Category: Devotional

Devotional

Daily Devotional-May 24

May 24, 2020

The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. As we read, it is important to remember that a proverb is a statement which is generally true in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

We see in Proverbs 7 another urgent warning from Solomon concerning the grave danger of adultery and of the seductive and evil luring of the adulteress. Solomon describes in detail how the adulteress makes empty promises which lead only to death and ruin, and then exhorts his sons to keep their hearts true and far away from her paths.

We see in the voice of the adulteress in this passage a picture of all temptation towards sin; sin always makes promises it can’t keep. It is appealing to us and may even give us some temporary joy or pleasure, but just like the fruit in the Garden of Eden, it is wrapped up in a lie and inevitably ends in death. 

Proverbs 7

Warning Against the Adulteress

7 My son, keep my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you;
2 keep my commandments and live;
    keep my teaching 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 insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
    from the adulteress with her smooth words.

6 For at the window of my house
    I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among the simple,
    I have perceived among the youths,
    a young man lacking sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner,
    taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
    at the time of night and darkness.

10 And behold, the woman meets him,
    dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
11 She is loud and wayward;
    her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
    and at every corner she lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
    and with bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
    and today I have paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
    to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with coverings,
    colored linens from Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
    aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
    let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
    he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
    at full moon he will come home.”

21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
    with her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
    as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast
23     till an arrow pierces its liver;
as a bird rushes into a snare;
    he does not know that it will cost him his life.

24 And now, O sons, listen to me,
    and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
    do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
    and all her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is the way to Sheol,
    going down to the chambers of death.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Solomon presents us with the way of life and the way of death in the earlier chapters of Proverbs. The way of God’s wisdom and living according to His ways is the only path to true life, lasting joy, and perfect peace. Anything and everything else that the Devil or the world may throw at us may look like the way to happiness and life, but their end is always devastation.

  • For three chapters in a row now, Solomon has warned his sons against adultery or against the adulterous woman. Why would Solomon feel the need to warn them so extensively on this issue? What does that mean for us?

Family Discussion Question:

  • God places restrictions on our behavior because he loves us and knows that living his way leads to true life and joy. Why is it important to remember and understand God’s commandments and wisdom in this way? Where does every other way besides God’s way ultimately lead?
Devotional

Daily Devotional-May 23

May 23, 2020

The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. As we read, it is important to remember that a proverb is a statement which is generally true in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In Proverbs 6 Solomon gives more counsel for wise living to his children. He instructs his son to make things right quickly with those who would have reason to accuse them, to be diligent and hard-working rather than lazy, and to avoid walking in wicked and perverse ways which the Lord detests. 

Finally, Solomon takes time to once again warn his son against adultery. Solomon warns his son to keep the advice of his parents close to his heart, because it will lead him in the right way and not in the path of the adulteress. He warns his son about those who commit adultery, that they are like a man carrying fire next to his chest and expecting not to get burned; their expectation that they will not have to face the consequences is equally absurd!

Proverbs 6

Practical Warnings

6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
    have given your pledge for a stranger,
2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,
    caught in the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,
    for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:
    go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.
4 Give your eyes no sleep
    and your eyelids no slumber;
5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
    like a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
    in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

Warnings Against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s commandment,
    and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
    tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
    and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
24 to preserve you from the evil woman,
    from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
    and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
    but a married woman hunts down a precious life.
27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest
    and his clothes not be burned?
28 Or can one walk on hot coals
    and his feet not be scorched?
29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
    none who touches her will go unpunished.
30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
    to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
    he will give all the goods of his house.
32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;
    he who does it destroys himself.
33 He will get wounds and dishonor,
    and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy makes a man furious,
    and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation;
    he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

We see two things in this repeated warning against adultery in the book of Proverbs; first, that God takes the marriage covenant deathly seriously, and there are consequences for those who dishonor it. Second, that we sometimes believe, to our own harm, that we can toy around with sin and that somehow everything will be okay. 

We cannot afford not to take sin seriously. If we do, we are playing with fire and we are going to get burned, one way or another. Sin might be dead, but it is still deadly, and we must combat it in the power of the Holy Spirit! Living in God’s wisdom means living within His boundaries!

  • What are some ways we tend to minimize or belittle our sin? How do we sometimes think that we can get away with it? How can we turn from this attitude?

Family Discussion Question:

  • Have you ever done something that seemed harmless to you at the time, but later on it ended up really bad for you? How does that relate to the way this passage talks about sin?
Devotional

Daily Devotional-May 22

May 22, 2020

The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. As we read, it is important to remember that a proverb is a statement which is generally true in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In Proverbs chapter 5 Solomon continues to give instruction to his son, this time concerning marital fidelity. Solomon warns his son of the dangers of adultery and how it ultimately leads to ruin and death, while the wise path of delighting in one’s wife alone leads to life and joy. 

