Prov. 3:5-6 Trust the Lord and not Your Own Heart - Devotional Scripture

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

I read an article today from the website, Lies Young Women Believe.  The title of the article was, “Whatever You Do Don’t Follow Your Heart.” Jer. 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  Our hearts are wicked and they will lie to us.  Just because we think it or feel it does not mean it’s true. We can’t trust our own hearts but we can trust the Maker of our hearts. There is a promise that goes with this verse.  When we trust God more than we trust ourselves and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our steps.

 

My husband and I have been involved in a business transaction for the past few months.  For us, it’s a big venture and we have stepped way out of our comfort zone.  We don’t really have any experience with this type of transaction, but God has been going before us.  He keeps putting just the right people in our path and has set up just the right circumstances to guide us through this venture.

 

My dad, who is a wise businessman, called me this morning to check on our progress. He wanted to ensure we had all the paperwork in order and we had spoken to all the right people necessary to make this transaction run smoothly.  At the end of our conversation he was amazed at the personal connections and circumstances that had transpired in the last few months.  He told me, you know what all this means, right?  God’s hand is upon you and on this venture.  You are getting wisdom and help in areas that most people don’t get to experience in this type of transaction.  God has been guiding your path. 

 

As we trust in God will our hearts, He will make our paths straight. He may accomplish this through His word, through the wisdom of others, through the marvelous converging of circumstances, through His peace that surpasses all understanding or He may use a combination of these things. But rest assured; “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chron. 16:9).”

Micah 7:7 Waiting Expectantly for the LORD - Devotional Scripture

The Easter story is the epicenter of our hope. It is the beginning point of our faith. Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, pronounced dead, rose again on the first Easter Sunday and was seen alive by his followers. God had promised to send a Savior to His people and He kept that promise by sending His son, Jesus. On many occasions, Jesus prophesied about his own death.

 

The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.  Mark 9:31.

 

Jesus said in three days He would rise from the dead and He did. When the women went to the tomb to anoint His body for burial an angel said to them;

 

He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Matt. 28:6

 

God promised to send a Savior and He did.  He also promises that one day soon Jesus will come back for His people.  In just the same way as the disciples saw Him go into heaven, He will return (Acts 1:11). He went to heaven to prepare a place for you and I and He will come again to take us to heaven to be with Him (John 14:2-3). His promises are sure; we can count on Him to keep His promises. Just as assuredly as He rose from the dead He will return. He said it and He will do it because God always does what He says He will do.  When He returns, may He find us waiting expectantly.

 

 

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

James 1:17 It's Not Luck But God's Favor - Devotional Scripture

 

The Shamrock is Ireland's most recognized national symbol. In the 5th century St. Patrick came to convert the Irish to Christianity. He used the three leaf clover to explain the concept of the trinity - each entity was part of the other just like the shamrock has three leaves but a single stem. As St. Patrick continued to use the three-leaf clover in his conversion of the Irish it grew to be seen as a holy plant, just as he was seen to be a holy man. Irish soldiers enlisted into the British army began wearing the shamrock on their uniform lapels for good luck.  They believed because they were blessed by St. Patrick the shamrock would bring them good luck and they would be protected by God. The meaning of the word “luck” is defined as: “Circumstances that lead to a favorable outcome.” As Christians, we know that it is more than just luck; it’s God’s favor and we call it by another name…GOD’S BLESSINGS. 

As kids, many of us spent sunny afternoons in clover patches searching for that very special four- leafed clover, or we attempted to find the other side of the rainbow in search of the pot of gold. I have seen the other side of the rainbow and found the “pot of gold” and His name is Jesus Christ.  He is the maker of the rainbows, the gold, the shamrocks and most of all the blessings.  

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

My faith is not based upon matters of sheer luck, but it is rooted and grounded in the truth of God’s word and I personally know the God who gives hope to the hopeless, who loves the unlovable and blesses and uses the unworthy.

Psalm 139:16 Glory Story - Devotional Scripture

I love the words of the song ‘Storyteller.”  It says when I look back over all the years and where I’ve been I remember “you were right there and you have been ever since. With every page that turns I see your faithfulness.” God is the writer of your story. He knew you before you were born and every day of your life was recorded in His book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed (Ps. 139:16).

