Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.   The Best Time To Plant A Tree R Aylor I can hear Solomon saying something like this: My sons, be very intentional about this matter! Begin pursuing wisdom and insight this very second. Don’t wait till you're out of high school or you finish college or don't wait till you get married. Don't say we’re going to wait till you have children. Don’t wait till you work your fingers to the bone and get rich… Look… The truth is that once you put off seeking the things of the Lord you may spend 40 years in the wilderness and might not come to your senses until you’re an old man on your death bed and you realize your life has been a self centered worthless mess. Or worse yet you might miss the promised land all together.   You know my son, life is crazy and the world is persuasive; so remember my words and don’t ever forget. At a least suspecting moment sa

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Hold Fast And Live R Aylor Here we can see rare insight into Solomon’s own childhood. Of course Solomon’s father was King David, the man after Gods own heart who lived his life in circles of true repentance. David said some of the same things to Solomon that Solomon says to his own sons. These verses go along with the first two in Proverbs 4. As children of God we are called to speak Gods truths to our own families and to those in our world. Not long ago my sisters and I had lunch with a very good friend from childhood. It was a great time of catching up. As she told us about her children, something troubling emerged. She said that as a parent she had made a decision to be intentional with her children. She made a point not to tell them what to believe a

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 4:1-2 Hear, O sons, a father's instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, 2 for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. How God Raises Children R Aylor And so Solomon encourages his sons to listen to his words in order to gain a deeper comprehension and understanding of what is good and true. His words were to be used for guidance in their thought life and behavior… that they may learn how to deal with every situation they encounter in life.   I’m glad our Father in heaven loves us enough to work hard to get our attention. We know this because we hear his reproofs, instructions and encouragement… we feel his disciplines and through it all we know he wants what is truly best for us. Oftentimes we too remind and exhort our own children… we do it not out of our own selfish annoyances but for their sake because we love them. It’s pretty much a continual thing while they are growing up in our house; if we didn’

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 12:11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. Intentionally Fervent / Brad Chase As I read this passage, I tend to believe this is one of those multi purpose passages. Takin at face value, this seems to be a call to the sluggards. The lazy. Kinda like those around us who expect their stuff to be paid for but don’t want to work for it. The author is saying here, “ work or go hungry “. That’s the old school oilfield mentality. If you don’t work, you don’t eat. You can chose to take a day off here or there or take a vacation, but you do that on your own dime. This passage could also work into our marriages. Think about when you met your spouse. You tried hard to win their attention. You worked to impress them. You worked to get to know them so you could please them. Now, the marriage is no different. Just because you said “ I do” does not mean that you get to retire. Your marria

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 11:31 If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! What's Really Amazing Is... By Daniel Castor Do you like to watch movies? I am certainly no movie buff but I do enjoy watching a great story unfold. All great stories have hero’s and villains. And every good director knows that the good guy is always suppose to win. The good guy may struggle, he may have hardships, he may get knocked down and have to fight his way through all sorts of obstacles but in the end things always get better. But this is not so for the villain. By far my favorite part of any good movie is when the bad guy gets what’s coming to him. He finally gets caught. His times finally up. At last his plans are made know. Or better yet, the good guy catches up with him and beats the living tar out of him before he is thrown in the slammer. Well God is the best story teller of all and many times we see similar things happen in his story. We see blessings for the righteo

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, 12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. 
Thank You For Reproof R Aylor If you’re like me you have failed many times in life because of sin. For me, time and time again God has initiated his plan to humble me in his own way and timing. (sometimes allowing me to wallow in my own grossness until I am sick of it) But the thing is… I am God’s child. He sought me out and he who began a good work in me will bring it to completion. At times in life that can mean he will use difficult discipline. You can see God’s steadfast love in Psalm 40. Notice the sorrows that come to the psalmist because of his iniquities but because he is the Lords, God does not abandon him but all his distress works for his good. Psalm 40:11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. 
All Promises Fufilled R Aylor In today’s text we find a promise similar to the one given in Malachi 3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
 Many times we give God the leftovers of our days. Maybe it’s because we don’t really believe what God’s word says. I mean, after all, there are a lot of poor Christians… Are they all not giving God their first fruits? Well it may be true that we do not give to the Lord as we ought but I want us to take a look at something Pauls says. In 2nd Corinthians 8 and 9 he has been speaking about the ways God fills our barns and v

