Daily Devotional
June 6 - June 12, 2010
June 6
Proverbs 25:15-28
"Have you found honey? Eat only what you need ..." (v16). The proverbs consistently urge us toward wisdom and maturity. Sometimes we find ourselves in a time of abundance, blessed with more money, time, or opportunity for pleasure than we really need. Instead of gorging ourselves, we are instructed to use moderation. "Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man wo has no control over his spirit" (v28).
Pursued excessively, innocent pleasures can become distractions or idols. But wisdom and self-control allow us to enjoy God's gifts without guilt.
June 7
Psalm 99
"And the strength of the King loves justice; Thou hast established equity; Thou hast executed justice and righteousness in Jacob" (v4). People all over the earth desire to live in a world where fairness, justice, and goodness are the norm. Unfortunately, our human bent toward sin (greediness, deceit, idolatry) gets in the way of our aims. But the dream of this life exists because we are created by God. We know that we are made to live in His Kingdom.
"They called upon the Lord, and He answered them" (v6). The King loves us enough to enter our broken world and rescue us.
June 8
I Corinthians 15
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain" (v58). Often, following Jesus makes life easier. For example, we avoid the troubles that come from adultery, deceit, and unkindness. But Paul knew that following Jesus sometimes makes life harder, because early believers faced danger and humiliation daily (v30-32). Obeying Christ could mean family rejection or losing a job. Knowing that Christ defeated death, and we will too, makes the struggle worthwhile.
Our obedience is not in vain, because "Death is swallowed up in victory" (v54).
June 9
I Corinthians 16
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love" (v13-14). Paul recognized that following Christ was a spiritual battle. Paul apparently wrote this letter while ministering in Ephesus, and he wanted to remain there because "a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (v9). The "wide door" opened the by the Holy Spirit co-existed with Satan's opposition.
Obedience to Christ - love, faithfulness, honesty, self-sacrifice - opposes the ways of the world. We need God's strength to "stand firm".
June 10
Job 1-2
"For there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity ..." (2:3). People of integrity, like Job, and Abraham, and Noah, have something very powerful in common. Their actions consistently match their beliefs, even when life turns difficult. Abraham kept following God during the long childless years, while Noah spent years building a boat because he believed God's (invisible) promise.
Job "held fast" to his faith. He believed God was trustworthy and worth following, even when his life seemed hopeless.
June 11
Job 3-5
"I am not at rest, but turmoil comes" (3:26). Job was painfully honest. He did not "Curse God and die!" as his wife suggested (2:9), but he did wish for death (v11-21). He did not understand why he had lost everything precious to him, nor why he was suffering with a terrible illness. He hadn't committed any sins worthy of such punishment, though his friend Eliphaz implied that his suffering was his own fault (4:8).
Job, model for all who suffer tragedy, didn't try to minimize his pain. He poured out his heart before God and expected an answer.
June 12
Job 6-8
"What is man that Thou art concerned about him, that Thou dost examine him every morning, and try him every moment?" (7:17). Job suspected that God was involved somehow in his suffering (at the very least, God had the ability to stop it). Job didn't want to be the object of God's interest; he wanted to hide from the "watcher of men" (v20). But God was indeed interested and watching, and Job's test of faith was being broadcast to angels.
Weak and made of dust, our faith (or lack of it) interests all of heaven. When we endure, heaven rejoices.
