#5764 – A Merry Heart

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Good morning people who turn your affection to God during your day.

Proverbs 15:13 MEV A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 15:15 MEV All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

Philippians 4:4 MEV Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

From a prison cell, Paul writes to the church in Philippi and instructs then to rejoice in the Lord always. In this single statement, he is making it clear that rejoicing is not based on circumstances being all nice and happy. True rejoicing comes from a focus on the Lord.

In our verses from Proverbs today, I see a couple of truths that are worth meditating on.

Firstly, joy in our heart (which comes from and in the Lord) makes a cheerful countenance. I think this is so important. If God is in our heart, He should reflect in our face. I have often encouraged Christians to let what is inside come out. This includes, but is not limited to, our worship. And please let me say that this is not a personality thing or a denominational thing.

Secondly, the person who has a merry heart has a continual feast. Oh, ain’t this the truth! There is something contagious and life-giving about the joy of the Lord that literally becomes our strength! This is not about being fake, rather, this is about a right focus on God and on His continual goodness and kindness to us.

May we all receive a greater baptism in the joy of the Lord.

#5763 – Delightful Prayers

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Good morning people who delight God when you take time to speak to Him.

Proverbs 15:8 MEV The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

Proverbs 15:29 MEV The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

God loves hearing His children talk to Him in prayer. It truly is that simple. God loves to hear our voices and our hearts.

We were created for a relationship with God, and the foundation of a relationship is communication. God is a communicating God, and He created us as communicating beings.

It is wonderful to have great friends to chat with. A good conversation can really cause the heart to soar.

And this is how God feels when the upright talk to Him in prayer! God is delighted when we talk to Him and listen to Him in prayer!

A big part of this delight from God is that we are acknowledging that we need Him. Self-sufficient people don’t feel the need to pray. Completely dependent people do.

Does your prayer life reflect your need for God?

I pray we all delight the heart of God today as we talk with Him and listen to Him.

#5762 – The Power of Words

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Good morning people who use your tongue to release life and blessing to others.

As we have seen, the Book of Proverbs repeats some key truths, and this is done deliberately by God. May today’s reminder and instruction be another layer of truth upon our lives.

Proverbs 15:1-2 MEV A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright, but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness.

Proverbs 15:4 MEV A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it crushes the spirit.

Our words release either life or death. Middle ground doesn’t really exist when it comes to our words.

I see the picture of a person approaching a small fire. In one hand, they carry a bucket of water, and in the other hand, they carry a bucket of petrol. Pouring out one bucket can extinguish the fire, while the other bucket contains the power to stir it up.

So it is with our words.

Do our words turn away anger, or do they stir up anger?

One of the keys to using our words more rightly is to shift the focus from whether the other person deserves them or not. Let’s be honest, we have all been on the receiving end of words that have caused us great hurt. Think about how you felt. Think about how you might still feel.

Now, let’s reverse that and think about the truth that we have all been on the speaking end of words that have caused hurt to others. It can be devastating to them. And a simple sorry from us does not undo all of the pain.

Therefore, whether on the receiving end or the speaking end of hurtful words, let’s all learn together to be more Christlike in the words that we choose to release over people. May the water of God’s Spirit flow from us in Jesus’ name.

#5761 – Slow to Anger

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Good morning people who stop excusing anger as normal and reasonable.

Proverbs 14:29 MEV He who is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exalts folly.

Honesty time: I can far too easily be quick to get angry. Sure, it is normally around people doing the wrong thing, but I often react in the flesh, and it is about a violation of “my rights”.

At this point, some may quote the one time Jesus made a whip, turned over the money changer’s tables, and drove them out of the temple. Yes, this did happen, but let’s hear what Father wants to say to us today.

Firstly, we are not Jesus (I’m just saying). When Jesus did this, He was acting perfectly in love and truth. When I do “similar” things, I can do it out of frustration and annoyance. It’s different.

Secondly, this was one time that Jesus did this (and He did it perfectly) – it was not His way of living; it wasn’t what He was characterised by or known for. Sometimes, I can be known for my feisty reactions to wrong. There are times when this is appropriate – we are told to hate sin – but there are also times when I am misrepresenting God.

There is a real key found in the Book of James about how we can learn to be slow to anger. Let’s take a look:

James 1:19-20 MEV Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.

With God, order always matters, and these verses contain God’s correct order. I could do better at listening well; being swift to hear. If I do better at listening well, I will do better at being slow to speak. And if I do better at being slow to speak, I will do better at being slow to get angry. Order matters, and the right order is empowering.

And then James finishes with a strong and helpful statement for us to remember: for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.

May we all learn Father’s way in this, and may this all be for the glory of God and the blessing of others.

#5760 – Work of the Ministry

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Good morning people who do not delay on what God says to do now.

Proverbs 14:23 MEV In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

There is a reason that Paul writes about the work of the ministry in Ephesians 4:12, because ministry is often hard work.

But the work of the ministry is not fruitless or futile work. When done in God’s will and in God’s timing, there is always much fruit. We might not always naturally see the results that we expect, but God is working when we are truly and humbly working with Him.

Today’s verse tells us that mere talk leads only to poverty. This word poverty means deficiency, impoverishment, lack, need. Let’s lean in my friends.

For some who are reading this today, I feel that Father is highlighting the things that Father has called you to do. While there is the future timing of God to some of what He says, there is also the reality that we can delay what Father has called us to do now.

Sometimes we talk about what we should act upon.  

When we delay what we should obey now, we will live in deficiency and lack. Think about this. Sure, it may be easier not obeying God now, but it’s never better. There is always available grace from God to do what He calls us to do, when He calls us to do it.

Are there some things from God that He wants you to move from mere talking into profitable labour?

May we all keep in step with the Holy Spirit.