Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 12:1-5
Prov 12:1-5
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns. No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
Gal 6:7-9
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Most of the time and in many ways, life is what we make of it. This is why we need to have wisdom to make good choices. We can choose to serve the Lord, or we can choose not to serve him. The opposite of serving God is sometimes call serving the devil or serving the world, but it is also referred to as serving self. This is why Jesus said we are to deny ourselves if we want to live for him.
When we choose to serve Jesus, we avoid so many of the problems that face the majority of people in the world on a daily basis. If we look at the entertainment page on almost any news coverage, we see people filled with all kinds of troubles in their lives because they refuse to follow the wisdom of God. Evil brings evil. We reap what we sow. Even if our bad side is hidden from most people, God is never fooled by our lives. He sees and he knows what is in our hearts.
Paul says that we should never get tired of doing good. The more good we do, the more good that will come to us. This does not mean that we will never face trouble, but the general theme of our lives will be good. When we do face trouble, we will know that the Lord is with us and will help us through it. Being a Christian means we show kindness toward others. We practice patience and self-control so that our hearts are filled with love and a peace that surpasses understanding.
O Lord, guide my life with your Spirit so it will reflect Jesus to others. Thank you for your protection against evil because I know I cannot do it on my own. Help me be kind to others. Give me greater patience, especially when I am confronted with people that seem to be senseless. I need your Spirit to help me practice better self-control, both from a positive and from a negative standpoint. Be with those who are facing treatments and surgeries. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
