Daily Wisdom

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” 1 Jn 4:20 

It’s easy to say we love God when that love doesn’t cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of our love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us. Can’t claim your love for God while neglecting to love those who are created in His image.  Most people reciprocate love; show me how much I mean to you, and I’ll equally love you back. But, consider the fact that Jesus loved you first (1 Jn 4:19) before you ever knew Him. Why put preconditions on your love for another, as if they must earn or qualify for it.  Jesus said, your love for another will cover a multitude of sins (1 Pt 4:8). Again, did not Jesus act of love on the cross cover a multitude of your sins! God calls us to have warm, ardent love toward each other, Paul illustrates that Love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body (1 Cor 13:1). Love to another shall so cover or hide a great many imperfections in them, that you will not notice them. This passage is quoted from Pro 10:12; “Love covereth all sins.” Love makes you compassionate towards another’s imperfections, blind towards their faults. Of love the Christian poet says: “Tis gentle, delicate, and kind, to faults compassionate or blind.”

To love only the lovable requires no virtue at all.

HSAY … Todd

Daily Wisdom

“O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jere 10:23 

God’s ability to direct our lives is far superior to our own.  While most people would like to know the future; decisions would be easier, failures would be avoided, and successes would be assured. The people of Judah wanted to know the future, too, and they tried to discern it through reading the signs in the sky. God made the earth and the heavens, including stars that people consult and worship (vs 12). No one will discover the future in man-made charts of God's stars. But God, who promises to guide you, knows your future and will be with you all the way. He will not reveal your future to you, but he will walk with you as the future unfolds. Don't trust the stars or man’s efforts to determine them and God’s will; trust the one who made the stars. True, you can’t change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction. All it requires is taking “one” step towards God (Jm 4:8).

You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails to reach God’s destination.

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity…” Col 3:12-14

This devotion may be a little late, some of you have already dressed and left the house. But, if so there’s still time to change if need be!  Paul directs you to make sure you put more emphasis on what clothes your heart compared to your body. Calling you put on the attributes that show you in Christ-likeness, and making sure your strongest appearance is love.  Man is challenged to put more emphasis on the appearance of the heart than the body… Pro 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” You can look good, and yet appear bad… know that you can create a visual image, but it’s what proceeds out of your heart that defines you. What others see in you depends on what is emphasized about you; it’s either how you look or how you love?

There is no amount of physical beauty that will ever be as valuable as a beautiful heart!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 Jn 3:2 

Christians fail to understand why and how the image of Jesus is to work in their life. We are called to be His reflection/image to a lost and hurting world (Col 3:10-17). What a powerful motivation this should be to become like Him now! Accept your circumstances, stop quarreling with God over them, and begin in everything to give thanks for allowing such instruments of God’s grace to do their work in your life for others to see the eternal hope you have in Jesus. When you choose to respond or live out your circumstances in Christ-likeness, others are given the opportunity to see their hope in Jesus as well (vs 3).  Your purpose, as sons of God, is to reflect the image of Jesus upon the world; not a self-reflection.  Unfortunately, the world is hard pressed to find Jesus underneath all the make-up, hair styling, clothing, self-promotion and selfishness in most cases. “Christians” are prone to berate the world and accuse them for not being like them, in too many cases that’s good because the Christian isn’t like Jesus; but, maybe the issue for the world is the fact they can’t see past or in the believers any imagery of hope, thus preventing the world from seeing what they really need to see… Jesus!

The world doesn’t need to hear you’re a Christian, they need to see you’re a Christian!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniguity.” Psa 37:1

Two things David warns us about while encouraging us to “Fret not” meaning to burn, be kindled or angry. He points out evilness and enviousness as emotional issues to refrain from. Don’t think evil gets by or greed equals gain. The feeling David illustrates is that which springs up in the mind when you see persons of corrupt or wicked character prospered, while you, endeavoring to do right, are left to poverty, to disappointment, and to tears.  David foretells of their demise, saying they will be cut down like the grass and whither as the herb (vs 2). So, David directs us to a greater purpose instead… Trust, Delight, Commit and Rest in the Lord (vss 3-7). What your mind dwells upon is what your mind feeds upon. David warns against evilness and envy, and directs our minds to confidence and complacency in God. That which consumes you, does just that! To possess His will, He must possess your thoughts. Don’t allow yourself to be blinded by him that is around from He which is within you! You must choose to either focus on the many problems or the One solution.

F-ollow

O-ne

C-ourse

U-ntil

S-uccessful… and then stay the course.

If you chase after two rabbits, both will escape.

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”  Rom 13:10

That is, Love would seek to do your neighbor good; of course it would prevent all dishonesty and crime toward others. It would prompt justice, truth, and benevolence. If this law were engraved on every man’s heart, and practiced in his life, what a change would it immediately produce in society! If all people would at once abandon what is suited to work ill to others, what an influence would it have on the business and commercial affairs of people. How many plans of fraud and dishonesty would it at once arrest. How many schemes would it crush. It would silence the voice of the slanderer; it would stay the plans of the seducer and the adulterer; it would put an end to cheating, and fraud, and all schemes of dishonest gain. “Therefore” … because love does no harm to another, it is “therefore” the fulfilling of the law, meaning that all the law requires is “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14). By love is the completion “fulfilling” requirements of the law.  Regarding our duty to our neighbor, it requires doing justice toward him, observe truth; and in truly love others all the demands of the law would be satisfied.

The law of love is not predicated on worthiness, but rather willingness!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

“Go tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?” 2 Sam 7:5

Unfortunately, Nathan spoke out of turn in (vs 3) when David was concerned about where the Ark/Spirit of God would dwell in comparison to a house of cedar like his, Nathan told David to do as his heart felt. That job was going to be left to his son Solomon (vss 12-13). The Lord clarified in (vs 7) that in all his doings for Israel, He never asked for a physical house to be built for Him. God is more worried about you preparing an inner-dwelling in your heart for Him than a physical dwelling for Him. The creator of the universe, life and the human soul is not in need of man’s provisions, but man is desperately in need of His. If you’re concerned about the conditions God must dwell, man would be better off starting with his own heart and whether its conditions are suitable.  He that understands the evil of his own heart is prepared to become a useful, fruitful servant. When it comes to God’s indwelling, He’s more concerned about the shape of the heart than the appearance of a house.

God’s plans are bigger than your past, He just needs a place to plow… is your heart a fruitful place?

HSAY… Todd