-11 … 9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. … 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. … 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
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Highlight Passage #2: Psalm 119: 105-106 [NLT] … 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. 

My Journal for Today: And today in my chronological reading plan, I was led to read and meditate on one of the most powerful Psalms in our Bible, Psalm 119, the longest of the psalms [and the longest chapter in the Bible]; and one of the most poetic of the Bible songs, having been written as an acrostic, where the first letter of each stanza of eight verses is a letter of the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet. Therefore, 8 verses times 22 letters equals 176 verses, which is the length, in verses, of Psalm 119.

Long ago my mentor taught me of the tradition and supposed history of this psalm, possibly being written by Ezra, the priest, who reintroduced God’s word to God’s people after the walls and Temple were rebuilt, which is documented in Nehemiah 8: 1-12. Here, the remnant of Israel were gathered; and Ezra reintroduced the Book of the Law to the people. And hearing the word, especially with the help of the Levite teachers, God’s chosen were overwhelmed with joy and worshipped their Lord as they had not done in decades during their captivity by the Babylonians.

And so, I can just imagine Ezra, being captivated by the power of God’s word to bring God’s people back to Himself, then writing this beautiful and powerful song, which captured the compulsive love affair the author of Psalm 119 had with God’s word. And so, I really hope you’ve taken the time to read (or re-read) and meditate on this wonderful poem about the power of God’s word to reshape and guide the lives of believers. But today I’m going to highlight only two passages from this poem which express truths which are near and dear to me, personally, as well as to the mission and ministry purpose God has led me pursue in life, … Battle Plan Ministries, which, if you don’t know about, you can read about BPM at this link.

The second stanza of Psalm 119, the so-called “Beth” (2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet) verses, declares a powerful prescription from God to help believers avoid sin in their lives. Is there any reader here today, declaring themselves to be “a Christian,” who doesn’t want do all we can to avoid our sin nature? Do I sense a strong “YES!” answer to that question? Well, if one is serious about being proactive to avoid sin, God gives his strategy – or “Battle Plan” as we’d call it in our ministry – to avoid our default to our sin nature; and that is investing the time and effort to get God’s word so deeply into our consciousness that this process gives us our one, strong weapon against sin and Satan; and that, of course is God’s word, the sword of the Spirit (see Ephesians 6: 17).

Hey, Jesus used this strategy to fight His arch enemy, Satan (see Matt. 4 and Luke 4); and I figure that if that battle strategy to avoid sin is good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me (and any believer!). I hope you agree, because Psalm 119: 9, 11 sings clearly that getting God’s word deeply into the heart (i.e., spiritual being) of any believer, even the immature disciple, is the way to glorify God by avoiding sin. Sure, Jesus (in Matthew 4 and Luke 4) was The Living Word; but we can wield the living word as our sword in battle when we live on and claim the sword of the Spirit.

The second passage to which I highlight any reader here today is the “Nun” segment of Psalm 119, which is Verses 105 – 112, especially highlighting verse 105-106, which I’ve copied above for my fellow seekers after truth. Here we see Ezra, or whomever authored this psalm, declaring that God’s word lights up the path of anyone who truly believes Scripture; and then, God uses His truth to guide that believer in life. And I hope you agree with this poet, and yours truly, that God’s word is truly a light unto our footsteps in life.

Often in ministry, I ask men, who are trying to walk through life with more direction, purity, and freedom from sin, if they’d rather be the first to walk through a minefield; or would they rather have a guide-map showing where al the mines are to avoid being wounded in making our way through the minefield we call life. … Duh!!! … The answer is a no-brainer, of course. And Psalm 119: 105 clearly states that God’s word is that path-finder through the minefields of life, lighting the way for us to walk through life without getting our emotional/spiritual “toes” blown away.

I hope you take in Psalm 119 in depth, my friend, … possibly doing a careful study of this powerful poem some day down the road. And I hope you let this Psalm guide you to get God’s word deeply into your heart and life so that it will become a light unto your path and a powerful weapon to avoid sin.

And as little Edith Ann [Lily Tomlin] used to say from her chair on Laugh-In (take 10 seconds to view her at this link) …

 “And ... THAT’S THE TRUTH!!”

My Prayer Today: … Lord, Your word is truth; and it always is a light unto my path and my sword in battle! Amen

May 28, 2012 … To Know Him Is to Love Him

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Kings: 1-2 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day #2: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 37 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day #3: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 71 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day #4: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 94 … To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage : 1st Kings 2: 1-4 … 1 When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. … 2 "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' 
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Highlight Passage #2 : 1st Kings 2: 46b … The kingdom was now established in Solomon's hands. 
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Highlight Passage #3: Psalm 37: 4-5 … 4 Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: ...

