Daily Devotionals/Readings:
God’s Wisdom for Daily Living
Betty Miller shares her daily devotional based on the book of Proverbs. King Solomon, who wrote most of the Book of Proverbs, was endowed with both spiritual and practical wisdom that he received from God. We can have that same wisdom by studying this great book of wisdom and following its advice. Proverbs 16:16: "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" If you are a new reader you may click here to read the Forward to this work. May you be blessed as you read.
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Proverbs Day 348 (KJV):
Proverbs 30:18-19 (KJV):
18 There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
Proverbs 30:18-19 (AMP):
18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand:
19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.
Thoughts for the Day
These verses from Proverbs state that there are four things that are very wonderful, and yet, mysterious: how an eagle flies, how a serpent slithers, how a ship sails, and how a man and woman are attracted to one another. Solomon respected these observations by Agur and included them in his own book. We all wonder at times why things are the way they are. The only and final answer is that God created them to act this way. God's creation is truly amazing and we can learn many things by observing it.
First, looking at the eagle, he is an amazing bird, not only in the way he flies, but also in his other characteristics, as well. He is a bird who mounts up on wind currents to soar and fly in the heights. Storms create the best wind drafts, so he flies the best, when the winds are contrary. The Bible uses the eagle to describe "overcoming Christians," because we can also fly above any storm of life by mounting up in the presence of God.
Isaiah 40:28-31:
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This is one of my favorite verses. I have claimed it many times, to be able to complete the task at hand, when I have been so weary that I thought I could not go on. The Lord has never failed to give me the strength that I have needed, when I ask Him in faith to help me. This scripture states that those who "wait upon the Lord" shall renew their strength. What does it mean to "wait upon the Lord?" Certainly, the first application of this would be to wait upon the Lord's timing, and to wait for Him to show us what to do; however, there is also another application to the meaning. When we dine in a restaurant, a "waiter" comes to our table to serve us or "wait on us." When we are committed to serving God, then we are "waiting on Him;" therefore, we will be given the strength for the task He has given us to do. Even young men who do not know the Lord, will not have the strength that we are given, when we obey Christ's commands.
Proverbs 30:19 speaks of the second thing that is amazing and that is the "serpent on the rock." In Genesis 3, we read that the serpent did not always crawl on the rocks, he was originally created as a beast; however, when he caused Adam and Eve to fall, he was then reduced to an animal that had to crawl on its belly on the ground, eating dust. Spiritually, the serpent, or the devil, feeds on men (who are made from the dust), as all men crawl with him, until they are "born again" and rise up to fly like the eagle.
Genesis 3:14-15:
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The third thing that Agur mentions that amazed him is how a ship can sail in the ocean. There are physical laws that God set in motion in the earth that govern how all things operate. These are verifiable scientific laws. In the case of a ship floating in the ocean, the laws that affect it are: the law of gravity, the law of motion, the laws of nature, and the laws of the universe. Just looking at the size and weight of a boat (especially in our day when we see warships constructed from mega tons of steel) floating in a liquid like water, it looks impossible. However, when one understands the invisible laws that govern such a feat, then it becomes possible. In the Bible, we are asked to believe in spiritual things and things we cannot see; yet, we know they are real, because we understand the law of faith and the law of life in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 19:25-26:
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
The fourth thing that was "too wonderful" for Agur was "the way of a man with a maid." The way a man and woman are attracted to one another and "fall in love" is a very wonderful gift that God gave to men and women. Erotic and sexual love was designed by God, but has limits and boundaries attached to it. It is to only be entered into within the bonds of matrimony. The devil has come against this husband and wife relationship by perverting it and causing men to indulge in it illegally. We find adulterers, fornicators, and homosexuals, (where men are sexually attracted to men, and women to women.) God is the one who set the standard for a marriage relationship and when men start trying to redefine marriage, they are setting themselves up to take the place of God, which is idolatry. The beautiful relationship, of love and marriage, between a man and a woman, is a type of our relationship with Christ, and that is a very holy thing.
Ephesians 5:23-27:
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Heavenly Father, You are amazing and wonderful! I stand in awe of Your great creation. Lord, Your plans for mankind were good and perfect, and we have messed it up because of our sins. Forgive us, Lord, and use us and help us now to restore and correct those things the devil has used to destroy Your beautiful creation. Give us grace to pray and reach out to those around us with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Change us to be like You, and use us to change this world and bring about the kingdom of God in the earth. I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Day By Day By Grace Bob Hoekstra December 14th Jesus Given for Us to be Given to Us
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10)
As the ultimate free gift of God's grace, Jesus was given for us (dying for our sins): "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" (Romans 8:32). Moreover, He was given for us to be given to us (that He might express His life in and through us).
We began as enemies of God. Certainly, we were lost and condemned. Yet, our situation was even worse than that. Our lives worked against the purposes and plans of God: "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works" (Colossians 1:21). Our evil thoughts and activities set us against the Lord in both mind and deed. The only way that we could become the friends of God was for Jesus to be given as a sacrifice for us. "When we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son." The Lord had to deal with our dual problem of sin and unrighteousness. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Father graciously placed our sins on His Son that we might have His righteousness. This precious gift of reconciliation, the turning of enemies into friends, was for all who would believe in Christ.
