Category: Daily Devotional

Scripture Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Observation: So many of us feel that God owes us and all we should get is blessings. Yet God’s word does not say that if fact Jesus said that we will have trials and tribulations, but we don’t want to hear that. A loving God should only give us good things. Yet as parents we would not give only good things to our children without discipline and direction. We learn from our mistakes, which in turn make us stronger. Job had it right we should be thankful for everything and accept what God desires to give us.

Application: This is a hard lesson for me to learn. I think of the martyrs in this world how they are suffering and being tortured for their faith. I can’t stand the littlest amount of pain and wonder how I would do under those circumstances. The martyrs are going to earn rewards I will never be able to, but I need to learn to be strong in faith. I need to accept all that God gives me whether good or bad and then ask God what He wants me to glean from those experiences.

Prayer: My Lord I’m weak, but you can make me strong. Show me how to be obedient in all that you give me. May others see the strength you give me and that I always give you all the glory and honor. Help me be bold about speaking about my gracious God to others and show me how to finish well. I love you Lord and you deserve all that I have.

Scripture Job 1:21 And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Observation: We think we make our own wealth and control our destiny. How arrogant are we? God has given us this life right from the beginning, He alone is our creator and guides us through this life, if we allow Him. There is nothing that is truly ours and nothing we are going to be able to take with us when we die. Everything on this earth is on loan by God. If someone we know dies we shouldn’t blame God, but give Him thanks for allowing us to know that person whether a child, parent or friend. Whatever we loose on this earth was never really ours in the first place.

Application: I need to realize just that. I’m God’s and He can do whatever He thinks right. There is nothing that can be taken from me that I own, even my heath is a gift from God. I need to seek God when something does go away to see what He desires of me. Everything happens for a reason and I need to be aware of what God desires of me at all times. I need to trust my Lord more, I have too many doubts and my anxiety level is so high. God deserves all of my love, obedience, worship and time and I need to start giving back now before it’s too late.

Prayer: Thank you my Lord for all you have given me. Thank you for this chance to do better than I’ve done in the past. Strengthen me to do your will and to serve you and others in all that you have given me. I love you Lord and owe you everything.

Scripture Esth 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.[

Observation: That seems to be one of the harder things for us to do is to seek the good of others. I seem to always come first when there is any good to be received and Mordecai would even seek the good of his people. What a great leader he must have been seeking the good of others, speaking peace no wonder he was received so well. He was everything God has called us all to be, so why is it so hard for us? We are all sinners and are so focused on us it is hard to see God at times and the needs of others even harder.

Application: We’re starting another new year and with all the resolutions I’m trying to make this should be on the top of the list. To look for the needs of others and to treat others as God as called me to do. I need to know this is a command from God and not just a choice of mine. I’m called to serve and not myself. I have a Master and He has given me my orders and I need to follow them and to follow them with joy. To please my Lord should be on the top of my list.

Prayer: My Lord soften this hard heart of mine and put the interest of others on my heart. May it not just be because it is the beginning of a new year, but because it is your desire that I live a life of service to others. May my actions reflect your glory. I love you and want to be obedient to you, help me honor you.

Scripture Esth 9:25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Observation: How often has that happened to you. You think you’re getting away with something and bam it comes back to haunt you. It’s happened to me more than once. I’ve always had a vengeful spirit, if someone does something wrong to me or even if I think they have I want revenge, instead of forgiveness. I would plot something against them or hope something terrible would happen to them or say something about them and sure enough my words would return to me or my actions would be found out and now I was the bad guy and in reality I was. God tells us over and over to forgive and that judgment is His and these instances are just a reminder that they are. There is nothing that others can do to us that God doesn’t know about and instead of justifying ourselves we should be justifying God by our actions.

Application: I have an evil heart. I can’t think without some negative thought or wicked things comes up. I need to work harder when I find myself drifting off to thoughts that don’t honor God. I need to be in prayer and when I find myself alone in thought I need to take them to God and think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy as my Lord calls me to do.

