Gods Wisdom for Daily Living Devotional Scripture Proverbs 12:23-24(KJV): 23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. 24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. Thought for the Day Verse 23 - Prudent people are reluctant to display their knowledge. Men of character display a humble spirit, but a self-confident fool brags about what he knows and does. Verse 24 - A diligent person will rise to a place of authority over others, but a lazy person will be forced to labor under someone else. Diligence is a required quality in those desiring to enter ministry. Another requirement for leadership is a servants heart, for the Lord calls leaders to serve Him by serving others. In Gods Kingdom, the way up is down; the way to lead is to serve; the way to receive is to give; the way to gain is to give up; and the way to live is to die. Many Christians never attain victory in Christ because they fail to embrace the message of the cross: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:24-25). (See also Mark 10:43-45 and Luke 14:27) Too often, the emphasis from American pulpits has been on what God can do for us. Some think God is supposed to serve them, as though He is some sort of bell boy. Their prayers amount to telling God what He should do for them. God desires to bless us, but blessings follow our making a total commitment to Him. There are two things the church must do to be victorious: we must embrace Gods Lordship and die to our ways; and we must exercise our authority in Christ over the kingdom of darkness. We must submit to God, by putting our old nature to death, and then we must resist the devil, who will then flee from us. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:7-8). We cannot have victory over sin and sickness unless we practice both of these things. There is a great deal of teaching on ruling and reigning with Christ, and rightly so. We are approaching the millennial reign of Christ. We, His saints, will reign with Him, and must therefore embrace a Kingdom mentality. However, there are prerequisites for reigning with Christ: complete surrender to Him and total obedience to the laws of His Kingdom. If we cannot rule over sin in our individual lives, how shall we reign over nations in His Kingdom? Jesus was first the Lamb of God before He demonstrated His role as the Lion of Judah. He came first as a sacrificial Lamb but He is coming again as a Lion who will rule with a rod of iron and judge every person on earth. If we do not take up our crosses as our King and Master did, we will be unfit to reign with Him when He returns. If we yield to the Lord now, we shall reign with Him in the future. Praise the Lord! Prayer Devotional for the Day Dear heavenly Father, I come to You with a thankful heart for all the things You have done for me. I really cannot thank You enough. I do want to continue to be one of Your faithful servants. I must rely on You to fill me with Your love and strength every day in order to be obedient and serve You. Help me to be able to share Your love with all those who You allow me to be a witness to. Lord, help me to overcome the sin and weaknesses that hinder Your work in my life. I do ask for the grace to die to my ways and live unto Yours. Help me to be diligent in all the things that You have commissioned me to do. May I reflect Your glory and love to all who know me. I ask this in Your name, Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 03:54:34 +0000