Jesus

Wisdom Seeker: Day 8

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

Proverbs 8

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Proverbs 8:10-11

Reading about the virtues of wisdom today reminded me that there is only one Source for true wisdom, and only one way to acquire it. Ask.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:5

Asking is simple, right? Why, then, is there so little wisdom in the world today?

As far as I can tell, its because so few of us actually do ask for wisdom. Or if we ask for it, we ask without faith. Worse yet, so many of us embrace what seems to be wisdom in our minds – a wisdom that makes us look and feel pretty dang good.

This is the secular wisdom that tells us to follow our hearts and to look out for Numero Uno. This is a worldly wisdom lacking in such messy and uncomfortable situations as conviction and repentance.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

James 3:14-15

But unfortunately, this “wisdom” leads us no where but in circles, forever chasing the wind. Eventually, that sense of feeling pretty dang good will end up vacating and leaving a hollow space behind, and we will wonder what happened…

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 14:12

Oddly enough, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen is also the best and only source of actual wisdom. Wisdom that reaps eternal profits, not temporary conveniences. Wisdom that leads to life and joy and peace even in the tumult and upheaval of life in a sin-sick world.

Wisdom that is useful and genuine.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”

1 Corinthians 3:18-19

Father, forgive us for looking to anywhere but You for wisdom. Please, give us the wisdom we need to navigate this world in a way that honors You and prepares us for eternity in Your presence. As we ask, we ask in faith, without doubting that You have the wisdom we seek and that You will give it in due time and measure, amen.

Wisdom Seeker: Day 5

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

Proverbs 5

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Proverbs 5:21-23

At a glance, it may seem this chapter has little for the ladies. After all, it’s a chapter primarily warning men to steer clear of loose women, right?

Well, yes. But in a sense, it could apply as a double warning to us ladies. Not only are women just as prone to daydreaming about greener pastures, we could also heed the warning not to be the little floozy the chapter warns against.

Ultimately, however, for both men and women, the root of the matter is in faithfulness and contentment. The question isn’t so much, “Is my husband or wife enough for me?” as it is, “Is God Himself enough for me no matter how I may feel about my husband/wife (or lack thereof)?”

In the end, marriage is really a sort of concrete, physical allegory for remaining faithful to God. Keeping our eyes within the pasture of His will and not looking at the artificial turf the enemy has spread out to make us think that what the world has to offer is sweeter and more fulfilling than the eternal riches of Christ.

But beneath that lush fake grass is a whole lot of rocky reality and plain old mud.

Don’t be led astray, friends. Not by a gorgeous and flirtatious co-worker, not by a smooth-talking hunk, and certainly not by the lie that Eternity is a foolish focus when there’s so much pleasure right at our fingertips for the taking.

Eternal joy is a far better prize than a quick fix. And oddly enough, learning to be content with the husband or wife you have – or with your singleness if you don’t; well, believe it or not, that contentment is a far more lasting pleasure than the temporary release of caving to temptation.

Infidelity eventually wreaks havoc on the lives of everyone involved, and even innocents are caught in the crossfire. But faithfulness and contentment? Turns out they are better for your mental health in the long run.

And no one gets hurt. Huh. I guess the Creator knows what’s best for His creatures when He commands it. Go figure.

Lord, please forgive our wandering eyes and thoughts, whether we allow ourselves to daydream about “what ifs” in our human relationships or whether we commit adultery against You with the world. Forgive us, and help us to repent, embracing the faithfulness to You that brings true and lasting joy, amen.

Wisdom Seeker: Day 2

~ Heather Davis ~ 2 Comments

Proverbs 2

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5

I just love the consonance between the first and second chapters of Proverbs.

Yesterday we saw that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Today we work backwards, starting with receiving the words of Wisdom personified and tracing them back towards the origin – which is, of course, understanding the fear of the Lord.

We’ve come full circle. He is the originator of wisdom whether we start with the Source and work outward, or we start from outside and follow the threads back to their beginning.

Either way, El Adoni – God my Lord – is the Beginning and the End. All true wisdom flows from Him and leads back to Him.

I love the reminder, too, to seek the knowledge of God out as if it were treasure. Why? Well because it IS treasure. He is our treasure. Seeking His wisdom means seeking Him, and that is the greatest Treasure any seeker could ever find.

