Monday, September 1, 2025
Proverbs 10:29 - The Path of Righteousness
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Deuteronomy 29:29 - Defining the Will of God
What the Lord is Saying: Last night, a friend asked me, "Why do things happen the way they happen on earth?" It was an interesting question and yet a question I responded we should ask right now. It speaks to today's lesson about the will of God on earth. Man looks at life and ponders. Why do things happen like they do? Is it all random? Or is there a plan or order? When the God dilemma is mention, most people tend to look at God and his/her own life with this idea of "what have you done for me?" It is natural. We are on this earth, living, and breathing. We are working and doing. But we are very "me" focused on this earth. And the question of God is much of the time about how He interacts with me and helps me. So when life messes up my life or works in a way I don't understand, we respond with, "Why?"
Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 143:10 - Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
Ephesians 1:11 - In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will
Friday, December 31, 2021
Psalm 1 - My Prayer
Psalm 1
Psalm 1:1-6 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
My Prayer
Lord, when I do not not follow the advice of the wicked it is joy to my soul; when i do not follow the ungodly, the non-Christian, the enemy of You, friends that do not honor you with their lives, friends that serve a different master, and those that make fun out of loving and honoring You. I pray that I will not go along with people that oppose you.
Conversely, I pray that my delight is in the Law of the Lord, your Scriptures, your revelation to me; that my days are marked by beginning and ending time with You, in Your Word, and having the peace of Christ as I lay my head down at night; May I love Your Scriptures and seek to follow it all the days of my life. Make me like a tree planted along the riverbank, so that the nourishment I need to Grow each day is found in Your Word and my life then bears fruit. May I be one that stands out and looks to the outside world as one that is healthy and aligned with You. As I align myself daily with You and Your word you watch over me; turning my back on You and seeking after human wisdom and worldly ideals will lead me to destruction.
Lord, there is a stark difference between the wicked life and the Godly life. The wicked grab onto whatever is in front of them and just as they find their security in it, it is gone. There are no good final outcomes for the wicked. The godly and ungodly will be at opposite corners of the ring of life. If I follow You completely, I must realize that the way of the wicked will not be something I ever want to walk.
Lord, you watch over me as I walk along the edge of a mountain, keeping me close, but the wicked will fall off their paths and are destroyed by a non-holy path.
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There is joy in not following. Lord, I need to remember this. I need this to shape my life. A happy man is marked by the places he does not go,, the movies and TV shows he does not watch, books he does not read, company he does not keep. Lord, my world is filled with so many choices and options for my time. As I sit down at the TV, the number of different views for my eyes is staggering. There is joy in not choosing to watch voices that do not honor You with their words. They are poisonous and destructive and counter-productive. What they do is bring rest from following You.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Jesus Calling: December 30
I am Leading You along a way that is uniquely right for you. The closer to Me you grow, the more fully you become your true self--the one I designed you to be. Because you are one of a kind, the path you are traveling with Me diverges increasingly from that of other people. However, in My mysterious wisdom and ways, I enable you to follow this solitary path while staying in close contact with others. In fact, the more completely you devote yourself to Me, the more freely you can love people.2 Corinthians 5:17
Marvel at the beauty of a life intertwined with My Presence. Rejoice as we journey together in intimate communion. Enjoy the adventure of finding yourself through losing yourself in Me.
English Standard Version
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Ephesians 2:10
English Standard Version
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I John 4:7-8
English Standard Version
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
John 15:4
English Standard Version
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.
Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Jesus Calling: December 6
Stay ever so close to Me, and you will not deviate from the path I have prepared for you. This is the most efficient way to stay on track; it is the most enjoyable way. Men tend to multiply duties in their observance of religion. This practice enables them to give Me money, time, and work without yielding up to Me what I desire the most -- their hearts. Rules can be observed mechanically. Once they become habitual, they can be followed with minimal effort and almost no thought. These habit forming rules provide a false sense of security, lulling the soul into a comatose condition.Deuteronomy 6:5
What I search for in My children is an awakened soul that thrills to the Joy of My Presence! I created mankind to glorify Me and enjoy Me forever. I provide the Joy; your part is to glorify Me by living close to Me.
English Standard Version
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Colossians 3:23
English Standard Version
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
Psalm 16:11
English Standard Version
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
My Prayer
Lord, I want to stay close to You, so help me to narrow my focus and lose what distracts me from you. I want to stay on the path you have set for me. Remind me that doing things your way is the most enjoyable way to live. Too often I am thinking duty is the secret. Help me arrive at church with the right heart, the right motive. Train me before I go to church on how I am to live. I don't want my life to be about rule-keeping to the point that I feel safe because I've kept a set of rules. I don't want anyone to think this is how we live. Help me to stay connected with you in a real life union. Lord, keep grooming me and moving me to love you Lord with all my heart, soul, and might. Remind me that each day I am working for you and for your glory, not to please people. This is true at work, at home, wherever you have placed me. With you, I am on the right path. With you, I have joy. With you, I get all the pleasures I need.
