Think on These Things E-Book

Ray Comfort

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Seitenzahl: 359

Beschreibung

ECPA Bronze Milestone Sales Award for more than 100,000 sold. Jesus Christ is coming back. Are you—and those you encounter each day—ready? The book of Proverbs is a prize of advice that's as relevant today as it was when it was written. In Think on These Things: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs, Ray Comfort imparts encouragement to grab hold of this advice and use it to change our lives—always living with eternity's values in view. Each daily devotion includes: - A proverb for the day - A Soul Search question that urges readers to reflect and apply the principle personally - Continual reminders that we are to live with eternity in mindGrab hold of God's wisdom while cultivating a heart to reach the world with the truth of God's Word.    

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Think on These Things: WISDOM FOR LIFE FROM PROVERBS

Copyright © 2017 Ray Comfort

978-1-4245-5514-7 (faux)

978-1-4245-5515-4 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AKJV are taken from the American King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Moving Toward Wisdom

Have you ever done something stupid and then regretted it? If you had put the book of Proverbs into action, it may not have happened. If you have wisdom, you will never do anything stupid. Proverbs has wisdom on friendships, work, sex, marriage, greed, lust, pride, and a hundred other pain-invoking issues.

The book of Proverbs is filled with wonderful wisdom for daily living—wisdom that can save the obedient ear much pain. While open-air preaching, I have often saved myself from being hit by remembering that a soft answer turns away wrath, or by greeting people gently early in the morning. So in the following pages I have chosen a proverb for each day of the calendar year, and along with it share a few words of application.

God gave us an Instruction Book for life. The world thinks it knows better, but like a climbing toddler, it finds out the hard way that life gives bruises. Pain becomes the teacher. Today’s news reveals the hurts and tragic deaths of a world that ignores the Bible.

This greatest-of-all, most-hated-and-most-loved Book has been esteemed by kings, queens, and presidents. Within this divine collection of sixty-six books are the power-packed, pain-saving proverbs—a collection of the wisdom of God telling us how to deal with the problems, pitfalls, and pleasures of life. May God give you His wisdom from above as you read.

Contents

January

January 1: Men and Their Caves

January 2: What Matters More Than Happiness

January 3: How to Get a Fat Soul

January 4: The Most Precious Commodity

January 5: Taking Advantage of Today

January 6: What We Wear on Our Heads

January 7: What God Has Forgotten

January 8: The Wise Master Builder

January 9: Heading North

January 10: In the Wink of an Eye

January 11: Words from the Well

January 12: Mountains and Molehills

January 13: The Power of Understanding

January 14: What Should Be Our Passion?

January 15: The Riches that Matter

January 16: The Highest Profession

January 17: The Obedient Heart

January 18: The Great Revelation

January 19: The Brain-Free Tongue

January 20: Salty Tongue

January 21: The Mission Field to Millions

January 22: Sorrowless Riches

January 23: The Biggest Losers

January 24: The King to Whom We Owe No Allegiance

January 25: Tornado in the Forecast

January 26: Laziness vs. Diligence

January 27: The Safety of Fearing God

January 28: Holding Steady in the Storm

January 29: When Heaven Stays Silent

January 30: The Sure Inheritance

January 31: The Wisest Thing We Can Say

February

February 1: We Need Not Pray

February 2: Gaining Weight

February 3: Boasting of Brilliance

February 4: Bendy Frames

February 5: The Riches that Profit

February 6: Perfect Grace

February 7: Naughty Adults

February 8: Broken Hearts

February 9: Red Seas and Lions’ Dens

February 10: The Knowledge that Produces Understanding

February 11: New World Coming!

February 12: Silent Betrayal

February 13: Let God Handle It

February 14: Did You Hear This?

