Go with me once again to
familiar place. It actually finds it’s
roots in several places, and all of them have left marks on my life and made a
huge difference in my life.
When I was a teenager, my
youth minister taught our group to spend time with God daily. We learned that a quiet time of prayer,
reading the Bible and note taking should be an important part of our lives and
help shape and strengthen us. It did. It has.
And there is more, much more, to come.
When I was in my early
years as a pastor and a husband, I went to a pastor’s meeting in the mountains
of Georgia where I learned a bit more about quiet time and the greatness of
hiding the Bible in my heart. An
influential pastor stepped into my life and encouraged me to read a chapter of
Proverbs each day. That was life
changing, this is something I have been sharing with others ever since.
Daily quiet times with God
is a special part of my life, and I challenge you to have this time in your
life as well. For me it is most
effective when I spend time before anything else happens in the day. Often it sets the tone of the day. Often it points to some things that will
happen that day that would help my thinking and acting. Literally having a daily quiet time will make
you a much stronger person.
Therefore, I not only
challenge you to continue or start having a daily quiet time, but I am going to
give you the Proverb of the day, chapter 16.
The best way, I have learned, is to read the chapter that corresponds to
the day. It is February 16, and this day
I will read Proverbs 16. It is not the
only Scripture I will read today, but it is a great piece of my time with God.
Read on and may God help
us be strong followers of Him…
The
preparations of the heart belong
to man, But the answer of the tongue is
from the Lord.
2 All
the ways of a man are pure in
his own eyes, But the Lord
weighs the spirits.
3 Commit
your works to the Lord, And your
thoughts will be established.
4 The
Lord has made all for Himself, Yes,
even the wicked for the day of doom.
5 Everyone
proud in heart is an
abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go
unpunished.
6 In
mercy and truth Atonement is
provided for iniquity; And by
the fear of the Lord one
departs from evil.
7 When
a man’s ways please the Lord, He
makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better
is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.
9 A
man’s heart plans his way, But
the Lord directs his steps.
10 Divination
is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in
judgment.
11 Honest
weights and scales are the
Lord’s; All the weights in the
bag are His work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by
righteousness.
13 Righteous
lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As
messengers of death is the
king’s wrath, But a wise man
will appease it.
15 In
the light of the king’s face is
life, And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
16 How
much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be
chosen rather than silver.
17 The
highway of the upright is to
depart from evil; He who keeps
his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride
goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better
to be of a humble spirit with
the lowly, Than to divide the
spoil with the proud.
20 He
who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The
wise in heart will be called prudent, And
sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding
is a wellspring of life to him
who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The
heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And
adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant
words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to
the bones.
25 There
is a way that seems right to a
man, But its end is the way of death.
26 The
person who labors, labors for himself, For
his hungry mouth drives him on.
27 An
ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning
fire.
28 A
perverse man sows strife, And a
whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A
violent man entices his neighbor, And
leads him in a way that is not
good.
30 He
winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses his lips and
brings about evil.
31 The
silver-haired head is a crown
of glory, If it is found in the way of
righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is
better than the mighty, And he
who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The
lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.
I
pray will set a plan and work your plan to have a daily quiet time with
God. It will make a huge difference in
your life!
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