Weekday devotionals going through the book of Proverbs as well as looking at what we can learn about God Himself in His Word - Two different devos daily
Monday, August 17, 2015
Discontinued New Postings
Because I hadn't heard from anyone desiring this to continue, I will not be posting new entries as of today. You can send me your e-mail address is you want them sent to you or go to the Facebook pages..Knowing God or Weekday Proverbs to continue. You can also look through past submissions as this blog will remain on the internet. Thank you. E-mail: Maureenschaffer@aol.com
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Knowing God - FAR Above
Eph 4:10
He that
descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things.
Jesus
ascended after His resurrection to the Father and sat down showing that ALL the
work needed for salvation was completed that He was sent to do. He ascended FAR above all heavens. The Lord Jesus Christ is to worshiped and His
ascension was one thing that demonstrated what godliness is. He didn’t just die. He didn’t just rise, but after He rose from
the dead He ascended back to His Father.
Although He is seated at His right hand, Christ can still fill all
things. This is a quality only given to
God – the omnipresence of God. This
means that God can be everywhere at the same time. If Jesus ascended and fills all things, we
can conclude that He is, indeed, God, the Son.
We must honor Him and exalt Him.
Christ can fill us today. He is
far above ALL heavens and His presence has been promised to us. His ascension demonstrates this fact. He is with us always and He will never leave
us or forsake us.
Proverbs - Take Heed to Yourself
Proverbs 14:11
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown:
but
the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
Our
dwelling places are directly impacted by how we are living. If we are women who are walking uprightly we
are contributing to a flourishing environment for our children, husbands, wives
and those who live with us. We help
water and maintain a place where people feel safe and are not caught by
surprise because of secret sins and hidden compromise. Our homes will be flourishing and we will be
a part of that. Sure, our mates might be
doing wickedly and will definitely impact our homes, but, if we focus on living
for the Lord, the destruction will be met with life and seeds will be planted
in our children’s hearts and flourish.
Brethren, do you desire to have your dwelling place a place that is rich
and fruitful? Take heed to yourself
first and watch the trickle effect your devotion to Christ will have on all
those living with you.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Knowing God - Jesus - God's Righteousness Revealed
Isa 56:1
Thus
saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to
come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
Jesus – God’s
Righteousness Revealed
The Lord’s righteousness is constant
and established. At this time, Jesus had
not come to earth yet. He was going to
come and man was going to see God in the flesh.
God’s righteousness was going to be revealed. In Christ, man saw righteousness in human
form. This righteousness was revealed
and in the light of Jesus we all fall short of God’s perfection. The Lord didn’t just send Jesus to reveal
moral righteousness, He sent Jesus to bring salvation. His perfection was not seen just for our
example and imitation, His perfection qualified Christ to be the Lamb of God
who takes
away the sins of the world. If
Christ were not perfectly righteous, He would not have been the salvation that
makes righteousness available to all who would believe on Him. The righteousness that was revealed in Christ
went way beyond Him pleasing the Father in all He did until His death, but His
death and resurrection as well. Praise
Jesus today. Worship Him for being God’s
righteousness revealed.
Proverbs - When to Leave a Conversation
Proverbs 14:7-9
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
when
thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his
way:
but
the folly of fools is deceit.
Fools make a mock at sin:
but
among the righteous there is favour.
Here we are being instructed about
foolish people. One thing the Lord is
telling us is to not continue in the presence of one who is speaking
foolishly. The next two verses give us a
definition of foolish speaking. One
criterion would be deceit and the other is mocking sin.
If we are around those who are
deceived or are comfortable with deceiving others, we are not in a good
place. These kinds of friendships will
contribute to confusion and cloud our ability to understand our way. Deception can cross over and darken the
plainness of the path of the righteous.
Wise friends will help us seek the Lord and understand what the Lord
wants us to do. We need the Lord to give
us perception with those whom we spend time.
He instructs us to be the ones to go from their presence.
Secondly, mocking sin is evidence of a
foolish person. I heard some people on a
radio station the other day laughing about someone being in a rehab center for
alcoholism and challenging another young person to catch up and get to that
point soon. They were mocking the sin of
drunkenness and they are fools. At that
point, the station should be changed or you or I should leave the presence of
such dialogue if we were in a store or someone’s home. We need righteous companionship – the kind of
friendships that promote favor with God.
We need people in our lives that seek to please God and do what He deems
right.
Go from the presence of a foolish
person when you perceive not the lips of knowledge. This will protect you and
establish your life in the way that your Creator has for you and deliver you
from the traps your adversary has set for you.
Please give me your feedback
I see that there are only 33 members to this blog...although I know others may read that are not members. I offer these same devotions via e-mail and Facebook. I am considering phasing out this blog if those of you who are reading from this source would be open to transferring to e-mail or Facebook.