Prayer: Dear Lord help me please. Give me a forgiving and loving spirit and take all this junk out of my heart and mind. Make me like Jesus whose heart is pure. I love you my Lord and want to honor you all the days of my life.

Scripture Esth 8:5 and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.

Observation: This is how we should make all of our decisions, we should ask ourselves if what we are about to do would please our King. Do we find favor or our we pleasing in our Lord’s sight and will this action seem right to Him? So often I have to say no, I react quickly with my best interest in mind and I pay the consequences of my rash actions. Before we make any decision let us go before our King, live a life that would be pleasing to Him so that we might find favor and make sure what we are about to do is right in His eyes.

Application: Those are the steps I need to make every time I have a decision to make, I need to go before the King. He has given me His commands through His word, He has told me how to live this life He has blessed me and has told me how I might bless Him with my actions. I can’t play dumb anymore no matter how much I would try to justify my actions I know what is right and what is wrong. I need to live a life worthy of coming before my King, I want Him to hold out the golden scepter to me when I want to approach Him and I want to bring Him joy.

Prayer: My King I come before you a humble man, but troubled. Help me control my thoughts and actions so that they will be pleasing before you. Make me worthy to enter into your presence, soften my heart to others and take this anxiety from my spirit. May I come before your throne with a pure heart and the desire to do nothing but please and honor you. I love you my King and wait until it is time to enter your kingdom as your faithful servant.

Scripture Esth 7:9 Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.” Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

Observation: Has that ever happened to you? You plan something evil for someone, but it backfires and goes against you. I know that has happened in my life I try to get back at someone and somehow I’m the one suffering. God tells us in His word to do for others what you would want to be done for you. It also says do not pay evil for evil and forgive others so God can forgive you. All over the Bible it tells us how to handle any situation that might come our way and not once does it tell us it is right to do something wrong to someone else. So why is that our first impulse? We have a sinful nature and our enemy prowls around like a lion.

Application: My mind races all day long and almost always it goes in a negative direction. When I imagine someone doing something wrong to me I want to do something far worst to them. My mind is already thinking evil towards others instead of doing what God calls me to do. I need to obey God in all things and especially in how I treat others. He loves us all and wants me to treat His children with love, forgiveness and respect.

Prayer: My Lord give me that forgiving spirit I need. Help me think of all the positive things I can be doing that would glorify you and remove this evil from my spirit. Help me finish will each day and that there will be no evil thoughts left in me. I’m your child help me show my brothers and sisters how much I can love them.

Scripture Esth 6:6 So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”

Observation: So many times we get full of ourselves that there is no room for anything or anybody else. Most people think of themselves more than anything else and that would be me included. I feel the gifts that God has given me are my own and think how I should be honored when I use those gifts. Instead of for God’s glory, I honor myself. I’m not sure I do this because of all the times I’m acting in ways that our not honorable to make up for those times or if it just feels good for the moment. At those times I don’t think of anyone else or God but I put myself in the limelight expecting others to praise me for something God has allowed me to do. These are the times when we might do something deserving of rewards, but don’t receive them because the wrong person got the honor. Short lived praise for an audience of one and not the right one.

Application: Most of my thoughts are about myself, even now so many things are happening in my life and all I do is spend my time worrying about me. God has told me over and over in the Word that I should not worry about myself, but to trust in Him. I need to put the spotlight on my Lord and when I come into times of trouble show others that I put my trust in my Lord and King. That my life reflects Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. It is all about God and not about us.

Prayer: I need to trust fully in You, my Lord and stop thinking about myself, but to do what You command me to do and obey You in everything. I want to prove my love for you with my actions and thoughts. Help me Lord I am weak and need your strength to live a life worthy of you. Take charge of your servant and guide me through the rest of this life that it may please you. I love you Lord, may my life prove that.