Category: Devotions

In The Context of the Times

 

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”  Proverbs 23:7 KJV

 

‘They are always thinking about how much it costs. "Eat and drink," they say, but they don't mean it.’  NLT

 

Now I am not telling you how to interpret a particular scripture, passage or idea in the Bible.  No one can tell you how YOU are to interpret God’s word but God.  I was going to use the scripture above in my previous devotion.  But I just looked at all the different translations and the entire scripture before I copied it.  I even went back to the beginning of the chapter.  It was in no way talking about or in relation to what I was talking about.  I would have only been able to use the first part, and even then depending on the translation it would have been irrelevant!

 

I guess that’s the point of reading the bible, and getting your own personal understanding.  People misquote scripture all day long; I know I have especially after reading this one!  What we have to realize is that there are a thousand different ways to understand a particular concept or here, scripture.  This is a good reason for Bible Study.  Some people based their understanding off of what their pastor or spiritual leader teaches, some take a literal understanding, while others just nod and agree with whatever someone says.  That is how cults get started!  Learning for me involves questioning sometimes.  Have a mind of your own, a mind wise enough to call out to God for understanding!  James 1:5 says “If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn't find fault with them.” 

 

You have to understand who wrote it, why they wrote it, what they were trying to say when they wrote it, what was going on at that particular time period, what that person was dealing with and the overall lesson to be taken away.  I’m sure there is probably more that can be gotten from a particular passage, but you have to read it all together.  After my near mistake this morning, I definitely plan to read the surrounding scriptures to get the context.  The author in the scripture above was talking about being around stingy people!  A stingy person thinks about how much something costs all the while falsely offering things to you, most times not at all.  But you can see how you could think otherwise from the KJV translation of that scripture.  I said all of that to say that you must go to the source for understanding; yes I believe it’s okay to consult others about the word, but be sure that you go to God first before anyone else and even read it for yourself.  He might direct you to the proper person to explain it to you, or reveal it to you Himself. Your mind is fertile ground, so be careful who you allow to plant seeds there!

It’s All In Your Mind

 

Morning. (Sorry for just sending this…I began this early morning :D)  I have been thinking about writing this devotion for a few days now, well longer than a few days.  I decided that I find as much as I could and let it marinate, per say on healing.  You see we all need healing from something at some time or another.  At the first sign of disaster, whether it be physical or mental, we react sometimes with anger, fear, hurt and disbelief.  Disbelief that something could happen to us without our doing; sometimes it is our doing and we still act in confusion.  We think things like “my life is over” or “I can’t live with this problem” or anything negative.  I just thought about one of my favorite scriptures, Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  Notice that it is not in singular form; so our problems, pains, life lessons are not just for us. Your bad situation—loss of a family member, unexpected diagnosis—will work together for the good of those that love God—including you, because God has a plan or purpose for it all.  Meaning, if you have experienced something traumatic, that gives you compassion and understanding for the next person; I go forward and say it will bless you also.

 

Right words produce right thinking; right thinking produces right emotions; right emotions produce right decisions; right decisions produce right actions; right actions produce right habits; right habits produce right character; right character leads you to the right destination.

 

I searched for this today because I have it pasted on the wall in my room. It’s true though.  You can think the wrong word about your situation which proceeds in the direction of negative outcomes.  Every negative thing about your situation will come true if you meditate on it, if you continue to condition your mind to believe so.  See all it takes is a word or phrase.  If you think about eating, then something else pops in your mind, you probably won’t go get something to eat immediately.  Most people would like to believe nothing in life is their fault, involved their personal contributions. But that’s a flat out lie. The Israelites took 40 years to get to the Promised Land and the trip was only supposed to take a little over a month! They had to wander 40 years because of their disobedience and doubt of God. I started writing this at about 8:30 and now its 5 minutes to 12, so obviously I had a lot of “interruptions” to distract me.  Thoughts are the foundation of our actions.  So if we think things will get better, that we can be delivered, that we can be healed, it can happen.  That’s called faith.

 

You cannot think as if you are of the world, because let’s be honest here, the way the world views things is horribly skewed.  Pain and problems are only temporary. The key to change and success here is putting the right words in our mind.  Try refusing to accept that things will not get better, that your health will be restored, that your finances will improve, because there is nothing too small for God. It will last as long as we allow it to. I refuse to accept defeat because Jesus’ sacrifice already deemed me a victor.  Look for the good, speak life (right words and thoughts) to your situation.

 

“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:9