Category: Uncategorized

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 8:1-9:13, Acts 16:16-40, Psalm 143:1-12, Proverbs 17:26

Daily Verse: “To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.” Prov. 17:26

Improper punishment.

Punishing innocent people has consequences we may not see on this side of heaven, but God knows. One of the reasons people falsely accuse others happens because of wrong conclusions. Making assumptions without facts leads to punishing innocent people.

Jumping to conclusions leads to wrong judgments, especially when we base those decisions on surface appearance. As I have confessed, I’m guilty of judging people by appearance because of my jealousy.

One of my biggest lessons came from a friend I thought had everything based on appearance, convicting the innocent. I learned after her passing about the pain and suffering she experienced on Earth. My jealousy closed my eyes to her reality.

Mistakenly punishing innocent people happens every day for a variety of reasons. We must check our hearts before we conclude. Understanding motives and not letting wrong intentions rule our decisions helps us avoid punishing innocent people.

Leading with grace means giving people the benefit of the doubt and will stop us from punishing innocent people.

Lord, forgive us for punishing innocent people. Please search our hearts and reveal any negative motives we may have. Help us draw proper conclusions based on facts and not surface appearances. Let us honor You with our actions. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 6:1-7:20, Acts 15:36-16:15, Psalm 142:1-7, Proverbs 17:24-25

Daily Verse: “A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.” Prov. 17:25

Bitter grief.

Nothing causes me more shame than thinking of the grief I caused my mother in my younger years with my shenanigans. 

“I earned every gray hair I have,” she told me many times. Parents never stop worrying, no matter what the age of their children. In ways, they worry more as kids get older. Someone once told me, “You’re only as happy as your saddest child.”

Since God didn’t bless us with kids, I will never know the truth of that statement. But I pray for parents regularly as they strive to raise their children to the best of their ability.

As a child who made many foolish decisions in my youth, I pray for wandering souls searching for their way. God knows, my mother’s prayers helped save me. Despite my many flaws, her unconditional love helped me find my way back to the Lord.

Don’t give up on your kids. The Lord does work miracles, and you never know when they will decide to make a U-turn and head in a different direction.

Lord, thank You for protecting us from our poor decisions. Praying for parents with wayward children, give them hope for a brighter future. Help the wandering hearts find their way back to You. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 4:18-5:27, Acts 15:1-35, Psalm 141:1-10, Proverbs 17:23

Daily Verse: “The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.” Prov. 17:23

Wicked intent.

People who secretly accept bribes have evil intent and plan to pervert justice. Through the centuries, politicians have taken bribes for personal gain and public harm. Political sides don’t matter; corruption comes with humanity.

Money talks and everyone has a price. During my retail days, management trained us in vigilance. Even though an employee might have an impeccable record, things happen in life that could change their honorability. For instance, an illness with large medical bills could drive someone to steal. Or developing a drug habit will change a person’s priorities.

One of my saddest moments happened with a wonderful grandma who didn’t pass the background check because of a drug conviction; she took the fall to protect her grandchild. Never in a million years would I have thought her to have a record.

Fleshly desires can cause us to do bad things. Taking bribes to pervert justice falls into that category. We all fall short of the mark; thankfully, God loves us anyway.

Lord, forgive us for falling short of the mark. Help us defeat temptation when it comes our way. Give us the strength to remain strong in the faith when people try to tempt us away from You. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17, Acts 14:8-28, Psalm 140:1-13, Proverbs 17:22

Daily Verse: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Prov. 17:22

Joyful heart.

Depressed spirits ruin health, but joyful hearts bring health to the bones. As someone who has struggled with depression my entire life, I understand today’s verse entirely.

My husband helped me identify my last bout with depression. After experiencing a life-threatening health crisis, my mind filled with anxious thoughts as I recognized life’s fragility and mortality. Thankfully, God gave me a strong support network of family and friends and an excellent therapist who helped bring joy back to my heart.

Identifying depression in myself challenges me. We can’t always see what others see in us. Thankfully, as a member of God’s family, the Lord gives us community to help us live life to the fullest.

Whether you struggle with depression or not, invest in God’s family. Build a support network by joining a Bible study (small group), intentionally developing friendships with others, and seeking professional help if necessary.

God wants us to live life to the fullest; we can with the support of His family.

Lord, thank You for adopting us into Your family. Please help us develop friendships that will help us live life to the fullest. Give us the courage to seek professional help if necessary. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 2 Kings 1:1-2:25, Acts 13:42-14:7, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 17:19-21

Daily Verse: “Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.” Prov. 17:19

Arrogant speech.

People bring destruction upon themselves with arrogant speech. Thinking of sports, when someone brags about their ability, they often set themselves up for a fall. 

My husband and I recently watched “Happy Gilmore.”  The comedic golf movie with Adam Sandler, a hockey player turned golf pro, demonstrates what happens to overconfident people. Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald, portrays the arrogant and contentious golf pro who underestimates his competition. Eventually, the seasoned golfer resorts to cheating to win, which fails.

Sports teach humility, and so does God. Prideful speech leads to downfall.   Our mouths can get us in more trouble than anything else, the gate to what flows from our hearts. Staying humble and closely watching our mouths will keep us from destruction.

Stay humble, don’t fall into the trap of arrogance. Things change quickly; mountaintops lead to valleys, and so does arrogant speech.

Lord, forgive us for bragging. Please help us stay humble as we pursue You, remembering; You made us all equal. Let us love each other well, guard the words that come from our lips, and live peacefully with all. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 22:1-53, Acts 13:16-41, Psalm 138:1-8, Proverbs 17:17-18

Daily Verse: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Prov. 17:17

Loyal friends.