 

When it comes to the story of my own life, there are many moments that I like to reread, but I also have chapters I never want to revisit. When I begin a difficult chapter in my life, I’m tempted to mark up the pages and send it back for revision, but I can’t, because the story has already been published. 

 

Over and over in the Old Testament, the Israelites were encouraged to follow the story God had written. They were to look back at their exodus from slavery and remember how God provided for them in the wilderness, and how He fulfilled all of His promises. They celebrated this story each year in festivals and feasts. They taught this story to their children. When they faced heartache and trials, they reviewed their story together. They remembered God’s faithfulness, His promises, and His great mercy toward them.

When we come to a chapter in our life that makes no sense, we also need to remember and follow God’s story. Though we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, we do know what happened in the past and what will ultimately happen in the new heavens and new earth. And because we know the Author of the story and know He is good, we can trust Him.  We can watch the story of our lives unfold with wonder and awe because we know that God is weaving a beautiful testimony into our glory story.

Colossians 2:3 Nothing But Jesus - Devotional Scripture

. . . in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3

All of the wisdom and knowledge you need to get through life successfully is found in Jesus. Everything we need for life and godliness is found in Him. It’s that simple.  Some people do not accept this truth.  They want to add to the truth of God’s word. As a believer in Christ, there is no need to go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. There is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else we need but Jesus. But the treasures in Christ can be hidden by unbelief.

There was a time in my life that I lived in darkness and oppression. I was held captive by my fearful thoughts. I had the knowledge of Christ in my head but I didn’t have the wisdom, the ability to apply the truth I had learned to my life. I really didn’t believe that the answer to all my problems could be found in Christ. Instead of turning to Him and trusting Him completely, I tried everything the world had to offer to try and fix what was broken inside of me.  I read self-help books, I went to counselors, and I even tried this pill and that supplement trying to get relief from my suffering but nothing worked.

It wasn’t until I prayed and ask God to help me with my unbelief that things started to change and the oppression lifted. Now I believed wholeheartedly that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are stored up and kept in Christ.  We have access to wisdom and knowledge to live a life of peace, joy and freedom. There is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else that we need but Jesus.

Colossians 1:17 He Holds All Things Together - Devotional Scripture

Have you ever thought about what is holding our lives, our country and our world together? The whole world is made of molecules formed from atoms. In the nucleus of the atom, protons are packed together that are all positive-charged particles. This goes against the Law of Electricity which says like charges repel (i.e. magnets).  What keeps the positive-charged protons from repelling like magnets? What holds them together? Scientists really don’t know. 

Scripture tells us the answer in Colossians 1:17:

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Jesus is the preserver and sustainer of the universe and without Him holding it together by the word of His power, this world would collapse and all things would fall apart.       2 Peter 3:10 tells us that there will come a day when He is going to let go.

 

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise and the elements will be dissolved with fire and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

The word translated "dissolved" in this verse means "unloosed." There will come a day when Jesus will unloose the nuclear forces which hold the atoms together and with one gigantic boom everything will dissolve in a fervent heat. The only way to be safe from this destruction is to place your trust and hope in Jesus Christ and put your whole life into His hands.

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God. . .  [and] looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 2 Peter 3:11-13

Romans 5:8 While We Were Still Sinners - Devotional Scripture

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

God loves you just as you are bruised, dirty, sinful, broken and confused. You don’t have to clean up your act to come to God.  He doesn’t wait until you have it all together to forgive you. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  He loves us so much that He sent His Son to take the penalty of our sin for us.  "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and the payment for sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). None of us are good enough to make it to heaven. When we stand before God one day, we cannot beg entrance to heaven based on our own merit. Compared to God's standard of holiness, not one of us is good enough. But Jesus is, and it is by His merit we can enter heaven.

God looks at you in all our mess-ups and in all your imperfections and says, “You are beautiful. I love you to pieces.  You are to die for!” When Jesus died on the cross, He took away all of the sins of the world. He died for everyone. That includes all of your sin and all of mine. When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9), then God stamps "Paid in Full" over our life. It is Jesus that gives you a right standing before God.  When God looks at you he sees you clothed with Christ’s righteousness and with that robe you are able to enter into heaven.