KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Sunday, June 17, 2018
Chapters: Proverbs 25-26
Message: Always Be Your Best
Hello My Friend,
A few weeks ago I was so aggravated with my job that I did not make much of an effort to do my work that week, so when a problem came up I told a little white lie to my boss to try to get out of work for a couple of days. Well, that did not work out so well because when you are your best people notice and are actually willing to help you out so that you can still be your best. Right after I told my little white lie my boss was willing to help me fix the problem, I felt so guilty that to avoid more lies and some unproductive work I quickly fixed the problem myself, and I ended up extra days because I had gotten behind on the work that needed to be done that week. Why am I telling this story? To show you that when you do your best, people expect that from you all the time, and there is no such thing as a little white lie, they all bring problems. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1.
“and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” The problem comes when we are doing our best and do not seem to recognized for it and if we are not careful we can make rash decisions that will entangle us. As Christians, it is important that we take pride in how we conduct ourselves, at all times, not that we become self centered, conceded, or arrogant about being our best, but that we become a reflection of Christ who is in us. We want to live in a way that gives glory to God at all times, and to be honored and respected by our peers.
“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen. Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.” – Proverbs 25:1-10.
“Go not forth hastily to strive,” Strive; To make efforts; to use exertions. God wants us to strive, He wants to see us doing great things in this life, not only for Him, but for others as well. Hastily; With speed or quickness. While God does want us to strive, He does not want us to be so quick in trying to reach our goals that we do not make the right decisions to reach them, that will only set us back. Do you want to be in the presence of great men? Strive to be a Godly working your way up, you will be respected by them, and they will come to you. “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” – II Timothy 2:14-16.
Glory; Honor; praise; fame; renown; celebrity. If we are saved, born again Christians then we represent Jesus Christ, everything we do ought to give glory to Him in us. While we might fall down from time to time, God’s grace is what picks us back up and gets us going and moving on. God wants us to have an amazing and prosperous life here, but He also wants us to be the best that we can be for no other reason than it being the right thing to do. Those who have wronged us with no intention of making things right will fall further.
“Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour’s house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee. A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.” – Proverbs 25:16-22.
“If thine enemy be hungry,” One of the easiest ways to receive honor is by being nice to those who are not so nice. These verses touch my heart dearly because I am a witness to them, my judgment was severely impaired when I allowed an unfaithful man to dwell in my house. Deep down I knew I was headed for disaster, but I allowed it, and of course, in the end I was the one that suffered. My first reaction was to get revenge and I got it, but all it did was make things worse for me. However, once I turned my hatred into kindness he began suffering, and still is. I do not know what he is doing today, but I do know that God will always take care of His own. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:17-21.
Fool; A wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral character. In this world it is much too common for glory to be given to fools, those who are unworthy and unfit to even be in the positions they are in, but somehow are preferred over the qualified.
“As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.” – Proverbs 26:1-6.
“so honour is not seemly for a fool.” The fool has no shame, it will sell its soul for the right price. The fool is compared to the untamed horse that needs a whip for correction and the unruly ass that needs a restraint for guidance. The fool will often get corrected for their actions, and yet remain unruly, often becoming a snare rather than an asset to those who put their trust in them, but those who put their faith in Jesus Christ will have their reward. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” – Hebrews 10:35-36.
Have you heard the way some people talk when they try to justify their reason for doing the horrible things they do? They sound down right foolish. I had a client that was so irritate with me that she resorted to screaming and spreading lies about me, she did not want a solution to the problem, she wanted to make me look bad because she felt bad. What it all came down to was that she lost her son and used that loss as a way to manipulate people into doing things for her, and nothing I said was going to make her happy so all I could do was be nice and walk away. This happened several years ago, but still affects me because lies hurt, everyone not only the ones who tell them, but the ones who they tell them about, which is why we are to choose our words wisely, and not listen to everything that has been said about someone.
“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” – Proverbs 26:22-28.
“it will return upon him.” We have all been fools about something, but you learn, you move on, and you grow, but the real fool never learns and keeps doing the same thing over and over again. Never let a fool have rule over you, and never let them knock you down, if they do, never let them keep you down, get back up, you are better than that, you have a lot going for yourself, you belong to Jesus, and He knows the truth about you, He will take care of you, but you cannot let fools define who you are. They are the fools, and it does no good to talk to a fool who does not want to listen, it only makes things worse and you become just as foolish. We just need to hand it over to God and He will show us what to do. “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” – I Corinthians 3:13-15.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.” – Proverbs 25:13.
Today’s Prayer: God, You do not keep us in the world to be a part of it, but to be a reflection of Your Son as we learn and grow into His likeness. With the world full of deception we are challenged every day to hold on to our integrity, but You are our strength and guide to remain honorable. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us Your power, strength, mercy, and grace to be present in the world and not become a part of them. Help us to be cordial and friendly to all, even our enemies, while sometimes we must stand up and fight other times we must humble ourselves as You did and not say anything to them. Walk with us, protect us, and keep us faithful so all our prayers are heard. In Your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2018 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.