My Daily Pause

Category: Devotional

  • A Mini-Marriage Clinic

    A Mini-Marriage Clinic

    Can a man carry fire next to his chest
    and his clothes not be burned?

    Or can one walk on hot coals
    and his feet not be scorched? – Proverbs 6:27-28

    Adultery is one of those sins that cut across several levels. From what I can tell from helping others who have dealt with it, it just isn’t very fun for either the innocent or the guilty party. Solomon says that the one who does it destroys himself, lacks sense and is despised. (Proverbs 6:20-35)

    Just from informal observation, I can say that marriages that fail did so because a few basic steps were not followed. I also see people put more maintenance into their wealth, professional networking and hobbies than into their marriages. Interesting that they know that those things need attention to grow but wonder why their marriages aren’t great! (or failed for that matter)

    While a 200 word essay and a Bible verse will not save a broken marriage, I offer you these basic building blocks that are common to all of the great, long lived marriages I’ve seen:

    • Invest time in your relationship – Date night, share a hobby, just be together often
    • Check your boundaries – Do not go anywhere unaccompanied with a member of the opposite sex
    • Remember the risks -The one who cheats hurts their spouse, the kids, their parents, the in-laws and more

    There is no quick and easy formula for a successful marriage, but working on it every day is the first step in building or rebuilding a strong and godly marriage.

    Daily Bible reading for June 11

    Proverbs 6:20-35
    Deuteronomy 13
    Hosea 10
    Titus 3:12-15

  • Can the Lord Stand You?

    Can the Lord Stand You?

    There are six things the Lord hates.
    There are seven things he cannot stand:

    a proud look,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that kill innocent people,
    a mind that thinks up evil plans,
    feet that are quick to do evil,
    a witness who lies,
    and someone who starts arguments among families

    – Proverbs 6:16-19 NCV

    One thing I really like about the Proverbs is directly they speak to us. These seven actions are involved with just about any sin we could commit – No wonder the Lord can’t stand them!

    How then, can we be certain that our actions will lead to a life full of blessings?

    Check out a few of these lists of ways:

    • Matthew 5:3-10
    • Philippians 4:4-9
    • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
    • Galatians 5:22-23

    Daily Bible reading for June 10

    Proverbs 6:1-19
    Deuteronomy 12
    Hosea 9
    Titus 3:8b-11

  • Keep Your Distance

    Keep Your Distance

     7 Now, my sons, listen to me,
    and don’t ignore what I say.
    8 Stay away from such a woman.
    Don’t even go near the door of her house,
    9 or you will give your riches to others,
    and the best years of your life will be given to someone cruel.
    10 Strangers will enjoy your wealth,
    and what you worked so hard for will go to someone else.
    11 You will groan at the end of your life
    when your health is gone.
    12 Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do!
    I would not listen to correction!
    13 I would not listen to my teachers
    or pay attention to my instructors.
    14 I came close to being completely ruined
    in front of a whole group of people.” – Proverbs 5:7-14 NCV

    What are some things you have difficulty resisting?
    Why do you avoid them?
    Why does our resistance fail sometimes?

    Temptation is a part of life everyone faces. Jesus wrestled with it (Matthew 4:1-11) and showed us how to overcome it.

    Some situations need to be avoided at all costs. Solomon says not to even go near the door (Proverbs 5:8) and Paul says to flee from them (2 Timothy 2:22). Obeying this means making some difficult decisions – You may have to change your job, friends, sources of entertainment and maybe even dodge certain family members. Most of us tend to be like the five people we hang around the most.

    Solomon’s wisdom is to think about the end result of what we do. What habit do you need to change before it is too late?

    Daily Bible reading for June 9

    Proverbs 5
    Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32
    Hosea 8
    Titus 3:1-8a

  • Little Things Mean a Lot

    Little Things Mean a Lot – What a cliché! Do we even really believe that?

    Little things add up

    Just how important are the little things we do?

    • Solomon wrote of four creatures that we view as being small and insignificant; yet, in God’s sight, they are considered exceedingly wise (Proverbs 30:24-28)
    • Jesus was born in of the smallest and most insignificant towns in Israel (Micah 5:2)
    • Jesus once compared the kingdom of God to the large tree that would give shelter to the birds of the air, yet it had its beginnings as a tiny mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32)
    • Tabitha did all sorts of good works, and by some, her activities may have been considered small matters (Acts 9:36-42)
    • Jesus took special notice of a poor widow who cast two mites into the treasury while many were casting in of their abundance (Luke 21:1-4)
    The little things can carry a lot of weight
    The little things can carry a lot of weight

    Paul ran down a list of ways just about every class of person is supposed to “adorn the doctrine” in Titus 2. These are lots of small and easy to do things that, when they are all compiled, make God look good.

    Ants can carry many times their weight to prepare for Winter Proverbs 30:25
    Ants can carry many times their weight to prepare for Winter Proverbs 30:25

    There are so many little gestures that we as Christians can do make encourage someone or brighten their day:

    • A smile for someone in the grocery store,
    • A card to someone who is sick or in need of encouragement
    • A phone call to let someone know that you were thinking of him or her
    • A visit to a shut-in
    • A meal to a family who has lost a loved one
    • A word of encouragement to a fellow brother or sister in Christ

    The list goes on and the actions are small, but just a few minutes can really make a difference to someone! As a parting thought, we are reminded in Matthew 25:34-40 of how when we do these things, we are actually doing them to our Lord.

    Daily Bible reading for May 8

    Proverbs 4
    Deuteronomy 9:6-10:11
    Hosea 6-7
    Titus 2

  • How to Love Your Neighbor

    How to Love Your Neighbor

    Loving your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) might be the second greatest command, but it is also one of the toughest to follow. Between gossip, competition and jealousy there are plenty of temptations for people to work against us and each other.

    It turns out that there is a way to rise above that, to gain the respect of others, to not be one that gets hurt:

    First, don’t participate.

    Second, practice Solomon’s basic wisdom for how to treat others:

    Whenever you are able,
    do good to people who need help.
    If you have what your neighbor asks for,
    don’t say, “Come back later.
    I will give it to you tomorrow.”
    Don’t make plans to hurt your neighbor
    who lives nearby and trusts you.
    Don’t accuse a person for no good reason;
    don’t accuse someone who has not harmed you. – Proverbs 3:27-30 NCV

    The Bible is full of instruction on getting along with people. If we’re not following it, it makes it difficult to save their soul!

    Daily Bible reading for May 7

    Proverbs 3:21-35
    Deuteronomy 8:1-9:5
    Hosea 4-5
    Titus 1:5-16

  • Lean on Me

    Lean on Me

    Trust the Lord with all your heart,
    and don’t depend on your own understanding.
    Remember the Lord in all you do,
    and he will give you success. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NCV

    God is glad to have you remember him when you are troubled, but here’s a little reminder to invite him into your life even when there is nothing you specifically need.

    Did you ever ask him to guide you in a choice but forget to follow up when everything turned out well? Paul reminds us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) and to offer our prayers with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

    One of the reasons I like to include the King James Version for Bible study is for verses like Matthew 7:8:

    For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

    Asketh. Seeketh. Knocketh. That “eth” on the end of those verbs makes it a continuous action. Jesus told us to ask, seek and find (Matthew 7:7) but God wants to be your first resource all the time.

    Daily Bible reading for May 6

    Proverbs 3:13-20
    Deuteronomy 7
    Hosea 3
    Titus 1:1-4