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 
Healing And Refreshment RAylor In chapter 2 of Proverbs we learned that if a person searches for wisdom like hidden treasures he will find it… Proverbs 2 verse 10 says: for wisdom will come into your heart… But in today’s text it says that we’re not to be wise… at least not in our own eyes. These almost seem to contradict or oppose one another. But when attached to the phrase “not in your own eyes” we can see how any wisdom we have has been imputed to us… and it comes not from our own heart or our our own eyes but like Proverbs 2:6 says: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”. It is the self righteous man that thinks of himself as self-wise. But our text says rather than being that man… That is, the man who in his self centered wisdom is not deterred by the fear of the Lord… but instead

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Golden Horned Evil Jackalopes RAylor This verse is often quoted along with the verse that proceeds it. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. What is it that you acknowledge… the thing you take with you wherever you go in all you do? If someones life is focused on greed, It will take them off the straight path to God. If they punch selfishness into their new automatic GPS guided steering wheel it will immediately cause you to make a sharp turn… hope your seat belt is on. In like manner, if my focus is on how I look to others, or if I am acknowledging wrong things to guide any area of my life I will stray off the straight path in Gods will.

If I zig and zag from his path all throughout my life, I will likely look back and realize I have wasted almost all of it chasin

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Lean Not RAylor What a great, simple, yet most difficult verse to apply in our life. When we first come to Christ we trust him above all our unanswered questions. (for there are always more questions that could cause us to wait no matter how many he has already answered.) We release our feeble grasp of control on life and submit to the guidance of his hands. And yet even now, even years after first looking to him, our understanding still cries out "Why this way Lord?" but again and again we submit and learn to trust, acquiring more joy and rest in his word. Jesus is the only source for this peace; not only in our salvation's conception but for continual sustaining of this life in his Spirit.   Every day we live out the same Gospel that we first believed. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his j

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 3:4 So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. It's About Relationship R Aylor Solomon has been writing to his Son about remembering his words and keeping them from the heart… how they are important things for living life and being successful to reach your Creators purpose for not only Solomon's son but you and I. Life revolves around relationships. Humans can only have meaningful relationships with other humans and with our Creator, in whose image we were made. That's how God made us. Do you remember our last devotion and how Jesus spoke about the two greatest commandments? As we read it again notice that its all about relationships. 
Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On

Proverbs 3:3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Faithful & Steadfast We Bind And Write
 RA Solomon has been writing to his Sons about remembering his words and obeying them from the heart… and even how doing so will be for their own good… Now he gives them some practical ways of thinking about keeping this kind of a commitment. If you have ever started a diet or maybe an exercise program, you know it's a lot easier to plan than to follow through on. Reading a book can be difficult for some, much less writing a book, or writing a song, beginning a bible reading plan, learning a foreign language, becoming efficient on a musical instrument or getting a college degree. Etc and etc…   Few are faithful and steadfast to follow through on things that are both important and yet difficult. Those who do, tape pictures on their refrigerators, stick post it notes on the dashboards of their cars, set related information as lock screen

Proverbs in 365 devotions braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 3:2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. To Honor Your Parents In verse one Solomon sets this verse up telling his son not to forget what he has taught him. Now verse two reminds his son’s of the the fifth commandment from those God gave Moses at Mount Sini, and is the first given with a promise. Being repeated by Solomon and then by Paul in Ephesians doesn’t make it more true; but may emphasize the great importance of its application in our lives.

