Honest Reflections

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 23:1-49, Hebrews 10:18-39, Psalm 109:1-31, Proverbs 27:13

Daily Verse: “Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.” Prov. 27:13

Obligations fulfilled.

No matter what the commitment, we must live up to it. Keeping a deposit on a debt owed forces people to fulfill their obligations or lose their deposit.

We planned our summer vacation in January. Desiring to explore the coast of Maine, we booked several campgrounds well in advance. However, when my father-in-love declined, and God called him home, we had to cancel. As a result, we lost the deposits we paid in several places. We fulfilled our obligations.

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’;” Matthew 5:37

Keeping commitments does two things. First, as you learn to live up to your words and pledges, you will mature. And secondly, you will stop making rash promises, taking time to think about your “Yes” or “No.” 

Accountability by making a deposit motivates us to fulfill our obligations and helps us think before we do.

Lord, forgive us for any unfulfilled obligations in our lives. Please help us think before we commit and fulfill the promises we make. Guide and direct our paths, keeping us on the straight and narrow. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 21:1-22:31, Hebrews 10:1-17, Psalm 108:1-13, Proverbs 27:12

Daily Verse: “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” Prov. 27:12

Avoid pitfalls.

Wise people see danger ahead and hide from it, but the simple head straight for it. Mature people develop a wariness, while inexperienced youth quickly stumble into the pitfalls of life.

Meant to motivate the naive, today’s verse shows the importance of learning. Remaining teachable allows us to grow from life’s experiences and avoid the same mistakes. Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.

Learning from our mistakes means honest self-evaluation. Identifying the failure helps us avoid it in the future. When I landed in the pitfall of credit card debt, the problem came from swiping the card instead of paying cash. To fix the issue and learn from my mistakes, I stopped using credit and only bought what I could afford with money.

Maturing takes effort, but with it comes less strife as we learn to avoid the pitfalls of life. Remaining teachable, regardless of age, helps you continue maturing, avoiding life’s pitfalls, and enjoying a smoother journey.

Lord, forgive us for not learning from our mistakes. Please help our hearts remain teachable, molding and growing us with each lesson. Let us represent You well as we mature, traveling through life on the straight and narrow with You.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-49, Hebrews 9:11-28, Psalm 107:1-43, Proverbs 27:11

Daily Verse: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.” Prov. 27:11

Teaching vindicated.

When someone criticizes a father’s son, wise children enable their dads to defend them. Teachers typically get blamed for their students’ faults, treating them with contempt. But by highlighting the students that have learned, the teacher shows they didn’t labor in vain.

As a coach, I have students who want to listen and learn and those who don’t. One new student who has only had four lessons has so much enthusiasm for the game; he’s already shown vast improvement because he constantly practices. However, another student has taken classes longer and has a natural ability but doesn’t improve because he won’t listen and do the work necessary to take his game to the next level.

Teachers give the information necessary to learn, but the student must receive and apply it to grow. Wise kids listen and learn, showing the effectiveness of their teacher.

We can’t control what other people do. But we can highlight the progress an avid student makes.

Lord, thank You for allowing us to learn and grow. Please help us apply ourselves to Your teachings, becoming the person You intend. Let us represent You well as we follow Jesus. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 18:1-19:14, Hebrews 9:1-10, Psalm 106:32-48, Proverbs 27:10

Daily Verse: “Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.” Prov. 27:10

Helpful friends.

Available friends who live close by offer more help than a relative far away. My neighbor Stephanie, only walking distance from us, takes care of our dogs, picks up packages, waters the plants, and anything else that pops up when we leave. I do the same for her when she takes a trip. She’s more available than my relatives who live further away.

When you live far away from family, friends help you through the trials of day-to-day life. One of my young friends and her family of five children, with a traveling husband, has no relatives nearby. When she needs help babysitting, she texts me. My availability and proximity make me a better choice than calling her mom, who lives 2,000 miles away.

Calling on relatives who live a long distance away can’t help like a friend who lives close by. Whatever the emergency, available neighbors help where far-off family members can’t. 

Call on the friends God gives you in your time of need. They will help you through the storm.

Lord, forgive us for calling on the wrong people for help. Please place around us friends we can count on amid life’s stresses. Help us develop strong relationships with those who live close to us. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24, Hebrews 8:1-13, Psalm 106:13-31, Proverbs 27:7-9

Daily Verse: “Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” Prov. 27:9

Sweet counsel.

Close friends who give wise counsel bring a beautiful aroma to life like oil and perfume. Knowing someone speaks to you with a heart of love and wants the best for you helps to hear what they say, even if it’s not what you hoped.

Only a handful of people give me this type of counsel. Most people say what they think I want to hear or use flattery to try and win my graces. You don’t need an army of people giving advice; you need a few trusted friends who won’t steer you wrong.

Tomorrow, I’m having lunch with one of my wise counselors. I can’t wait to see her, catch up on life, and listen to her input. The epitome of sweetness, our time together always encourages and uplifts me.

Develop deep relationships with others. Lead with love, honesty, and grace. Become vulnerable and watch how others share with you.

Enjoy the sweetness of good counsel as you build friendships that will last a lifetime.

Lord, forgive us for taking friendships for granted. Please help us develop healthy relationships that bring sweet counsel into our lives. Let us enjoy the benefits of community as we follow You.  IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 14:12-16:41, Hebrews 7:18-28, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 27:4-6

Daily Verse: “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” Prov. 27:4

Consuming fire.

Jealousy outranks wrath and anger when it comes to raging emotions. If you’ve ever built a campfire and added lighter fluid to get it going, you know what the immediate blaze looks like. Flames flicker into life with a little incentive, immediately consuming the wood and bringing light to the night air.

