Author: Beth Morrison

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 29:1-30:26, Heb. 11:32-12:13, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 27:17

Daily Verse: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Prov. 27:17

Helpful criticism.

Constructive criticism from a trusted source develops character and personality. True friends help each other grow by showing each other their blind spots. Accepting and applying helpful criticism to one’s life will cause them to become a better version of themselves.

Exposing the tip of the iceberg unintentionally causes me trouble. In conversations, I often don’t realize I’ve crossed a line until too late. Stepping on landmines I didn’t see hurts the other person and forces issues to the surface that they didn’t want to discuss. 

“You have a knack,” Ron says after one such incident. He helps me become better at not committing the offense again because my husband helps me understand where I went wrong. Knowing what I did, I can stop myself from doing it again. At this point, I’m much better, but I still have work to do.

Without Ron’s sharpening, I wouldn’t learn.

Helpful criticism helps everyone. People grow from words of truth spoken into their lives with love. 

Lord, forgive us for not accepting helpful criticism. Please place people in our lives that will help us grow and become more like Jesus. Let iron sharpen iron in our relationships. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 27:1-28:26, Hebrews 11:17-31, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 27:15-16

Daily Verse: “A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike; to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.” Prov. 27:15-16

Quarrelsome wife.

“How bad am I to be married to?” I asked Ron this morning as we headed to the neighborhood yard sale. A bi-annual event, I find lots of treasure for my business. However, my honey must put up with small furniture throughout our house, and God knows what else I find.

“You’re not that bad,” Ron replied. 

Thank God. Quarrelsome wives make life miserable. Nagging drives anyone crazy. Even if husbands give wives reasons to complain, we must remember that they must live with us, too. And only one perfect person walked the earth, Jesus.

As a wife, work on not nagging. Try not complaining for a day and see if you struggle to keep quiet. Practice an attitude of gratitude, looking for ways to thank your spouse for the things he does.

After Ron took me around the yard sale, I took him to breakfast to say thanks. One little act of appreciation goes a long way in a marriage.

Lord, forgive us for nagging our spouses. Please help us have attitudes of gratitude towards our mates. Help us easily find things to thank them for daily, appreciating all they do for us. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 24:1-26:21, Hebrews 11:1-16, Psalm 110:1-7, Proverbs 27:14

Daily Verse: “Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.” Prov. 27:14

Inappropriate greeting.

How, when, and why we say something matters. Choosing the right time and place with the proper intent makes listeners receive our words better. Knowing people well helps determine the best circumstances to talk to them.

One of my best friends starts her workday at 3:30 every morning. Whenever I wake up, whether 5:00 a.m. or 7:00, I know I can text her. However, not on her days off. I will never forget the morning I texted her on a Saturday and received this back:

“No texts before 8:00 a.m. on my days off.”

Now, I know the right time to contact her and try to respect her boundaries to the best of my ability.

To become a good communicator, ask people for the best times to reach out to them. Knowing people’s routines helps you understand the appropriate time to talk to them.

Bless people with your words by waiting for the right moment to share them.

Lord, forgive us for speaking at the wrong time. Please help us learn to wait for the right moment to share the news we have. Let us become better communicators as we think more about our listeners than our message. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 23:1-49, Hebrews 10:18-39, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 27:13

Daily Verse: “Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.” Prov. 27:13

Obligations fulfilled.

No matter what the commitment, we must live up to it. Keeping a deposit on a debt owed forces people to fulfill their obligations or lose their deposit.

We planned our summer vacation in January. Desiring to explore the coast of Maine, we booked several campgrounds well in advance. However, when my father-in-love declined, and God called him home, we had to cancel. As a result, we lost the deposits we paid in several places. We fulfilled our obligations.

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;” Matthew 5:37

Keeping commitments does two things. First, as you learn to live up to your words and pledges, you will mature. And secondly, you will stop making rash promises, taking time to think about your “Yes” or “No.” 

Accountability by making a deposit motivates us to fulfill our obligations and helps us think before we do.

Lord, forgive us for any unfulfilled obligations in our lives. Please help us think before we commit and fulfill the promises we make. Guide and direct our paths, keeping us on the straight and narrow. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31, Hebrews 10:1-17, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 27:12

Daily Verse: “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” Prov. 27:12

Avoid pitfalls.

Wise people see danger ahead and hide from it, but the simple head straight for it. Mature people develop a wariness, while inexperienced youth quickly stumble into the pitfalls of life.

Meant to motivate the naive, today’s verse shows the importance of learning. Remaining teachable allows us to grow from life’s experiences and avoid the same mistakes. Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.

Learning from our mistakes means honest self-evaluation. Identifying the failure helps us avoid it in the future. When I landed in the pitfall of credit card debt, the problem came from swiping the card instead of paying cash. To fix the issue and learn from my mistakes, I stopped using credit and only bought what I could afford with money.

Maturing takes effort, but with it comes less strife as we learn to avoid the pitfalls of life. Remaining teachable, regardless of age, helps you continue maturing, avoiding life’s pitfalls, and enjoying a smoother journey.

Lord, forgive us for not learning from our mistakes. Please help our hearts remain teachable, molding and growing us with each lesson. Let us represent You well as we mature, traveling through life on the straight and narrow with You.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-49, Hebrews 9:11-28, Psalm 107:1-43, Proverbs 27:11

Daily Verse: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.” Prov. 27:11

Teaching vindicated.