Journal for Today: Over into the book of 1st Kings today in my reading plan; and historically King David passes his throne to Solomon amidst a lot of family and political intrigue. If you’re reading along with this, we see that David is still living out the consequences of his past sin with Bathsheba and God’s covenant with David, as well as God’s curse upon David’s family, is still working itself out during all the political intrigue occurring at the end of David’s life.

However, in today’s readings, God seemed to have me focus on the charge King David gave to his son, Solomon, as the power of the kingdom was passed from father to son in these troubled times. And the advice David gave to his son in this passing of the torch of kingship (see 1st Kings 2: 1-4 was much the same as the spiritual advice given by David in a passage of one of David’s Psalms, which we often hear quoted by Christian preachers; and that is Psalm 37: 4-5, copied above.

You’ll note, if you study the emboldened and underlined verses above, how the spiritual advice, given by inspiration of God from David, is much the same. If we are to be empowered and enabled by God and His will for our lives, we must “delight ourselves in the Lord.” David certainly wanted His son, Solomon, to prosper in the ways of the Lord; and from life’s experience, David knew that the only way this was going to happen for Solomon would be for his son to live out the life-leading instructions found in God’s word – for David and Solomon, which was the “Book of the Law.”

In other words, Solomon’s ability to receive God’s blessings would dependent on just how much David’s son would “delight” in doing God’s will as spelled out in God’s word. And so this was David’s charge to Solomon, as you can read above; and it was David’s charge to all believers in the lyrics of Psalm 37: 4 as well. We will only deeply experience the desires of our hearts when/if they are the desires of God’s heart.

If you’ve read here with me in my morning devotionals in the past, you quite likely have heard my chain of directives which I was once given by a mentor and which I have tried to live out in my own life, since I truly desire to be blessed by God. It goes like this … to know God is to love God; … to love God is to obey God; … to obey God is to serve God; … and to serve God is to be blessed by God.

David wanted Solomon to be blessed by the Lord; so, he charged his son to “delight” in the ways of the Lord and to do this by following those ways from God’s word, … knowing that if Solomon did this, he would be blessed by a delighted God who pours His grace upon those who obey His will and follow His ways.

Perhaps you see that David’s charge to his son is God’s charge to us as His disciples. Solomon later wrote to his son (in Proverbs 3: 5-6) in my wife’s life verse, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him; and He will direct your paths.” 

Doesn’t that sound a lot like the advice you read above in Psalm 37: 4-5? I think it does. And I plan to follow it; … how about you?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I so desire to have You smile, knowing that I am delighting in Your ways to follow Your will from Your word. Amen

May 27, 2012 …. Again, Sing Praises To Our Lord!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 111-118 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage : Psalm 111: 10 … The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.
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Highlight Passage #2: Psalm 112: 1 … Praise the Lord [Hebrew “Hallelu Yah”]… Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in His commands.
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Highlight Passage #3: Psalm 116: 1-2 [NLT] … 1 I love the Lord because He hears and answers my prayers. 2 Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!
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Highlight Passage #4: Psalm 118: 1 … Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever!

My Journal for Today: Eight – count em! - … eight psalms in my chronological reading assignment today; and collectively in the book of Psalms my study reveals that they are called The Hallelujah Psalms. “Hallelu-yah” in Hebrew, of course, means “Praise Yahweh, the Lord;” And if you do read and meditate through these eight psalms, as I have this morning, you’ll note that several of them begin with the phrase, “Praise the Lord” or translated, “Hallelujah!” They are uplifting and express in song the need for believers to take time and purposely express what should be the attitude of the believer’s heart … and that is praise and thanks for a loving, caring, forgiving, AND saving God … the God Who saved His people from Egypt (all of Psalms 115-118, which are often sung at Passover); … the God who bends His ear to hear ALL believers (see Psalm 116: 1-2); … and the God Who is always good and Whose love endures forever (the recurring line in Psalm 118).

How often do we believers come to God, many times in crisis or in an emergency, with a plea for help or for His providence; and how often do we just come to Him, praying our love for God, our praise for His holiness and sovereignty, and our thanks for His mercy? I’m afraid all too often we do the former and all to few times the latter. Or maybe that’s just me!

Several personal observations from these Psalms; and the first is that all of these songs are attributed to anonymous authors. God, the Holy Spirit, is the only author to Whom we can trace these songs of praise; and isn’t that perfect, because their subject matter – i.e., PRAISE and THANKS – should be attributed to every man (and woman), not to some specific personality, like David, who authored so many of the Psalms.

