KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, July 09, 2016
Chapters: Proverbs 7-9
Message: It Is Okay To Stand Out
Hello My Friend,
As Christians we are supposed to stand out from the rest of the world, when someones sees us that does not know us it is Jesus they ought to be seeing. The Proverbs, although most written by Solomon, carry a deep contrast to God as our heavenly Father, and how He speaks to His Son. If you study them you can see that they are not just words given from a father to his son, they are God speaking to His children through the writers experience in his own life. So, how are we to stand out? By keeping our Father’s commands and live. “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.” – Proverbs 7:1-3.
“write them upon the table of thine heart.” I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp onto my feet and a light unto my path. I will hide it in my heart that I might not sin against God. That ought to be the pledge of every person who calls on the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from their sins, death, and hell. Although many people read the Bible and say they understand it, they really do not because God only gives understanding of His Word to those who have a personal relationship with Him. True wisdom from the Word of God is hearing what God has to say and not only applying it to our lives, but keeping it pure and simple as it ought to be.
“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.” – Proverbs 8:1-7.
“and the opening of my lips shall be right things.” By basic teaching and common sense we learn a lot of things, but who are our teachers? Who decides what is good or bad for us? Parents, teachers, instructors? The truth is, who we get around becomes our teachers, whether they are a good or bad influence on us. Naturally if we get around Jesus and get into His Word we begin to shadow Him, and that is how we are to be, a shadow of Christ.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” – Ephesians 2:10-13.
Believing in God’s Word means believing and following all of it, do not make the assumption that many Christians make that only certain parts of the Bible pertain to us while the rest is in there for the Jews or someone else. The entire Word of God is for all of us, God just used the Jews first to teach who He is. The Word of God, rather His wisdom that comes through it is the most valuable thing we possess, nothing can replace the knowledge we receive from His Word. God speaks to His children through Solomon, encouraging them to listen to Him.
“Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” – Proverbs 8:32-36.
“But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:” People who distort and twist God’s Word have a huge awakening coming to them. I imagine Charles Taze Russell, the front man of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is in torment wishing he could take back his distorting God’s Word. I imagine Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, and Muhammad, founder of Islam, are wishing they never messed with God’s Word either. By the way, following these false truths does not save you, if we do not believe in Jesus Christ as our only way to God and heaven we will not be saved. While we can never know all that God wants us to know in our lifetime we can study, learn, apply His truths to our lives, and speak only of right things.
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” – James 1:21-24.
Standing out from the world may seem like we are all alone and cannot do or go anywhere without people looking at us as though we are some kind of weirdo, but the truth is we are not alone. There are plenty of people who do not follow the worlds standards, many who live in the world, and it is those people that by our Christian example that brings them to Christ. There is no difference in people before Christ came, those who loved God and followed His commands stood out from the rest, they were instructed to be different, to follow His commands and live.
“Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” – Proverbs 9:6-12.
“He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame:” I come to realize the more I teach God’s truths, especially with all the crazy things going on, the more people I attract, some are rude and try to quiet me, but quite a few find hope and comfort in hearing about Jesus. You cannot explain to someone the Word of God who is just too stubborn to hear it, all it does is get us riled up and take valuable time away from someone who really wants to hear it. We spend so much valuable time trying to convince the foolish that we stand by God. It is time to forsake the foolish, and live. Live the joyful, blessed life that God wants you to live, and let God take care of the foolish. “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” – II Timothy 2:23-25.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.” – Proverbs 8:22. Proverbs 8:22-31 describes how Jesus was here before God created the earth. Jesus has always been before everything else. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1:1,14.
Today’s Prayer: God, You never cease to amaze me of just how merciful and gracious You are, I will never forget the life I was living before You came into my life. I know I am forgiven and all my sins are gone forever, but I never want to forget what You have done for me. As far as I have come I know that all it takes for me to fall is take my eyes off You. Lord, keep me in Your Word so I learn Your truths and take the steps to follow them. Be with those who are struggling, comfort them and give them the hope they need to escape. Use me to be a testimony to others and of the amazing life that can be lived when we set ourselves apart from the world In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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