Author: Beth Morrison

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44, John 10:22-42, Psalm 116:1-19, Proverbs 15:20-21

Daily Verse: “Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.” Prov. 15:21

Foundation of character.

Folly, making foolish decisions repeatedly, shows a lack of sense. But people who take time to learn and understand the facts before deciding develop strong character.

Wisdom requires patience and discernment. Looking beyond the surface takes emotional restraint and a non-judgmental attitude. If we rush to judgments, we can’t see the entire picture. Only fools draw conclusions based on superficial information.

In my younger days, I concluded quickly, positive about my decisions. Now, hindsight giving me a 20/20 vision, I realize how many wrong assessments I made. Acting on those conclusions showed my lack of sense, rash emotions causing me to act foolishly.

Growing and maturing makes my emotions and judgments take a back seat, which then develops my character as I practice patience and discernment, a long, slow process that I will work on for the rest of my life.

Develop character by seeking understanding before concluding. Foolish ways disappear as wisdom takes the lead.

Lord, help us forgive ourselves for acting foolishly. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the truth. Help us develop strong character as we practice patience and discernment. Let us not jump to conclusions but instead seek understanding. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29, John 10:1-21, Psalm 115:1-18, Proverbs 15:18-19

Progress of diligence.

Daily discipline leads to diligence, which eventually shows progress. As a tennis coach, my goal with each lesson remains the same, achieving a 1% increase in my student’s performance. A year of weekly classes equals a 50% improvement and progress.

Many days, I see the look of defeat on my young student’s faces as they miss a ball into the net or hit one long. Reminding them of their progress helps encourage them, but their expectations of themselves inevitably get in the way. Coaching them along the journey means reminding them that even the pros had to go through the valleys to reach the top. Perseverance pays off, not quitting.

Some days, I feel victorious; other days, I feel defeated, but I still tune into God and trust Him each day. Over fifty-plus years, I’ve learned many things, and I still have a long way to go. But my diligence results in progress in my relationship with God and others.

Slow and steady wins the race. Sluggards give up. Diligent people persevere and learn God’s with them, regardless of their outward circumstances. Amid the storm, Christ leads us on a steady highway, giving us His peace that surpasses all understanding.

Lord, forgive us for giving up and not trusting You.  As we face the valleys of life, help us persevere, keeping our gaze centered on Jesus. Lead us through the storms, giving us the peace that surpasses all understanding; let us share Your love with the world. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15, John 9:1-41, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 15:15-17

Daily Verse: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” Prov. 15:17

Spiritual outweighs material.

“The kids will remember the love, not that we struggled to pay our bills,” said my friend. Years ago, one of my lifelong friends lived paycheck to paycheck early in her marriage with two young kids. Starting a family stresses parents financially, but I have never forgotten her wise words.

And now, her kids, both newly married and starting their own families, only remember the love. They have yet to learn how hard their parents worked to provide for them during those early years. But I do. Not only did they teach their children, but they also taught me about life, love, and priorities.

Happy, loving relationships far outweigh a steak dinner. Meals last for a moment but love last forever. Jesus set an example for us, showing us how to love God and others through faith. Creating a spiritual legacy by living our beliefs far outweighs any material possessions.

Stay focused on Jesus and build a spiritual legacy of love. The things of this world will pass away, but the loving relationships built on Christ will last forever.

Lord, forgive us for focusing on the wrong things. Help us build spiritual legacies of love that long outlive us. As You provide our earthly needs, let us share our blessings with others, creating solid relationships with You and others. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24, John 8:31-59, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 15:12-14

Daily Verse: “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.” Prov. 15:13

Joy and sorrow.

Cheerful faces express joy; sorrowful ones don’t. Deep emotions express themselves through our body language. Hiding what lies beneath the surface doesn’t always work.

“It can’t be that bad,” the stranger said, walking past me while I worked. Startled, I didn’t realize my facial expression revealed so much about my inward emotions. Tired after a long day of travel and hours spent re-merchandising the men’s Nautica shop in one of my largest stores, the exhaustion showed on my face. To this day, I still remember that moment and all it taught me.

Our faces reveal more than we think. According to experts, body language represents 70-93% of our body language. Look beyond people’s words and pay attention to their nonverbal communication.

Rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve. Share in people’s journeys. Join them in their joy and sorrow as you become more alert to their body language.

Cheerful or sorrowful, God cares for all.

Lord, forgive us for missing out on people’s expressions. Help us become more alert to body language, allowing us to join the celebration or share in the suffering. Let us connect with people as we engage in their joys and sorrows. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4, John 8:21-30, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 15:11

Daily Verse: “Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man!” Prov. 15:11

Divine omniscience.

According to Expositor’s Bible Commentary of the Old Testament, Sheol and Abaddon represent the remote underworld. Whatever lies in the darkest depths of the universe, God knows its contents. As Creator, the Lord knows everything about everything, all the unknowns we wander about in life; God has the answers.

And if the Lord knows everything, He knows our heart’s motives. God knows the intention behind our actions, whether we do it for Him or ourselves. Sometimes, we don’t even realize our true intention, but God does.

‘Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Cor. 9:7

How you give exposes motives. God doesn’t want us to give with a resentful heart or strings attached. Mimicking Christ means giving cheerfully, without resentment, purely out of love. God knows our hearts better than we do. You can’t full the Creator.

Allow God to search your heart and motives. Let Him purify your intentions.

