March 2021 week 4
Friday
March 26
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. | Philippians 4:13
It is easy to go through life trying to impress people,showing that we are strong and that we have everything right.It is good to carry ourselves with confidence but sometimes we have a need of keeping our image so much that instead of being real we put on a mask and start pretending.We cannot let people see we have weaknesses,we struggle in those areas because we are people of faith and we are supposed to have all the answers but the scriptures says God’s power shows up greatest in our weaknesses.If we go around pretending and act like everything is okay then God’s power is not going to show up.God won’t bless who you pretend to be,he looks beyond the mask and beyond the superficial.When you are big enough to submit then God comes and take control over your life.Being vulnerable is not a weakness,it is a strength.
I encourage you to surrender yourself to God for his strength to take control of your life.
Thursday
March 25
Help those who want to be helped.
Proverbs 9: 8-9 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning
I was traveling once and one of the fellow travelers asked me if I enjoyed reading and I responded yes. He then gave me a book to read which quickly became one of the best books that I have ever read. I have shared that book with many others. The point is that he shared the book with me because I enjoyed reading and wanted to learn. The book is a waste for those who do not read. Often times we enter conversations with people which lead to no where because the person is not seeking to learn but only to debate for the sake of proving how smart they are or how loud they can talk. Thus the conversation ceases to be an actual positive exchange of ideas and thoughts. Just as the Chinese proverb says. A teacher will appear when the student is ready to learn. A man will gain wisdom when he is ready and not before.
Thought for the day: It is said never argue with a fool because no one can tell who is the fool.
Wednesday
March 24
Everyone has a problem. Is yours too big for you?
Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
I was chatting with a friend who told me that he had friends that were fairly wealthy and he had chosen not to continue to associate with them because he felt that he did not belong in their circle. After several years they met again and began to discuss their lives and he quickly realized that their lives were much more difficult than his even with the money. It reminded me of a short poem/story which I remember but cannot remember who wrote it or where I read it.
A man came to God and complained that his cross was too heavy for him to bear. God replied that everyone must carry a cross so he took him into a room and told him to pick a cross. The man saw a shiny cross and asked for that one. The man returned to God a few days later and said that the cross although made of gold was too heavy and he wanted to get another cross. God said ok and allowed him to choose another cross. The man came back a few days later and complained that the cross was pretty with roses but the thornes hurt so he needed another cross. God relented and told him that this would be the last chance to pick a cross so the man looked carefully around the room and chose a little cross sitting in the corner. He looked at the cross and saw his name on it for it was his original cross.
Thought for the day: Be careful for what you wish you just might get it.
Tuesday
March 23
Warning Against the Adulterous Woman
I found it interesting that Proverbs Chapters 5,6 and 7 primarily speaks about an adulterous woman and I wondered why the emphasis on something as obvious as this subject. It then came to my mind that the emphasis is not on a woman but on seeking things that do not belong to us and the problems that can bring. When we look at what others may have and long for such,we are treading in dangerous water. Instead of wanting what others may have we should work to fully utilize the blessings that God has given us.
Thought for the day: Many a man has lost his life searching for fools gold
Monday
March 22
Are you too proud to listen?
Proverbs 4: 1-2 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
There are two suggestions that I would like to offer that may make life a little easier. First is to identify someone that can offer words of wisdom when decsions need to be made and second more importantly is to be willing to listen to the words of wisdom. Too often we choose not to listen because we let our pride get In the way. We think that we know it all. ( Those people who think they know it all irritate us folks that do know it all). It is important to be willing to accept the fact that we do not know it all and that it will be better to listen sometimes. We do not always have to agree but we should never be so arrogant that we refuse to even listen and then make an informed decision. Even Moses listened to his father-in-law.
Thought for the day: Always intentionally listen for words of wisdom. You never know who is talking