So will you join me in seeking out some practical wisdom for today through the ancient words of a Jewish king held to have been the wisest man in his day?

What part of this chapter stands out to you?

Wisdom Seeker: Day 1

~ Heather Davis ~ 13 Comments

After a month of bloggy silence, I’m back in action. My plan? To blog through the Proverbs. One brief post a day for the next 31 days. Not a bad way to start the school year, huh? Well, we shall see. Migraine still steals far too many days from me, but I’m giving it a go!

But before I get into today’s meditation, I want to mark this day as an odd one for me. As is my habit for the last 13 years, today – August 1 – is my new year.

But for the first time in that 13 year period, I’m not actually homeschooling anyone. My youngest is entering her 3rd year of private school, and my part-time blonde daughter graduated in May. So it’s a new year in several ways.

Enough about me: on to the Word!

Proverbs 1

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance… The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:5, 7

So let’s begin with the fear of the Lord. What a perfect way to begin a year – or a month, or a day, or even a new moment! That proper fear of the One who made you and who could unmake you, if He chose – that is the beginning of knowledge.

As I read through this first chapter today, I can’t help but note the heavy implication that underlying the pursuit of wisdom is the inclination to be teachable.

Trust a former homeschool mom in this: if a person already believes they know it all, there’s little you can do for them. Any engaged parent can tell you the same. Perhaps for this reason, the last portion of the chapter – verses 20-33 – really grabbed me this morning.

Note the frequency of some form of the word reproof. If we are very honest, not many of us enjoy being reproved. It stings the old pride, doesn’t it? However, by not accepting the reproof of God, we are only managing to be mulish fools, stubbornly set on our own way.

Note the similarity between the words of two of my favorite authors:

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it.”

C. S. Lewis

Certainly, Solomon says as much, though in different words:

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Proverbs 1:29-31

If we reject the fear of God and the wisdom and knowledge that comes of surrendering to Him as the only One who really does know what He is doing, then all that is left is for us to have our own way.

And if I’ve learned nothing else in my 45 trips around the sun, I’ve learned that my own way is all too often misinformed by my tricky emotions or selfish inclinations. To be honest, I’ve had my fill of my own way, and I’d rather not, thanks. I’ll take the Way of the Lord instead.

Before I go, I need to note that some may point out the last verse of Proverbs 1 as contradictory to the truth:

“…but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Proverbs 1:33

I’ve heard the argument. What about those who are martyred for the cause of Christ? Or what about Christians who are poor, who are sick and don’t get well, who suffer horribly through their lives?

A slick person could even point to my chronic migraine as a situation which gives lie to that promise. So what gives?

Perspective.

For those of you who haven’t yet tasted and seen that my Lord is good, I can only offer you my perspective. You see, the promises of security and safety are not necessarily applied to the 80-odd years spent on this ball of rock in a constantly aging body of animated meat.

The promise for those who trust in the Lord – in the sufficiency of the sacrifice of His Son, Yeshua and in the new life offered through His death and resurrection- that promise is not just for a handful of decades.

It’s forever. For eternity. Time so long that the worst of your troubles today will only be recalled as a dim and distant memory before you’re even a fraction of the way in.

It’s eternity with Him, and His presence is what makes it good. Because He is good. And this girl? Well, I love this creation and all my people, but I honestly can’t wait to begin my real life after this bag of bones has returned to dust…

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

Tuesday Prayer: Conquered

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:31, 37

Lord of Hosts, Your might is greater than anything in the heavens above or on earth beneath. You are truly Almighty – powerful beyond measure, capable of all things, able to overcome. There is no person or situation too far for Your reach or too broken for You to use. Praise be to You, our Conqueror and King!

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

Thank You, Lord, that by Your grace, we share in the victory won by Your Son on the cross! In Him, bought by His blood, we are more than conquerors, no longer held captive by sin nor defeated by any evil from without or temptation within.

Our enemy, however, would like us to believe otherwise. He calls our attention to the broken chains lying at our feet, reminding us of how they bit into our flesh when we were in bondage to sin. He exploits those tender spots and whispers to us that we will never be free.

