Devotional

31 Proverbs Highlights: #3-Sleep

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(A simple series highlighting verses from each chapter of the book of Proverbs)

Maintain your competence and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant. Proverbs 3:21-24

Full of Fear? Having Difficulty Sleeping?

The remedy for fear and lose of sleep-maintaining competence and discretion.

So, what if you don’t possess those naturally?

  • Seek counsel from those who have them.
  • Acquire mentoring to grow in them.
  • Seek God through his word and prayer to obtain his competence and discretion.

Easter Preparation

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Thank you for leading us in the Lord’s Supper last night. One of the most precious times I’ve ever experienced it. I think there is something wrong in our hearts if we don’t get emotional every time we take it.

This text came to me this morning from a choir member in reference to our time together before last night’s Good Friday service. 

Yesterday was a day of solitude and remembrance at my house. Mostly reading, listening to Easter songs, and resting. The day prepared me for the night.

One of the songs on my Easter playlist is “O The Blood,” by Kari Jobe. It’s what we listened to in remembrance last night. You can follow this link to remember and to prepare your heart for tomorrow. 

O The Blood [feat. Kari Jobe] by Gateway Worship on Amazon Music

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B00FB34LGU?trackAsin=B00FB34MKA&ref=dm_sh_SA94ziMGUHXXiOWqj7RbsVJrp

31 Proverbs Highlights: #2-Integrity

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(A simple series highlighting verses from each chapter of the book of Proverbs)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity — every good path…For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it;” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2:6-9, 21‬ ‭HCSB‬‬


These verses teach these results of living with integrity:

  • God is your shield
  • God guards your path
  • God protects your way
  • God gives you understanding
  • God deepens your roots

31 Proverbs Highlights: #1-Fear

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(A simple series highlighting verses from each chapter of the book of Proverbs)

Fear impacts our lives in astounding ways. These two verses teach that by choosing the right place of fear we can avoid the foolish choices of misplaced fear.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline…But whoever listens to me (wisdom) will live securely and be free from the fear of danger.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:7, 33‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

How to Turn

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“I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:59-60‬ ‭CSB‬‬

1) Turning starts by taking the time to think about our ways

The more often this time is taken the less time will be spent on our ways

2) Turning moves forward by getting back in step with God’s ways

Moving forward and growing in life is best found in step with God

3) Turning is completed in haste

Hesitation is a sign our heart hasn’t turned

Fruity Fridays: Kindness Results

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(A series on the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5)

I was driving down 26th St. W. in morning traffic. A car pulled out into traffic. A garbage bag fell off the top of the car and rested in the opposite lane of oncoming traffic. What to do? Was it garbage or might it have something valuable in it? The driver didn’t seem to notice they lost the bag. What to do?

I could have said, “Not my problem. Besides, there are plenty of other drivers who could deal with this. I have an appointment.”

I decided to ask God what to do. More specifically, I asked him to have the driver give me some kind of indication that I could tell them and still get to my appointment on time. Within two blocks of my turning off 26th, the driver turned on their blinker to turn into a business. I said, “Thanks for the sign,” and followed.

Before the driver opened the car door, I was at the window. She rolled down the window, and I said, “I was behind you when you pulled into traffic, and it looked like a garbage bag fell off the top of your car. I wanted to let you know in case it had something valuable in it.”

She was embarrassed. “I didn’t even notice. It was my garbage. I forgot to put it in the dumpster. Thank you so much.”

I got back in my car and headed to my appointment. I don’t know if she did anything about her garbage. I do know that I resisted the flesh and followed the Spirit to show kindness to a stranger. I don’t always choose kindness, but when I do it results in…

  • …thinking less of myself and more about others
  • …resisting the initial thought that is all about me
  • …listening to that small voice that gives me a kind idea
  • …choosing that temporary inconvenience
  • …showing someone their blindspot
  • …helping someone with their garbage

Who is Really God Here?

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When someone is attacking us, our tendency is to focus on them and their actions, even in our prayers. It is fair to say in some cases we take the actions of an enemy and make them an idol. “Look at me. Poor me.” Our prayers become all about them vs. me. With that kind of mindset, who is really God here? 

Consider what David had to say about this in Psalm 5:

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You. For You, Lord, bless the righteous one; You surround him with favor like a shield. ‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭11-12‬ HCSB

David is suggesting that, because of the refuge God offers to those seeking righteousness, there should be rejoicing. Rather than focus on the enemy’s actions or words, David says boast about God. Rather than focus on the wrong thing, the wrong person, even the results of their actions, we can live in peace under the shield and favor that comes from the God of the Righteous. We must check our idol making by asking who is really God here.