February 15: Where There Is Wisdom

February 16: When We Were Strangers

February 17: The Gracious Woman

February 18: Hand in Hand

February 19: The Sure Reward

February 20: The Robe of Righteousness

February 21: The Balanced Nature of God

February 22: His Day in Court

February 23: Pigs’ Priorities

February 24: Godly Desires

February 25: Toss It on the Freeway

February 26: A Loose Hand

February 27: Making Money

February 28: Let It Shine

March

March 1: The Supplier of Needs

March 2: How to Bring Your House to Ruin

March 3: The Loving Thing

March 4: Double Motive

March 5: Know-It-Alls

March 6: The Favor of God

March 7: The Prosperous Wicked

March 8: The Harlot Church

March 9: The Daily Battle

March 10: The Deadly Enemy

March 11: The Principle Thing

March 12: The Humble Servant

March 13: Dog Brain

March 14: Dig over the Soil

March 15: The Universality of Sin

March 16: The Blessed Lamp

March 17: The Fruit of Our Mouth

March 18: Godly Counsel

March 19: Lid Flipping

March 20: A Change of Thirst

March 21: The Acid Tongue

March 22: Two Kingdoms

March 23: Double Deceit

March 24: Not a Drop Has Been Lost

March 25: The Trivializing of Sin

March 26: Store Up the Seed

March 27: Rising Bubbles

March 28: The Black Clouds

March 29: Beware of Sin

March 30: The Ultimate Price

March 31: The World’s Thirst

April

April 1: The Father’s Instructions

April 2: Guarding the Gate

April 3: Gossip or Gospel

April 4: The Existence of the Soul

April 5: What Grabs Our Affections?

April 6: No Party with the World

April 7: The Poor Rich

April 8: Perils of Riches

April 9: Light and Life

April 10: Willing Bedfellows

April 11: Gathering by Labor

April 12: The Tree of Life

April 13: Most Loved and Most Hated

April 14: Eternal Priority

April 15: The Taskmaster

April 16: When Money Is Meaningless

April 17: Ambassadors for Christ

April 18: The Two Pleadings

April 19: The Snuggle

April 20: Flocking with High Fliers

April 21: Heel Snappers

April 22: Our Inheritance

April 23: The Plot of Land

April 24: The Ruin of the Mother

April 25: The Hungry Monster

April 26: Woman’s Liberation

April 27: The Motive for Atheism

April 28: The Subtle Weasel

April 29: Keeping It Clean

April 30: True and Faithful

May

May 1: True Wisdom

May 2: The Wizard

May 3: Stray Sheep

May 4: Consequential Ignorance

May 5: The Power of Bitterness

May 6: The Dwelling Place

May 7: The Wrong Way

May 8: Chasing the Wind

May 9: The Divine Butler

May 10: Media Bias

May 11: Unwise World

May 12: Unbridled Anger

May 13: Belly Servers

May 14: Justice Will Win

May 15: Cool Cars

May 16: Supernatural Love

May 17: The Snoozing Conscience

May 18: A Little Sweat

May 19: Riches and Treasure

May 20: Irrational Fear

May 21: After the Cross

May 22: The Fountain of Youth

May 23: We’ll Honor the King

May 24: Consider the Snail and Be Wise

May 25: The Power of Emotion

May 26: The Prey of the Rich

May 27: Driven by the Devil

May 28: No Panic

May 29: Cockroaches in the Night

May 30: The Favor of the King

May 31: How to Put Out the Flame

June

June 1: Taming the Tongue

June 2: Mind-Blowing Thoughts

June 3: The Tree of Life

June 4: Intuitive Love

June 5: The Life Force

June 6: Lower-Floor Fire

June 7: The Basis of Religion

June 8: The Way of Adam

June 9: Good Trials

June 10: Unending Fear

June 11: Scorn and Pride

June 12: Giving Up the Reins

June 13: The Door of Understanding

June 14: The Continual Feast

June 15: How to Not Fear God

June 16: Mignon on the Rocks

June 17: Heart Condition

June 18: Avoid this Experience

June 19: Making God Glad

June 20: The Joy of Laughter

June 21: Riding High in April

June 22: A Good Answer

June 23: Love Warns

June 24: Shifting Sand

June 25: God’s Not Deaf

June 26: Subtle Poison

June 27: Roomy Lifeboat

June 28: God’s Deliberate Deafness

June 29: Fat Bones

June 30: Abiding among the Wise

July

July 1: Wanting the Best

July 2: Honor from God

July 3: Directed Steps

July 4: Our Hidden Motives

July 5: The Comfort Zone

July 6: What We Own

July 7: Bitter Enemies

July 8: Perfect Righteousness

July 9: Peaceful Enemies

July 10: Christ, Who Is Our Life

July 11: Mountain to a Valley

July 12: A Dull Spark

July 13: The Character of God

July 14: A Repulsive Thought

July 15: New Creatures

July 16: Good News for Sinners

July 17: Cloud of Mercy

July 18: Wisdom Is Better

July 19: Highway to Heaven

July 20: The Defiant Fist

July 21: Getting Better

July 22: Joy and Peace in Believing

July 23: Sowing and Reaping

July 24: Created for God

July 25: The Real You

July 26: Harsh Words

July 27: The Compass Needle

July 28: Beautiful Mansions

July 29: Closet Skeletons

July 30: Evil Agenda

July 31: Lovers of Violence

August

August 1: The Abundance of the Heart

August 2: Badge of Honor

August 3: Easy Target

August 4: Not a Flea Jumps

August 5: Dry Pretzels

August 6: The Two Servants

August 7: Unbearable Heat

August 8: Unfortunate Circumstances

August 9: The Poor Heard Gladly

August 10: The Family Unit

August 11: What Is Excellent?

