Category Archives: Wisdom & Guidance

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

December 1, 2013

Posted under

Holidays & Holy Days, Wisdom & Guidance

Prepare the Way – 1st Sunday in Advent

Thunder in the desert! “Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then God’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said.” [Isaiah 40:3-5 (MSG)]

As we prepare for the Christmas holidays, Lord, guide us so that we do not forget the reason for the season. Let the desire for peace, love and joy lead us and not our concern for gifts, decorations, and food. May we truly prepare the way of the Lord, not the way of Santa Claus!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 21, 2013

Posted under

Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

Don’t Scratch That Itch

The snake was more clever than all the wild animals the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden’?”

The woman answered the snake, “We’re allowed to eat the fruit from any tree in the garden except the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You must never eat it or touch it. If you do, you will die!’” … The woman saw that the tree had fruit that was good to eat, nice to look at, and desirable for making someone wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. [Genesis 3:1-2,6 (GW)]

Indeed, Satan is shrewd. He got Eve to concentrate on the one fruit she couldn’t have instead of all the fruit she already had. Temptation is a bit like a mosquito bite that is begging to be scratched. The more we think about the itch, the more we want to scratch it!

Lord, guide us, so that our focus is not on forbidden fruit but rather on the plentiful garden you have already given us.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 14, 2013

Posted under

Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

Listen to Him

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” [Mark 9:7 (NLT)]

O Lord, we’ve talked about this decision and I still don’t know what to do. Help me; speak to me; show me the way. If not a burning bush, how about lighting a neon sign or sending a banner in the sky to guide me? Perhaps, however, I have been too busy pleading my case to hear your response.

Thank you for the reminder that I need to stop talking and start listening. You will tell me which path to take; I just need to be quiet in order to hear your voice.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. [John 10:27 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 9, 2013

Posted under

God's Word: The Bible, Wisdom & Guidance

Blueprint for Life

2013-11-9These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss. [Luke 6:47-49 (MSG)]

God’s words are not mere suggestions; they are orders. They are the blueprints for our existence. If the carpenter changes the blueprint without the architect’s permission, the integrity of the structure is in jeopardy. It’s not just our integrity but our souls that are in jeopardy when we don’t follow God’s plan. God’s words are the foundation on which we must build our lives.

Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. [Proverbs 4:13 (NLT)]

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said – to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
[Attributed to John Keith, 1787]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 8, 2013

Posted under

God's Promises, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Lord declares, “How horrible it will be for those rebellious children. They carry out plans, but not mine. They make alliances against my will. They pile sin on top of sin. … These people are rebellious and deceitful children, children who refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings. They say to the seers, ‘Don’t see the future.’ They say to those who have visions, ‘Don’t have visions that tell us what is right. Tell us what we want to hear. See illusions. Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path! Get the Holy One of Israel out of our sight.’” [Isaiah 30:1, 9-11 (GW)]

God is our personal help line and yet we often refuse to use it. It’s usually not because we’ve forgotten about Him. More often, it’s because we really don’t want to hear what He has to say or do what He might tell us to do. As a result, we search for advice from everyone else, hoping to hear the answer we want. Like the rebellious children of Judah, we often prefer lies and illusions to the truth. When we seek God, we may not always like His advice, but we can be sure that it will be faultless and true. God’s way is rarely the easy way, but we can trust that it will be the right way!

This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don’t want that. [Isaiah 30:15 (GW)]

 

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 5, 2013

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Obedience, Wisdom & Guidance

Put First Things First (Haggai – part 1)

Now, this is what the Lord of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways! You planted a lot, but you harvested little. You eat, but you’re never full. You drink, but you’re still thirsty. You wear clothing, but you never have enough to keep you warm. You spend money as fast as you earn it. [Haggai 1:5-6 (GW)]

Does this situation sound familiar? Although these words were spoken by Haggai in 520 BC, they make me think of our nation, with its problems and dark mood today. Although the Jews had returned to Jerusalem fifteen years earlier, they hadn’t managed to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. More concerned with building their homes and lives than in completing God’s work, they were experiencing severe problems. Have we, like the ancient Jews, lost our sense of values and misplaced our priorities? When hard times hit, when we feel empty, when our best efforts seem futile, perhaps it is time to reconsider what takes precedence in our lives.

Lord, guide us in setting our priorities. Let us always keep you first and foremost in our thoughts.

This is what the Lord of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways! [Haggai 1:7 (GW)]