There are many similarities between Solomon’s description of the “forbidden” or adulterous woman and the way the Scriptures describe sin in general. Sin can be alluring and appealing to us. Sin looks like it is going to deliver what we want. Sin gives us momentary pleasure or relief. Sin puts up a good front, but in the end it only leads to misery, brokenness, and death.

Sin is elsewhere described as spiritual adultery against God, so we shouldn’t be surprised that it can have similar results as marital adultery!

Sin makes promises to us that it can never, ever deliver on; God’s promises never fail! We must take great care to remain faithful to him in every way. When we don’t, the result is always misery and its end is death, but when we do the outcome for us is life and joy!

Proverbs 5

Warning Against Adultery

5 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
    incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
    and your lips may guard knowledge.
3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
    sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
    her steps follow the path to Sheol;
6 she does not ponder the path of life;
    her ways wander, and she does not know it.

7 And now, O sons, listen to me,
    and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8 Keep your way far from her,
    and do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your honor to others
    and your years to the merciless,
10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
    and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
    when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,
    and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
    or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
    in the assembled congregation.”

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
    flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
    streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
    and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
    and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
    be intoxicated always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
    and he ponders all his paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
    and because of his great folly he is led astray.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

  • How can we, like Solomon, be faithful to warn our own children of the dangers and miseries of sexual sin?
  • In what ways do we commit acts of spiritual adultery against God? How can we move to respond to His Word and walk in faithfulness to Him today?

Family Discussion Question:

  • Why is it sometimes so difficult for us to avoid doing things that we know are not pleasing to God?
Devotional

Daily Devotional-May 21

May 21, 2020

The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. As we read, it is important to remember that a proverb is a statement which is generally true in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In chapter 4 of Proverbs the author continues giving instruction to his sons in the way of wisdom. He implores his children to seek diligently after wisdom and embrace it, to walk in the way of wisdom rather than the path of the wicked, and to turn from evil ways and remain on the path of life. 

In the midst of this fatherly instruction on following the path of wisdom is this command: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The rest of the instructions that Solomon gives thereafter are dependent on this one being kept; the idea he is trying to convey is that the influences we allow into our hearts will end up determining the course of our lives! 

To keep a close guard on one’s heart is an integral aspect of wise living, because without it we will inevitably end up where we never intended to go in the first place. If we are not keeping our hearts with all vigilance, allowing worldly or wicked things in without a second thought, we shouldn’t be surprised when out feet end up wandering where our hearts have already gone.

Proverbs 4

A Father’s Wise Instruction

4 Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction,
    and be attentive, that you may gain insight,
2 for I give you good precepts;
    do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
    tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
    keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom; get insight;
    do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
    love her, and she will guard you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
    and whatever you get, get insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
    she will honor you if you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head a graceful garland;
    she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

10 Hear, my son, and accept my words,
    that the years of your life may be many.
11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;
    I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,
    and if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
    guard her, for she is your life.
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know over what they stumble.

20 My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
    keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
    and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

  • How have you heard the phrase “guard your heart” used before? Was it an appropriate use of the phrase based on its usage in this passage?
  • What are some ways in which we are tempted to let the guard over our hearts down to the voices of the world and of the Devil? What are some ways we can make sure to guard our hearts with renewed vigilance?

Family Discussion Question:

  • Why is it so important to make sure the things we are consuming (TV/movies, games, books, music, etc.) are honoring to God? How does this passage say it affects us when we don’t?
Devotional

Daily Devotional-May 20

May 20, 2020

The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. As we read, it is important to remember that a proverb is a statement which is generally true in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In Proverbs chapter 3 Solomon continues to give his son advice for wise living. He instructs him to acknowledge the Lord in all his ways, and reminds him of the value of gaining wisdom and of how it is the path to life.

Solomon also warns his son to treat others fairly and to do good to his neighbors rather than evil. Walking in the wisdom God gives means not only fearing and honoring Him, but relating to others in a way that acknowledges him too!

All of this is built off of Solomon’s instruction in verse 5, to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Leaning on our own understanding leads to trouble, destruction, and death, but trusting in the Lord, fearing Him and turning away from evil, is the way of wisdom! 

We have to lean into the fact that God, the One who created everything that exists and made it all to function the way it does, really does know more than we know and can see more than we see. This is an easy thing for us to assent to on an intellectual level, but an immensely difficult thing for us to actually live out! Trust Him and lean into His vast wisdom and understanding today!

Proverbs 3

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
    but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
    and peace they will add to you.

3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success
    in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
    and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
    and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
    and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
    those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
    by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
    and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
    keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
    and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
    and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
    or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
    and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to do it.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
    tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
    who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
    when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
    but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
    but to the humble he gives favor.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get disgrace.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

  • How do our actions sometimes demonstrate that we really think we are smarter than God on a base level?
  • How can we align ourselves with the truth and lean on His understanding rather than our own today?