…He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44b

But he is a liar; the accuser of both God and man and the father of lies.

When that old snake sends cold coils of dread around our hearts, tempting us to despair of escaping some besetting sin or to doubt Your goodness, Lord, remind us of our victory in Jesus. Remind us of Your favor, of the Throne of Grace where we may find help, and of Your armor by which we can stand firm and resist the devil’s schemes.

Then, Lord, strengthen our faith. Help us to stand when we feel weakened and frail. Give us the heart to continue in battle, not growing weary but believing that You are able to keep us in the right way. Remind us to be diligent in Your Word, steadfast in prayer, humble in heart, and walking in trusting obedience to You in all things.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Ephesians 6:10-11

And when our circumstances seem dismal or we are in fear for the souls of some lost loved one, remind us that You truly do work all things for the good of those who love you. May our obedience, joy, and trust be a light that guides others to share in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Tuesday Prayer: Forsaking Sin

~ Heather Davis ~ 8 Comments

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. 

Proverbs 28:13-14

Gracious Savior, we are so very thankful that You are patient and merciful; slow to anger, always just, and perfect in keeping Your covenant loyalty to Your people. Thank You for making us Yours! We are honored to be considered Your children and grateful beyond measure at Your forgiveness.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Psalms 86:14

Lord, today we freely confess that we do try to hide our sin – either attempting foolishly to hide it from Your eyes by justifying it away or trying to hide it from others in numerous ways.

Sometimes we tell anecdotes in a way that paints our part in the best possible light. Other times, we merely conceal selfish motives or other sinful ways. We even try to hide our sins from ourselves, preferring justification to confession.

Please forgive us of such nonsense. Beginning today, let Your Spirit so work in our heart that we are unable to deny our sin when He exposes it. Drive us to live openly, freely confessing sin each time so that our habit becomes confession rather than hiding or excuse-making.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

Then, Lord, compel us to forsake our sin utterly. Make our transgressions abhorrent to us so that we rush to shun them. Train our hearts in appropriate fear of You; that we would each look to You as the measure of our behavior and desires rather than to mankind or culture.

May our hearts be aligned with Your will for us and our desires be in harmony with Your desire, Lord. Change our habits so that we can truly be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation who in every way gladly, freely, and honestly proclaim the excellency of the One who has brought us into the Light of Truth, amen. 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9


Tuesday Prayer: Abba

~ Heather Davis ~ 4 Comments

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

Ephesians 5:1-2

Abba, with all sincerity of heart we declare today that You are our hero. No fictional superhero, no movie or social media personality, and no athlete of any caliber can ever come close to matching Your splendor and perfection.

Indeed, the brightest star among us would show up as a dark blotch against Your pure radiance and glory. Just imagining it, Lord, I want to fall to my knees in worship! You are so, so good! Thank You that in all Your omnipotence, You deign to let us call you “Abba.” Thank You for loving us even when we were poor, blind, and wretched in our sins.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15

And You do truly love us, God – let that just resonate in our minds for a moment. Let us simply try to comprehend that the Most High, the Almighty loves us. We can only touch the surface of it and already we are swallowed in awe.

Oh Abba, help us to get our minds around this to the extent that a mortal, created thing can comprehend the infinite wonder of Your love. Pierce us with the beauty of it so that every earthly hero we’ve ever held dear pales and withers in our imaginations. Align our hearts with Your perfect purpose so that our honest and heartfelt desire is to imitate You – our Lord, our King, our loving Creator. 

Then as our tender Father, hold our hands as we wobble and teeter in our efforts to walk in Your footsteps. Strengthen our weak knees and guide us into greater accuracy as we grow in Christ. Help us to put aside childish things and learn to truly walk as You walk, emulating You in our words, our deeds, our thoughts, and our desires.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

1 Corinthians 13:11

In short, help us, Lord, to grow up to be men and women of the Book; a people who are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and hold fast to Your unerring and eternal Truth.

It is for freedom that our Lord Yeshua Messiah has set us free; let us move in this dark world as freed children of the Light, no longer submitting ourselves to sin’s slavery. May this be done in us so that Your name is honored, amen.

