The Proverbs

On May 8, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 1: 1

To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
To receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity;
To give prudence to the naïve, to the youth knowledge and discretion.

Above are four objectives. These outline the reasons Solomon gave us the Proverbs. I had a friend one time, who was quite versed in the Bible but one day as we were talking, confessed she had never found the attraction to the Proverbs. I was flabbergasted. This is the first book I discovered in the Bible and to this day, one of the most highlighted books in my Bible. I guess I just needed more instruction than did she.

When I began my deep discovery of the Bible my pastor instructed me to read a chapter from the New Testament beginning with Matthew 1, a chapter from the Old Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb. That advice served me well. The Old Testament gave me my history and the grounding of my faith. The New Testament brought me salvation, grace, the New Covenant and Jesus, the Psalms speaks to my heart and the Proverbs inform and instruct me in the way to go. They are a floor beneath my feet preventing me from falling into the depths while the Psalms give me wings to fly.

I was young when I discovered the Proverbs and was aware of my naivety and ignorance. That was a grace because I was not too arrogant or proud to receive instruction. When we become unteachable, the Proverbs call us fools. I can be foolish, as we all can at times, but foolishness is something I would rather avoid. There are consequences with foolishness. A proverb is a “wise saying or precept.” So, the Proverbs, I think, guard us from the distasteful consequences of foolishness.

God offered Solomon anything he wanted. Solomon chose wisdom and now through the Proverbs he offers us this prize from God. Join me as I take a sojourn through the Proverbs. Let us see what we may and glean from Solomon, the wisdom of God.

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Desert Days

On May 5, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 4: 1 – 2

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry.

I want you to notice a few words in this passage, those being, “being tempted by the devil.” You see, right after this verse begins the telling of the three temptations with which we are all familiar. Has anyone else missed this part though, that he was tempted for 40 days before those famous three temptations? It certainly had eluded me.

Here is another question for you. How did the devil tempt him? Jesus wandered around in the desert, presumptively alone, for 40 days not eating. As if that was not enough, apparently the devil was pestering him the whole time too. Do you think the devil appeared to him? Did he just whisper in Jesus’ ear? We know next to nothing about this forty day period.

I also find it interesting that he wandered around in the desert for forty days being led by the Holy Spirit. That is very reminiscent of the forty years the Israelites roamed around in the desert though they were led by God. Were they also tempted in the desert for those forty years like Jesus was for the forty days he was in the desert? Jesus never failed, he never gave into the temptations. He made it to the promised land without succumbing to the devil’s machinations. It is as if he put to right the disastrous journey of the Israelite nation by making his forty day sojourn.

Whatever the devil dishes out, there has always been the power available to overcome him. The Israelites had God with them. He was in the cloud by day and the pillar by night. Somehow, though, they were unable to connect with the power which accompanied them day and night. Jesus showed that people can overcome the temptations of the devil. He connected with the power which accompanied him, namely, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gave him company so that he was never really alone and he empowered Jesus with everything he need to succeed.

All the Israelites had and all that Jesus had is with us today too. We can access the power of the trinity at all times because they are always with us. We no longer need wander around in the desert lost, alone and afraid. We have a redeemer and a comforter. We have an overcomer. They have led us to the oasis. Hallelujah.

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Word Speak

On May 4, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 2: 2

And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.

Jesus’ public ministry began when he stood up to read in the synagogue. Opening the book of Isaiah, he read his commission (see Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 and Luke 4: 18 – 19). He came to preach the good news, proclaim liberty, recovery, and the year of the Lord and to free the downtrodden. In a sound bite, that is his mandate from God. Notice that his assignment included preach and proclaim. It is no wonder, then, that his ministry involved speaking the word.

Jesus’ proclamation, his preaching was of the Word of God, not of himself. Isn’t that interesting? Of all of the ministers and priests of all of the ages, if there is one who should be qualified to preach of his own knowledge, wisdom and intelligence it would seem to be Jesus. Yet, his preaching was, and is, proclaiming the Word of God. Apparently his message was so good that there was no even standing room. The Word ministered to people’s need and it still does today.

