January 27 – Life and Health

“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”  - Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT)

We find promises from God throughout the Bible and often they follow instructions on how we should live.  Today's verses are like that.  God offers through King Solomon’s words of wisdom a promise of life and of healing to our whole body.  Solomon first calls us to “listen up” to what he has to say.  It is so easy in our world of distractions to lose focus and miss out on the good words we have in the Bible.  And not only listen by hearing but listen carefully by comprehending. Two more instructions are given by Solomon to us today.  Do not lose sight of the words given to us from God.  Don't let them fade into obscurity and be forgotten. Think on what we hear and let them go deep into our heart and mind.  This is meditation but even more this is putting into practice and committing it to habitual and meaningful behavior.  The promises?  God’s word is the source of life to all who find them, listen to them, and obey them.  They bring healing for whatever we need. The ‘whole body’ is both our physical and our mental and our spiritual. What words do we have today that we can let penetrate deep into our hearts?  

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December 6 – Lovingkindness Abounds

“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”  -  Psalm 42:7-8   (ESV)

And though it seems like we are being overwhelmed, the waves of grief and sorrow, and trouble just keep coming and overflow us. But so does the love of God as we have this promise from Him.  The Lord promises to provide His steadfast love in the daytime and in the night He gives us His song to be with with us.  Our response will be to sing that song God gives to us as it becomes our prayer to Him.  Our lives are full  of challenges which tempt us to give up our hope and in despair sink under the tidal wave of circumstances facing us.  Whatever they are God is greater than that for God is always with us and His lovingkindness and mercy abounds for us.  May God, in his perfection give us the hope and grace we need to trust in Him no matter what is happening in our lives.  Let us today hope in God and we shall yet praise Him.  

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