Daily Meditation

Scripture Readings Proverbs 4:18Genesis 29–30Matthew 15Psalms 15 Verse Focus (Proverbs 4:18) The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,     shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Meditation When I was in college, the pastor of my church was also a musician. He wrote a “Scripture Song” for Proverbs 4:18 and to this day I cannot read this verse without hearing that tune in my head. I even sang it this morning (although my voice cracked a bit). 🙂 I don’t think this was a proverb I ever paid much attention to until I heard it…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 4:13Genesis 27–28Matthew 14Psalms 14 Verse Focus (Proverbs 4:13) Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;     guard it well, for it is your life. Meditation You’ve heard the saying, “The moment you stop learning, you die.” There are any number of variations on this quote, ranging from Albert Einstein (“Once you stop learning, you start dying”) to Michael Scott ( “The day we stop learning is the day we die”) to Tom Clancy (“Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die.”) to Tetsuyama-san (“The day you stop learning is the day you stop living”). I’m…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 4:7Genesis 25–26Matthew 13Psalms 13 Verse Focus (Proverbs 4:7) The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.     Though it cost all you have, get understanding.Alternately translated as: Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.     Whatever else you get, get understanding. Meditation I love the NIV’s translation of today’s verse focus: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.” It’s like, duh! To receive wisdom, you must pursue it. So obvious, and yet we must be told. So, make a point of searching for wisdom. It’s more than worth it. Scripture says: “Though it cost all you have” or “whatever else you…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 4:6Genesis 23–24Matthew 12Psalms 12 Verse Focus (Proverbs 4:6) Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;     love her, and she will watch over you. Meditation Welcome! Happy Tuesday. 🙂 (It may not be Tuesday if this is no longer 2021, or if you didn’t start this plan on January 1st… but rejoice in the day whatever day it is for you.) Proverbs 4:6 talks about how wisdom will protect and guard us. In the book of Proverbs (which we won’t read as a whole until almost half-way through the year), there are a couple of chapters where…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:35Genesis 21–22Matthew 11Psalms 11 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:35) The wise inherit honor,     but fools get only shame. Meditation Hello! Can you believe we’re a third of the way through our first month together? Already the year seems to be flying by…. So, our verse focus today talks about yet another facet of wisdom: those who are wise are respected and honored, while fools are humiliated and disgraced. This is actually a very strong motive for our sin-centered natures to seek wisdom since we tend to care an awful lot about what other people think! Certainly no one wants…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:27Genesis 19–20Matthew 10Psalms 10 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:27) Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,     when it is in your power to act. Meditation Good morning (or good afternoon) to you all! Today’s verse focus is from Proverbs 3:27. We are told not to “withhold good” from those to whom it is due, especially when we have the power to act for good. The very next verse in Proverbs gives us an example, saying that we shouldn’t tell a neighbor to come back tomorrow when we have the item with us then. To some…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:25–26Genesis 17–18Matthew 9Psalms 9 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:25–26) 25Have no fear of sudden disaster     or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,26for the LORD will be at your side     and will keep your foot from being snared. Meditation Good morning and welcome! Today our verse focus, Proverbs 3:25-26, gives a wonderful promise of peace and protection. Do not fear sudden disaster. Don’t fear ruin. God will be with you — right next to you, in fact! — and He will keep your “foot from being snared.” Just hearing these words gives me peace and strengthens the trust I have…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:13–14Genesis 15–16Matthew 8Psalms 8 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:13–14) 13Blessed are those who find wisdom,     those who gain understanding,14for she is more profitable than silver     and yields better returns than gold. Meditation We should not be surprised to find that our verse focus today, Proverbs 3:13-14, extols the value of wisdom. This is, after all, essentially what the entire book of Proverbs is about! But think about the claim in these verses for a moment: wisdom is “more profitable” than silver and a better investment than gold. Wow! Wealth is one of the highest values in our human society. Money,…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:9–10Genesis 13–14Matthew 7Psalms 7 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:9–10) 9Honor the LORD with your wealth,     with the firstfruits of all your crops;10then your barns will be filled to overflowing,     and your vats will brim over with new wine. Meditation Our verse focus today, Proverbs 3:9–10, talks about the importance of honoring God with your money and introduces a principle that if you give to God, God will give back to you by blessing your harvests. I said “money,” but wealth is more accurate. And wealth is not just financial. Do you have skills and abilities that God has given you?…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 3:7–8Genesis 11–12Matthew 6Psalms 6 Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:7–8) 7Do not be wise in your own eyes;     fear the LORD and shun evil.8This will bring health to your body     and nourishment to your bones. Meditation Happy Epiphany (assuming this is January 6th for you). Today is the day the church celebrates the arrival of the wise men before the baby Jesus. May the Holy Spirit bring you epiphanies today as you study the Word! Proverbs 3:7-8 is like much of the wisdom in the Bible when it tells us to “fear the LORD and shun evil.” This commandment is repeated…

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