God gives us framily, friends that become family. Adversity always exposes the people in your life who have your back. During my hospitalization for a blood clot, friends prayed for me from all over the country. One of my friends, a busy mom of three, found time in her schedule to drive the half-hour, bring me flowers and sit with me. Others dropped their plans and rushed to my bedside—friends who had become framily.

Investing in friendships develops a support system for everyone. Showing up for people in crisis, even if you can’t do anything, strengthens them and displays God’s love. We can’t fix life’s problems, but we can walk through them with others, helping them persevere.

Following Christ adopts us into God’s family and gives us friends who always love. Invest in your framily, build solid and supportive relationships with the people in your life. Show up for them in adversity, walk with them through strife, and set an example of loyal friendship for those around you.

Lord, thank You for the friends we have. Help us love and support them well, developing a framily. As we meet new people, let us love them and draw them into our network, supporting and loving them well for You.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalm 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16

Daily Verse: “Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?” Prov. 17:16

Inaccessible wisdom.

Fools can’t buy wisdom because they lack the intellect to get it in the first place. During my undergrad years, I acted foolishly. More concerned about my social life than my academic life, I didn’t pay attention in class and wasted the money my mother paid for me to learn wisdom. Because I had my priorities wrong, I couldn’t gain wisdom.

Flash forward twenty-five years when I returned to school for my graduate degree, and life had taught me lessons about priorities. Learning from earlier mistakes, I made the dean’s list every semester and gained much wisdom.

Following Jesus exposes our foolish ways. Don’t give up on people who act irresponsibly. Instead, pray for them like my mother did me. Without a doubt, her prayers helped me find my way back to Jesus and learn wisdom.

People can change. Fools can become wise with Christ. Submitting our lives to Jesus begins a new life, where we leave the old ways behind and embrace a new way of living.

Lord, forgive us our foolish ways. Open our eyes and ears to learn the lessons You want us to know. Help us develop wisdom as we apply Your teachings to our lives. Let us fulfill our purpose as we pursue You vigorously. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-21, Acts 12:1-23, Psalm 136:1-26, Proverbs 17:14-15

Daily Verse: “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.” Prov. 17:14

Controlled strife.

The Hoover Dam holds back the water from nearby Lake Meade. If it developed a leak and broke, experts predict the water would cover approximately 10 million acres, about a foot deep. To prevent the dam from bursting, spillways stop the water from rising and overflowing. Bathtubs and sinks have spillways, the hole at the top that doesn’t allow them to overflow.

In the same way, if we choose our battles wisely, we’ll stop the dam of emotions from bursting and causing catastrophic damage to our relationships. Some fights don’t need fighting. When headed down the wrong path, stop before an argument starts. Walk away, if necessary, but don’t let an emotional moment cause irreparable damage.

Play out the scenario in your mind before saying the words. Ask yourself, “Is it worth the fight?” We have control over our thoughts and emotions. Stopping a fight before it starts controls strife in our lives and allows us to live peacefully with others.

Pick your battles wisely. Control the strife in your life.

Lord, forgive us brash words that unleash unhealthy dams of emotions. Please give us the wisdom to choose our battles and stop the strife before it happens. Bless us with self-control to manage our thoughts and emotions. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 18:1-46, Acts 11:1-30, Psalm 135:1-21, Proverbs 17:12-13

Daily Verse: “If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.” Prov. 17:13

Justice for ingratitude.

Bitter hearts return evil for good. Instead of seeing the kindness in the act, they view the world through a negative lens, looking for the ulterior motive and responding inappropriately. Intentionally evil deeds bring on more disaster and cause bitter roots to grow.

How we treat others often determines how they respond. As the saying goes, hurting people hurts others and usually begins a vicious cycle of pain. People can’t see the trauma hidden behind the actions; they only see the reactions.

During my flight attendant days, while switching planes, I had a memorable conversation with a Bride-to-be. I responded bitterly to her excited talk of the upcoming wedding, thinking of my dead Father and that he couldn’t walk me down the aisle, squashing her joy. My bitter heart hurt many relationships. I could not release the bitterness and have healthy relationships until I dealt with the pain.

Strive to understand the emotions behind the actions. Before responding in kind, look for the hurt, and give love back instead of evil.

Lord, forgive us for responding inappropriately. Please help us healthily deal with our hurts, and when people do good for us, let us respond with love. Let us see others through Your lens and not ours. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 15:25-17:24, Acts 10:24-48, Psalm 134:1-3, Proverbs 17:9-11

Daily Verse: “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” Prov. 17:9

Discretion in love.

Friendship requires the ability to forget. When someone offends us, we must learn to let it go and speak of it no longer. Ruminating about it and sharing the hurt with others will only make e things worse, alienating people and ending relationships.

Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, chose forgiveness. When a friend asked about a mean act done to her years before, the nurse responded, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

God allows us to choose how we respond and control our thoughts. Clara exercised her actions and mind by deliberately forgetting the offense, and we can too.

Full confession, I have damaged relationships because I couldn’t forget the offense.   Entering the second half of my life, I’m working diligently not to do this anymore.   My phone screensaver says, “Forgiveness is the conscious choice to give up your right to make the other person pay because you trust God to make things right.”

We must choose to forgive and trust God to handle the offense. By doing so, we will develop healthy, loving relationships.

Lord, forgive us for not letting go of offenses. Please help us forgive quickly, cover offenses, and love others well, trusting You with any hurts we have. Keep our hearts soft towards others. IJNIP. Amen