Even after this rich grace of reconciliation, the Lord had "much more" yet to give us. "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." What remained after Jesus was given for us (for our reconciliation) was that He would be given to us. Jesus came to dwell within us so that we could be "saved by His life." Why do the friends of Jesus still need to be saved? Well, His followers would be persistently threatened by the world, the flesh, and the devil. They would still be vulnerable to temptation, doubt, fear, fruitlessness, distraction, inadequacy, and more. How then would they be saved from such threats? This ongoing rescuing work of the Lord would be "by His life"—by Jesus living in and through His people. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Jesus was not, and is not, susceptible to any of these threatening issues. When He is allowed to express His life in and through us, each of us finds all that we need all of the time. This astounding statement is true, because "Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11).
Dear Father, my reconciler, I thank You for giving Your Son for me, that I might be changed from Your enemy to Your friend by His death. Yet, much more, I praise You for giving Your Son to me, that I might be saved from spiritual futility day by day by His life. Lord Jesus, live in and through me, I humbly pray, Amen.Yesterday's Reading Tomorrow's Reading Return to Day By Day By Grace Page Cite This Page: (explanation of citations)
Hoekstra, Bob. "Jesus Given for Us to be Given to Us," Day By Day By Grace. Blue Letter Bible. 19 Mar 2004. 15 Dec 2010.
Today's Promise from the Bible Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. Reflection
The earth is a haven for darkness and the things that lurk and creep. Foul is the world and thick is its shadow. The dim murk of this fallen land threatens all that is living and fair. We would be swallowed and bound in slavery to that dark roiling but that we are become children of light. The Father of Light guides our paths and so our ways become clear. His Son is the Light of the world and the darkness flees from before His glory! Abide in Him, dear believer, and rejoice that you can now see!
Morning and Evening Charles Haddon Spurgeon December 14th
Morning Reading "They go from strength to strength." — Psalm 84:7
They go from strength to strength. There are various renderings of these words, but all of them contain the idea of progress.
Our own good translation of the authorized version is enough for us this morning. "They go from strength to strength." That is, they grow stronger and stronger. Usually, if we are walking, we go from strength to weakness; we start fresh and in good order for our journey, but by-and-by the road is rough, and the sun is hot, we sit down by the wayside, and then again painfully pursue our weary way. But the Christian pilgrim having obtained fresh supplies of grace, is as vigorous after years of toilsome travel and struggle as when he first set out. He may not be quite so elate and buoyant, nor perhaps quite so hot and hasty in his zeal as he once was, but he is much stronger in all that constitutes real power, and travels, if more slowly, far more surely. Some gray-haired veterans have been as firm in their grasp of truth, and as zealous in diffusing it, as they were in their younger days; but, alas, it must be confessed it is often otherwise, for the love of many waxes cold and iniquity abounds, but this is their own sin and not the fault of the promise which still holds good: "The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Fretful spirits sit down and trouble themselves about the future. "Alas!" say they, "we go from affliction to affliction." Very true, O thou of little faith, but then thou goest from strength to strength also. Thou shalt never find a bundle of affliction which has not bound up in the midst of it sufficient grace. God will give the strength of ripe manhood with the burden allotted to full-grown shoulders.
Morning and Evening Charles Haddon Spurgeon December 14th
Evening Reading "I am crucified with Christ." — Galatians 2:20
The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what He did as a great public representative person, and His dying upon the cross was the virtual dying of all His people. Then all His saints rendered unto justice what was due, and made an expiation to divine vengeance for all their sins. The apostle of the Gentiles delighted to think that as one of Christ's chosen people, he died upon the cross in Christ. He did more than believe this doctrinally, he accepted it confidently, resting his hope upon it. He believed that by virtue of Christ's death, he had satisfied divine justice, and found reconciliation with God. Beloved, what a blessed thing it is when the soul can, as it were, stretch itself upon the cross of Christ, and feel, "I am dead; the law has slain me, and I am therefore free from its power, because in my Surety I have borne the curse, and in the person of my Substitute the whole that the law could do, by way of condemnation, has been executed upon me, for I am crucified with Christ."
But Paul meant even more than this. He not only believed in Christ's death, and trusted in it, but he actually felt its power in himself in causing the crucifixion of his old corrupt nature. When he saw the pleasures of sin, he said, "I cannot enjoy these: I am dead to them." Such is the experience of every true Christian. Having received Christ, he is to this world as one who is utterly dead. Yet, while conscious of death to the world, he can, at the same time, exclaim with the apostle, "Nevertheless I live." He is fully alive unto God. The Christian's life is a matchless riddle. No worldling can comprehend it; even the believer himself cannot understand it. Dead, yet alive! crucified with Christ, and yet at the same time risen with Christ in newness of life! Union with the suffering, bleeding Saviour, and death to the world and sin, are soul-cheering things. O for more enjoyment of them!
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