August 12: Turning Heads

August 13: Moral Failures

August 14: Making Dumb Wise

August 15: Given to Jealousy

August 16: Building Bigger Barns

August 17: The Judgments of God

August 18: Golden Advice

August 19: Calling Evil Good

August 20: Changed Priorities

August 21: Real Friends

August 22: Proud Creatures

August 23: Loving Transgression

August 24: Deaf to Its Voice

August 25: Political Correctness

August 26: How to Make Merry

August 27: Lawmakers

August 28: Life and Liberty

August 29: The Prodigal

August 30: Struck by Heaven

August 31: Spared Words

September

September 1: Wise Fools

September 2: Not a Good Guide

September 3: Hedonism

September 4: Militant Sinners

September 5: Deep Waters

September 6: Respecter of Persons

September 7: God-Given Safeguards

September 8: The Life of the Body

September 9: The Greatest Story

September 10: Pick Up the Pieces

September 11: Big Names

September 12: The Replacer of Faith

September 13: Proud Like Peacocks

September 14: A Good Hearer

September 15: Serious Wounds

September 16: Life-Saving Knowledge

September 17: Do Something

September 18: He That Is First

September 19: Tails, I Win

September 20: An Offended Brother

September 21: Forgetting to Eat

September 22: Made by the Word

September 23: The Good Thing

September 24: Without Price

September 25: Thicker than Water

September 26: Impressive Instructions

September 27: Hasty Decisions

September 28: A Lick of Wisdom

September 29: Evident Love

September 30: Crooked Men

October

October 1: Double Grief

October 2: The Power of Hyperbole

October 3: Do Yourself a Favor

October 4: DNA Evidence

October 5: Bigger and Better

October 6: Deferred Anger

October 7: A Roaring Lion

October 8: When Petals Fall

October 9: Wealth and Poverty

October 10: Lazy Dogs

October 11: Earned Wages

October 12: Pity the Poor

October 13: A Small Spark

October 14: Impressive Testimony

October 15: Despite the Warning

October 16: Everything is Transient

October 17: A Little Kindness

October 18: The Catalyst

October 19: Spiritual Anorexia

October 20: No Sign of the Law

October 21: Retribution

October 22: Don’t Listen

October 23: Famished Males

October 24: Past Finding

October 25: Rotten Fruit

October 26: The Soul

October 27: Love and Gentleness

October 28: Cozy Christendom

October 29: Self-Sufficiency

October 30: The Goodness of Man

October 31: Hypocrisy

November

November 1: The Complex Eye

November 2: A Clean Heart

November 3: The Best Policy

November 4: Willfully Blind

November 5: The Eye and Ear

November 6: A Good Night’s Sleep

November 7: The Blinded Mind

November 8: The Whiteness of White

November 9: Trapped by Debt

November 10: Modern Entertainment

November 11: Good Advice

November 12: Evangelistic Talebearers

November 13: Drunken Youths

November 14: Our Inheritance

November 15: Evil for Evil

November 16: A Tiny Weight

November 17: Ordered Steps

November 18: Our Instructions

November 19: The Day Is Coming

November 20: The Machine

November 21: Upheld by Mercy

November 22: Gray Hair

November 23: No Visible Means

November 24: His Permission

November 25: Dumb Sheep

November 26: Better than Sacrifice

November 27: Walk in His Statutes

November 28: Self-Made People

November 29: Partner in Crime

November 30: Man and Beasts

December

December 1: Fearful Pitfalls

December 2: Youth Camp Breakfast

December 3: Your Father

December 4: An Open Invitation

December 5: Two Builders

December 6: Solve the Dilemma

December 7: Pacifying Anger

December 8: Singing Mountains

December 9: The Nature of God

December 10: Personal Happiness

December 11: Difficult Verses

December 12: Angry Women

December 13: Our Treasure

December 14: The Glorious Gospel

December 15: The Level Playing Field

December 16: Fire Needs Fuel

December 17: Arrogant Birds

December 18: Fueled by Desire

December 19: Greed Isn’t Good

December 20: Good Works, No God

December 21: Ears to Hear

December 22: Sheep and Goats

December 23: Thomas Edison

December 24: Fearful Young Men

December 25: Admiring the Rich

December 26: Ease and Comfort

December 27: Cleft for Me

December 28: Riches Not of This World

December 29: Thorns and Snares

December 30: Train Up a Child

December 31: Paid in Full

About the Author

January

January 1

MEN AND THEIR CAVES

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

—PROVERBS 10:1

Fathers and mothers react differently to life’s problems. When I have a problem, I prefer not to talk about it. I want to go into a cave and quietly think until I find a solution. Women usually want to talk about problems, and the discussion takes the weight off their shoulders.

