Today in the Word June 24-July 3
Today in the Word
Wednesday June 24, 2020
Can wisdom speed you up? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. As a Christ-follower, we are called to walk the path God has laid out for us. Proverbs 4:10-12 records Solomon’s advice:
“Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run you will not stumble.”
I have hiked some rough paths in Montana, and had to pick my way along slowly. A good path makes an incredible difference. Solomon is telling his child that accepting wisdom can change the path we take. It will be straighter. It will be smoother. In fact, this passage is saying to us that if we will accept the wisdom and advice of scripture, we can actually run our path. It will be that straight and smooth! How would you like your life path to be? Do you want to stumble your way along, or would you like to speed ahead? Accepting God’s wisdom can give your feet wings to run this race.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly. Join our Wednesday adult Bible Study at 6:30 for more of the Word.
Today in the Word
Thursday June 25, 2020
Is it enough to get advice? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Solomon advises his son in Proverbs 4:13, 20-21:
“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life…My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;”
It is not enough to get advice. Solomon is giving advice, but he calls his son to ‘hold on to instruction.’ We have to do something with what we hear. We all know the phrase, ‘In one ear and out the other.’ Good advice is not really much good unless we take it to heart. Merely hearing is passive and worthless, like the teen who mutters, ‘Yeah, uh huh,’ and does what they want anyway. God offers us his instruction in the Bible. I know it can be humbling to take instruction, but do we actually intend to act like a teen with the King of the Universe?
Good advice only helps if we hold on to it. So, take instruction to heart.
And that is the Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in the Word
Friday June 26, 2020
What kind of company do you keep? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Solomon advises in Proverbs 4:14-15, 19:
“Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way…the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”
In this path of life, Solomon is warning us to watch who we walk with. The path of the wicked strays from God’s route for us. They find themselves stumbling in the dark. But it can be easy to just drift along with the crowd. Our friends are doing something, so we will just go along. Solomon calls us to ‘go on your way.’ It is great to have friends and loved ones, but we need to stay on the straight path. When they are meandering off into deep woods, we need to part company and go on our way. Then we can stay healthy and be there for them should they stumble back to the daylight and the path. It is hard to help yourself much less others if you are lost in the dark.
Are you following the crowd or following God’s path? It is important to decide.
And that’s the Word. You can enjoy more of the Word this Sunday at 10:30 at Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Monday June 29, 2020
What is important as we walk this path of life? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Proverbs 4:23 reads:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
What does it mean to guard your heart? Psalms 143:8-10 states:
“…I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life…Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
We guard our heart when we decide who to trust with our heart. God is trustworthy. When we place the essence of who we are in his safe and loving hands, we are well-protected. We are not to be defined by what other humans think of us. We are to be defined by the One who made us and loves us the most.
If we want to walk this life-path, we need to place our heart in God’s hands. Then he will lead us successfully down the path we are to go.
And that’s The Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Tuesday June 30, 2020
What is important as we walk this path of life? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Proverbs 4:24 reads:
“Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk for from your lips.”
It is interesting to me that what we say can have a negative effect on the path we walk, but this passage is claiming that to be true. Jesus echoes this point in Matthew 12:34-36:
“…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
We may think our careless words, especially the sexual ones don’t really matter. We were just joking around. But Jesus says even empty words matter. What we say is who we are on the inside. Our mouth is the window to our heart.
So, keep your mouth, and your path of life will go better.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Wednesday July 1, 2020
What is important as we walk this path of life? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Proverbs 4:25 reads:
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
I have been known to fall down hiking because I was not watching the path ahead. Hebrews 12:1-2 states:
“…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…”
Jesus has run this path before us. If we keep our focus on his back as he leads us in the race, we can stay strong and not stumble. Knowing that anything that comes our way is something that Jesus has already demonstrated can be overcome makes a difference in our stamina. He has already weathered worse temptation, rejection, and abuse. If we keep our eye fixed on him, we will not give up in this race of life.
He will lead us all the way home.
And that’s The Word from Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Thursday July 2, 2020
What is important as we walk this path of life? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. Proverbs 4:26-27 reads:
“Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
There are times when I have been hiking that I doubt the designers of the trail. It seems to me that a shortcut across country would be the quicker way to my destination. I have always found that those shortcuts turn into ‘long-cuts.’ There is a swamp or nasty blow-down timber, or 3 hidden brutal ravines on my supposed shortcut.
In the path of life, we are to keep our feet on the trail. God has a safe way though life’s difficulties. He has given us ample advice in his Word as to the direction of the best path for us.
Keep your feet steadfast on the path. It is the best choice.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.
Today in The Word
Friday July 3, 2020
Do you like hiking out in the dark? Welcome to The Word with Pastor David. I’ve hiked out in the dark, and a Montana night in the wilderness can be dark indeed, especially if there is no moon. Proverbs 4:18-20 reads:
“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say, turn your ear to my words.”
It is so much easier to get lost in the dark. It is so much easier to trip and break an ankle in the dark. Solomon is giving godly advice to us all in Proverbs, and he is saying that the more we take God’s advice, the brighter our path will grow as the years go by.
I like the idea of more daylight and less dark on the path of life, don’t you? Then we need to follow the advice God gives in his Word- and spend less time stumbling in the dark.
And that’s The Word from Pastor David of Deer Lodge Assembly on the corner of 5th and Montana.