Lord, forgive us for our wrong intentions. Thank You for purifying our hearts and helping us become more like Jesus. Reveal to us any bad intentions and give us the right motives as we pursue You.  Let us honor and serve You well today. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23, John 8:1-20, Psalm 110:1-7, Proverbs 15:8-10

Daily Verse: “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.” Prov. 15:9

Acceptable conduct.

God knows our imperfections and how easily they can sway us. Despite our human flaws, the Lord wants us to try and do the right thing, and He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us pursue righteousness.

 Pursuing wickedness doesn’t take much effort. During the stress of my recent health crisis, I became snappy with Ron as I dealt with the trauma. Thankfully, he pointed out my issue with love, realizing the pain I felt caused my short temper.

“It’s really hard to face the truth about your own behavior. As long as we’re making excuses for something, we can’t get free from it. Sometimes we need to face the truth with ourselves to grow.”  Joyce Meyer

Accepting our imperfections helps us pursue righteousness. The more we become comfortable with our ugly parts, the more we can give them to Jesus. Submitting our lives to Christ turns ashes into beauty as we become more like Him. Pursue righteousness by owning faults, giving them to the Lord, and allowing Him to lead our actions.

Lord, forgive us our faults. Please surround us with people who will lovingly point out areas we need to own and grow. Help us get free from our past, moving forward in truth as we become more like Jesus. Let us pursue righteousness wholeheartedly. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 14:1-52, John 7:31-53, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 15:5-7

Daily Verse: “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.” Prov. 15:5

Show good sense.

How people respond to discipline reveals their character. Fools despise instruction, thinking they don’t need it. But prudent people understand they don’t know everything and have much to learn. Strong character accepts feedback and learns from it.

To fulfill our purpose, we must learn to accept feedback. Without constructive criticism, we can’t grow. Only when we accept our limitations can we find ways to overcome them. 

People who want the best for us will tell us the truth out of love like my husband does with me. When I ask him for feedback on my writing or handling of a situation, he gives me his honest analysis, which helps me learn and grow.

When taking instructions, always consider the source. Foolish people don’t give wise advice. If they consistently make poor decisions in their own lives, they won’t provide the best feedback for yours.

Accept instruction, stay humble, and hungry for wise advice.

Lord, forgive us for ignoring instructions. Please help us stay humble and hungry for wise directions. Let us fulfill our purpose on earth as we continue to grow our character through discipline and application of the directions we receive. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23, John 7:1-30, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 15:4

Daily Verse: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Prov. 15:4

Helpful or harmful.

Words can bring life or crush it. Not only does what we say matter, but how we say it carries weight. Words spoken truthfully but not couched in love can destroy relationships and cause irreparable damage. Another mistake I know all too well.

No matter how desperately we want to say something, if not done with the right heart and tone. Harmful words crush the spirit.

People tend to hear what they want to hear. Working in retail, I learned the compliment sandwich. Couch negative feedback between two compliments. For example:

“I love how hard you worked on this display. Adding more blue items into the middle would make it pop more. What a great use of your creativity.”

Learning to say hard things with love will help grow relationships and develop deeper connections. Jesus exemplified saying all things in love with a gentle tone. Following Him helps us learn to do the same.

Lord, forgive us for using harsh words. Please help us say only uplifting and encouraging things bringing life to those who hear them. Let our language help other’s Spirits thrive as we speak with love and grace. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15, John 6:43-71, Psalm 107:1-43, Proverbs 15:1-3

Daily Verse: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Prov. 15:1

Gentle answers calm.

When in a tense situation, we choose our response. Each of us has the capability of controlling our thoughts and actions. A recent reel from Joyce Meyer made me stop and think. We can’t use negative experiences from our past as an excuse to respond poorly. God gives us the power, through Him, to react differently.

Accessing the Holy Spirit within us allows us to respond with a gentle answer. Remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross helps us have grace for others. Using harsh words causes pain, but responding gently reflects Christ and calms the situation.

If we want a gentle reply ready, we must stay connected to the vine. Only by developing our relationships with God will we respond with soft words consistently. 

Anger comes naturally to me, a programmed response. But letting Jesus lead helps me respond differently, leading with grace instead of harshness. Following Christ changes us, helping us become more like Him as we put into practice His teachings.

Respond gently and turn away wrath with kind words.

Lord, forgive us for our harsh words. As we follow Jesus, change us and help us become more like Him.  Let us become masters of responding softly, turning away wrath, and restoring relationships with love. Guide and direct our words as only You can. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27, John 6:22-42, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 14:34-35

Competent or incompetent.

Workers come in two categories, competent and incompetent. Wise servants delight their master; foolish ones don’t. During my manager days in retail, I had both on my staff.  

I never asked my staff to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. Nothing frustrated me more when someone didn’t follow directions, either not doing the task or doing it differently from my instructions. Looking back, having employees helped me develop grace and learn better communication skills. Often, if the job didn’t get completed the way I wanted, the employee didn’t understand my directions, meaning I didn’t communicate clearly.

God gives us directions for living our lives. Repeatedly the Lord tells us what to do, and He sent Jesus to provide us with an example. Becoming competent servants for the Lord means following Christ closely. 

Serving God well means understanding His commandments. Daily communication with the Lord helps us become competent servants as we follow Jesus’ example and become more like Him.

Lord, forgive us for not listening to Your instructions. As we seek You daily, give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your directions. Let us become competent servants for You as we follow Jesus and mimic Him.  Help us serve You well. IJNIP. Amen