When I was the director of a drug prevention center many years ago, I learned that fathers would often write off a son who was into drugs. The attitude was, He’s not doing drugs in this house. He’s out of here if he doesn’t get his act together. The mothers, however, were more compassionate and brokenhearted over a son who was caught in the terrible web of drug addiction.

Christians, we shouldn’t react like the typical male. Instead, we should take the road of compassion and let the heaviness that comes with it drive us to prayer.

SOUL SEARCH: When have I reacted to something with a lack of compassion?

Father, may I always react to all things in a way that’s pleasing in your sight. Amen.

January 2

WHAT MATTERS MORE THAN HAPPINESS

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.

—PROVERBS 10:2

What is it that you think matters most to God? I believe it is righteousness. We tend to esteem happiness as our highest ideal, and we say that it’s the right of every American to pursue it. But righteousness is what we should first pursue.

I’m sure a bag full of stolen money would make a thief happy. But whether something is right should always trump whether or not it makes us happy. Most of this sinful world has no real hunger for righteousness, but it will be the only thing that matters on the day of wrath. That’s when people will see that the righteousness that delivers from death is only found in Jesus Christ. I pray they will see it before that day.

SOUL SEARCH: At what times in my life has happiness meant more to me than righteousness?

Father, please help me to always put what is right above my personal happiness. Amen.

January 3

HOW TO GET A FAT SOUL

The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

—PROVERBS 10:3 NIV

It has been rightly said that you and I are a soul within a body. The world is only concerned with the wants of the body, so people neglect the wants of the soul. But Christians understand that it’s the soul that leaves the body at death and passes into eternity.

It is because of this that He denies the appetites of the body (the flesh) and instead feeds the soul with the nutrients that are pleasing to God—integrity, humility, self-control, the fear of the Lord, wisdom, understanding, and discretion.

If you’re a Christian, seek after these godly virtues, and be assured that God will not withhold them if you cry out for them. He will not allow the soul of the righteous to famish, so do what Scripture says: let your soul delight itself in fatness.

SOUL SEARCH: As a Christian, how have I neglected my soul? What can I do to feed godly virtues in my life?

Father, please give me an appetite that will result in a fat soul. Amen.

January 4

THE MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY

He becomes poor that deals with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

—PROVERBS 10:4

God forbid that we would ever deal with a slack hand. Instead, we must take a firm grip on life, realize how precious it is, and use every moment as a man in a desert uses every drop of his life-giving water.

Time is our most precious substance, so use it with the utmost diligence. Today, use it to further what is eternal. Just how can you practically do that?

Discipline yourself to read and meditate on the Word daily. Set aside time each day to pray for the lost and other needs. Walk in the fear of the Lord, always having awareness of His presence and seeking His smile above all else. That means you will guard your thought life, and will always be on the lookout to share the gospel with a dying world, either by gospel tract or verbal witness.

SOUL SEARCH: When have I been guilty of wasting precious time in this life God has given me?

Father, help me to spend my precious time wisely today. Amen.

January 5

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TODAY

He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

—PROVERBS 10:5

How we should take advantage of the freedom to enter the harvest fields and reach the lost!

Imagine if, in years to come, it became illegal to give someone a gospel tract or to preach in public places. It is then that we will look back to these days of freedom and say that we should have been wise and gathered in summer. How shameful if we close our eyes and take rest when sinners are sinking into hell.

The Bible says that those who win souls are wise (Proverbs 11:30). So let’s be wise today, and seek and save those who are lost.

SOUL SEARCH: How can reaching the lost—obedience to the Great Commission—be a priority in my life?

Father, please help me to take advantage of today so I will have no regrets tomorrow. Amen.

