HeartWord – John 7:24

“Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

Begin with a Smile

“With high-definition TV everything looks bigger and wider. It’s kind of like
going to a high school reunion.”

Daily Devotional

Joshua 9:5
“The men put worn and patched sandals on

their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread

of their food supply was dry and moldy.”

Fooled by Appearances

When Israel came from Egypt to the Promised Land they had a specific command from God that they should not make covenants with the people who lived in Canaan. Rather than associate with them, Israel was commanded to drive them out. The people of Gibeon heard about this and decided to trick Israel into letting them stay.

They loaded their donkey with “worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.'” (Joshua 9:5-6).

Without consulting the Lord, Israel agreed to a pact with them. Things were not what Israel thought they were. Things were not what Israel wanted them to be. These men were enemies, but Israel made an agreement to let these men to live among them.

Israel would have been well off to know what Paul told the Corinthians, “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor 15:33). Israel’s downfall in the Promised Land was that they never drove out the idol worshippers.

Why did they let they make a pact of living with the Gibeonites? The answer is that they could not see past the patched sandals and worn out old clothes. They sampled the provisions of the Gibeonites and made a decision based on appearances.

Even today we as Christians get fooled by appearances. We see things that look okay and then go along to get along. We make the same fatal mistake as Israel when they “did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14).

Lonnie Davis

Bible Question

What animals did Samson tie together by their tails?

Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 8. To read it click H E R E.

Answer to the Bible Question:

Seeking revenge, Samson caught “three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails.” (Judges 15:4).

HeartWord – 2 Corinthians 9:6

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Begin with a Smile – John Mayer

“I realized you can use a fork as a spoon if you use it rapidly enough.” – John Mayer

Daily Devotional

The Reaping Principle

Galatians 6:7-8

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

In a lifetime of ministry I have had the opportunity to sit with many couples in counseling. Anytime I do one of our first goals is to discover what is going wrong. Once we identify it, then we can work on fixing it.

Here is the principle that counseling is built upon: “The pain that is felt is the result of something that is sowed.” Pain is merely a time of reaping.

• When Peter saw Jesus, he wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75). Why? Because the weeping was the reaping of the sowing of denying.
  
• When Judas saw what he had done, he hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5) Why? Because the hanging was the reaping of the sowing of betraying.
  

Even the law of nature says we reap what we sow. The farmer who wants to reap corn, plants corn. If he wants to reap cotton, he plants cotton. To reap beans, he plants beans. It is true with everything that a farmer wants to reap. It is also true in our lives. We read what we sow.

Look at Galatians 6 again. If you do NOT believe that you reap what you sow, then you are either (1) deceived, or (2) you mock God. We all need to understand “a man reaps what he sows.”

If you want to live a great life now, then you need to watch what you sow.

Lonnie Davis

Bible Question

What is the last prayer in the Bible?

Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 6. To read it click H E R E.

Answer to the Bible Question:

The last mention of prayer is in Revelation 8:4, “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” The last prayer is in the next to the last verse in the Bible – “Come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev 22:20)

HeartWord – Psalm 40:1

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”

Begin with a Smile

“I stay up late every night and realize every morning that it was a bad idea.”

Daily Devotional

Psalm 37:7-8

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they

carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and

turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil.”

Be Patient

In any Bible class ask people to define patience and they will struggle. Ultimately someone will say that patience is being able to wait for what one wants. Patience includes that but is certainly more than that. A man doing time in prison is able to wait till his release date. He has no other choice. Patience is more than waiting.

Psalms 37:7-8 gives us a much better definition of patience. Patience means to “Be still before the Lord.” There is no anxiety but rather a calm waiting for God to do his work. It means that you do not fret when things do not work immediately like you want. It means to keep your spirit and “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath.”

Patience is not just being able to wait, but to wait with the right spirit. I love the old Jewish legend of Abraham and patience. According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink. The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?”

The old traveler replied, “I only worship fire. I reverence no other god.”

Hearing this, Abraham became angry, grabbed the old man, and threw him out of his tent and into the cold night air. When the old man departed, God called to Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham replied, “I threw him out because he did not worship you.”

God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”

Abraham would have done well to remember the old word of wisdom, “When you’re tempted to lose patience with someone, think how patient God has been with you all the time.”

Be patient with someone today!

Lonnie Davis

Bible Question

When God made clothes for Adam and Eve, what kind of material did he use?

Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 5. To read it click H E R E.

Answer to the Bible Question:

God made them garments out of animal skins to cover their bodies. (Gen 3:21)