Defying reason, jealousy roars its ugly head quickly. Scrolling through Facebook, I feel envy when I see another author whose book just hit the New York Times bestseller list. Pictures of my friends with their grandkids cause me to long for what they have.   Whatever the trigger, the emotion doesn’t take long to take hold.

To combat jealousy, I celebrate the other person’s blessing. “Joy not Jealousy,” from my book Three Word Prayers, reminds me to joyfully thank God for their wins, knowing His plan for me differs from theirs.

Don’t let jealousy consume you. Pray “Joy not Jealousy,” and allow God to soften your heart and help you celebrate their win.

Lord, forgive us for our jealous moments. Please help us contain the emotion, turn our thoughts to You, and celebrate other people’s victories. Don’t allow envy to ruin our relationships or control our thoughts. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 12:1-14:11, Hebrews 7:1-17, Psalm 105:37-45,Proverbs 27:3

Daily Verse: “A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.” Prov. 27:3

Fool’s provocation.

Mental exhaustion feels different than physical tiredness. I never understood how tired thinking could make me feel until I became a writer. After sitting all day, studying, and writing, I feel physically and mentally drained. But physical tiredness doesn’t make me mentally tired; it usually renews my mind. I never thought mental work would tire me out more than physical exhaustion.

Unloading bricks from my dad’s cabbed truck as a child, I still remember the back ache from bending over for those few minutes carrying the cubes to the tailgate. But I also remember my pride for the work and my dad’s compliments for a job well done.

On the other hand, the mental tiredness I get from dealing with some people in my life never seems to lessen because fools never stop. I can’t look at a pile of thoughts moved from one place to another and feel like I’ve accomplished something. Just trying not to let the situation overtake my life uses enough energy.

Recognize the fools in your life and decide not to let them steal any more energy from you. Pray for them, and give them to God.

Lord, forgive us for letting fools get to us. Please give us the grace and love necessary to deal with foolish people. Energize us for the journey ahead. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 10:1-11:25, Hebrews 6:1-20, Psalm 105:16-36, Proverbs 27:1-2

Daily Verse: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Prov. 27:1

Uncertain future.

Life quickly teaches us its uncertainty. When my brother called to tell me my nephew had died, I didn’t expect the words I heard. When I saw his name on my phone, golf came to mind since we planned to play later that day. Never did I think for a minute my day would end at his house gathering to support them through the loss of Cody.

Battling anxiety has become a daily struggle for me. Leaning into God helps me win the battle through counseling, which helps me process the event and teaches me skills to stay present in the moment and not let my mind go down rabbit trails.

No one knows what the day will bring. As much as we would like to control life, we don’t. Trusting in God’s sovereignty helps us accept our circumstances and find the strength to weather the storms.

When a day goes as planned for me, I praise God because it rarely happens. Something always changes. Trusting the Lord amid life’s interruptions helps maintain the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Trust God when things don’t go as planned, stop trying to control, and practice submitting.

Lord, forgive us for thinking we know what will happen next. Please help us align our hearts with Your will, trusting what comes next has a purpose we may not understand. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 7:1-9:11, Hebrews 5:1-14, Psalm 105:1-15, Proverbs 26:28

Daily Verse: “A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Prov. 26:28

Lying Tongues

Mouth trouble comes from lying tongues, and flattering lips both cause problems. People don’t exemplify love when they lie to you. Solomon says liars hate the people they tell false tales, showing no respect for the receiver. And over complimentary lips bring ruin.

People who use excess flattery always raise my suspicions. I believe in complimenting others and highlighting their positive traits, not blowing smoke up their butt. The phrase refers to puffing people up with false flatteries to build their egos, make them more attractive, and manipulate them.

Whether lying or flattering, both bring ruin to the speaker and sometimes the receiver. We will follow the wrong path if we fall for the devil’s lies. But if we stay focused on Jesus and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, God will give us discernment when processing the words people use.

Always consider the source when dealing with other people. Process their words through prayer. Trust God to reveal the truth to you.

Lord, forgive us for lying tongues and flattering mouths. Please help us always speak the truth in love; give us the wisdom and discernment to tell lies from the truth. In all things, let us honor and glorify You. IJNIP. Amen

One minute read.

Daily Reading: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14, Hebrews 4:1-16, Psalm 104:24-35, Proverbs 26:27

Daily Verse: “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.” Prov. 26:27

Avoid pits.

“You made your bed; you lie in it,” Mom said, referring to today’s verse. Often, our pits in life come from holes we dug. Haman from the book of Esther exemplifies digging your pit.

Filled with self-esteem, Haman’s position as confident to the King bloated his ego. Convincing the King to issue a decree wiping out the Jews, Mordecai refused to bow to Haman’s authority. Esther’s uncle prioritized God over people and refused to worship any man. Long story short, Esther exposes Haman’s exploits, and his life ends on the pole he erected to kill Mordecai. Read Esther for the whole story.

Haman dug his pit with evil schemes. Consumed with self-worship, he didn’t think he could fall, the exact reason he failed. Ignoring wise counsel and following ego digs the pit one poor decision at a time. Each credit card swipe dug into my debt pit, which took years to climb the walls back to solid ground.

Don’t let bad decisions lead you to the bottom of the pit. Follow Jesus, and apply His teachings to your life—live in the shadow of the Savior.

Lord, forgive us for not following Your commands. Please protect us from our bad decisions. Give us the strength to apply Your teachings to our lives and experience the life change that comes from it. Help us become the people You created us to become. IJNIP. Amen