Family Discussion Question:

  • What does it mean to trust in the Lord rather than leaning on our own understanding? How can we make sure that we are trusting in him by following his way rather than doing only what seems right to us?
Devotional

Daily Devotionals: May 19

May 19, 2020

Over the next 31 days we are going to dive into the book of Proverbs together! The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. It’s important to remember as we read that a proverb is a statement which is generallytrue in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In Proverbs chapter 2 we see Solomon give advice to his child for a second time, this time instructing him to seek after wisdom as one would seek a precious treasure. He tells his son that seeking after wisdom in this way will lead him to the knowledge of God, for it is the Lord Himself who is the source of all true wisdom. 

Solomon makes a clear distinction here between the way of wisdom, that is, the way of the fear and knowledge of God, and the way of darkness and evil. In making this distinction, he also makes clear to us that the path of wisdom leads to life and peace, while the path of foolishness and evil ends in death and destruction.

When we seek the wisdom that has God as its source, seeking to live our lives in accordance with his ways and his truth, we have to remember that this is always the path to true, full, and abundant life! God’s ways and commands are always intended to invite us into the fullness of life that He wants us to experience, not to arbitrarily restrict us!

God is not holding out on us, and when we seek His wisdom in the fear of Him we find this to be true every single time!

Proverbs 2

The Value of Wisdom

2 My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
    and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
    and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
    and who are devious in their ways.

16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
    from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
    and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

20 So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Why do we so often think, at a fundamental level, that the path to true life somehow lies outside of God’s wisdom and the boundaries He has placed around our lives? How can we fight this kind of thinking in our lives?

Devotional

Daily Devotionals: May 18

May 18, 2020

Over the next 31 days we are going to dive into the book of Proverbs together! The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. It’s important to remember as we read that a proverb is a statement which is generallytrue in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!

In Proverbs chapter 1 we see the first of several superscripts in the book, ascribing the first portion of the book to King Solomon, known as the wisest man besides the Lord Jesus to have ever lived. 

Solomon introduces the book, gives his first paternal advice for his son to avoid becoming entangled in the plans of sinners, and writes an impassioned plea from the perspective of Wisdom, personified here as a woman, for those who walk in the way of fools to turn to her, receive instruction and avoid being destroyed. 

In verse 7 Solomon says this: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This saying serves as a sort of thesis statement around which the rest of the book is going to revolve. Apart from an acknowledgement of and reverence for the Lord’s awesome glory, holiness, and authority, all supposed knowledge and wisdom is vain and useless. It is only through the fear of the Lord that wisdom can find both its only true source and its only correct purpose!

Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

2 To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
    and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are a graceful garland for your head
    and pendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
    do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
    let us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
    and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods,
    we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;
    hold back your foot from their paths,
16 for their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread
    in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;
    they set an ambush for their own lives.
19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
    it takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
    in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
    at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
    I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,
    have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have ignored all my counsel
    and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
    I will mock when terror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like a storm
    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
    and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel
    and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
    and have their fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,
    and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

What does it mean to “fear the LORD”?

Why is the fear of the LORD the only starting point for building a life which could be characterized as wise?

Devotional

Acts 1:6-11

April 19, 2020

Herein lies the passage of The Ascension of Jesus. This is often an overlooked aspect of the work of Jesus. We see the promise that Jesus will return in the same way in which he left. That is, in bodily form. Here we can have confidence that the risen Jesus is currently reigning with God the Father at His right hand. Of course, the well-known call to be my witnesses (called to testify/proclaim what He has done) is here in 1:8 as well.

Acts 1:6-11

The Ascension

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

How does the ascension of Jesus give you confidence to be his witness today? How can you be his witness today?

Devotional

Acts 1:1-5

April 18, 2020

Luke, writing to Theophilus in Acts 1, is summarizing his “first book”, what we now know as the Gospel of Luke.  His words are like a literary hook, detailing what has come before then previewing what is to come after.

  • Jesus ordered his followers not to depart from Jerusalem and to wait for the promise of the Father, in Acts 1:4.
  • Refer to John 14:  16-17 to find out what the promise of the Father is.

Acts 1:1-5

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Take note of the number 40 in verse 3. In the Bible, forty is used to designate important time periods, such as during the flood when it rained for forty days and forty nights, when the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years, when Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, or in this passage forty days being the period from the Resurrection to the Ascension.  It can sometimes mean a period of testing, trial or probation. The duration of Harris County’s Stay at Home/Work Safe Order and the currently scheduled re-opening date for school falls within a forty day period. How has this been either an important time period, or a period of testing in your life?

Devotional

Luke 24:50-53

April 17, 2020

In Luke 24:50-53 we read about the ascension of Jesus. Jesus leads his disciples out to Bethany and there he blesses them. Then he “was carried up to heaven (v51).” We see his followers respond in joyful worship! The Gospel of Luke ends exactly where it began: with God’s people worshipping in the temple.

Luke 24:50-53

The Ascension

50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

The ascended Lord Jesus is still at work and reigns as King! He is actively engaged in this world and in each of our lives. How does this truth comfort you today?