What is My Personal Creed?

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Reading this quote from The Critical Journey posed another question:

Usually people at this stage have been given a personal creed from God that guides their lives…a daily empowerment at a practical spiritual level…simple, intimate, and can extend to all people. Examples include: All will be well; God is enough; Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind; Be still and know that I am God; All is gift. (p. 210)

The question to me then was, what is my personal creed? My answer came quickly. My creed is an adaptation to the end of the Lord’s Prayer that I gleaned from reading a book on prayer. The creed is “Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven.”

Reading this quote again and writing down my creed, another thought occurred to me. Creeds certainly can come from Scripture, but it seems they could also come from songs that are scripture based. Lyrics are powerful and certainly can carry a person through a stage of life. So to further exemplify creeds, here are some of my “lyric creeds”:

  • “I want no regrets when the horses come for me.” -Margaret Becker
  • “Me without You is a lie.” -Avalon
  • “It’s your breath in my lungs…great are you, Lord.” -All Sons and Daughters
  • “I’m in awe of you…I owe all to you.” -Chris Tomlin
  • “You’re my hope.” -Danny Gokey
  • “My soul will sing your praise unending.” -Matt Redman
  • “Here I am, knees to the earth, here I am.” -Watermark
  • “I am a child of God.” -Bethel Music
  • “Be my heart’s obsession, first and only in my life. In your love alone my soul is satisfied.” -Elevation Worship

What are your scripture and/or lyric creeds?

Fruity Fridays: Complicated Kindness

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(A series about the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5)

post by Eric Vorhies 

Kindness is something I struggle with.

I am not saying that I am inherently mean. It’s just that I have a very matter of fact way of dealing with people. I chalk it up to being a task-oriented person. 

I like tasks. They are simple. They generally have a beginning and an ending…They can be completed.

People and their feelings are not so nice and easy. They are complicated. And sometimes, we, ourselves, don’t even know why we feel one way or choose to do a certain thing. How do two people, who are uncertain about how things should be done or even how they feel about it, come together on common ground? In a world where people are hurt because someone didn’t like their Instagram post, I am lost on how to validate some people’s thoughts, opinions, actions, and feelings…but…then there is kindness.

The power of kindness is that it bridges my humanity to that of another person. 

The only way I know this is by trying to look at the Bible through the lens of modern times. If Jesus were walking with us today as he did back then, Jesus would be at the bar hanging out with drunks, hookers, and IRS agents. He wouldn’t be doing anything wrong, but we would still wonder why he was there when he could be hanging out with us. He would also make time in his busy schedule to stop and hang out with kids and to visit people at the hospital. The more I think about it the more I realize that kindness bridges two people that are different. 

It is easy to see and accept us and them — Christians and non-Christians, Americans and everyone else, Republican and Democrats. But kindness gives us the opportunity to see more than that…to see people as…you know, people. That’s what Jesus was doing his entire ministry. He marginalized the difference between His divinity and our sinfulness by being kind. 

I will never say it is easy. Remember, I am a task-oriented person. But when I catch myself missing a moment to show kindness, I try to imitate Christ by loving first and in truth and action. Because despite any apparent differences, I am just like every other person — a human in need of the Gospel — and by showing kindness, I can show others who Christ is.

Bed Stillness

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“Know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:3-4‬ ‭HCSB‬

Often people tell me they aren’t getting good sleep. Just yesterday two people talked to me about their sleep. One of them “couldn’t sleep” the night before. The other one said they used to have to take pills to sleep, but since they’ve started addressing things in their life they are at more peace and don’t rely on pills anymore to sleep.

Learning to be still with God in the darkness of night or the early hours of morning is a sign of the faithful. These verses give three things that should keep one from needing drugs to sleep:

1) Know who the Lord honors and values, know he hears when you call on Him.

2) Be angry but don’t sin. It’s normal to have anger. It’s also human to sin. Sleep is lost when anger is allowed to harbor sin, not confess it, or keep you enslaved to it.

3) Reflect in your heart and be still. Recently when I’ve woken up either from a dream or earlier than the alarm, I’ve practiced being still and talking with God about whatever He’s bringing to my mind. Sleep, peace and rest are the result of bed stillness.