November 20

Ezekiel 40:28-41:26, , James 4:1-17,, Psalm 118:19-29, , Proverbs 28:3-5 

Pray: Father, I come to You today thankful. Thankful that Your word and Your promises are enduring and that You are faithful. Even though I may not feel faithful at times, You are steadfast in Your love and grace for me. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me today and move in my life to share that same love and grace with others. 

Read: (Psalm 118:19-24) "Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the Lord. These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory! The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Edify: Jesus came to live a perfect life so that we might take upon ourselves His righteousness. The word "righteous" can be a little intimidating. But we must remember that Scripture is primarily about pointing us to God. God had to come to be rejected so that we can live in the house of the Lord forever. Jesus is the cornerstone upon which eternity with God is built. 

Practice: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." (Psalm 118:29) Be thankful today for all that God has done in your life. Talk to your friends and family about how God has changed you. Also, think of one person that has made an impact on your life. Give them a call or send them a thank you note and thank them for investing in your life. 

November 19

Ezekiel 39:1-40:27, James 2:18-3:18, Psalm 118:1-18, Proverbs 28:2

Pray: Father, faith is far more than what I believe. True faith is always coupled to what I do. Help me Lord to measure my faith by obedience to Your commands rather than thinking I have faith because I agree with them.

Read: Proverbs 28:2 tells us that where there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. Have you ever thought something like this, “he can cheat on his wife but it is none of my business.” Immorality is everyone’s business. True, dragging someone out of their home and stoning them for immorality may not be the best idea you ever had. Still immorality isn’t just a matter between two consenting adults. It rots a nation.

Edify: People living immorally won’t want to hear from you until they know you care about them and want God’s best for them. They won’t care about what you know until they know that you care. Jesus was not afraid of immoral people. It is why He came to earth. We need to remind ourselves that we owe them love and compassion. 

Practice: Practice asking people how you can serve them. There is nothing wrong with telling people you care about them and want to see them blessed. Sow your time, sow your resources, and sow your presence into hurting people. Understand going in that hurting people hurt people. Don’t expect too much at first but give far more than they could have ever expected. History is changed one life at a time. Practice changing the future of those caught in their own poor choices.

November 18

Ezekiel 37:1-38:23, James 1:19-2:17, Psalm 117:1-2, Proverbs 28:1

Pray: Father, there are times when I wish I could sew my mouth shut! Remind me to listen before I speak. Help me to think things through in light of Your WORD before getting angry and saying things I will regret and that will damage rather than help others. And may I bite my tongue first and foremost when I’m listening to my spouse and my children. Help me to understand that well chosen words must be followed by deliberate actions in order for my faith to have real impact in my family and in this world.

Read: Read James’ exhortation about the relationship to hearing and doing. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” Is your “knowing” greater than your “doing”? When we don’t walk in what we know we become foolish or deceived. You can know about tithing but not be a tither. You will end up deceived. You can know about forgiveness but not show love to the person you have forgiven. Once again, you end up deceived. Knowing without doing is the height of foolishness.

Edify: Doers not hearers are right before God. Don’t let your knowledge of God and His ways become a stumbling block where you “run your mouth” but fail to do what you are talking about. We might like one political candidate over another. We might even espouse their record and virtues. But if we don’t go vote what good are we?

Practice: Practice doing what God says. Keep a journal. When God tells you to do something, write down what you are to do. Then write down when you have done it. And repeat what you did over and over again until it becomes a habit. Character, real Christian character, are good habits strung together that change how we think and what we do.

November 17

Ezekiel 35:1-36:38, James 1:1-18, Psalm 116:1-19, Proverbs 27:23-27

Pray: Lord, how often I have prayed, “Let me be all that I can be in Christ?” Help me to understand that trials and testing are the very events that allow me to grow into a man or woman of God. Change the way I think about them. Help me to see them as opportunities to grow. May I look into my bathroom mirror when my whole world is coming apart and smile!

Read: James, Jesus’s brother, tells us that we can ask God for wisdom. God will not refuse to give spiritual understanding of His will and His ways to us. But James also cautions us at the same time, “But when you ask Him, be sure your faith is in God alone.” When the scriptures jump off the pages of our Bibles we know God is speaking to us. Sometimes from the pulpit we hear a message and the Spirit of God within us witnesses that the word preached is for us. All of this is God answering our heart’s cry for wisdom. But we must obey and hold on to what He says lest we receive nothing. We cannot look to both God and to the world and think we will receive anything. The fruit of doing so is that we receive nothing, nada, zero!

Edify: Have you ever prayed for trials to come into your life? I can assure you whether you pray for them to come or pray for them not to come…they are coming! My point is simply this. Trials are a good thing. Refuse to think of them as bad things. Trials are opportunities. Don’t treat them like a curse. Embrace them as a blessing!

Practice: Keep a journal. When you ask God to speak to you, He will. Write down your question. Over time write down what He says to you. His wisdom may come from your daily devotion, it may come from a sermon at church, it may come from a trusted friend, or God may speak to your heart directly. But know this. You are accountable!

