Proverbs 16:7 (16:4)
He who seeks the Lord will find knowledge with righteousness,
And those who seek Him rightly will find peace.
Encouraging Words
Our God is not some sneaky, elusive entity that likes to play hide and seek with people. He is always present in a way that no one can say that they cannot find Him. He is always present, everywhere. If we truly seek Him, we will find knowledge with righteousness. If we seek him rightly, we will find peace. Glory be to God!
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Encouraging Words
I have been awestruck and extremely disappointed in this year’s political climate as to just how prejudiced our country still is. The saddest part of this has been to see so many people and groups that proclaim to be Christians as part of the forefront of this prejudice. Jesus was by no means biased, prejudiced, racist, or sexist. He lovingly received everyone into His arms. Paul continues this love of Jesus by telling us that we are all one in Christ. We cannot combine a commentary of prejudice and a proclamation of Christianity in the same message without truly being heretics. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Proverbs 16:3
The beginning of a good way is to do righteous things,
And this is more acceptable to God than to offer sacrifices.
Personal Challenge
Galatians 3:26-27
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Encouraging Words
What a wonderful statement of who we are after we have been baptized into Christ. We have put on Christ. We have taken off our old garments of the sinful nature and its resulting death and replaced them with garment of Christ, Himself, making us sons and daughters of God. Glory be to God!
Proverbs 16:1
All the works of the humble are evident before the Lord,
But the ungodly will be destroyed in the evil day.
Personal Challenge
A consistent message throughout the entire scripture is that God desires that we live our life with a humble heart. Through humility we can love the Lord our God with our heart, soul, and spirit. Through humility we can love out neighbor as ourselves. By being humble we can serve God in ways that glorify Him and build His kingdom. Do we really want our works to be evident before our God? Then we must do them in humility. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Personal Challenge
As a follower of Christ, we can proclaim this along with Paul. Our sinful, passion driven self was crucified with Christ when we were baptized into His body and chrismated by the oil of the Holy Spirit. It is up to us, and our free will, to stop reclaiming those crucified aspects of our lives. We can choose to live by faith in the Son of God and live sinless lives. Glory be to God!
Proverbs 15:32-33 (15:37-38)
He who rejects instruction hates himself,
But he who gives heed to reproofs loves his soul.
The fear of God is instruction and wisdom,
And the beginning of glory will respond to it.
Personal Challenge
One of the challenges of being the independent pioneers that we are, is that we begin to believe that we can make it on our own. We act as if nothing outside of us is needed because we are self-sufficient and self-directed. The problem with this mindset is that we evolve to a point where we do not accept instruction or reproof any longer. God provides instruction and reproof to us so that we can learn to shed our temporal ways and embrace His spiritual ways. Only through submitting to His will we truly see the full manifestation of His blessings in our lives. Glory be to God!
Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Personal Challenge
Verse of the Day 