September 8 | Joshua 1:7-9 |

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DAILY READING

Joshua 1:7-9

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REFLECTION

Advice Worth Following

by Elaine Pierce

My husband remembers his parents often telling he and his siblings "don't burn down the house" when they were old enough to be home alone, and he passed on this 'wisdom' to our children. (Yes, eye rolls were often the response.) As far as I can tell, no houses have burned down as a result, so perhaps this advice was helpful.....however, I'm pretty sure that burning down the house was not the primary concern of his parents, but it was an effective way to remind their children to be careful and sensible while they were gone.

In today's passage, the Lord is giving Joshua advice. Moses has just died, and Joshua will be leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses, though flawed, like all leaders, is nevertheless a hard act to follow. What will the Lord tell Joshua to do? What is important for Joshua to be a successful leader? God's words are direct, they are simple, but they are profound and they carry deep meaning for Joshua and for those of us who follow Jesus today:

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." Joshua 1:7

Be strong. Be courageous. Obey the law - the holy word of God.

How do we become strong and courageous? By practice, practice, practice. In verse 5, the Lord tells Joshua that he will never leave him or forsake him. The more we trust in the Lord, the more we see him work in our lives and in the lives of our church family, the easier it is to be strong and courageous. And the Bible is filled with examples of Jesus followers who, despite the odds, were strong and courageous. See Hebrews 11 for lots of good stories.

God's advice is always worth taking. Take time each day this week to search the scriptures and follow this advice that the Psalmist reminds us to take:

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:110)

PRAYER

Lord, I want to be strong and courageous, but so often I end up in the corner, quaking in my boots, afraid to share the Good News. I don't want to offend anyone....I want the timing to be perfect.....I let the moment pass. You have given me gifts and a mission. Help me to shine your light, day by day, as I spend time with you in prayer and in the word. Forgive me when I fail, and thank you for the gift of life eternal. Amen.

September 7 | Proverbs 22:4-11 |

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DAILY READING

Proverbs 22:4-11

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REFLECTION

Bountiful Eye

by Mary Alice McGinnis

As with much of the book of Proverbs, the verses in today’s reading are a collection of individual statements used to teach. We will take a deeper look at two of these today.

Let’s focus first on Proverbs 22:9. The English Standard Version translates this verse as, “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”

I found it curious why several translations used this wording "bountiful eye," while other translations say "generous." Upon further study, I discovered the English word often translated as generous, in the original language (Hebrew) uses two words. The first word meaning “good, pleasant, prosperous, or bountiful.” And the second word meaning “eye.” Literally the physical eye or figuratively the eye of our mind or our spiritual sight.

What does being generous have to do with our eyes? 

If we look back on Provers 22:4, it says, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; it’s wages are riches and honor and life.” These two qualities - humility and fear of the Lord - are connected. They are the lenses through which a good, prosperous, or bountiful eye sees and views everything.

The person of humility SEES themselves rightly. They know their limitations, how little they really know, understand or control. Even the very bread that is on their table was not put there by their own hand. Without sunshine, rain, and the harvest, there would be no bread.

 The person who fears the Lord, SEES God for Who He is!

He is the creator of all things, Almighty, All-Knowing, the One and Only Holy, Sovereign King. They realize that without God in their lives, they are lost and wayward. They see themselves rightly as one who deserves death. Yet through the lens of God’s love, they see a God who willingly sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, to redeem them through His death on the cross.

When we focus our eyes on humility and the greatness of God, it results in pouring out gratitude, and blessings on others. When we realize that as beloved Children of God, we have the storehouse of God’s divine provision at our disposal, we can willingly and joyfully share even the last morsels of our bread with those around us who are in need. We can never out give God.

PRAYER

Lord, I admit that I often turn my eyes to envy and greed, focusing only on myself and MY desires. Forgive me Lord. I humbly come before You now. Heal my spiritual eyesight, to see myself rightly, as You do.  Heal my eyes to also see You rightly, as My King who stopped at nothing to save me. You have poured Your love out on me despite myself.  Fill me to overflowing so that my bountiful eye will joyfully share with those around me.

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AUTHOR BIO

Mary Alice McGinnis

I began reading the Bible for the first time at the age of 14. When I read the book of Proverbs, I found this collection of practical wisdom both challenging and inspiring. Instead of the typical posters you might find on a teenager’s bedroom walls, my room was splashed with handmade posters - quotes from the book of Proverbs. The Proverbs unique way of expressing deep truths helped lay a foundation in my walk with God.

September 6 | 2 Corinthians 9:1-12|

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DAILY READING

2 Corinthians 9:1-12

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REFLECTION

Rich in Every Way

by Ken Dillman

Renowned theologian, Henry Blackaby once wrote, God is always at work in our world, we need to see where He is working and join him in the work.

In 2 Corinthians 9:1-12, the apostle Paul knew that God was at work in the church in Jerusalem; the church was experiencing persecution and poverty and needed help. Paul enlisted the help of the church in Corinth to ease the financial burden of the believers in Jerusalem.

It can be easy and comfortable for followers of Jesus to give out of our excess; it’s much more challenging for us to give sacrificially, when there may not be an excess. Though Paul writes in the context of money, when he says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully,” he also reinforces that God enriches believers “in every way to be generous in every way.”

Throughout the Bible we read of God’s concern and care for the poor (Ps. 112:9). Being poor has many forms: financial, spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, and more.

My granddaughter, Laney was born a month prematurely; delivery was difficult on both my daughter-in-law and Laney, and both had health issues for nearly a year after. But God was at work. My son and daughter-in-law were poor that first year—they were emotionally and physically poor. I spent several days each week at my son’s house, caring for Laney, just so mom and dad could rest and sleep. Often, we want to limit our understanding of “sowing” to simply providing financially for others, rather than understanding that the work God is doing might not have a financial component to it.

A greater vista of seeing God at work and joining him may lie before us if we’re open to the idea that being poor isn’t always financial. Caring for a newborn was exhausting and challenging, yet the bountiful sowing resulted in a bountiful reaping that I never imagined, Laney and I have an incredible bond of love…all because God was at work, and I joined him in that work.

The apostle Paul writes that God loves a cheerful giver; we may, or may not have the resources to give financially, but we all have the resources to give in other ways that results in thanksgiving and glory to God.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus,

Through your Holy Spirit, would you keep us sensitive to what you are doing in the world around us. Show us where you are working and how we can join you in the work. Help us to sow bountifully in all things, that a rich reward of thanksgiving and glory would be to God. Amen.

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