Our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit depends on our obedience to the Holy Spirit. Will we always get things right? No! But it is far better to try and fail than to turn to the world for answers. God will never rebuke you for trying to obey. A righteous man or woman can fall repeatedly but the scriptures say he or she will rise over and over again.

November 16

Ezekiel 33:1-34:31, Hebrews 13:1-25, Psalm 115:1-18, Proverbs 27:21-22

Pray: Father, I seem to have my own problems, big ones, and they seem to overwhelm me for long periods of time. Help me to understand that in visiting and serving those in prison and helping those who have been mistreated that my problems will no longer overwhelm me. It is in giving and serving that I get set free.

Read: Review Hebrews 11:16. We are to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. One of the basic teachings of the Christian faith found in Hebrews 6 is that we are to “repent from dead works”. Dead works can be good things but not God things. Sharing with those in need is a God thing. This pleases God.

Edify: Obey your spiritual leaders. Know they are not perfect. But God has placed you under them. Honor them as you are commanded to honor your parents. The blessing and promise from God is the same. God promises you will live long upon the earth and that things will go well with you. Ask yourself this question: What kind of report would my pastor give to God about my life?

Practice: Participate in ministry to those just out of prison but who are in many cases in prisons far worse than the ones with high walls and barbed fencing. Sacrifice your time. Offer someone a job. Offer your skills, abilities, and talents. Serve at C.R. Help prepare meals. Visit with those fighting their way out of addictions and looking for God’s grace.

November 15

Ezekiel 31:1-32:32, Hebrews 12:14-29, Psalm 113:1-114:8, Proverbs 27:18-20

Pray: Thanksgiving and praise are exercise for my inner man, the real me, just as jogging or walking is exercise for my outer man, the part of me that will one day pass away. Lord, I don’t question for a minute the value of exercise for my physical body. Why then do I question the need for thanksgiving and praise to keep my inner man in shape? I Cor. 15 says first the natural and then the spiritual. Help me to understand just how much I need to worship.

Read: Hebrews 12:14 tells us that living in peace is WORK and living a holy life is WORK. The great enemy of living in peace with your neighbor is your tongue. The great enemy of living a holy life is bitterness. We need to WORK at being SLOW to speak. We need to WORK at being QUICK to forgive.

Edify: When we are talking we are not listening. What would happen if you actually let someone talk until they had nothing more to say? You would be shocked at how much they felt you valued them even though you said nothing at all. When we don’t forgive quickly we end up imprisoned by what the other person said or did. Forgiveness keeps us clean. It benefits us instantly. And it prevents the disease of hurt and hatred from destroying others. Forgiveness “saves”….but you already knew that!

Practice: Practice listening. Listening isn’t always easy when you have something you really want to say. But having something you really want to say or “get off your chest” is the surest sign that you should take time to listen before speaking. A great listener asks questions and then enters the “silent zone” until the person asked a question finishes talking. Practice forgiveness by giving to or blessing the person you forgave. Giving and blessing cause forgiveness to take hold.

November 14

Ezekiel 29:1-30-26, Hebrews 11:32-12:13, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 27:17

Pray: Father, help me to delight in obedience. I want to learn quickly. I want to come into the things of God rejoicing and not kicking and screaming!

Read: In Psalm 112 we see what happens when we absolutely delight in obeying God’s word. The psalmist tells us that those who delight in obeying His commands will (1) have successful children, (2) will bless an entire generation, (3) will themselves be wealthy, and (4) their good deeds will be remembered forever. The key word here is DELIGHT.

There was a little boy attending church with his mom. Sitting in the pew and being a little guy he couldn’t see what was going on very well. So, he stood up on the pew cushion. His mom quickly told him to sit down which he RELUCTANTLY did. But there were all kinds of things going on up front and he wanted to see. So, again he stood up. And again, his mom told him to sit down even pulling him down with her outstretched arm. The little boy looked up at his mom and said, “I may be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside.” This young man was RELUCTANTLY obeying his mom. He was not delighting in obeying her. DELIGHT is a choice far more than it is a feeling. We can choose to pursue obedience with everything we have and are, or we can be dragged into obedience kicking and screaming. Are you that little boy?

Edify: Proverbs 27:17 tells us that iron sharpens iron and friends sharpen friends. The New Testament declares pretty much the same truth when we are encouraged to PROVOKE one another to love and good works.

This is “kick each other in the rear” theology! We are to hold each other accountable for both attitudes and actions. Do you have an accountability partner? Do you have someone you trust and will tell you the truth about your attitudes and actions? Are you that person in another’s life?

Practice: Practice thanking God for all the hard places, difficult relationships, and trying circumstances you are in. Thanksgiving turns RELUCTANCE into DELIGHT. Thanksgiving needs to be practiced…a lot. In fact, the more reluctance you feel the more thanksgiving you must enter into in order to experience DELIGHT. Start conversations with others with, “I’m thankful for you. Let me tell you why.”