None of the things Jesus did on this earth were of himself. He always relied on the wisdom and guidance of the Father. Do you remember the story of the woman who was cast at his feet by the Pharisees, accused of adultery? They pitted Jesus in a quandary between grace and law wondering what he would choose. Either way, they figured, they would win. Jesus did not answer them immediately. Instead, he stooped down and began to write in the dirt. Finally, when they pressed him, he stood and gave such an enlightened answer that all of their guile folded back upon them. So, my question is this, “What was Jesus doing when was stooped over writing in the dirt?” We don’t really know but I believe he was inquiring of his Father.

My point is this, everything Jesus used for his ministry is available to us and even more. When Jesus spoke the Word, he only had the Old Testament writings. Think of how much we have in the New Testament with all of the stories about Jesus, words he spoke when he lived here and the writings of the apostles. I believe the power of Jesus’ ministry was that he was grounded in God’s Word. That is what he gave to people and out of that flowed the healings and miracles.

Don’t you wonder what Old Testament wisdom He spoke when he sat down to teach? Which stories did he retell? Think about it this way, we have in our hands, the substance of Jesus’ every sermon. That awes me. What did he see in those ancient texts? Whenever he preached, lives were changed. Wouldn’t every pastor in the world love to be able to make that claim. It is all there for us all, the leading of the Holy Spirit and the thoughts and wisdom of God as recorded in the Bible. Those are the tools with which Jesus changed the world. What can we do with them?

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Fire Brick

On May 3, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Joshua 1: 8

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Do you know what a fire brick is? According to Wikipedia it is “ a block of refractory ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces.” Have you ever wondered what material is used in the kilns and furnaces? With the fires getting so hot, how can any material hold molten steel or glass or even survive the temperatures of the furnaces?

Years and years ago I heard Dick Mills give a talk in which he used fire brick as an example. Obviously, it stuck with me. He compared the Bible to fire brick. As we read the Bible, day after day, searching its pages and gleaning the wisdom of God, we are actually laying in the fire brick of our souls. Those days and days of reading prepare us for the days when the fire is really hot. We are prepared, in other words, for what the world throws at us because the Word of God has been laid in like fire brick.

A friend of mine is enjoying “overnight success.” In the last year she has published two books, being invited to speak at conferences, done TV interviews, has just returned from a ten week speaking tour in Australia and New Zealand, and her ministry has gone from almost non-existent to flourishing. Why? Answer – fire brick. She has been laying in the Word for 20 years. Bit by little bit God has built a majestic tower out of her daily diligence. That is the way overnight success works, through year by year faithfulness.

The same thing will work for you too. The time you spend today in God’s Word may be next month’s saving grace. Your daily reading of scripture is preparing you for everything which will come your way. So, don’t be caught unprepared. Get your Word on.

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Prayer Cramp

On May 2, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   2 Comments

Mark 9:24

Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

I was praying today for someone when I felt the smallest twinge as the words came out of my mouth. What I prayed is promised in the scriptures so why that little twinge? I stopped right then and asked our Father about it. Although I completely believed in my mind what I was praying and could quote chapter and verse where God promised it, my heart was unconvinced. That is when this verse came to my mind. “Help me in my unbelief Jesus!”

We all have areas where we believe the Word with our minds but our hearts still suffer little twinges of doubt. No worries. First, be sensitive enough to what is going on in your heart that you sense those hiccups. Second, we have a helper. We do not have to help ourselves and in truth, I don’t believe we can. The Holy Spirit can certainly work within us, though, to minister those truths to us at a level that we can accept. He leads us into real belief, the kind that cannot be upset.

As I prayed, the Lord convinced me that what I was praying was not only achievable but that it was the least He wants to do. He showed me that the promise is within the parameters of what we can believe, but not to the level He would like to perform. All of a sudden my faith in His Word and in His desire to meet the needs of all of His children was magnified. Well, truth be told, His desire really was not to meet the needs of His kids. Provision just comes with the territory. His desire is to give us abundant life, more than enough. That fueled my prayer and I believe that what I prayed, the Father will do. It seems He was just waiting for me to conquer my doubt so that together we could really bless people.