I will keep it even if only one of you prefers this avenue for the devos. Could I please have your feedback here and let me know your thoughts. If I don't have anyone respond with a NEED for this blog source I will phase this out and stay with e-mail and Facebook to distribute these devotionals.
I will keep it even if only one of you prefers this avenue for the devos. Could I please have your feedback here and let me know your thoughts. If I don't have anyone respond with a NEED for this blog source I will phase this out and stay with e-mail and Facebook to distribute these devotionals.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Knowing God - The Lord Sends People
1 Sam 25:32
And
David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this
day to meet me:
The Lord Sends
People
Someone told Abigail about her
husband’s ill response to David and David’s plans to come and bring harm to
him. Abigail came up with a plan and was
used to bring about peace and diverted the bloodshed. We see in this verse that it was the Lord
that sent Abigail to meet with David.
Sometimes we get information and we wonder why someone told us
something. It may be, in fact, the Lord
sending us to talk with someone or be used in some way to bring about a
resolution. The Lord sends people in a
variety of ways. In this instance,
Abigail was sent by hearing about something through someone else. We should be open to being led by the Lord
through the information He might allow to get to us. Abigail was sent by the Lord, He may send us
as well.
Proverbs - Wisdom and Knowledge Comes to the Humble
Proverbs 14:6
A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not:
but
knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
In this life we need wisdom and
knowledge to make good decisions when faced with situations that demand our
response. This can happen at work, in relationships
and parenting.
As parents, when we are disciplining
our children we can find ourselves lacking the understanding in certain
conflict resolutions. Sometimes when we
find one of our little ones in the midst of trouble we can often jump the gun
and begin down the road of handing out consequences and words that might not be
appropriate for the offense. If we find
ourselves scorning or talking down to anyone we won’t be able to hear the truth
of the situation and might prolong or contribute to the problem.
At work we may find ourselves
emotionally involved with an injustice and be tempted to react sarcastically or
with a high-minded attitude. We won’t
find the knowledge or wisdom to address the matter when we are in this mindset.
In our marriages we may find ourselves
frustrated with some sort of impasse. In
order to get the understanding and knowledge we need to respond in a way that
will help resolve the situation we must cast out the scorner. We must humble ourselves and seek God to show
us OUR responsibility without focusing on the other’s fault.
The word ‘understand’ is made up of
two words – ‘under’ and ‘stand’. We must
place ourselves in a standing position under the situation. We have to be able
to gain perspective on a problem by removing ourselves from the emotional side
and looking beneath the surface. If we
are mocking or scorning, we will not find His answers. The next time we are in a situation where we
need understanding, don’t react so emotionally.
Stop and ask the Lord for understanding.
Then we will find ourselves equipped with the knowledge and tools for
the situation.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Knowing God - Not Complete Destruction
Jer 4:27
This is what the Lord says:
"The
whole land will be ruined,
though I will
not destroy it completely.
NIV
The Lord was going to deal with His
people and it was going to look like total devastation. The birds were going to flee, the walls torn
down and the temple was going to be in ruins.
The Lord clearly states that the destruction was not intended to be the
end of His people but that which would be used to bring them to a place of
repentance. Even though it looked like
the end, in fact, it was a new beginning.
When we face destruction because of our own choices and we feel
hopeless, we must remember that the Lord intends to use the demolition as an
opportunity to rebuild. He does
wonderful makeovers and demolition is often necessary.
Proverbs - Truth in Parenting
Proverbs
14:5
A faithful witness will not lie:
but
a false witness will utter lies.
Truth is the mark of integrity. Our children need to know that their parents
are truthful. We represent authority to
our children and truth creates a secure environment that our children can learn
to interpret and respond in. When we lie
or misrepresent the truth to our children their ability to process their
environment gets confused and clouded.
When they can’t trust authority the precious faith that the Lord has put
in them begins to weaken and their hearts can be vulnerable to suspicion and
insecurity.
We are His witnesses and it is
important that we are people who seek to be honest and accurate in all of our
dealings. To every man is given a measure
of faith. Our children’s measure should
be guarded and their hearts handled with great care. Truth, no matter how difficult it may be, is
something that can be faced and dealt with.
Lies create mistrust and confusion.
If there is a truth we sense that our
children are not ready for we are not forced to lie. We explain to them that we don’t feel it is
the right time to give them that information.
That is still speaking the truth.
