Read the Bible in a Year (22JUL19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, July 22’s Bible reading is Proverbs 27-29.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, July 23’s Bible reading is Proverbs 30-31. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

PROVERBS MOMENT – (22JUL19) Many people take pride in being able to boast about their 401k plans, Roth IRAs, savings accounts, investment shares, children’s college funds, etc. Even though these things are good to have, for the most part, security in these investments are not absolute. Allow the right circumstances to enter a person’s life, and these investments will be nothing more than good memories at best. For example, the lost of a job, medical crisis, death, natural disaster, or national emergency could cause people to lose everything that they worked so hard to obtain. The writer in Proverbs wrote, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). The writer was letting the reader know that anything can happen unexpectedly, and a person’s situation can change just that fast. Some people have had accidents that left them incapacitated. Others have been diagnosed with dementia where their retirement years were anything but golden. A spouse decided to leave the marriage, and the unsuspecting spouse’s life changed instantly. Nothing in life is secure except having trust in the Lord. The Bible says, “The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit” (Proverbs 28:18). The Lord is our only safety net in whom we are to trust. All other things will fade away, but God’s Word remains the same. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (22JUL19) Are you able to give people the hard-honest truth? Many people have a hard time telling the truth to others because they want to spare their feelings. Oftentimes, those who seek advice really do not want to know the truth about their situation. Yet, honesty is what the Lord requires to come from those who claim to be His. For example, recently, I was counseling a person whose life is in total chaos. The person is dealing with problems concerning their children, romantic relationships, family and relatives, friendships, etc. The individual was complaining about all that was going wrong in their life. Even though I felt for this person’s plight, I had to give the hard-core truth about their situation rather they wanted to hear it or not. The Bible says, “Those who flatter their neighbors are spreading nets for their feet” (Proverbs 29:5). The writer of Proverbs was telling the reader that flattery gets a person nowhere but sets a trap for them to fall into.

We as Christians must be honest with people especially when it concerns their salvation. Too many people are on the wrong path because those who claim to love them will not tell them the truth. Unfortunately, they are flattering the lost with their lips and sometimes through their silence instead of waking them up to God’s TRUTH concerning their lives.  The Bible says, “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction” (Proverbs 29:18). God has revealed all that we need to know concerning life in His WORD. Therefore, it is our job to tell the truth to those who need to hear it, but it is up to them to accept and apply the instruction that is given. Something to ponder….

PROVERBS MOMENT – (22JUL19) “Blessed is the one who always trembles before God and whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble” (Proverbs 28:14). All throughout Israel’s history, we can see that they were a rebellious people. The Lord often called them stiff-necked because they refused to be faithful to Him and keep His ordinances. No matter how much He did for them, they soon forgot and fell back into their idolatrous ways, which made the words of this proverb true. As long as they honored God, He blessed them, but when they hardened their hearts against Him, they fell into trouble. The same is taking place in our nation and the rest of the world.

The Lord has blessed us as a nation and the people in it. Even the poorest person within this nation is oftentimes better off than people in many third-world countries. Yet, we turn our noses against God, and dishonor Him by what we allow to take place as sin within the land that He has tremendously blessed. God is allowing floods, droughts, wildfires, earthquakes, civil unrest, and other things to wake us up as a nation. Unfortunately, there are few people who are listening because they have been made comfortable in their sin by lying leaders and pulpit pimps. The Bibles says, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). God is sending us warning after warning and these warnings are going to intensify until there is destruction beyond repair. Many watchmen are crying aloud to the people to turn from their wicked ways, only to be mocked, scorned, laughed at, rebuked, and ridiculed for being a “gloom and doomer” as they would term it. Nevertheless, one day, their mocking will turn to begging, their scorn into regret, their laughs into tears, rebuke into pleas, and their ridicule into delayed respect that will be too late. Oh, how God wants people to turn to Him while there is still time. Unfortunately, many are ignoring the shofar’s call, and only destruction and death awaits. Something to ponder….