Category: Uncategorized

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 34:1-35:9, Matthew 27:15-31, Psalm 33:12-22, Proverbs 9:1-6

Daily Verse: “Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Prov. 9:6

Leaving requires movement.

Pastor Mike taught me a life-changing analogy.  Two friends, traveling in a car, get a flat tire.  After pulling over and fixing the flat, they prepare to leave.  One friend doesn’t want to continue, choosing to stay stuck at the moment, while their companion decides to keep going.

You choose whether you move forward in life.  When difficulties happen, and they will, you must decide whether to stay stuck in the valley or move up the mountain.  No one can choose for you.

Walking in insight requires effort.  Seeking wisdom and understanding will propel you forward.  But if you choose to stay by the side of the road, you’ll never experience life to the fullest as Christ intended.

Seek understanding and walk in the way of insight.  Follow Jesus on the adventure He planned for you long ago.  Leave simple ways behind, engage with God and learn His ways.

Lord, forgive us for getting stuck by the side of the road.  Help us get back on track as we seek Your wisdom and understanding.  Let us live fully today in Christ.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 32:1-33:23, Matthew 26:69-27:14, Psalm 33:1-11, Proverbs 8:33-36

Daily Verse: “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.” Prov. 8:33

Listening to sound advice helps us avoid heartache. 

“A man never reaches that dizzy height of wisdom that he can no longer be led by the nose.” Mark Twain

Mark Twain, an American author, and creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn understood wisdom. We always have more to learn.

Twain’s quote makes me think of Jesus leading me by the nose. Desperate for His guidance, I’ll go wherever the Lord takes me, knowing I don’t travel alone.

Unfortunately, I don’t always listen well, which always ends in regret. Thankfully, with Jesus, He waits patiently for me to get back in line and follow Him. Choosing to follow the advice written in scripture will help you develop wisdom. Letting Jesus lead us by the nose will take us on the adventure of a lifetime as we live life to the fullest.

Lord, forgive us for not listening well. Help us turn our ears to Your instruction, obeying Your commands as we live life to the fullest. Let us never stop learning. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 30:11-31:18, Matthew 26:47-68, Psalm 32:1-11, Proverbs 8:27-32

Daily Verse: “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways.” Prov. 8:32

Expositor’s Bible Commentary summarizes today’s verse as a choice “between life and favor and harm and danger.”

Focusing on the straight and narrow path requires choices.  When a bump in the road happens, we can go over it or around it.  However, sometimes going around a problem leads us off the path.

Alley Ball, a drill in tennis, requires the kids to stand inside the lines of a three-foot alley.  Coaches roll balls the students must avoid.  If they jump sideways, they land outside the alley, losing the game.  But if they jump over the ball, they remain inbounds.

Choosing to stay on the straight and narrow will involve overcoming obstacles.  We can jump the largest hurdles and stay in the game with God’s ways. 

Whatever balls get rolled your way today, remember that God’s ways can help us overcome anything.

Lord, thank You for giving us instructions for a favored and blessed life.  Forgive us when we falter.  Help us make the right choice today, letting Your ways lead us.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 29:1-30:10, Matthew 26:14-46, Psalm 31:19-24, Proverbs 8:14-26

Daily Verse: “My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.” Prov. 8:19

Nothing compares to the fruit produced from a heart dedicated to Christ, led by the Holy Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Obeying God’s commands produces His fruit. Becoming more like Jesus makes us more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlling. 

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever “(John 14:15-16)

We can produce fruit better than gold if God’s Spirit guides and directs us. Jesus left us with a Helper, an unbreakable connection to our Creator. Seeking the Lord’s wisdom and accessing His strength will help us live uncommon lives, producing exceptional fruit.

Lord, how desperately we want to produce fruit better than gold.  Help us get out of our way, allowing the Spirit to lead us, letting us produce Your fruits in our lives.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 28:1-43, Matthew 25:31-26:13, Psalm 31:9-18, Proverbs 8:12-13

Daily Verse: “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.” Prov. 8:12

Knowledge in its original form means “understanding and learning.”  Seeking information helps us grow as we become wiser with our findings.

“Seeking real understanding affirms the other person and what they have to say.” Stephen Covey, ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’

Applying wisdom to relationships means understanding the other person’s perspective before drawing conclusions. Once we know, we can proceed with discretion, but making assumptions will cause harm.

Assuming I know my husband’s thoughts never end well. He never ceases to surprise me with how differently we think. After ten years of marriage, I know to get clarification from him before making decisions, which helps strengthen our relationship.

Accepting we don’t know everything, especially other people’s thoughts, allows us to seek knowledge and discretion, helping us make better decisions and become more like Christ.

Lord, forgive us for making assumptions. Help us seek to understand before drawing incorrect conclusions. Let’s seek knowledge in all things, accepting that we always have more to learn. IJNP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 26:1-27:21, Matthew 25:1-30, Psalm 31:1-8, Proverbs 8:1-11

Daily Verse: “O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.” Prov. 8:5

Orma, the original Hebrew word for “prudence,” means cunning. Peti, “simple” in its original form, means “someone easily deceived.”  Learning cunning helps us spot deception and avoid it.

