January 23: Proverbs 4:1-9
Key Verse: Proverbs 4:2
I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
Devotion:
I do continue to try and learn all I can from God’s Word, and even though I have read through my bible, I continue to learn from those same words. So how do I continue to learn new things if the words do not change? My life changes, and as my life changes, the words take on a new meaning in many cases; not that the mean changes but deepens.
I continue to gain wisdom from the words God has made sure we get to hear. God’s word does not change, but our understanding changes as we grow in wisdom and understanding. Just as Jesus did not know everything in the beginning, so we do not know it. But we can learn more and more with every day if we are willing to listen and learn as much as Jesus did!
As we go through school, we learn to read and write, then we get further understanding and then, if we are lucky, we continue on to college and university where we can explore more and try to further our own understanding by discovering new things. We must be willing and want to do the same with our Christian understanding too – the more we can learn, the closer we become to how Jesus was able to live.
As with any learning, we need to remember things we read and hear. We need to take what we learn and hold it in our hearts because that is where God is trying to reach us – in our hearts. He knows we have to accept these things in our hearts to further deepen our relationship with Him, so He tries to speak to us through our hearts!
Points to Ponder:
How much do/did learn from school?
How much do you learn from God’s Word?
January 22: Proverb 3:19-20
Key Verse: Proverbs 3:19
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
Devotion:
I loved doing science experiments when I was younger – especially those chemical types which made new things. What I could not get my head round was the chemical reactions and formulas which were happening behind the scenes. I marvelled at the chemistry teachers as they went about showing us experiments as if it was something they “just did!”
Now, we could look at God as being someone who just does the experiments which give us many of the things we take for granted, or we could try and understand how He does things... But, in the end we have to accept He is able to do things which we may never be able to understand or grasp; but because we do see it happening, we should believe it!
God created this world because He could and because He wanted something special for us. His abilities are far beyond our normal understanding it terms of science and physics, but we should still accept it as the truth because He has already done it. It may be hard to accept something we cannot see – but accepting something we see should be ‘normal.’
We probably don’t deserve what God has created for us and given us, but He has, because He loves us. We don’t have to return it when we mess it up! We don’t have to try and fix everything we break... God gave this all to us as a gift and continues to support us with this gift every day of our lives. Accept all God is doing and thank Him for it, daily.
Points to Ponder:
Have you looked at the natural world around you?
Do you see the design God has planned for everything?
January 21: Proverbs 3:5-6
Key Verse: Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Devotion:
How much do you trust your family? How much do you trust your friends? How much do you trust other people? Your answers to any or all of these is probably to trust those who have given you reason to trust them and not to trust those who have given you reason not to trust them... But we cannot always live in the past where we judge people according to what they have done in the past!
If we lived by that idiom, we would probably trust very few people in our lives and find it very difficult to trust new people who came into our lives. Contrast that with the way God sent His Son to make a way for us to trust Him even when He knew we could not be trusted!
Someone has to start the trust relationship; and it may well be difficult for you to try and start that trust because of what has happened to you in your past. God wants us to be able to trust others and for them to trust us. This means we have to be trust-worthy and show others we can be trusted.
God has already shown us He can be trusted in everything and continues to uphold the truth and that trust. If we are willing to place our trust in His hands, He is faithful and just to continue keeping His word and continue showing us how much we can trust Him with everything and always.
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust God’s Word?
Will you place a bit more trust in God’s hands today?
January 20: Psalm 34:19-20
Key Verse: Psalm 34:20
he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
Devotion:
One of the most surprising things is that I have not broken any bones yet! When I think back of all the stupid things I have done in my past from jumping off roofs and rock climbing without any protection, the odds were clearly stacked against me – but I still came out relatively unscathed from all my doings... Now I am not saying we should all go out and jump off roofs! There is no way we should be knowingly tempting God!
But these words are so very comforting to us – not that God will always protect us from breaking our bones, because we still do stupid things and we probably deserve to have a broken bone or two! But God continue to watch over us in everything we do and will try to make sure we are safe at all times.
The most comfort I get from these verses is not the broken bones part, but that God gives us a peace which really does go beyond all our own understanding. That peace is able to cover all our worries and self-doubts. That peace lifts us up from our mourning and gives us an understanding of how God continues to love and protect us.
I pray each one of you who are reading this (or listening to it) are blessed by God’s peace and continue to trust Him in many more things in your lives. I know I have always been surprised by the depth of the peace He gives me and continue to accept it in bundles. He really does look after me and protect me in so many ways, especially with my heart and mind!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you trust God with?
Will you give God your heart for safe keeping today?