Life Plan Devotion #234 [Grace--take two]

Jun 15, 2010

  Hi, Everyone. Did you get in some exercise yesterday? I was able to get to my daughter's pool, in the late afternoon, to swim laps. It's so wonderful to exercise in water, because there is no strain on the body. What a blessing! Exercise has been a challenge for me, for quite some time, but help is on the way! It looks like I'm a candidate for having both knees replaced, so 2 surgeries are in my future. I'll keep you posted.
Let's pray for those having surgery today, those recovering from surgery, and those (really is all of us) who need to fully take, receive, and appropriate godly wisdom and instruction (see devotion).
Blessings,
Mary 

Life Plan Devotion #234 [Grace--take two]

Proverbs 4:13 "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (NIV). 

     Could you have avoided some painful life experiences, had you only paid attention to some wise instruction? I know I could have. Grace, the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, seen in the gift of salvation, is also seen in the gift of godly instruction. The wise believer is the one who is willing to take, receive, appropriate that instruction.
     Wisdom and instruction are found in God. A person is most blessed when he/she can say, with the psalmist, "Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds" (Psalm 71:17).
     Wisdom and instruction are found in Jesus. A person is most blessed when he/she has heeded to the words of Jesus, who said, "'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6).
     Wisdom and instruction are found in the Holy Spirit. A person is most blessed when he/she realizes that even when one is challenged to defend one's faith, he/she can say, "[I] do not worry about how [I] will defend [myself] or what [I] will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach [me] at that time what [I] should say" (Luke 12:11-12; Note: personal pronoun "you" changed to "I, myself, and me" by writer).
     Wisdom and instruction are found in the Word of God. A person is most blessed when he/she understands that "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4).
     One of my favorite current, true stories of how God's Word has impacted a person's life in a tangible way is that of Steven K. Scott. He had failed in 9 jobs, and, quite distraught, he went to his friend, Gary Smalley, to ask advice. His friend listened as Steve recounted how hard he'd worked, but how often he had failed, and how worried he was that he'd be unable to provide for his family.
     Gary listened, and when Steve was finished, he said to him, "Give me tonight to pray about it, and I promise I'll have an answer for you in the morning." The next morning, they met again, and Gary told Steve that the Lord gave him an idea. Gary asked Steve if he'd be willing to read a chapter in Proverbs every day (there are 31 chapters, so Steve was to read the chapter number corresponding to the date of every month, and 2 chapters on the last day of the months with 30 days), and Steve said he was willing. Gary said, "If you will do this, I believe that within 2 years you'll be smarter than all your bosses, and within 5 years, you'll be a multimillionaire."
     Steve started right away, and as he read, he began to put the wise instruction found in Proverbs into place in his heart, his mind, and his personal and business life. In a little over 2 years, from the time he began reading the Book of Proverbs daily, Steven K. Scott was a multimillionaire. He found keys to success, in all areas, written in God's Word, and he was wise enough to put them into practice. It made a difference, as it always does, but one must be willing to take, receive, and appropriate godly instruction.

What this has to do with weight loss: We make a mistake when we think that God has nothing to say about our body. For the believer, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so it matters how we treat it. Allow God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to guide you, through The Word and prayer, in how to treat, train, and transform your body, for His honor and glory.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, there are times I foolishly forget that I have You to turn to, for wisdom and instruction, in all areas of my life. I desire to remember that in all my 'getting,' I need to 'get wisdom' (Prov. 4:7), for I know that I need to pay attention to what You say and keep it in my heart, for Your words are life and health to my whole body (Prov. 4:20-22). May I walk in wisdom today. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Listen to the theme song for this devotional series on grace, Were It Not for Grace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-X7FoXIuu4&feature=related

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