January 6

WHAT WE WEAR ON OUR HEADS

Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

—PROVERBS 10:6 NIV

Just isn’t a word commonly used in the world, but the Bible uses it regularly to describe the godly. The entire human race is made up of only two sets of people—the just and the unjust.

The just are those who have partaken of the grace of God in Christ. They have been justified, made as though they never sinned in the first place. Jesus said of the religious leaders of His time, “You are those who justify yourselves before men” (Luke 16:15). That’s all religion can do. It can’t justify us before God.

How incredible that in Christ we are righteous in the sight of our Creator—and that on the day of judgment, instead of coming under God’s wrath for our sins, we can instead hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Blessings are on the head of the just.

SOUL SEARCH: Considering how I have spent my life, in what ways would God be justified in saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

Father, help me to fully understand the incredible blessing and reprieve of being justified by faith. Amen.

January 7

WHAT GOD HAS FORGOTTEN

The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.

—PROVERBS 10:7

If we are in Christ, we are able to do something that God cannot do. We can remember our past sins. He has cast them into the sea of forgetfulness (see Micah 7:19), but it’s good for us to regularly recall them—without any affection toward them or condemnation from them, of course.

Jesus said that he who is forgiven much, loves much (see Luke 7:47). It’s the knowledge of what I have been forgiven that wells gratitude in my heart and makes me love God all the more for the cross. Do you know what you’ve been forgiven?

SOUL SEARCH: How can I remember God’s great love for me today?

Father, I shudder when I remember my past sins, and I rejoice that you’ve forgotten them because of your everlasting mercy. Amen.

January 8

THE WISE MASTER BUILDER

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

—PROVERBS 10:8 NIV

It’s refreshing to witness to someone who has a humble heart. Humility is the light by which sinners see the cross. The wise in heart will receive commandments, and God commands all people everywhere to repent.

As Christians, we are tuned to the will of God. Our obedience is evidence of our love for the Lord. And we are wise to always look for His smile, because in our obedience we are building our house upon the rock. When the storms of life come, we will stand strong because of our unshakable foundation.

SOUL SEARCH: In my life, what times of disobedience have I left unconfessed? How can I strengthen my foundation through obedience to God’s commands?

Father, help me today to have a joyfully obedient heart to seek your smile. Amen.

January 9

HEADING NORTH

He that walks uprightly walks surely: but he that perverts his ways shall be known.

—PROVERBS 10:9 AKJV

To walk uprightly means to seek righteousness, as a compass needle seeks out north. Today, sin will try to pull the needle down. It may come in the form of pride, lust, jealousy, envy, gossip, or a thousand other sins—from the love of the world, to the love of money, to idleness and greed.

Don’t buckle. Don’t pervert your way. Let love for God be your shield against the enemy. If you love God, you will seek to please Him above yourself. That’s all you need for your walk to be sure.

SOUL SEARCH: What are some hidden sins that I have a secret affection for in my heart?

Father, help me not compromise with sin today, not even for a second. Amen.

January 10

IN THE WINK OF AN EYE

He who winks with the eye causes trouble, but a prating fool will fall.

—PROVERBS 10:10

A human wink can convey a subtle message. It can be a warm greeting to a friend or a passing greeting to a stranger, or it can be flirtatious. If done behind someone’s back, it can be a sign that the winker is being malicious or lacking sincerity. David said, “Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye” (Psalm 35:19 NIV).

Of all people, Christians must be sincere in all of their dealings. The hypocrite winks with his eye. He says one thing and means another. Avoid such actions as you would the plague. They will only cause sorrow.

SOUL SEARCH: How have I ever deliberately been insincere or had bad motives in my dealings with others?

Father, help me to be completely sincere, especially when it comes to sharing the gospel. Amen.

January 11

WORDS FROM THE WELL

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

—PROVERBS 10:11 NIV

Life and death are certainly in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Negative words can bring us down, and encouraging words can lift us up.

However, because we are made righteous in Christ, when we use our mouths to share the gospel with the unsaved, we speak more than words of encouragement. They are words of life, drawn from the wells of salvation. So never tire of sharing the gospel. Your words, when used by God, are like life-giving water to a dying man.

SOUL SEARCH: When have I avoided sharing the gospel with others because of my pride or my fear?

Father, give me the opportunity to overcome my fears and share words of life today. Amen.