Planning a summer vacation, I asked for recommendations in a Facebook group. Someone planning a similar adventure messaged me through the app. Before I could accept the message, a warning popped up, telling me how to spot scammers. In other words, Facebook helped me learn prudence in receiving messages from strangers.

Scripture helps spot deception, acting like a warning sign on social media. What motivates our hearts motivates our actions. The love of money causes many people to do illicit things. A heart dedicated to Christ takes a different path.

Learn prudence by reading and applying the scriptures to your life. Let God’s sense plant in your heart, guiding and directing you on the path of eternal life.

Lord, thank You for the scriptures, and the wisdom found within the pages of the Bible. Help us apply it to our lives, learning prudence and letting sense firmly plant in our hearts. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 23:14-25:40, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalm 30:1-12, Proverbs 7:24-27

Daily Verse: “And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.” Prov. 7:24

God wants us to obey Him because, in doing so, we will find protection from the world’s ways.

The adulteress woman discussed in chapter seven wants to drag people into her misery. Using her appearance and words, she draws her victims like flies to honey, destroying everyone who falls for it.

Misery loves company. Instead of pulling people up, some try dragging them down.

Following Jesus lets us pull people up, giving them a hand to find new life in Christ. Replacing hopelessness with hope uplifts and encourages people, giving them a way out of life’s valleys.

“For this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison.”  2 Cor. 4:17

But we can’t lift anyone up if we get stuck in the muck. Living for Jesus pulls us out of the quicksand, stands us on firm ground, and lets us extend our hand to others, helping them do the same.

Lord, forgive us when we falter. Stand us on firm ground as You lead us through the valleys of life. Let us encourage and uplift others as we journey through life. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 21:22-23:13, Matthew 24:1-28, Psalm 29:1-11, Proverbs 7:6-23

Daily Verse: “With much seductive speech she persuades him;  with her smooth talk she compels him.” Prov. 7:21

People hide ulterior motives behind seductive speech, like the woman in today’s verse.  Reading the entire passage, the adulteress woman’s intentions become clear, her calculated words leading an innocent person astray.

Exploiting the innocence in people happens every day by all kinds of people.  Lying to achieve goals means more to some than living a life filled with integrity.

Fast talkers, like today’s heroine, know how to evoke strong emotions, not giving people time to think about their actions, instead following blindly along.

‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ 1 Peter 5:8

Beware of those who would take advantage of your weaknesses.  Understand, the spiritual battle never ceases, always trying to derail our best intentions.

Victory comes with Jesus.  Lean into Christ’s teachings to help avoid the pitfall of seductive words.

Lord, forgive us for going astray because of seductive speech.  Illuminate truth for us in all things, and help us avoid the pitfalls of fast talkers.  Give us victory over the enemy’s attacks.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 19:16-21:21, Matthew 23:13-39, Psalm 28:1-9, Proverbs 7:1-5

Daily Verse: “Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,” Prov. 7:4

Bina, the original Hebrew word for insight in today’s verse, means “wisdom that responds to the Lord and His instruction.”

Becoming intimate friends with Jesus will give you access to His wisdom. However, the trend over the past 30 years shows a decrease in close relationships in the U.S.

“Just 13% of adults say they have 10 or more close friends, compared with 33% of those surveyed in 1990.” World Economic Forum, ‘Friendships: Less is Now More”

According to a 2020 Gallup poll, church attendance dropped below 50% for the first time in 8 decades.

If we want to call insight our intimate friend, we must pursue relationships, first with Jesus, then with others. Attending church regularly helps us do both. 

Building a life-giving bouquet of friends begins with Jesus. Becoming intimate with Christ will give you insight and develop close relationships with Him and others.  

Lord, forgive us for not pursuing You more. Help us draw closer to Jesus today as we seek a relationship with Him.  Build our bouquet of friendships as we engage with Jesus in an intimate relationship. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 17:8-19:15, Matthew 22:34-23:12, Psalm 27:7-14, Proverbs 6:27-35

As campers, we build fires often. Hot coals gather quickly once the fire starts going and become deadly to the touch within minutes. The flame’s heat causes us to stay far from it, using a poker to stoke the fire when necessary.

Once a fire gets going, it requires effort to put out. If you go looking for trouble, you will find it harder to stop than you think. 

Playing with fire never ends well. Starting an inferno begins with one match. A little flame turns into a raging blaze that destroys everything in its path.

My friend uses the analogy of a frog placed in cold water on the stove. When the burner begins to heat the water, the frog doesn’t realize the temperature change, warming with the flames. 

Playing with fire may seem innocent, but like the frog, we don’t realize the inferno’s danger until too late.

Lord, forgive us our inclination to play with fire. Help us avoid the temptations of the day ahead. Guide us on straight paths that bring life to us, not take it away. IJNIP. Amen