Now, do you want to hear the best part? I pray for every person who reads this devotional, even those of you who pick it up on the internet that I have never heard of and don’t even know you are reading. Dad knows you are there and now I have renewed vigor in my prayer life. Watch out! Dad and I are praying for you!

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Saved from Wrath

On May 1, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

1 Thessalonians 5: 9

For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It surprises me that there is still confusion over God’s feelings towards us. Even people who have John 3: 16 memorized still talk about God’s wrath and about how He is going to pour out His wrath upon us. Well, this verse would seem to lay aside that perspective in favor of a God who loves us and intended to save us, even to save us from Wrath.

God is love (1 John 4: 8) and everything He does is from the vantage of love. Our crimes demanded punishment but because He wanted to spare us from our just due, He sent Jesus to take all of the punishment, all of the wrath upon himself. We have been pardoned. The jail cell doors are thrown open wide. We are free. We are excused from the prison cell and invited into the throne room. God saved us from the sentence levied against us by condemning Jesus. Therefore, we are no longer destined to or for wrath but rather our destinies are salvation, love, hope and peace through the grace of our Father and the triumph of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Love is in the house. Love demands kindness, not wrath. Love demands gentleness. Let’s get a revelation of our Father. He is gentle and kind, not angry. Any anger He had, He poured out on Jesus. Sometimes I think we do “Him” a disfavor by attributing the male pronoun to Him because the Bible reveals that He is male and female. Were we able to comprehend Him in His fullness, I think it would be easier for us to attribute His nurturing nature to His every thought and gesture. He is the strong warrior who protects us from the storm but He is every bit the tender soul who cuddles us in warmth and affection. He is the most emotionally expressive person you will ever meet. In fact, He is so effusive with His declarations of love that He will embarrass you.

You were not destined to endure anger or wrath. You were and are destined for greatness in Christ Jesus through the love and salvation bought for you at the cross and in truth, at the dawn of time. You are destined to sit on your heavenly parent’s knee and receive comfort and the outpouring of incomprehensible love. Receive love and abandon fear of wrath. Receive the fullness of Salvation.

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Precarious Steps

On April 28, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Psalm 37: 23 – 24

The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

After yesterday’s Word on God giving us hind’s feet for the high places this passage seemed appropriate. I watched a video today of a guy riding down a treacherous path on his bike. It was awe inspiring. There were sections where I thought to myself, “That would be hard to hike much less traverse on a bike.” Of course it didn’t help that the bike rider was at the top of a mountain and that the trail was perched precariously on the outside edge. I could glimpse a river every now and again and it was thousands of feet below the trail. Whew!

How nice is it that when we feel like we are on a path like that or that we must navigate some hazardous ground that we not only have hind’s feet but we also have our heavenly Father right beside us holding our hands. Can you see Him beside you in your mind’s eye? Can you see Him holding your hand?

I am thinking about the first time we rode a bike. Many of us had someone running along beside us helping us to stay upright. If I picture myself on my bike I can turn to the side and see the Father holding me up. You know, sometimes I need that. How about you? What are you doing now (besides reading this)? Are you at work? Are you about to go to your workout? Whatever is next on your schedule, Father God would love to do it with you. If you will let Him establish your steps, guide your way, I am sure that all will be better and easier.

Just think about riding your bike down that very challenging trail, it is the Portal trail in Moab, Utah, by the way. Wouldn’t you want Father establishing your steps, perhaps steering too? This is a perfect metaphor for life. If you can see yourself on a challenging hike or picking your way down the Portal Trail and imagine our Father coaching you with every step and holding on to you, then you have the picture of what your life can be, should be. He will help you to not put a foot wrong. He will catch you if you fall. You will not be hurled headlong and brother that is good news in life and on the Portal Trail.

Look up the trail. Watch the video. It is on the Ivey Ministries Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IveyMinistries/). You will likely conclude that it is challenging, but then, so is life.

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