Ephesians 6:1 begins: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Your parents may or may not have been godly. No parents are perfect for certain. They may have used you… They may have abused you… They may have taught you lies; they may have set a poor example for you in life… They may have abandoned you. But

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 
Remembering Loving And Acting R Aylor I like to joke sometimes and say I have a great memory but its very short. Honestly though, I seem to forget a lot of things in life; like why I walked into a room or what I went to the grocery store for and what my Instagram password is. 
Still yet, the things that are most important to me it seems I can hardly forget. I remember my best friends in life, the foods I’m allergic to, I remember to eat every day and sleep every night… I even remember many instructions for life my parents taught me growing up. That’s what Solomon wanted his son’s to remember. Solomon was the wisest man on earth… and he had some gems to give his sons. Many are written down in these 31 proverbs. It just so happens that his words are also inspired by God himself so they are Gods words to all of us and not only Solomons sons. We should remember Gods words to us… The second p

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 2:7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Our Shield / RA How might the Lord store up sound wisdom for the upright? Well, sound wisdom is protection for the godly person, right? Sound wisdom defends us against the attacks of satan and the temptations of sin because it shows us God is worthy to be trusted no matter what may come. Our text says how the Lord is a shield to those who walk in righteousness. Instead of “shield”, the King James version uses the translation “Buckler” which was a smaller round shield held by a handle or worn on the forearm. It was light weight and could be moved into position quickly. Today one may wear something similar on a belt which we call a buckle. That’s just an interesting side note, however in his wisdom, God does store up an arsenal of godly weapons for those who in faith bow in honesty before him. So far Proverbs 2 has been talking about how wisdom comes from the Lord and how from

Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; God's Word & Creation So far we have seen Wisdom referred to allegorically as a woman… Now we are finding a bit more about her origin. Solomon tells us that the Lord is the one who gives wisdom. Ok, let’s take a look at this phrase: “from his mouth”. “from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” Remember in Genesis 1 how God in all his wisdom, knowledge and understanding spoke. Genesis 1:3: And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And Psalms 33:9 says: For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The universe was created by his word. Hebrews 11:3 says: By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. So we’ve looked at how God in all his wisdom, understanding and knowledge is the one who gives these very things to man… they come from his mouth… and then we looked at how God’s wisdom an

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. /RA It’s interesting to me how God designed our knowledge and understanding of him to be in relation to our following what we know of him. We don't understand everything first and then decide whether to follow Christ. Romans chapter 1 shows us that God has already shown all of mankind a clear path pointing toward him as the one to seek after. As every good compass points north, all God's creation points to him. His prophets; his laws, the stories played out in the lives of people in the Bible like Abraham and Daniel and Joseph and so many more... Every bit of his word points us to Jesus. His Holy Spirit agrees and also points us to Jesus. If we truly have a heart to seek him and his will... to follow after the truth he has given us... he will guide us to distinguish between truth and error that we may know and walk close to him. In John 7:17 Jesus said: If anyone's will is to do God's will,

Never My Love On Ukulele (Uke) Key OF C RA by Podcast startup by Robin Aylor

Proverbs 2:2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, Remember in chapter one of Proverbs that Wisdom is already calling out in the street, in the markets… even at the entrance of the city gates.  And so among all the many crazy noises of the world, Solomon wants his son to tune his ear to hear Wisdom because wherever he goes she will be calling out and Solomon wants him to listen to her.    Like the little girl who got separated from her family in the Mall. There were people all around her… All sizes of people… tall, wide and even short but she was among the smallest and she couldn’t see around everyone. Also there were all kinds of noises. So many people were talking and she couldn’t hardly make out any of it because it was all mambo jumbo mixed up.Every once in a while she thought she heard someone calling out her name… Ev

Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, Fathers Be Intentional RA Wow! What a great model this verse is for us in every time period and culture on earth! As a father, Solomon is encouraging his son with a one-on-one man-up time. God shows us throughout scripture how the man should step up and lead his family in godliness. Ephesians 6:4 says: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. When we have gotten into a routine and established standards with which our family now views us, it can be hard to break out of the mold. If husbands and wives do not pray together; if there is no intentional family prayer or Bible time; if there is not Spiritual discussion… then at least practically there is little that classifies us a Christian family. I’m not saying this family does not know Christ and that positionally they are 100% his through Jesus; I’m saying if this is so t