hand – Page 2 – Praying Pint

Being Ready

“And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 39:4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

Deuteronomy 32:29 If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Luke 12:35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

John 9:4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.

Ephesians 5:16 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.

Proverbs 2:2 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. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Proverbs 8:32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

Proverbs 18:1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Jude 1:19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.

Being ready at all times is much different than thinking about being ready. Being ready and living ready is putting the Word of God into action in our lives. Thinking about being ready is just that, stuff moving through our head and no action to follow it up. God’s will must be a desired and sought after presence in our lives. This desire and seeking keep us actionable for His purpose and plans. Reread these verses and as is says in Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Food for living

“And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

“And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

“And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?”

“And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness.”

John 13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

John 14:4 And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

John 16:17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”

John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Hebrews 5:11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

Having a store house of food and starving to death doesn’t make much sense. All a person would have to do is go to the store house and eat to live. How long can the body go without food? Having the food in our possession does us no good if we do not use it for sustaining our life. We can tell ourselves that we are fine not eating but slowly we are dying. God’s word is food for our soul that gives us hope, faith, love, purpose, strength, courage, and peace. God has given us this store house of spiritual food to know Him, to grow in this understanding, and to have a light to our path this side of eternity. Read His word, meditate on it, and obey His leading for your life.

How long will you Limp

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”

“how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

John 10:24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

In the scriptures today we see those who have set their heart and mind not to believe no matter what, those who go between whatever is popular at the time, and those who believe and are fully committed. Do you wonder what keeps people grouped like this? What is it that blinds the non-believers to Christ? What is it that keeps the wafflers from committing to fully? What is it that keeps the believers committed? Are the non-believers that way because of pride and condition of a hardened heart/closed mind? Are the wafflers that way because they want to have what seems like the best of both worlds or are they afraid of what others might think? Are the believers that way because God opened their heart and mind and drew them to Himself? Hardened hearts and minds, waffling are always possible even to those who believe. If we are complacent and neglect His word and lose desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey we can harden and we can waffle. Paul said we should guard ourselves. We need to take every thought captive. We cannot prevent the first thought that comes to mind but we can certainly get a proper thought put into place. Paul said to put on the full amour of God. There is so much more to being a follower than salvation. It would seem like this – we want a warm bed to sleep in but want nothing to do with the household or maintaining the house. Our walk to to be so much more than believing and salvation. We are to reflect the light of Christ, proclaim the good news, be able to give reason for why we believe, able to encourage, able to disciple, able to correct, and have a daily walk that is filled with joy, peace, hope, kindness, gentleness, and love. Spend time in His word and grow in knowledge and understanding of Him. Hear His whispers of guidance and humbly obey Him.

Light shinning in the Darkness

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.”

Isaiah 42:6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Luke 1:78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

Job 33:28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.’

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

How does the Light of the world shine into an individuals life? The word of God is this light. So how does this light shine in darkness? Scripture says Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. These are the places of darkness, full of sinful intent. The light we are seeking and if we are seeking comes from the word of God. His word does not return to Him void, it will accomplish His purpose. Think about being in darkness and having a flashlight but choosing not to turn on the light. If you are lost and trying to find your way in the darkness does this make any sense? Not being able to see the obstacles and pitfalls in front of us leaves us in danger. This is not a very good way to walk through life. Yet we choose to neglect the light and walk the paths of this world in darkness. Open up God’s word and read light into your life. Share the light with others. Give God honor, glory and praise with a thankful heart for this light.

Who is more Blessed?

“Blessed is the one who considers the poor!”

“It is more blessed to give than to receive”

Psalms 41:1 In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

Deuteronomy 15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Luke 14:13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

Learn to Give out of a generous heart. Learn to Help out of a generous heart. Giving is an act of obedient responsibility but to many it is missing from their lives. There is blessing given deep into the heart of a generous giver. This blessing comes from God and it is knowing He has given to you and allowed you to be used by Him to share. He honors a generous heart with Joy in giving that can not be easily explained but it is very real in the lives of those who learn to listen to God and give generously and with purpose.

You Shall Speak

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.“

Psalms 40:10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

Ezekiel 2:7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.

Acts 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Isaiah 49:6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Luke 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

When was the last time you spoke of the gift of salvation to someone? Are we not going to be held accountable for what we do with this gift from God? I wonder who’s blood will be on my hand because I did not speak of God’s grace and mercy or speak of His warnings. What kind of person would find an everlasting well of water in the desert and then not share it with those who were perishing from lack of water. God’s grace, mercy, and love are to be shared, lived, believed, and unwaveringly held on to. Choose to make a difference in the life of another person today – let them know God loves them so much He sent His Son to redeem them.

Earnest Counsel

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

Psalms 37:30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Proverbs 10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.

Proverbs 27:9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Matthew 12:35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.

Deuteronomy 11:18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Isaiah 51:7 “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their rivilings.

God has written His laws/commands into our minds and on our hearts. There are four reasons for this. 1. So that we will know Him. 2. So that we can teach them to our children. 3. So they can be used as encouragement / counsel to others. 4. So that we will know how to serve, honor and obey Him. He has also given us His Holy word filled with many promises and warnings. We would do well to spend time in His word being able to use it for building our faith and encouraging /counseling others.

Consider your ways!

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.”

“Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure”.

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”

“My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

“but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

Psalms 17:5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Psalms 85:13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Psalms 119:133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Psalms 121:3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalms 121:8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise

I have been thinking about resting in God. Relying on Him. Waiting on Him. Trusting in Him. I wonder what this looks like lived out. Does resting mean we are not constantly searching to know and understand Him more? I think we have a tendency to become complacent and we stop at “resting”. Notice scripture today in pondering our path and God’s leading. Can we know this if we are complacently resting? Our purpose in this life is to humbly serve, honor, glorify, and obey God. To do this we need to continually spend time in His word with a heart deep desire. Spend time in His word.