January 12

MOUNTAINS AND MOLEHILLS

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

—PROVERBS 10:12

It’s often a challenge when someone sins against us. We naturally want to talk about the person to invoke sympathy for ourselves. Yet love covers the sin. It overlooks it. It shows grace and mercy, and it does so in the light of Calvary’s cross.

If God’s love can overlook our mountain of sin, we can overlook the molehill of someone else’s sin. Such godliness guards our hearts against gossip, and against the subtlety of bitterness.

SOUL SEARCH: What reoccurring memories do I have that evoke negative thoughts toward somebody?

Father, may I never lose sight of what I have been forgiven in Christ. Amen.

January 13

THE POWER OF UNDERSTANDING

Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

—PROVERBS 10:13

Understanding is the light by which we see the gospel. According to Jesus (in the parable of the sower), the true convert is he who “hears … and understands” (Matthew 13:23).

Philip saw fit to ask the Ethiopian eunuch, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” (Acts 8:30). Without understanding, there can be no knowledge of sin, and the Law (the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch) is the school-master that produces the knowledge of sin. The Bible says of the ungodly, “There is none who understands” (Romans 3:11). This is why we must use the rod of the Law on the backs of those who are void of understanding. This is what Jesus did with the rich young ruler (see Matthew 19:16-22), and it was the testimony of the apostle Paul (see Romans 7:13). The Law brought death to him and acted as a schoolmaster to bring him to Christ.

SOUL SEARCH: How have I proven that I truly understand the gravity of my sins and appreciate what I have been forgiven in Christ?

Father, please teach me how to bring sinners to the foot of the cross. Amen.

January 14

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR PASSION?

The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

—PROVERBS 10:14 NIV

The knowledge we lay up will be dependent upon our worldview. Do we see the church as a lifeboat surrounded by a drowning world? Then we have a biblical worldview.

All around us are dying sinners sinking into an icy grave, and we have been entrusted with the message that saves. How then can we let anything but the salvation of the lost be our passion? Little else should matter. The knowledge we lay up is the knowledge of how, with the help of God, we can reach them.

May God make us wise with evangelistic knowledge, for he that wins souls is wise.

SOUL SEARCH: In what ways do I show that I really care about the salvation of this world, and in what ways do I show that I care more about myself?

Father, let me be wise with my time today and use it in some way to bring sinners to Christ. Amen.

January 15

THE RICHES THAT MATTER

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

—PROVERBS 10:15

God forbid that we would build ourselves a strong city without a godly foundation. Strong and prosperous cities without God are dry straw waiting for His wrath.

The Scriptures warn that riches don’t profit us in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:4). Riches may open doors in this life, but not in the next. It is far better to be poor and daily on our knees for the next meal than to feast sumptuously on plates of gold and end up damned.

SOUL SEARCH: If I were given $10 million, how much would I spend on myself?

Father, today may I strive be rich in the things that matter to you. Amen.

January 16

THE HIGHEST PROFESSION

The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin.

—PROVERBS 10:16

We tend to think of a laborer as having a menial profession, but those who labor in the gospel are skilled laborers, workers who need not be ashamed. One can detect a laborer with the shake of a hand. A laborer’s hand has both muscle and callouses.

That’s also what a lifestyle of evangelism will do for you. It will give you a strong grip on how to present the gospel to the hardest of hearts. Our labor is never in vain, because we labor in the harvest that leads to life.

SOUL SEARCH: How much of my time do I spend studying how to share the gospel?

Father, help me to be a worker who is never ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15). Amen.

January 17

THE OBEDIENT HEART

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

—PROVERBS 10:17 NIV

“There is a way that seems right to a man,” but the end of that way is “the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). That’s the path we were going down when we, like sheep, were going astray. But now we have returned to the Good Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, who leads us in the path of righteousness.

While salvation is by grace alone, those who have tasted the grace of God will have an obedient heart. We keep instruction—living for the will of God—not to be saved, but because we are saved.

SOUL SEARCH: In what ways do I delight in doing the will of God?

Father, help me to always have an obedient ear for your voice. Amen.

January 18

THE GREAT REVELATION

Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

—PROVERBS 10:18

It is great revelation for a Christian to understand that nothing is hidden. There’s no such thing as a secret, or something that no one knows.

God knows everything. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. Such knowledge keeps us walking in the fear of the Lord, keeping our hearts free from hatred, lying, or slander.

Let’s be wise today and fear the Lord—because He warns that He will bring every work into judgment. And let’s always keep our hearts free from sin.

