Tag Archives: Wisdom

2016 Day 266 – Proverbs 1

22 Thursday Sep 2016

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Everything in our lives can be considered a learning experience if we approach it the right way. It is ok to fail and it is ok to acknowledge to God that we need Him because we are imperfect and lack wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Only a fool would think they are ok without God’s influence and leading in their lives. Let us not be fools. Let us accept God’s wisdom and discipline to make us who we were created to be.

2016 Day 225 – Titus 2

12 Friday Aug 2016

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Truth is not based on emotion. We can all get caught up in the emotions of a moment and feel strongly it is based on truth. But emotions can lead us to inaccurate beliefs. In Titus 2:1 Paul says, You must teach what is according with sound doctrine. Sound doctrine comes from the Bible and the Holy Spirit living in us to help us interpret was is true. While church leaders are there to help guide us, it is up to each of us to listen to the God through the Holy Spirit revealing truth to us.

2016 Day 215 – Philippians 4

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

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As we conclude the letter from Paul to the church in Philippi, Paul gives some final instructions in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. What Paul is saying is to focus on the good things and try not to think of the bad. What we put into our minds will ultimate control us. If we focus on the negative, we will be negative. If we focus on the positive, we will be positive. Paul tells us to program our minds with the positive focusing on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. If we fill our minds with these things, there will be no room for anything else.

2016 Day 209 – Ephesians 4

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

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One of my biggest struggles in life deals with anger. While 99% of the time I am“happy-go-lucky”, when the wrong buttons get pushed, I become a different person and it is hard for me to get over it and move on. To make matters worse, even though I know “sleeping on it” is not productive, it becomes a vicious cycle and is hard for me to just let it go. Paul addresses this in Ephesians 4:26-27, 26 In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.  I have learned over the years that even in a heated state it is better to talk things out than to simply walk away. The truth is the longer we hold onto pain that causes anger, the more likely we are to act in a sinful way. Anger is not sinful in and of itself, but the way we respond to anger can be. God never leaves us alone to deal with our own emotions. If we let Him in to help us, we can deal with it in a healthy and productive way.

2016 Day 189 – Romans 12

07 Thursday Jul 2016

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God created each of us for a purpose and we have all been given gifts for that purpose. In Romans 12:6-8 Paul encourages us to fully use the gifts we have been given: 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership. let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. What is important is that God did not give us gifts to be used individually. We are individuals with specific gifts created for the purpose of forming a complete body. We are all members of the Kingdom of God created to glorify Him and bring others closer to a relationship with Him.

2016 Day 142 – 1 Corinthians 2

21 Saturday May 2016

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Our confidence in our beliefs should not come from our own wisdom or eloquence, it should come from our knowledge of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 Pauls says, 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. Paul does not deny the importance of study and preparation. Instead, he fully acknowledges the importance of the Holy Spirit actively working in our lives.

2016 Day 141 – 1 Corinthians 1

20 Friday May 2016

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It is easy to base our knowledge of Christ on what we see in other believers. But Paul is clear to the Corinthian church when they look to him as the holy example in 1 Corinthians 1:13, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Let us always be clear when it comes to who we worship. There are many great men and women who love and follow Christ, and they are great examples, but they are still flawed human beings. Let us not take our eyes off of Christ who is our one perfect and true example.

2016 Day 139 – 2 Thessalonians 3

18 Wednesday May 2016

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Our strength and guidance comes from God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son. In 2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. When we humble ourselves and submit to God’s leadership and guidance, we can rest assured we are on the right path and doing God’s will. Jesus Christ was our example of never ending perseverance in doing what is right. May we never tire of it.

2016 Day 132 – 1 Thessalonians 2

11 Wednesday May 2016

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Paul spent time in today’s reading thanking the Thessalonians for their ability to hear God’s word for what it was instead of just words coming from men. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul says, And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. When we open ourselves up to listening to God’s word, we allow ourselves to be opened to allowing it to influence every part of our being. God gave us His word for our benefit, but we can only be influenced by it if we spend time reading and allowing it to direct us.

2016 Day 116 – James 3

25 Monday Apr 2016

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James takes time today to talk about how powerful the tongue can be. He uses the rudder on a boat to illustrate the tongue’s potential affect. Though both the tongue and rudder are significantly small parts of a greater body, both can have a tremendous effect on where and how they leads. In Jame 3:5 it says, Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The illustration of what a small spark can do to an entire forest is powerful when you consider the potential behind seemingly insignificant words. Words can be used to build confidence and esteem, and words can be used to crush and cause pain. The tongue is the most powerful part of our bodies and we must treat it as such when it comes to impacting others.