Category: Proverbs–BibleTrekToday
Simeon speaks prophetically!
Scripture reading for June 29th: Luke 2, Psalm 129, Proverbs 5
Luke 2:28-35 “. .he (Simeon) took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” And His father and His mother marveled at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.””
Luke records the prophetic encounter that Jesus and His parents had at the temple when they came to dedicate Him. Simeon was an old man, having waited and watched in prayer for the promised Messiah. Upon seeing Jesus, he took the child in his arms and began thanking God for the answer to his prayers and fulfilment of God’s Word to him. He announced Jesus as the ‘Salvation that You (God) have prepared for all peoples, a light for the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.’ This was a broad view of Christ’s mission and work. He then spoke to Mary, telling her that Jesus, God’s Son and her Child, would bring the fall and rise of many in Israel. He would cause opposition and heartache to His mother. In Him all hearts would be exposed for righteous judgment or mercy by faith. Jesus fulfilled these ‘Words’ and many other Old Testament prophesies.
Psalm 129:1-2 “”Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”–let Israel now say–“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back, they made long their furrows.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for this prophetic Word from Simeon. You alone know the end from the beginning! You alone declare the things to come! Your Word is Truth and every Word of God comes to pass. You have provided Salvation to all, Jew and Gentile, through revealing the thoughts of many hearts, bringing conviction and repentance to those humble enough to believe and receive! Thank You! Amen!
Proverbs 5:7 “And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.”
Holy Child–Son of God!
Scripture reading for June 28th: Luke 1, Psalm 128, Proverbs 4
Luke 1: 30-35 “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His Name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called Holy–the Son of God.”
Luke, the Greek physician, wrote this Gospel account so that the Gentile believers might have an account of Jesus’ life. Luke began with the testimony of Mary, concerning her encounter with Gabriel, the angel of God. Gabriel came to her and revealed her favor with God. She would bear a Son and give Him the Name Jesus, and He would rule on the throne of David. His rule would be eternal–without end! Mary questioned how this might take place. Gabriel revealed that the power of the Most High would overshadow her and she would conceive as a virgin. Her Child would be Holy–the Son of God! God’s blessing and the Prince of Peace would come to Zion and Jerusalem would be the city of the great King!
Psalm 128:5-6 “The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!”
Prayer: Holy Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Son to be born of a virgin and experience life as a human. Thank You for showing us Your love and Holy heart, saving us from the penalty of our sins. You have blessed us with Your peace through forgiveness of our sins and the gift of eternal life. Today I ponder the path of my feet, that I may walk in Your ways and share the news of Your Holy Son!
Proverbs 4:26-27 “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
No compulsion!
Scripture reading for June 27th: Philemon, Psalm 127, Proverbs 3
Philemon: 12-18 “I am sending him (Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave) back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the Gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion, but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer a bondservant, but more that a bondservant, as a beloved brother–especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.”
The short letter of Paul to a friend and fellow pastor covers insight into God’s working in a culture that had human slaves. God wants all men to be free from sin and its power. Paul had met Onesimus, Philemon’s run-away slave, while in prison in Rome. He shared the Gospel with him and he became a brother in the Lord. After a time of discipleship, Paul was sending Onesimus back to Philemon. He asked Philemon to receive him as he would receive Paul, himself. Paul explained that nothing in God’s kingdom was to be done under compulsion, but only through faith with grace. God’s grace would cover any wrongs as we apply His law of love for our brothers. God is building His House, the Church by faith through grace! He loves a cheerful giver as He is One!
Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for building Your House through the Gospel. In Your House, all slaves of sin have been made sons, brothers and sisters with Christ Jesus! Help me to show grace to all people because of the grace and forgiveness that I have received myself. Use me to bring peace and brotherhood to all social classes or nationalities. I want to bless others and see them restored!
Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
Clear and gracious speech!
