It’s only natural to want to “be my own person” or “follow the little drummer in my head” and “find my path and follow it.” Who does not want to be an “individual, a one-of-a-kind, no-one-else like me?” Is that not what God really created me for? To be me and do “my thing?”

All of that “stuff” is good - if not great - as long as it is done while staying obedient and true to God’s “instructions.” Otherwise, following one’s own ways leads to death. A very stern warning. So, if we want to guard our life and live well and not become involved in behaviors that lead to a premature death, what do we do?

According to Solomon, “He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of His ways will die.” The word “instruction” is not open to our personal interpretation. It is instruction that comes from God through His Spirit. This is a “life or death proposition” that demands our unquestionable obedience if we want “the best, longest lasting life possible.”

Keeping God’s instructions is one of the best things we can do. In fact, a non-believer once said to me, “I cannot accept Jesus’ virgin birth or the miracles or the resurrection. But I do know that if I live according to the “instructions” of God and the teachings of Jesus I will live a long, productive and rewarding life.”

However, he was talking about principals - not power that comes from God through Christ. And herein lies the difference.

The “contemptuous” person is one who does not value living their life under God’s instructions. They look at His way as being a matter of choice rather than an obligation to be blessed with a long and blest life. “Will die” is the exact opposite of “well-being and a long life.” It refers to a “premature death” by being disobedient to God’s instructions - His laws and precepts.

Prayer:  Give us, Lord, a willingness to be obedient to Your ways. You have given us the power of choice: may we choose life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 19:16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

A man once said to Mark Twain, “It is my deepest desire to go to the mount where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and recite them there!” Puzzled, Mark Twain asked, “Don’t you think it would be better to stay at home and try to keep them there?”

The Lord did not give us the Ten Commandments to review, but to reveal; not to look at but to live; not to admire but to acknowledge in the way we behave.

There are many who say one thing with their lips but show another thing with their lives. There are those who say the right things but live the wrong way. And there are some who speak the language of faith but give no evidence of it in their lives. The proof of our faith is not our words but in our works.

Some say, “I am a Christian” but if they are watched closely, there is no evidence of Christ in their lives. We are reminded by James that we are not only to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. A good place to start “doing” is at home.

Prayer: Father, help me to follow the directions for living that I find in Your Word. Do not allow me to deceive myself into thinking that I am acting on Your behalf when my behavior does not reflect what Your Word tells me to do: in Your Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Morris Massey was a professor of communication at the University of Colorado. While there, he became famous for a film entitled, “What You Are is Where You Were When….”

Though the title may be confusing, the message is not. All of us are “value programmed” in our homes by the time we are six. “Value programmed” means that our behaviors or life style comes from our parents or primary teachers. And, these behaviors, or “values” are so deeply ingrained within us that we “live” or “behave them” without even thinking about them. Unless there is an event in our lives that forces us to change, we take them to our grave.

“My son,” said Solomon, once again wanting his son’s undisturbed attention, challenged him to “keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teachings.”

Now, Solomon or the mother of that particular son certainly did not know about Morris Massey or his research. But, they did know the importance, influence and impact that how they lived and what they taught their children was critical for their children’s well-being. So, they choose to make an issue about how they should live. And, furthermore, made no apology for doing so.

Throughout Scripture, fathers and mothers are authorized, with divine authority, to set the boundaries, behaviors and attitudes of their children. Solomon and his wife were determined to do this. They realized their obligation to God and were willing to obey Him.

Prayer:  Father, children are entrusted to parents as Your gifts to them, to lead and train them in Your paths. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today:  Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

The Ten Commandments appear to be divided into two sections: four of them teaching the importance of honoring God, and six of them teach us to honor mankind. The fifth commandment would logically appear at the bottom of the first tablet. It is the first commandment that contains a promise: “Honor your father and mother so that you may live long (and in peace) in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” These words are echoed in Colossians: “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases God.”
Prayer:  Lord, forgive us for being negligent in instructing the young at home and in church. We need forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A man once said to Mark Twain, “It is my deepest desire to go to the mount where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and recite them there!” Puzzled, Mark Twain asked, “Don’t you think it would be better to stay at home and try to keep them there?”

The Lord did not give us the Ten Commandments to review, but to reveal; not to look at but to live; not to admire but to acknowledge in the way we behave.

There are many who say one thing with their lips but show another thing with their lives. There are those who say the right things but live the wrong way. And there are some who speak the language of faith but give no evidence of it in their lives. The proof of our faith is not our words but in our works.

Some say, “I am a Christian” but if they are watched closely, there is no evidence of Christ in their lives. We are reminded by James that we are not only to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. A good place to start “doing” is at home.

Prayer: Father, help me to follow the directions for living that I find in Your Word. Do not allow me to deceive myself into thinking that I am acting on Your behalf when my behavior does not reflect what Your Word tells me to do: in Your Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

A little boy was trying with all of his might to button his coat. He was having a horrible time. Every time he got to the bottom, there were buttons left over. He could not understand the problem.

“Mom,” he finally shouted, “it won’t come out right!”

“Yes, it will,” she confidently assured him. “But, you must get the first button right.”

The next time he started with the first button, and things turned out right.

If we want things to turn out right in our lives, we must start out with the right things.

What are the right things? One day Jesus said to a lawyer who was looking for an answer to that question with the following, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

These two commandments are like the little boy’s buttons. If we get them right, we will come out right.

Prayer: Help me, Lord Jesus, to love You with everything I am: my heart and mind and being. May I learn to put myself aside and live fully the commandments You gave us so that my life will end as You wish, in Your presence. In Your Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: Matthew 22: 34-40

Eight-year-old Luke was more interested in rummaging than reading and writing.

Searching under the steps of a mobile classroom, he found a bag filled with gems, gold and jewelry worth $75,000.

Luke returned the stolen merchandise and was given a generous reward.

But the Psalmist found something of far greater value. Not gems, but God’s word.

He testified, “God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. God’s laws are pure, eternal, just. They are more desirable than gold. They warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them.”

Have you discovered the Bible?

Prayer: Help us, Father, to translate the Bible into our daily lives. Give us a vital and visible faith so that by lip and by life we will draw our loved ones to Thee. Make us wholly Thine that our homes might be heavenly: through Christ. Amen.