When someone criticizes a father’s son, wise children enable their dads to defend them. Teachers typically get blamed for their students’ faults, treating them with contempt. But by highlighting the students that have learned, the teacher shows they didn’t labor in vain.

As a coach, I have students who want to listen and learn and those who don’t. One new student who has only had four lessons has so much enthusiasm for the game; he’s already shown vast improvement because he constantly practices. However, another student has taken classes longer and has a natural ability but doesn’t improve because he won’t listen and do the work necessary to take his game to the next level.

Teachers give the information necessary to learn, but the student must receive and apply it to grow. Wise kids listen and learn, showing the effectiveness of their teacher.

We can’t control what other people do. But we can highlight the progress an avid student makes.

Lord, thank You for allowing us to learn and grow. Please help us apply ourselves to Your teachings, becoming the person You intend. Let us represent You well as we follow Jesus. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14, Hebrews 9:1-10, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 27:10

Daily Verse: “Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.” Prov. 27:10

Helpful friends.

Available friends who live close by offer more help than a relative far away. My neighbor Stephanie, only walking distance from us, takes care of our dogs, picks up packages, waters the plants, and anything else that pops up when we leave. I do the same for her when she takes a trip. She’s more available than my relatives who live further away.

When you live far away from family, friends help you through the trials of day-to-day life. One of my young friends and her family of five children, with a traveling husband, has no relatives nearby. When she needs help babysitting, she texts me. My availability and proximity make me a better choice than calling her mom, who lives 2,000 miles away.

Calling on relatives who live a long distance away can’t help like a friend who lives close by. Whatever the emergency, available neighbors help where far-off family members can’t. 

Call on the friends God gives you in your time of need. They will help you through the storm.

Lord, forgive us for calling on the wrong people for help. Please place around us friends we can count on amid life’s stresses. Help us develop strong relationships with those who live close to us. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalm 106:13-31, Proverbs 27:7-9

Daily Verse: “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” Prov. 27:9

Sweet counsel.

Close friends who give wise counsel bring a beautiful aroma to life like oil and perfume. Knowing someone speaks to you with a heart of love and wants the best for you helps to hear what they say, even if it’s not what you hoped.

Only a handful of people give me this type of counsel. Most people say what they think I want to hear or use flattery to try and win my graces. You don’t need an army of people giving advice; you need a few trusted friends who won’t steer you wrong.

Tomorrow, I’m having lunch with one of my wise counselors. I can’t wait to see her, catch up on life, and listen to her input. The epitome of sweetness, our time together always encourages and uplifts me.

Develop deep relationships with others. Lead with love, honesty, and grace. Become vulnerable and watch how others share with you.

Enjoy the sweetness of good counsel as you build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Lord, forgive us for taking friendships for granted. Please help us develop healthy relationships that bring sweet counsel into our lives. Let us enjoy the benefits of community as we follow You.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41, Hebrews 7:18-28, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 27:4-6

Daily Verse: “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Prov. 27:4

Consuming fire.

Jealousy outranks wrath and anger when it comes to raging emotions. If you’ve ever built a campfire and added lighter fluid to get it going, you know what the immediate blaze looks like. Flames flicker into life with a little incentive, immediately consuming the wood and bringing light to the night air.

Defying reason, jealousy roars its ugly head quickly. Scrolling through Facebook, I feel envy when I see another author whose book just hit the New York Times bestseller list. Pictures of my friends with their grandkids cause me to long for what they have.   Whatever the trigger, the emotion doesn’t take long to take hold.

To combat jealousy, I celebrate the other person’s blessing. “Joy not Jealousy,” from my book Three Word Prayers, reminds me to joyfully thank God for their wins, knowing His plan for me differs from theirs.

Don’t let jealousy consume you. Pray “Joy not Jealousy,” and allow God to soften your heart and help you celebrate their win.

Lord, forgive us for our jealous moments. Please help us contain the emotion, turn our thoughts to You, and celebrate other people’s victories. Don’t allow envy to ruin our relationships or control our thoughts. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11, Hebrews 7:1-17, Psalm 105:37-45,Proverbs 27:3

Daily Verse: “A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.” Prov. 27:3

Fool’s provocation.

Mental exhaustion feels different than physical tiredness. I never understood how tired thinking could make me feel until I became a writer. After sitting all day, studying, and writing, I feel physically and mentally drained. But physical tiredness doesn’t make me mentally tired; it usually renews my mind. I never thought mental work would tire me out more than physical exhaustion.

Unloading bricks from my dad’s cabbed truck as a child, I still remember the back ache from bending over for those few minutes carrying the cubes to the tailgate. But I also remember my pride for the work and my dad’s compliments for a job well done.

On the other hand, the mental tiredness I get from dealing with some people in my life never seems to lessen because fools never stop. I can’t look at a pile of thoughts moved from one place to another and feel like I’ve accomplished something. Just trying not to let the situation overtake my life uses enough energy.

Recognize the fools in your life and decide not to let them steal any more energy from you. Pray for them, and give them to God.

Lord, forgive us for letting fools get to us. Please give us the grace and love necessary to deal with foolish people. Energize us for the journey ahead. IJNIP. Amen