August 4

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23, 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Psalm 27:1-6, Proverbs 20:20-21

Pray: David did not lack confidence in the Lord. You find it throughout the Psalms, and certainly here in Psalm 27. He actually prays to live in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. You get a sense of just how much he loves and trusts God. When you pray today, pray with confidence to the Lord telling Him just how much you love and trust Him. If you struggle with those areas or the words to say, ask Him for help. Remember, when we don’t even know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us with sighs and groanings too deep for our words.

Read: My mother used to say, “I’ve had it up to here” and she would use her hand to her face to show that she was simply not going to allow us, her children to disobey any longer. We knew she meant business. Sometimes we corrected ourselves and received grace. Other times, we chose to continue our disobedience. When Zedekiah was king, God “repeatedly sent His prophets to warn them [regarding their rebellion] for He had compassion on His people and His Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God…until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done” (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). God is a patient and loving God, but when we choose to live in rebellion to His ways and to not listen when He sends others to correct us, we choose to have His favor removed from our lives. What needs to change in your life right now so that the Lord’s anger turns away from you?

Edify: Paul is always so thankful, isn’t he? He provides strong words of correction at times but I always read of his thankfulness. He writes in 1 Corinthians 1:4, “I always thank my God for you…” For whom are you thankful? Nobody is perfect, but God has brought people into your life, perhaps for a season/purpose…perhaps for the rest of your life. Give thanks to God for those persons. I believe our entire attitude and life would improve quite dramatically if you and I chose to live more thankful lives. 

Practice: We want things to happen yesterday. Nobody likes to wait. Some are better at delaying pleasure than others, but most people today are impatient. We can blame it on YouTube, Google, or any other modern day thing which delivers instant information. The truth is, it’s quite convenient to have things quickly, but it’s not always good to have things quickly. Proverbs 20:21 tells us “An inheritance obtained too early in life is not a blessing in the end” (read Luke 15 to hear a story of a son who got an early inheritance for further proof of this truth). If God is saying to you, “not yet,” trust Him. God has amazing things in store for His people. It may be that He is preparing you for something so much better than you think. Practice some patience as you seek the Lord and allow Him to move in your life.