Daily Wisdom...Praise

“To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”  Psa 30:12

Let all that is capable of praise within us, all our powers, be employed in enduring celebration to the goodness of God. Isaiah states himself in (Isa 38:20) we will sing the song of praise all the days of our lives. This Psalm states the purpose of such praise, noting God is worthy through the dealings with him (and us) in the varied parts of our lives and the prosperity in which He has bestowed upon us (vss 2-3 and vss 6-7), the reverses of trials and afflictions that oppressed us. In due time, like the Psalmist, God will deliver us from all our troubles; “weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning” (vs 5).  Wise for us to start singing His praises now!

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Love

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Cor 13:7

God’s strength is enough for our battles, His riches enough for our needs, His wisdom enough for our direction. But, the greatest of all is His immense love for us. His love for His creation is so great He never gives up, never loses faith, always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. You have 86,400 seconds today; take one of them to thank God for loving you!

If one finds God’s love for their life, they will have found all they’ll ever need.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Faith

“Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.”  1 Tim 1:19

Worrying, verses faith, is arrogance because God knows what He’s doing.  Faith requires one to hold nothing back, putting every hope in the fidelity of God’s promises.  Faith does not eliminate questions or fears, but shows where to take them.  It’s not based on feelings, when one cannot enjoy the assurance of their faith, then live in the adherence of it.  True faith leads one into obedience, just as ones obedience is grounded in faith; the two are opposite sides of the same coin.

Faith is walking into an unknown future, with a knowing God.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...God's Love

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, not principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Rom 8:39-39

The hope of a soul is promised in this verse.  The devastation of separation occurs the following moments of self-loathing and defeat, which only lays a firmer foundation to build upon that which isolates one from God. God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8). Thus Paul exclaims it’s impossible to be separated from God’s love.   But, the love of God is centered and established through Christ Jesus; the greater our desire and closeness to Christ our separation from God is narrowed. Christ tells us, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (Jn 14:6). In the Gospel, we have an eternal hope which nothing else can produce, and which nothing can destroy. Safe in the hands of God through Christ our Redeemer we cannot be separated from such great a love. James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…”

“Don’t be discouraged thinking you haven’t heard from God lately? Remember, the teacher never talks during a test.”

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...The Gift

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Lk 2:11-12

We love gifts during Christmas. We immediately rip it open and whatever was contained inside is put to quick use, discovering many features we never knew it had, thus making it better than we had anticipated.  The same is definitely true with Christ, He is infinitely better than we can anticipate. But, for some reason Christians are apt to keep Christ placed in a “God Box” year round and think of Him in terms of the nifty features he comes with, never understanding the magnitude of His presence in their life. As Christ appeared confined to a feed trough and wrapped in swaddling clothes, it’s only when one is willing to unwrap Him in their life that they find His abundant grace, mercy and compassion. As you read your Bible, don’t let your preconceived notions of Christ interfere with what you read.  Rather, let the Holy Spirit guide you in the characteristics of Christ and unwrap the gift revealing the fullness of His goodness and the greatness He offers.  Remember, his thoughts and ways are not ours (Isa 55:8).

Assumption is like stumbling over truth, we are often quick to pick ourselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Grace

“And of his fullness have all we receive, and grace for grace.”  Jn 1:16

What a powerful verse, John could’ve simply written; we received grace from God.  But instead its record “Grace upon Grace” as to illustrate the overwhelming love God has for us through Christ Jesus. Our receiving’s by Christ are all summed up in this one word, grace; a gift so great, so rich, and so invaluable; the good will of God towards us, and the good work of God in us. The law of God is holy, just, and good; and we should make the proper use of it.  But we cannot derive from it pardon, righteousness, or salvation.  It teaches us to adorn the doctrine of Christ our saviour and His great love that is bestowed upon us through His GRACE!  With the Christmas Season upon us we must realize the greatest gift (Rom 6:23) that has ever been given is the grace of God through our Savior Jesus Christ; this is the greatest love (Jn 15:13).

Through free will, God will judge the world; through grace, God will save the world.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Eternal Vision

“IF YE then be risen with Christ…Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Col 3:1-2

Having or being around a child you quickly realize how much they live in the present, struggling greatly to acknowledge or realize the future.  So much so they will jeopardize future privileges of tomorrow to satisfy their desires for today.  For many Christians, like children, they live in the tangible present to which Paul warns us in (vs 5) to mortify that which hinder us from appearing in His glory.  But instead let all you do in both word and deed be done in the Christ name and in thanks to the Father (vs 17). The affection of a man’s heart will greatly determine his vision, for many it’s like the atheist, he can’t find God for the same reason a thief can’t find a police officer.

