DAY 1 – January 4, 2010
TITLE: “KEEP MY COMMANDS”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.” Proverbs 3:1
John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper. He wrote that it had been a wearying day, and so he asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while he had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House.
"Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.” She responded, "He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb.” President Johnson said, "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.” She responded, "No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.” Later when John Galbraith called the president back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. He said, “Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.”
This story is about someone who knew who they were
accountable to. The one she was accountable to was more important to obey than
the President of the
Archibald Rutledge wrote that one day he met a man whose dog had just been killed in a forest fire. Heartbroken, the man explained to Rutledge how it happened. Because he worked out-of-doors, he often took his dog with him. That morning, he left the animal in a clearing and gave him a command to stay and watch his lunch bucket while he went into the forest. His faithful friend understood, for that’s exactly what he did. Then a fire started in the woods, and soon the blaze spread to the spot where the dog had been left. But he didn’t move. He stayed right where he was, in perfect obedience to his master’s word. With tearful eyes, the dog’s owner said, “I always had to be careful what I told him to do, because I knew he would do it.”
Every command God has given us in His word is given with care and wisdom. God calls us to do what He asks us to do. Can God depend upon you to keep His commandments?
“When we walk with the
Lord in the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds
on our way!
While we do His good
will, He abides with us still,
And
with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for
there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus; but to trust and obey.” John Sammis
DAY 2 – January 5, 2010
TITLE: “THE TABLET OF YOUR HEART”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 3:3
Through the years I, like most of you, have written a lot of different things, for a lot of reasons. I have written cards, letters, papers, books, devotionals, sermons, and numerous other things. I have written them by hand and through the use of typewriters, computers, dictation machines, secretaries, and assistants. I have written about all kinds of subjects for a variety of people on a variety of issues. As I am writing this, I have just finished writing a reference for someone. The reference request came with instructions on the format to be used and how the reference was to be prepared.
In this passage, we are given some writing instructions. We are to write love and faithfulness on the tablet of our heart. The word picture here is clear and insightful.
What comes to mind when you think of the word picture of writing on the tablet of your heart?
In scripture, the heart is not just an isolated element of personality. Though it includes feelings, the heart embraces the whole inner man including motives, affections, desires, the will, principles, thoughts, and the intellect. In essence, the heart stands for the person themselves. The heart has been called the control room of the soul, by which one functions as a self-conscious and self-determing being.
The scripture makes it clear that the state of the heart determines whether one is good or evil. This is why Proverbs 4:23 instructs, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” It is with our heart that we believe. Scripture says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:10. It is with the heart that we love God. Mark 12:30 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30. It is in the heart that Christ dwells. Paul wrote, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” Ephesians 3:16-17
In light of its importance and significance, we are to be careful what we write on the tablet of our hearts. Proverbs calls us to write love and faithfulness on our hearts. What are you writing on the tablet of your heart today?
DAY 3 – January 6, 2010
TITLE: “TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;” Proverbs 3:5
In the writings of history the story is told that on his
march through
While the medicine was being prepared, Alexander the Great received a letter from an enemy of Philip's that accused the physician of having been bribed by the Persian King to poison his master. It warned Alexander not to take the medicine as it would kill him. Alexander read the letter and slipped it under his pillow without showing it to anyone. When Philip entered the tent with the medicine, Alexander took the cup from him, at the same time handing Philip the letter. While the physician was reading it, Alexander calmly drank the contents of the cup. Horrified at the accusations against him in the letter, Philip threw himself down at the king's bedside. Alexander assured him that he had taken the medicine because he trusted Philip and had complete confidence in him. After three days, the king was well enough again to appear before his army.
What does it mean to really trust someone? For Alexander the Great, it meant to put his life in the hands of Philip the Acarnanian. What does it mean to really trust in the Lord? The writer of Proverbs says it means to trust with all of our heart. In other words, it is to trust without holding anything back.
Earlier this morning, I swam my mile at the gym. This morning the water was warmer than normal and I found my self taking it easy for a while as I swam. After a little while another man started to swim in the lane beside me. When I realized he was swimming faster than I was, it reminded me that I was not putting my whole heart into the swim. I was going through the motions of swimming a mile, but I was not swimming with all my heart.
The writer of Proverbs goes on to say, that to trust in the Lord is to lean not on our own understanding. In other words it is to put our confidence in the Lord. God is trustworthy. Will you trust the Lord with all your heart today?
“Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart, This is God’s gracious command;
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, So shalt thou dwell in the land.” Thomas Chisholm
DAY 4– January 7, 2010
TITLE: “SHUN EVIL”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”
Proverbs 3:7
Webster defines the adjective evil as 1. Injurious; mischievous. 2. Morally corrupt; wicked. 3. Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous. 4. Arising from bad character. Actual or imputed. Webster defines the noun evil as, 1. Anything impairing happiness or welfare or depriving of good. 2. Moral badness. One theological dictionary says, “As the opposite of good, evil is any quality, condition, or event which is inherently negative and destructive.” Scripture often uses the word evil as a synonym for sin.
Evil is a reality. It is not something to be ignored, but it
is something to be shunned. One cannot truly fear the Lord and do evil, it is
contrary to all that God is and stands for. Proverbs 8:13 instructs, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate
pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Listen to the
opening words of the book of Job. It says, “In
the
God instructs us to shun evil. To shun evil is to avoid, evade, dodge, or elude evil. How do you respond to evil? Psalms 34:14 instructs, “Turn from evil and do good’; seek peace and pursue it.” How do you respond to evil? Romans 12:9 says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” How do you respond to evil? I Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” How do you respond to evil? II Timothy 2:22 instructs, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” How will you respond to evil?
DAY 5–January 8, 2010
TITLE: “HONOR THE LORD”
WEEKLY SCRIPTURE
DAILY SCRIPTURE
KEY VERSE: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;” Proverbs 3:9
Steve Green is a contemporary Christian music singer, born August 1, 1956 in Portland, Oregon.
This tenor is notable for his vocal range, flexible solo style, and his
commitment to honor God with music. Over his twenty-five year career, Green has
been honored as a four-time Grammy Award nominee, seven-time Dove Award
winner, has had 13 No. 1 songs, and has sold over three million albums. One of
the songs he recorded is a song simply titled, “Honor the Lord.”
“Honor the Lord with your songs of praise,
Come before Him with singing.
Lift up your hands and your voices raise,
Honor the Lord with your songs of praise.
He is the One who gives us the breath to sing.
He is the God who breathes life in everything.
The only holy Father,
Lord God almighty.”
Honoring God is an intentional act of the will. The Psalmist said, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalm 29:2. Honoring God is the right thing to do. To fail to honor God, is to dishonor God, for God is worthy of all honor.
We are to honor God with our wealth. This does not mean you have to be rich to honor God. It means simply to invest in God with all that we have. Wealth includes money and material possessions, but honoring God includes, honoring God with all that we are and have. The apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” I Corinthians 6:19-20.
The second part of the verse says to honor God with the firstfruits of all your crops. In other words, we are to honor God with the first part and best of all we have and produce. As one poet so insightfully said, we are to give of our best to the Master.
“Give of your best to
the Master, Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service, Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you shall
be given - God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him, Give Him the best that you have.” Howard Grose