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness … But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

1 Thessalonians 5:5, 8

Tuesday Prayer: Save

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

Revelation 22:12-14


Mighty Savior, it is by Your grace alone that any of us can be saved. And yet, so great is Your grace and so all-encompassing is Your power that even the most vile sins, the most detestable acts, and the most horrendous rebellion can be washed clean by the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We praise Your name that Your power extends far beyond even the deepest roots of sin in our lives and hearts!

And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10:26-27

This week, Lord, we ask for You to give us compassion for those who have not submitted their lives to Your Lordship. Please also give us a powerful desire to share about the redemption purchased for all mankind by the sacrifice of Your only and unique Son as well as praying earnestly that those who are lost may be found and saved.

In the present age, the concept of sin has been watered down into something meaningless, bland, and perhaps even quaint. As a people, we’ve lost sight of the heinousness of sin and of the certainty of destruction for the unregenerate.

Forgive us, Lord, for if we truly understood the wrath to come for those who are not in Christ, how much more desperately would we pray for them and share the truth with them? If we truly understood the gravity of sin, how much less would we be lulled into complacency by it? Give us this desperation and this understanding. Please realign our priorities so that we are not only speaking Your truth, we are living for it and in it.

Let us be honest about what You have saved us from and honest about where You are still at work in us. Where we struggle, let us be equally bold in confessing our sin and asking others to pray with us, that we may be released from it. Teach us what it means for us to be a people set apart for Your glory, and show us how to live for You in any and all circumstances.

And Lord, please save our lost friends and loved ones. Open their eyes to the truth, open their hearts to Your word, and work in them the redemption and the spiritual healing You continually work in us. Continue the work of sanctification in our hearts, too, and on each day, draw us nearer to Yourself and further from the grasp of this world system, amen. 

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:21-22

Something to Think About…

~ Heather Davis ~ 23 Comments

If today you are unsaved and you have sometimes stumbled over the inconsistency of Christians, let me say that the Word of God takes it for granted that Christians need constant admonishing, but you are invited to come just as you are to Christ, trust Him as your Savior, receive the divine life by faith, and then live as a Christian should and show the rest of us what a real Christian ought to be.

-H. A. Ironside, from In the Heavenlies

Tuesday Prayer: Wisdom

~ Heather Davis ~ 6 Comments

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

All-knowing God, You are the Source of true wisdom, for it is by Your knowledge and power that all things were created. As the Beginning and the End, You encompass the fullness of reality – in fact, reality is Yours to define.

When we begin to think of You in this way – Your eternal magnificence, Your unfathomable power, and Your absolute sovereignty – we are overcome by worship. You truly are the great and mighty God who knows all and who works all things according to Your perfect plan. May Your name be forever praised!

Teach us to look to You and You alone for the wisdom we need to navigate this world and make the best use of our time. We confess our weakness before You; our tendency to get caught up in the “wisdom” of this world which is foolishness compared to Your eternal perspective. We take our eyes off of Jesus and we forget to keep our minds fixed on the things above rather than the things on earth.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:1-2

But Lord, remember that we are dust and that the events of this world seem so long and so very real to us as they happen. Have mercy and strengthen Your servants. Teach our hearts to see all of life through the lens of eternity and to redeem the time we are allotted, not using the minutes and hours for self-gratification but to bring honor and glory to You. 

You have given us the Living Word to keep our hearts in check, but again we must confess: Too often we neglect it, or we rush through it as a check-list item on our agendas rather than savoring the Word and ruminating on it throughout the day.

Lord, today we humbly ask that You will firmly plant in us a strong and growing desire for Your Word. Teach us to long for it, to meditate on it, and to cherish it. May it be that our first response to crisis or a need for guidance is to open the Book and search its pages for wisdom from You. May our hearts surrender to the truth we read there, holding nothing back.

Our God, make us a people of the Word, holy and pure before You and useful to You in this world. From this day forward, may it be that never a day passes but that we seek Your face in the pages of Your Word and in prayer, humbly bowing ourselves before the Throne of Grace.

And when we receive our marching orders, make us to set out with confidence, knowing that whatever may happen to our bodies in this world, we share in the victory already won by Jesus Christ our Lord. To Him be the praise and the glory in all things, amen. 

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58