SOUL SEARCH: In what ways do I show that I have a biblical revelation of the character of God and truly fear Him?

Father, please teach me how to walk in the fear of you. Amen.

January 19

THE BRAIN-FREE TONGUE

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

—PROVERBS 10:19

If your words have ever gotten you into trouble, you’re not alone. The Bible says that the tongue is “a world of iniquity” (James 3:6). Sometimes it seems to work independent of our brain and say things that turn out to be thoughtless.

The psalmist pleaded with God to set a watch (a guard) over his lips, because his brain wasn’t enough. Perhaps the “watch” is the fear of the Lord. If we can soak our brains in the thought of God’s smile or frown at our words, we will be wise—and save ourselves and others much pain.

SOUL SEARCH: When was the last time I used my lips unwisely? What did I learn from that?

Father, please set a guard before my lips today. Amen.

January 20

SALTY TONGUE

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

—PROVERBS 10:20 NIV

Choice silver has been refined in fire, and those with a tongue like choice silver are often those who have been through fiery trials. A broken spirit has produced in them a sanctified tongue, and their speech is seasoned with salt. They speak words of life because their sinful nature has been put to death on the cross.

May we be wise in our speech today, not only with our fellow Christians but also with those lost sinners who sit in the shadow of death. May our words be light to them.

SOUL SEARCH: In what ways do I have a broken spirit?

Father, help my speech to always be tasteful, seasoned with salt. Amen.

January 21

THE MISSION FIELD TO MILLIONS

The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for want of wisdom.

—PROVERBS 10:21

Now, more than any other time in history, is this verse true. God has entrusted us with the gospel that gives access to the Bread of Life, and our lips can potentially feed millions. We can nourish many with our words, whether they are spoken or written.

When I became a Christian back in 1972, I immediately purchased a printing press and began writing and printing tracts, eventually distributing hundreds of millions of them. Yet I’m no one special. All I have is a love for God and for the lost. So what’s stopping you from doing the same?

The Internet is your mission field. Use it to feed many.

SOUL SEARCH: How much of each day do I devote to reaching those who, without the Savior, will end up in hell?

Father, use me this day to reach those who are sitting in the shadow of death. Amen.

January 22

SORROWLESS RICHES

The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

—PROVERBS 10:22

This verse is fodder for prosperity preachers, and there’s simply no arguing with it: “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich.” The problem with these preachers, however, isn’t what they say; it’s what they don’t say. They don’t talk about sin, righteousness, or judgment. They don’t preach Christ crucified for the sin of the world, but of the riches of the professed believer.

And so these preachers teach that gain is godliness, and they are filled with covetous practices and have millions of followers who are strangers to genuine conversion.

SOUL SEARCH: How do I know that I have sound doctrine?

Father, please help me to be as concerned about my neighbor’s salvation as I am about my own. Amen.

January 23

THE BIGGEST LOSERS

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

—PROVERBS 10:23 NIV

Sport gives billions of us great pleasure, whether it is Ping-Pong in China, rugby in New Zealand, soccer in Brazil, basketball in the United States, or skiing in the Swiss Alps. We love the competitive nature, the challenge, and the win.

Theft is sport to a fool. He gets a sense of challenge when he plans his crime, and a sense of joy when the spoil is in his sinful hands. What he doesn’t understand is that what is sport to him is wickedness to a holy Creator, who warns that thieves will end up losers, damned in hell. The joy that sin delivers is eternally outweighed by its fearful wages.

SOUL SEARCH: How have I truly divorced myself from affection to sin?

Father, help me never to be intrigued by the pleasures of any sin. Amen.

January 24

THE KING TO WHOM WE OWE NO ALLEGIANCE

The fear of the wicked will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted.

—PROVERBS 10:24

I would surmise that death is the greatest fear of the wicked. And it shall certainly come upon them. The Bible says that sinners are all their lifetime tormented by the fear of it (Hebrews 2:14–15), calling it in the Old Testament “the king of terrors” (Job 18:14).

Our hearts should break at the thought of any human being dying without faith in Jesus. We should be horrified by thoughts of them being terrorized by fear as they pass from this life into what they see as the unknown. May such thoughts cause compassion to overcome our own fears, so we never hold back from sharing the gospel. May that be the desire of the righteous.

SOUL SEARCH: In what ways is my gratitude in proportion to my forgiveness in Christ?

Father, words can’t express my gratitude for how you saved me from death. Amen.