Scripture reading for June 26th: Colossians 4, Psalm 126, Proverbs 2
Colossians 4:2-6 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison–that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Paul, writing from prison in Rome, to believers, gives them words of encouragement concerning their need to stay connected in fellowship to Jesus through prayer while living in a hostile world among great darkness. He also asked them to pray for his own situation, though in a way we might not think of. He asked for open doors to preach the mystery of Christ. He asked that his speech and words would be made clear to those who would hear. He did not ask to get out of jail! He further instructed them to walk in wisdom towards the lost and to seize every opportunity to share the grace of God in Christ through gracious speech and the salt of the Gospel and the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Joy would be a fruit of obedience and God would bring forth fruit and protect them from evil men!
Psalm 126:5-6 “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Paul’s instructions to us who follow Jesus Christ. The sowing of Your Word is done often through tears of compassion for the lost and suffering as a result of the darkness and evil of this world. Open doors for me today and give me wisdom and boldness to sow the Seed of Your Word with clarity. Thank You for the promise of a great harvest and great joy!
Proverbs 2:9-12 “Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, and from men of perverted speech.”
Clothed with Christ
Scripture reading for June 23rd: Colossians 3, Psalm 125, Proverbs 1
Colossians 3: 12-17 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Paul had instructed the believers to put off certain worldly and destructive habits, attitudes and actions as one takes off dirty clothes. They were to put on, like a clean and beautiful outfit, Jesus Christ through repentance and faith. They were ‘beloved children’ of the Father, chosen by Him, to be filled with His Holy Spirit of adoption and bearing fruit of that Spirit. Holiness was not a pious term, but practices of obedience from a humble and now compassionate heart. Love, joy, peace, patience and forgiveness would flow from the new nature that they put on. God would change them from the inside out so that instead of worldly attitudes and division would flow songs and hymns and thanksgiving! Everything would be done thankfully in the Name of Jesus Christ!
Psalm 125: 2 “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for surrounding me and filling me with Your Holy Spirit and love. Help me today to continue to put on my new, clean, and joyful clothing! My changed heart flows with thanksgiving and joy at Your grace. I can forgive others as I have been forgiven. I am made truly rich as Your child, clothed in Your righteousness by grace! Thank You Jesus for Your great gift of salvation!
Proverbs 1: 8-9 “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for you neck.”
Rooted and built up in Christ
Scripture reading for June 22nd: Colossians 2, Psalm 124, Proverbs 31
Colossians 2:5-10 “For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority.”
Paul rejoiced at the report of these believers becoming established in their faith and rooted and built up in Christ. The growth came as a result of following the sound teaching of Christ’s Word and thankful and humble listening and application. Paul warned them about other voices seeking to take them captive and deceive them. These false teachers used philosophy and worldly spirits to draw away disciples from truth. But Christ had given the believers fullness of the Holy Spirit and understanding of Christ through His Word. They had escaped the snares of the false teachers and allowed the Word to take root in their hearts as a seed in good soil. As they would abide in Christ, they would produce much fruit to His glory!
Psalm 124:7-8 “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the Name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for delivering us from the captivity of sin and worldly spirits through Christ Jesus, head of all rule and authority. Help me to hear Your Word today and fill me with Your fullness that I might abide in Christ, rooted deeper today than yesterday. Use me as a fruitful branch of the Vine of Jesus to produce abundant fruit through Your strength and Gospel message.
Proverbs 31:16-17 “She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” (The excellent wife, Bride of Christ)
Jesus Christ the Preeminent One!
Scripture reading for June 21st: Colossians 1, Psalm 123, Proverbs 30
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the Head of the Body, the Church. He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”
The Scripture says eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ, Whom He sent. (John 17:3) Paul gives the church a window of insight into the Father and His Son in this paragraph. God the Father is invisible, but Jesus Christ is the visible Image of the Father. He is the Creator and sustainer of all creation, things we see and the great unseen world beyond our finite vision. All creation is made to serve Him and fulfill His will and purposes. Jesus is also Head of the Church, having earned that title by being the Firstborn from the dead. He is preeminent–before all things of highest eminence and eternal worth and worthy of all worship, honor and praise! Every creature receives its life from Him, and humans, made in His image, through repentance are reconciled to the Father through His blood, shed for us on the cross! Hallelujah!