The devil is father of ALL lies and we don’t want him to birth anything
in our lives. If you sense the Spirit of
Truth bringing to your mind someone you lied to, ask Him how you might get
things right. Consider what you are
telling your children concerning legends and perhaps holiday traditions. We want to be faithful witnesses.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Knowing God - God Hurts for Us
Jer 4:19
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very
heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast
heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
The Lord’s
Heart is Painful for Us
This is the Lord speaking here. The Lord is saying that He knows that the
armies are going to descend upon His people because His people have not made
the Lord their refuge. He is revealing
to us that He is pained in heart because of the consequences His people will be
facing. What a loving God! It brings Him no pleasure to see us suffer
the consequences of our rebellion. He is
pained in heart and deep within our God, He hurts for us. Here we also see that He cannot hold His
peace. This means He has to say
something to speak to His people before they face such times. Our God wants to speak to us before, during
and after times of chastening. He will
speak so that we are exercised by the chastening and that it will bring forth
righteous fruit which makes for peace even in the midst of trouble. Our God is so tender. Our God is a good Father. Let us remember to listen for His voice,
trust in His love and be cooperative with any sort of discipline He might have
to give us.
Proverbs - Messes Prove Relationships
Proverbs
14:4
Where
no oxen are, the crib is clean:
but much increase is by the strength of the
ox.
A crib is another name for a manger or
barn. This verse is telling us that if
there are no oxen in the manger the manger is really clean. There is no hay to be stored, no flies
associated with their presence, no waste on the ground and the dirt doesn’t get
disturbed – a smooth, clean surface to walk in and admire. Having a clean barn is not supposed to be the
goal of someone who owns a barn. If we
were to visit a farmer/cattle rancher and found his facilities sparkling clean
and quiet without traces of livestock, we would wonder what sort of farmer he
was. We would wonder how he plows his fields or gathers his harvest. We would question his success and identity. Although
things would look nice, they would seem strange and the barn would not only be
empty of messes, but the grain itself would be missing or minimal.
Brethren, we have been given
facilities by the Lord – our homes, cars, and material goods. Sometimes in seeking to take care of our
goods and keep our homes in order we can miss His purposes in giving them to
us. Our ‘oxen’ are often people
that fill our homes and lives and often create a bit of a mess and cause us to
have to clean and maintain because of their presence. Our children, husbands/wives, roommates,
friends and family all fill our lives and homes and as a result things aren’t
always as clean as we might like them to be. But……there is MUCH increase
through the strength of the ox.
The people in our lives are placed
there by the Lord to bring about an increase in our lives, to plow and harvest
all that the Lord wants to grow in us.
When we have messes as a result of our children or having others over in
our homes, we must remember God’s truth more than our fleshly
perspectives. We are supposed to work
willingly with our hands, welcome messes as a result of relationships and thank
Him for all He is doing in our lives through those around us.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Knowing God - He Speaks to Our Fears
Josh 10:8
And the Lord
said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand;
there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
The Lord had told Joshua more than
once to not fear. The Lord spoke to
Joshua’s fears as they arose. Each
battle and challenge seemed to have unique fears for Joshua and the Lord dealt
with them each time. Our Lord knows our
frame. He understands that we are but
dust. He looks at us like a father looks
at his little children. When we are
afraid, He does not rebuke us, He rebukes our fears. He told Joshua one time
that it was His presence that would calm his fears. The next time the Lord told Joshua that he
could take mighty men with him and this helped calm his fears. This time the Lord spoke the outcome to calm
his fears. We must seek the Lord for our
fears and be sensitive to how He may be addressing them. Our God is our Father and He wants to deliver
us out of all our fears.
Proverbs - Pride is the Root of Foolishness
Proverbs 14:3
In the mouth
of the foolish is a rod of pride:
but
the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
The Lord warns us earlier in this
chapter that the foolish woman will tear down her home with her own hands. Whether
we are a woman or a man, in this verse we see that when we speak foolishly we
have PRIDE at the very core of our motivation.
Words can tear down a house, a marriage, a parent-child
relationship. We must remember that
words are very powerful. They can bring
life and they can bring death. When our
words are foolish and they are rooted in some sort of self-focus. When we are focused on self, we are not aware
of others’ needs and feelings. For some
reason, the rod of pride banishes the interests and feelings of others.
This rod of pride is stubborn and
judgmental. It is swung with disregard
to all those in its path. Ladies, the
Lord wants our lips to speak wise things.
Wise words grace all those who hear them. Wise words are rooted in love and concern for
honoring God and loving others. When we
are wise our words will preserve us.
They will protect us from unnecessary conflict. These wise words will nurture our
relationships and preserve them from decay.
When we find words that are strong in
judgment and harsh in delivery, we should stop, perhaps go into the restroom or
backyard and confess the rod of pride.
Ask the Lord for humility and meekness.
Wisdom is associated with meekness and consideration. When words are wise they don’t have to prove
themselves right. They ARE right. Lord, give us the ability to stop in the
midst of foolish words and confess self-focus.
Help us have a meekness about us that seeks to build up our homes and
consider others as more important than ourselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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