January 25

TORNADO IN THE FORECAST

When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

—PROVERBS 10:25

Most of us, because of the advent of video, are familiar with the destruction of a whirlwind, nowadays called a tornado. Years ago, I visited a town in Oklahoma just after a killer tornado and stood in both awe and horror at its power. It took human life, picked up cars, destroyed houses, and even ripped the bark off trees.

On judgment day, every covering of sin will be ripped away and exposed before the eyes of a holy God. Thank the Lord for His infinite mercy and great kindness in taking us out of the path of the tornado and establishing our feet on the Rock of Ages.

SOUL SEARCH: How often do I meditate on what hell is going to be like for the ungodly?

Father, please give me a love that will cast out fear (1 John 4:18) and warn the wicked. Amen.

January 26

LAZINESS VS. DILIGENCE

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.

—PROVERBS 10:26 NIV

“As vinegar to the teeth” is probably the biblical equivalent of having our “teeth set on edge.” Certain things, such as fingernails being scraped on a chalkboard or a fork being pulled through closed teeth, are included in this category. No one thinks that these things (or the painful experience of having smoke in the eyes) are pleasant.

As well, it is painful to ask a lazy person to do a job. May none of us fall into the category of sluggard when it comes to the task God has entrusted us with.

SOUL SEARCH: On a report card, how would God grade me for diligence?

Father, make me diligent in all things that please you. Amen.

January 27

THE SAFETY OF FEARING GOD

The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.

—PROVERBS 10:27

The ungodly live for whatever gives them pleasure. They therefore involve themselves in illegal activities and risk their lives with illegal drugs. They indulge in alcohol and even drink and drive. They are given to the love of money and ambition and to anger and contention. They habitually overeat and develop the associated killer diseases. They smoke cigarettes, speed in fast cars, go through red lights, and risk their lives in extreme sports for a rush of adrenaline. Their promiscuity brings sexually transmitted diseases, and they frequent bars and wild parties, where violence often breaks out.

However, the godly live God-fearing lives and are therefore protected from many of these activities that so often result in premature death. The fear of the Lord indeed prolongs days.

SOUL SEARCH: What unnecessary risks do I take? Do any of them put my life or the lives of others in danger?

Father, keep me safe in the arms of the fear of the Lord. Amen.

January 28

HOLDING STEADY IN THE STORM

The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

—PROVERBS 10:28

The hope we have in Christ isn’t like the hope of this world. It is both sure and steadfast—an anchor of the soul. When storms send our soul into confusion and overturn our once-steady ship, we have an anchor that steadies us. Our hope is latched onto the promises of God, and His Word is sure. He will never fail us, disappoint us, or let us down, and the hope we have isn’t just for this life.

The anchor also holds us steady in the face of the ultimate storm. Jesus said, “Be still,” to death itself. What joy unspeakable we have through trust in Jesus, and what desperate hopelessness the world has without Him.

SOUL SEARCH: As I look to the future, what things do I still need to entrust to the Lord?

Father, may I forever be anchored in you. Amen.

January 29

WHEN HEAVEN STAYS SILENT

The way of the LORD is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

—PROVERBS 10:29 NIV

Have there ever been times when you’ve had to make a life-changing decision and asked God to show you the way to go? Just one word from Him would be all you need, because even if it’s a hard road, you’ll willingly take it because you only want His will. Yet God in His great wisdom allows you to use your own wisdom. Heaven stays silent.

Our consolation is that in Christ, we always have the way of the Lord; Jesus Christ is our strength. In Him our foundations stay strong in the storms that life so often sends our way.

SOUL SEARCH: Do I get secretly angry when heaven is seemingly silent about something that’s important to me?

Father, help me to trust you no matter what comes my way today. Amen.

January 30

THE SURE INHERITANCE

The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

—PROVERBS 10:30

As Christians, we stand in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, and because of that, we will never be removed. We will inherit this earth. At the moment, it’s still under the Genesis curse, with much of it being uninhabitable, covered either in freezing ice and snow or blazing desert. At the same time, it’s wracked with tornados, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and the curse of weeds.

But the earth that the meek will inherit is free from the curse, and when we inhabit it, we will be free from disease, pain, suffering, and death. We will enjoy life forevermore. What a wonderful future we have in Christ!

SOUL SEARCH: Do I have joy now because I believe God has wonderful things in store for me? How does this joy manifest itself?

Father, help me to always be eternity minded and full of trust in you. Amen.

January 31

THE WISEST THING WE CAN SAY

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out.

—PROVERBS 10:31

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