Proverbs 12:10 says, “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animals…” Taking responsibility for the family pets is one job most children get. It’s an excellent way to show them how to be kind towards animals and dependable in their care. Years later, that well-meaning consideration towards animals will translate into generous, thoughtful adults.
Tag: Blog Posts
House Rules – If you sleep in it…make it.
Joshua 24:15 reads, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” Maybe you’ve heard the old saying, You’ve made your bed, now sleep in it. Unfortunately, we all live with the consequences of bad choices we’ve made in the past, for our days are filled with choices…some good, some not so good… but with the Lord’s guidance, He can help us make the best choices for us. Wise and good choices that will have eternal consequences.
House Rules – If it rings…Answer it.
The next House Rule deals with listening and then obeying. The Scripture comes from Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” If you examine the famous painting depicting this verse, you’ll see that there’s no doorknob on the outside. Jesus stands knocking, but can’t open the door Himself…we have to. All throughout our Spiritual journey with the Lord, He’ll knock at certain doors…doors of opportunity…doors of ministry…doors that are so foreign, scary, and frankly, so far-fetched, that we can’t put our heads around what He’s calling us to do. It’s at that point that we must make the decision to obey…to open that door and allow Him and His plan for us to come in.
Luke 4:3 ” The devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ “
Satan was questioning Jesus’ authority. Satan knew who Jesus was – but used intimidating language , wanting Jesus to falter. Never allow Satan to force you to question if you’re saved or not…if God really loves you or not… or if He can heal you or not. For if Satan can get you to waver in your belief and trust even a little, fear and doubt will rush in and take over. And when they do, God’s plan and purpose in your life will be stymied.
Luke 11:9 ” Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Today marks the 1500 devotional I’ve written over the last 4 1/2 years. What would have happened if I had not asked…not sought…not knocked? God tells us He will supply all our needs…all we have to do is supply the trust. And in additional to that, we need to have the insight to realize what we “want” may not be what we need. As I look back today at how He’s worked in my life with Safetypinlove, I see the plan and purpose He had for me when I first asked, sought, and knocked.
Matthew 28:6 “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.”
Don’t look for Him in the tomb.
Don’t look for Him in the ground.
Don’t look for Him among the dead.
Don’t look for Him bound.
Jesus has risen to new life…resurrected from the grave…no longer held by the grip of death. Jesus has risen, and with Him, the hope of eternal life for us.
We’ve got to live: Securely in His love
For those of us who have been betrayed by someone who said they loved us, but did the opposite. Who said they would protect and esteem us, yet carried out appalling acts against us. We feel hesitant that the Lord is really trustworthy…we are anxious and uneasy to put our total faith in someone who could, for all we know, suddenly turn and threaten or deceive us. But by immersing ourself in His Word, and reading promises such as Psalm 13:5, which says, “But I trust in Your unfailing love.”…we can grasp with certainty the unending, unchangeable love of the Lord.
Proverbs 26: 28 ” A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”
Words can cut deep…and if they’re deceitful on top of that, they’re deadly. Why then do we choose to lie? It’s simple, if the truth doesn’t serve us well – we lie. If we want to get back at someone we dislike – we’ll lie. If we want our way – we sweet talk and flatter…saying what we know the other person wants to hear. Lying can become a way of life – where no two stories are ever the same, and we say whatever will get us the results we desire.
Proverbs 26: 14 ” As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.”
According to the dictionary, the word sluggard means a slow or lazy person. But the term lazy can mean much more than just not wanting to work. We may be a sluggard towards daily time in God’s Word…preferring rather to mindlessly scroll our phones. We may be a lax sluggard, who acknowledges God’s plan and purpose in our lives…but prefers the comfort of our recliner and Media Center more. A sluggard is doomed to poverty so the Proverb says…destitute in both material and spiritual things.
Revelation 20: 1-2 ” And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
God could have sent the archangel, Michael…who was a mighty warrior. He could have sent the angel, Gabriel…who had announced the birth of Jesus. But instead, He sent someone else. An angel that not only carried the keys to the Abyss, but wrangled the devil, hog-tying him up in a chain and tossing him headlong into the bottomless pit. God didn’t need to send Michael or Gabriel to subdue the devil…He just needed some unknown angel to do the job.
Safetypinlove 