The Devotional - 13

The Devotional

Comment:

For some folks priority in life is more than just being organized, for these folks it is all about them. Their conversation with others is like a locomotive out of control. As soon as you step onto their tracks “splat” they run over you with what is on their agenda. In the thought of this I am reminded of the news caster who talks about every non-essential thing. Then when approaching something important says. “But first! We’ll break for this commercial!” there you are “head spinning in hype and your mind is racing in emotional thoughts that cause the Spirit in you to give warning to your fleshly intent. We have all been there and if you’ve not, well bless you my brother or sister, the day is not over.

Challenge:

Covetousness is not a way of life, simply it is sin. I was thinking about listing the number of avenues to covet but the list is numbered beyond the limit of paper and pen. So I thought – “well, I will just list those things that we may not consider as things to covet” that too is a long list. There is the short list so I think that using it will be much more rewarding.

Psalm 119:33-36

Teach me, O LORD, the way of your STATUTES, and I shall keep it to the end. (Wow! The words of Psalm 119 are like refined gold to one’s soul). God is the teacher of all His Word, man can only communicate God’s Word. When the statutes of the LORD enter your soul, the desire is to keep that which is eternal.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep your LAW; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (Yeah! LORD, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You O God. My soul thirsts for the Living God. When shall I come and appear before You? Psalm 42:1-2”).

Make me to walk in the path of Your COMMANDMENTS, for I delight in it. The commandments discussed by the psalmist are not “thy shall, or shall not” these commandments are to revealed the TRUTH of Creation, Psalm 19:1-6 and a reward to all who anchor the testimony of God in their soul; Psalm 19:7-14.

Incline my heart to Your TESTIMONIES, and not to covetousness. The word “incline” literally means in Hebrew to “cause me to long for” this is a prayer of the psalmist and SHOULD be a prayer for each of us daily. “LORD, cause me to long for Your Testimonies, since the testimonies of myself and the people around me lend to coveting everything under the sun when I should be rejoicing with Your PRECEPTS above the sun.

The Devotional -12

The Devotional

Comment:

Sometimes I find humor in the dictionary, now not just a chuckle but knee slapping laughter! I decided a moment ago to look up the word “ambition” because we will be looking at “selfish ambition” for the next few days and the following definition gave me a fit of laughter, here it is: (1) “a going around” (like “from door to door to get votes”) – (2) a strong desire for fame or power – (3) the thing to be desired. So what is so funny? I was only seeking to know about “ambition” then I was going to look up the word “selfish” but with the definition of ambition selfishness seems to be included. “What a hoot!”

Challenge:

I nearly gave up on my thoughts about “selfish ambition” since the various versions of the Holy Bible do not give a clear understanding in the use of those words. It was not until I decided to look at Psalm 119:36 did I understand what selfish ambition is. In the KJV covetousness is – selfish ambition.

The strife between the flesh and the Spirit is primarily one of coveting one’s lifestyle over the walk of faith. Faith is a sacrifice to God, to give up those things of the flesh that distract or take away fellowship with God. All such distractions are sin, this is easy to say and impossible to do in the flesh and I think that the apostle Paul expresses this clearly in Romans 7:7-12.

We are quick to say “I do not covet anything” therefore this biblical challenge in Romans 7 does not apply to me and I am not a selfish person. I think I will use this time for some other thing today “Oops” did I just covet my time? Well you know “coveting is a thing, a material thing like wanting something someone else has, it is not an intangible thing like time, right? No, that would be wrong!

Time is precious to all of us, we use time in the way of coveting by shaving off minutes from being late for work, or for leaving work early. We spend time on our phones in church texting friends and relatives by coveting idle conversation over a precious bible study. We excuse our presence from church activity for reasons that do not have enough “wind” to blow out a candle. All is vanity, chasing after the wind!

More tomorrow!

The Devotional - 11

The Devotional

Comment:

Have you heard the slogan “If you see something, say something!” it is a sad statement at best since; as a nation we are “ignorantly” blind. By this I do not mean that we have no knowledge of living life, most citizens of our nation are “knowing people” they simply choose to be ignorant. This is a serious condition of national failure when the citizens of a nation look the other way or turn a deaf ear to community and national dangers and corruption. There is little hope for “justice and righteousness” to prevail and less hope to maintain a protective base of “liberty for all”! Now on this subject, it may be considered that all of these words sound like that old cliché “a broken record” that just keeps repeating nonsense words, but consider first the challenge below.  

Challenge:

Proverbs 24:30-34 – NKJV – I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:30-34 – NIV – I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Here is the rub! The use of these verses in Proverbs to identify the sloppy awareness of this nation’s citizens identifies at least two important thoughts to consider.

(1)   Our national power is but a whisper of what it is capable of. Our national heritage has been stuffed in the attic and our children are taught to be haters of God and disobedient to parents. We are not becoming a nation of idolatry, we are a nation of idol worshippers. We are unloving, unforgiving and malicious. We do this under the blind guide of “humanism.

(2)   If you do take the moment as Solomon suggests in this portion of Proverbs, if you do apply your heart you will see all you need to see. You will learn a lesson, in other words you will see needed instruction. As a nation we the people have fallen asleep. We are as a nation in a restless sleep, yet we act as though all is well. We fold our hands and dream, alarming dreams that should cause us to “wake up”!

The prowler is not at the door, he is standing in our living room and you do not hear the barking dog. The words of Proverbs in this section is the real story of a failing nation. Not because of government corruption or take over, but because the citizens are occupants of “armchair” laziness. As a nation we the people need to turn our way back to God and stop denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is God incarnate, who died and rose again for all sin. John 1:29.