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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.
Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 (NRSV))
For those who are unaware, this is St. Nicholas Day on the calendar used by our Catholic and Anglican brothers/sisters in Christ (Eastern Orthodox celebrates St Nicholas on December 19). Very little is known of his life but much has been fabricated mostly to make him look like Santa Claus. Here is a clip by National Geographic that provides a little background of the real person who lived and has been morphed into the person of today.
Who Was Saint Nicholas? | National Geographic https://youtu.be/3jLO6A2NpPU
Over Thanksgiving week, we took our family on the Polar Express in Williams, AZ, a train ride to the ‘north pole’. Upon arriving, there he was all dressed in his traditional red suit, waving as we rode by. Then as we were heading back to where our trip originated, Santa Claus was on board and coming down the aisle of the train car we were sitting in. There were 5-6 children, ages 3-6, seated in front of us. When they turned around and saw Santa Claus coming down the aisle, the look of joy and excitement on their faces was beyond description, certainly a one of a kind look. I just sat there and watched those sweet faces and remembered when I was a child how Santa Claus delighted me. It was an excitement like no other. As I watched those precious faces, I couldn’t help but wonder, ‘where has a smile like that gone in my older age?’ Life has taken its toll on that smile. But then I thought, that smile will return someday, the day I behold our LORD and that smile will remain on my face forever.
So what song should I pick for this devotion today? A search of Santa Claus songs produced 54, most of which I never heard. There are the classics, Here Comes Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Up on the Housetop. Jolly Old St Nicholas has a good thought in it that asks for gifts for Johnny, Suzie, and Nellie and ends with the request for self of what you think is right. (Don’t ever remember thinking that way myself.) But as I went over the songs, this one leaped out at me as the best to reflect upon.
Amy Grant - Grown-Up Christmas List
https://youtu.be/RmF2rsDHOZc
This is a good example of the beatitude quoted above. When we mourn the ills in the world and long for them to be changed, we begin by praying for the needs of people (to the One who can really do something about it). What is likely to happen is that we will become involved in being a part of the LORD’s solution. In doing so, that would truly reflect the spirit of St Nicholas for what we know of him.
With love, Bob (Malsack) - provided with his permission
Monday, January 18, 2016
Psalm 1 - The Purpose of Wisdom Literature
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Message: The purpose of wisdom literature
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
I think this was the first passage of scripture I memorized. I think I was 14 or 15 when I tried to do it. I haven't been able to keep it to memory, though. My mom said that this was my dad's favorite passage of scripture. As a first chapter in the book of Psalm it almost seems like a chapter that shapes the rest of the book, for it summarizes everything that is expected from man in his life or not expected and the response of God.
A Blessed Man Does Not
Here, the sign of a man that is blessed is one that does not co-habitat with wicked people. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! Yet, it is not that this man doesn't just walk with the wicked, but that he doesn't even stand on their paths, nor sit in the places where they have sat. There is a progression here as well of sitting, then standing, and then walking. The man who is happy or blessed stays far from the wicked. And these are people that mock God (scorners). The issue here, I don't think, is not about one who is trying to minister to these folks, but one who's life is beginning to look like that of the wicked. Does the blessed man's life really abhor that life? That man may not be walking, but does the man accompany those ways?
Do we go along with shameful and behavior that, in the company of other blessed men, we wouldn't do? My life is to be lived above reproach. Is it or do I compromise in order to get the praise of others?
Also, this is talking about a man's walk. It is not talking about taking 5 or 10 minutes or even an hour to commit ourselves to the reading of God's word. Those things are important, but the blessed man's life is just that, a life. It is a walk. Throughout the day, my focus and desire should be to honor God. Every moment and in every act.
A Blessed Man Does
The Law of the Lord is what the blessed man dwells on. I think there can be no escaping the reading and studying of God's word in a person's life that wants to honor God. God's word is meant to be a delight to us. It is meant to be something that we long to read and study. In this law is what the blessed man not only listens (his delight is in) to, but what he wants to be in him at all times, so he meditates day and night. The Law is what we turn to to be our guide in all things. As a pastor said once, "when you cut yourself, you should bleed Bible."
A Blessed Man's Life
Here is the outcome of the blessed man that their delight is in the Law of the Lord, their life will be firmly planted. The rushing waters or the ways of the world will not be able to sway the man. He will be firmly planted. And said differently, the river of life or the waters of the spirit as they flow will continually be nourishing the tree or man: He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water.
