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)
Begin with a Smile
Wonder Woman Quote: “I am WONDER WOMAN … I wonder where I left my keys, I wonder how I put on weight, I wonder where my money went, I often wonder why I wonder.”
Daily Devotional
Text: 2 Corinthians 3:2
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts,
known and read by everybody.”
My Grandmother’s Translation
The story is told of three men who were arguing about which translation of the Bible is best. The first said, “I love the King James Version. Its language is so beautiful and I have grown up with it. The second said, “I love the NIV because it is so much easier to read and understand.” The third said, “I like my grandmother’s translation best.”
“What?” The others asked, “Your grandmother translated the Bible?”
“Yes, she translated the Bible into her life, and it was the best translation I’ve ever seen.”
Your own translation of the Bible is still the only translation that some people ever read. It is only when we put the word in action in our own lives that it really comes to life. Following of Scripture has the power to lead anther to Godliness. Peter teaches this when he told wives how to reach their faithless husbands who won’t listen to the Scriptures. “They may be won over,” he writes, “without words by the behavior of their wives.” (1 Peter 3:1)
As Christians we must never forget that someone is always watching us. We are “known and read by everybody.”
Lonnie Davis
Bible Question
Jesus had four brothers. What are their names?
Today’s Bible Chapter
is Job 4. To read it click H E R E.
Answer to the Bible Question:
Jesus’ brothers were James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. (Matt 13:55).