Hastily man will depart on a long journey, while for eternal life, will hardly take a step.

HSAY…Todd  

Daily Wisdom...A Good Walk

“For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”  Mic 4:5

The very characteristic sin of Israel, “consistently inconstant,” ever “turning back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers…”Psa 78:57. The world path persevered in their worship, not edifying the spirit, but feeding their lust. Israel struggled greatly staying on the right path of God, often finding they wandered aimlessly.  Faithful truth, they who now suffer with Him, shall walk with Him forever, and with Him be glorified, and with Him reign. (2Ti 2:11-12; Rom 8:17; Rev 3:4.) A man’s walk is vital to his destination; Enoch walked with God (Gen 5:22), Abraham before God (Gen 17:1) or one can chose to walk contrary to God, (Lev 26:21). Be it that you are on the right path or the wrong, the greatest step you’ll take will always be the next one.

“Be aware of the path you’ve chosen, you may end up where you are heading.”

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Motive

“The heads thereof judge for reward, priests teach for hire, prophets thereof divine for money…” Mic 3:11

As Christians, instead of exploiting our relationship with God for blessings of gain, we are to serve Him out of gratitude.  In the fulfillment of your servitude, let your intentions be so pure that you reject from your actions any other motive than the Glory of God (1 Chro 29:9-14) and the Gospel of Christ (1 Cor 15:1-5). Too often the desired results of benevolence are flawed being tainted with vanity and motive; rather the Glory of God should be the consequences of our acts not from a manufactured motive.

Often the case, take away the motive and sin leaves with it!

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Truth

“A man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie…he shall even be the prophet of this people.” Mic 2:11

Man does not want to be responsible, nor to owe duty; still less to be liable to judgment for disobeying. The Christian, not the natural man, longs that his whole being should tend to God. The natural man wishes to be well-rid of what sets him ill in his spirit, not longing to humility in God. And the horrible subtlety of false teaching is to meet its own favorite requirements, without calling for self-sacrifice or self-oblation, but only self-indulgence and a truth that is content for their will. Society has sub come to being deceived…”…not enduring sound doctrine, but after their own lust…turns away their ears from the truth.” (2 Tim 4:3-4), which they dislike; and so are turned unto fables which they like; they who “receive not the love of the truth, - believe a lie” 2Th 2:11-12.  If men “will not retain God in their knowledge, God gives them over to a reprobate (misunderstanding) mind” Rom 1:28.

“One can believe as one likes; but the truth remains the truth, no matter how sweet the lie may taste.”

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Transformation

“Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  Rom 12:2

If knowledge is power, then implementing knowledge would be powerful. Is what you’re doing today helping you become what you want to be tomorrow? A discerning mind is a sacred gift, but an indiscriminate mind is often self-serving. We’ve created a society that honors self and has forgotten the gift.  A purposeful life is not to merely endure change, neither profit by it, but instead cause it. Yet, the greatest purpose and cause one can endure is their own transformation into the image of Christ.

Living in the light of knowledge, gives one vision in the dark.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Changed Heart

“A sound heart is the life of the flesh…” Pro 14:30

Consider…If an egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If it’s broken by inside force, life begins; thus the greatest gift (Rom 6:23) for life begins in the heart.  The goal is not trying to live forever, but to birth a truth in others hearts that will. A heart full of change offers great wealth.

The Bible is meant to be bread for daily consumption, not cake for special occasions.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Comfort

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Cor 1:3-4

It’s easy to make a dollar, but a lot harder to make a difference.  Interesting people are eager to change the world and not as much themselves. The act of being good, while it’s an ambiguous statement, is commendable, but only when it’s combined with doing good is it beneficial.  One of the greatest mistakes one makes is doing nothing because they can only do a little, but little is much when God is in it. No man is ever taller than when he bends to help another; illustrating Christ love for them.

The only difference between a helping hand and an open palm is a simple twist of the wrist.

HSAY…Todd

Daily Wisdom...Influence

“…because the Lord hath loved his people, he hath made thee King over them.”  2 Chro 2:11

Interesting response by the king of Tyre to Solomon, who had requested his country’s services in building the Temple, Huram did not say Because he loved thee (though that was true 2 Sam 12:24) he made thee king, But because God loved his people.  Likewise, as we see with Solomon, in any position of leadership or influence you’ve been given over others you must understand God has chosen to use you to bless His people not for His people to bless you. Thus our actions should influence others through the love and servitude of Christ and in no way embody personal gain or attention as our motive.

The greatest resource for influencing others for Christ is to live as an example of Christ to others!

HSAY…Todd