The person's life will have fruit and will not wither and will prosper. This is the amazing thing about this man, is the outcomes will be sweet (fruit), healthy (leaf does not wither), and successful (prospers). Is this not what every person wants in their life? To be infectious, sweet, what people want; to be healthy; to be successful. But, remember these things are defined by God and so look like God. This does not mean to the world and what it prioritizes that these things will look like that. But, let God define our lives and we will feel good about what they look like.
The Wicked Man
What chronicles the wicked man's life? What does it look like? The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. In farming crops, there is a part of the growth that must be torn away and thrown away. Rice, barley, oats, wheat, even corn, is surrounded by a husk. This husk is waste material. There is a part that we eat and there is a part that is thrown away. It has little or no value. It is the chaff that is thrown away. This is the wicked life. It is the part that the wind picks up and carries away. It has no staying power. It has no eternal staying power. It may remain for a season and it may even look like it is healthy as the husk part of a plant is often large and abundant. But, in the end, it is discarded. This is what we need to focus on because often life is not focused on the outcome, but instead on how it looks here and now and today. If we focus on today only, then we will gravitate toward the wicked man and his ways. But, we must look at the end of the road and the end path. The wicked man's life will not remain.
A Wicked Man's Result
This is what I was beginning to reference. In the end, Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. In the word of Covey, we must "Begin with the end in mind." If we want our lives to be marked by something it should be God and His word. This is why I have always like I Timothy 4:7-8, "Train yourself to be godly; for physical training has some value, but godliness has value for all things." This is what I cannot lose sight of in life. In the end, the wicked will not stand in judgment, but they will fall. And in the final standing company the sinners will not be a part of. They will not be with the righteous.
The Lord Knows
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Our focus on life should be on what the Lord knows and remembers. So, the person that simply stays far from the way of the wicked man and instead stays close to the Law of the Lord will be known by God.
This chapter chronicles the actions of man, but keep in mind, whether one is blessed or wicked is based upon the Grace of God. Abraham was called while he was worshiping pagan gods. The 10 commandments were given to the Israelites after they were chosen. God calls us and then we have a decision of what our lives will look like.
Promise: If we truly seek to follow God's word and do what it says then we will be among the righteous. The way of the wicked, the selfish, man centered defined life will perish.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Jesus Calling: September 9
Walk with Me along paths of trust. The most direct route between point A and point B on your life-journey is the path of unwavering trust in Me. When your faith falters, you choose a trail that meanders and takes you well out of your way. You will get to point B eventually, but you will have lost precious time and energy. As soon as you realize you have wandered from your trust-path, look to Me and whisper, "I trust You, Jesus." This affirmation will help you get back on track.Isaiah 26:4
The farther you roam along paths of unbelief, the harder it is to remember that I am with you. Anxious thoughts branch off in all directions, taking you farther and farther from awareness of My Presence. You need to voice your trust in Me frequently. This simple act of faith will keep you walking along straight paths with Me. Trust in Me with all your heart, and I will make your paths straight.
English Standard Version
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Psalm 9:10
English Standard Version
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 25:4-5
English Standard Version
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (one of my favorite set of verses in all the Bible)
English Standard Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
My Prayer
Lord, as you know, the most difficult part of my walk with you is denying myself, getting out of the way and trusting instead in You with all of my heart. Sometimes Lord I don't know what this looks like or sometimes it looks scary. I feel like I'm waiting on you and then being a little passive with my life. Lord, help me to stay active, stay busy, and yet as I walk continue to voice trust in You. Give me a heart of desiring to love and serve you. Lead me in your truth. Thank you for the promise that as I trust in You, You will make straight my paths.
Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.
Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Jesus Calling: January 28
I AM with you always. These were the last words I spoke before ascending into heaven. I continue to proclaim this promise to all who will listen. People respond to My continual Presence in various ways. Most Christians accept this teaching as truth but ignore it in their daily living. Some ill-taught or wounded believers fear (and may even resent) My awareness of all they do, and think. A few people center their lives around this glorious promise and find themselves blessed beyond all expectations.
When My Presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place. As you gaze at Me through the eyes of your heart, you can see the world around you from My perspective. The fact that I am with you makes every moment of your life meaningful.
Matthew 28:20
Psalm 139:1-4
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
Lord, what a great reminder that You are with me always. How quickly I think that I'm living life on my own and having to will myself through life on my own. Lord, keep me on that high road, trusting you all the time, with my circumstances below. I think of Psalm 23 and that first line, "The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want." With you by my side and always with me, I can trust my life because it is in your hands. This doesn't mean the circumstances of life will always make sense to me, but I can trust you still. You have shown yourself to be faithful.
Lord, as I read or hear Your Word, I pray that it becomes a part of my life and not just head knowledge.
Help me to live in Your presence. I want to see life through Your perspective.
You know me Lord. You search Me and know Me and You are acquainted with all my ways. You know my thoughts and my days activities. How often do I pretend that you are not there.
Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.
Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.