Psalm 123:1-2 “To You I lift up my eyes, O You Who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till He has mercy upon us.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to reveal Your image and Name to us. Living in the darkness of sin, we were lost and without hope, foolish and devising evil and selfish. Your mercy though Your Son has set us free and reconciled us with You, our Father! Through Your grace I now give preeminence to Jesus Christ and change my foolish speech to honor and worship of my King!
Proverbs 30:32 “If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.” (Stop it!)
Again I say rejoice!
Scripture reading for June 20th: Philippians 4, Psalm 122, Proverbs 29
Philippians 4:4-8 “Rejoice in the Lord always ; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, my brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Paul concludes his short letter with an exhortation to rejoice with a double emphasis! He encourages the believers to live a life of continual rejoicing. If they have any worries or fears, they are to realize that the Lord is there with them and they need to cast these cares and fears on Him. Jesus will restore their peace and take away the fears. As the Jews were glad when they traveled to Jerusalem to visit the temple and experience God’s presence, the believer is to experience God’s peace because they are the ‘new temple’ of the Holy Spirit. Joy and rejoicing and peace are fruits of dwelling in God’s presence! Amen and amen!
Psalm 122:1-2 “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.”
Prayer: Father God, I am glad today that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and that You dwell in me. Thank You for the privilege of coming to You with all my worries and cares and casting them on You. Thank You for the fruit of Your Spirit growing in my life as I focus on You and Your Word. Fill my life with continuous rejoicing as I grow in righteousness, peace and joy through meditation on Your promises!
Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”
Knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord!
Scripture reading for June 19th: Philippians 3, Psalm 121, Proverbs 28
Philippians 3:7-12 “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already made perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.”
Paul’s commitment to the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ had cost him everything in this world. He was now facing possible execution and reflecting on his own journey with these believers he loved and sought to inspire and encourage. He viewed the loss of everything in this world as ‘rubbish’. He even viewed the loss of his freedom, his imprisonment, and his sufferings as a means to grow in a relationship with Jesus. He humbly admitted that he hadn’t arrived yet, but his attitude was to press on to lay hold of Christ, knowing Christ had laid hold of him. His trust in the Lord to keep his life safe and give him righteousness brought great freedom and boldness to live a life of pursuit of God’s kingdom and will!
Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for this precious counsel from Jesus Christ through Paul. Thank You for the righteousness You have given me by grace through faith. Thank You that it is available to all who will repent and believe, forsaking the ‘rubbish’ of this world. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and boldness today that I may declare Your glorious Gospel and press on to lay hold of Jesus Christ as He has laid hold of me.
Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Shining lights in a dark world!
Scripture reading for June 16th: Philippians 2, Psalm 120, Proverbs 27
Philippians 2:14-18 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”
Paul knew that as believers lived in love and unity of the Holy Spirit, they would cease from grumbling and complaining and begin to shine in the darkness of this world. Paul told them that the people living in the world system were crooked and twisted in their ways and thinking. It would require focused living for Christ, clinging to His Words of life, to bring reward when Christ returned. Paul, even though suffering in jail, rejoiced with the Philippians that they were standing fast. He encouraged them to rejoice with him as well. Suffering for the Gospel is part of shining light in the darkness and crookedness of this world.
Psalm 120:6-7 “Too long have I had my dwelling place among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the wise counsel of our Brother and Friend, Jesus Christ, and Paul Your Apostle. Help me to rejoice in those of faith who are suffering around this world for standing firm in Christ. Help me to stand firm and share the Word of life, shining Christ’s eternal Light into all darkness. Keep me from war, grumbling or dissention, but guide me in Your peace and unity with my brothers.
Proverbs 27:9 “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a a friend comes from his earnest counsel.”