Secondly, I’m convicted by the reality that my life of worship does not really seek my God out of pure reverence (i.e., the “fear of the Lord” spoken of in Psalm 111: 10). This was a lesson that apparently Solomon learned and expressed in Proverbs 1: 7-10; but unfortunately he didn’t live out in his life all what well under this admonition. We believers must always approach life with an awe of reverence for the ONE AND ONLY, totally sovereign, and HOLY God. And when we think of how He set aside His glory and was incarnate in Jesus to save us, how can we not revere His loving and forgiving nature? Oh, how my daily prayers fall short – so often – of the praise and thanksgiving my God deserves. [Oh, forgive me, Lord!]

And finally, in one of my favorite passages in the Psalms, Psalm 116: 1-2, we read of how our God so desires to hear us – i.e., to relate to us – that He BENDS DOWN to hear our expressions. But what are my expressions? All too often, I’m afraid, they are “Help me, Lord;” … “Heal me, Lord;” … “Provide for me, Lord!” And yet, my God still bends down to hear me … to pursue me … to love me. Go figure!!! … Do I deserve His attention? ABSOLUTELY NOT! But nonetheless, He still gives it to me, … especially when I come to Him with an attitude, like that expressed in these psalms today, to praise Him, to thank Him, and to obey His precepts.

It is the latter attitude of humility and seeking which show we truly love our Lord; and I’m convicted today to sing – or at least, say – a loud … HALLELUJAH!!!

My Prayer Today: … Oh, yes, Lord … HALLELUJAH!!! Amen

May 26, 2012 … David’s Legacy Is Ours

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Chronicles 26-29 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Psalm 127 … To study this Psalm, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage: … 1st Chronicles 26: 27-27 … 26 Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders.27 Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord. 
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Highlight Passage #2: … 1st Chronicles 28: 9-10 … [David to his son, Solomon] ...  9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. … Be strong and do the work."
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Highlight Passage #3: … 1st Chronicles 29: 18-19 … [David’s prayer for Solomon] ”… 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided."  
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Highlight Passage #4: … Psalm 127: 1 … 1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 

My Journal for Today: There’s a lot in my chronological reading plan assignment for this date, … studying in the last four chapters of 1st Chronicles and Psalm 127, which I hope you take in with the links above. And your study will reveal somewhat of a last will and testament by King David in his later years as he turns over the building of the Temple and prays for the future of God’s people, the Israelites. And in these charges and prayers (even a prayer of Solomon’s in Psalm 127), we can glean a lot of principles for living from those who are truly sold-out believers in the one, true … the only, true … living God.

And David lays out a lot of these principles to his son, Solomon. Here are a few of them for our review and self inventory … [See 1st Chronicles 28: 9-10 above] …
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1. Develop a deep and abiding relationship with God … i.e., see and know God
2. Learn life’s path and receive life guidance from God’s word (the Scripture)
3. Worship God in complete surrender … our 24/7 devotion to Him
4. Serve God willingly and faithfully … i.e., our service is our worship
5. Never give up on God
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And apparently Solomon, at least at the time of taking over the building and completion of the Holy Temple and when he became King in succession of David, received this advice willingly and with surrender; because in Psalm 127, verse one, quoted above, we read Solomon writing the song, dedicating any building in God’s kingdom being in vain if it is not built under the guidance and with purpose coming from God Himself.

I truly hope, and will pray today, that my life is built in what I call “surrender mode” to my God. I pray that what I do each day is somehow building God’s kingdom, which according to my New Covenant beliefs is the utilization of all that I am – my body, mind, and soul [i.e., His temple] – for my worship of my God (see 1st Cor. 6: 19 and Romans 12: 1). And if I try to be a steward of and a builder of God’s temple (my body/mind/spirit) on my own, without the guiding principles from God’s word, as it says in Psalm 127: 1, the work will be in vain.

 My friend, if you’re reading here, please know that the reason why I’m here voluntarily at all on this beautiful Saturday morning is only to become a better builder of God’s temple, … where God resides in me, as a place of worship and a focus of my being one of my Lord’s kingdom builders. And so all of the instructions which I read from God in this morning’s devotional, passed along to Solomon, as to the building of God’s Temple and His kingdom, certainly apply as I do all I can (and you too in your life) to be a kingdom builder for God’s glory. That’s what David wanted for Solomon, having learned these lessons the hard way with many failures in his life; and that’s what God wants for me (and you, too!).

So, my friend, let’s go about building God’s temple for His glory today.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, that is my prayer today. That I follow your Scriptural guide and I lay a few bricks in the building of Your Kingdom … for Your glory. Amen