Day 359 Bible Readings for December 26 – Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

Nehemiah 3 & 4, Revelation 17, Proverbs 29: 19-27

Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Solomon tells us in verse 29 from Proverbs 29 that we should not be afraid of what other people will think of us and what they will say.  Many bad decisions have been made by people who are afraid of what others will think of them. We should instead trust in the Lord and we will be safe. Trusting in God will never lead us in the wrong direction or cause us to make bad decisions. Every time we have a decision to make, we need to pray and ask God for guidance. We cannot rely on what we think or fear what other people will say about us. Other people’s guidance are often based on their own fears, while God’s guidance is not based on fear. Our lives will also be safe if we trust in God.

Day 358 Bible Readings for December 25 – Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

Nehemiah 1 & 2, Revelation 16, Proverbs 29: 10-18

Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

In verse 11 from Nehemiah 1 we read the end of Nehemiah’s prayer to God, and I liked what he said. He asked God to not only listen to his prayer, but the prayers of others as well. Nehemiah also prayers for success in his prayers and the prayers of others as well, and to grant him mercy.

Nehemiah prayed not only for success but the success of others. Normally I think I pray just for myself and my success, but it makes sense to also ask God to grant the prayers of our friends and for their success as well. I also like how Nehemiah is very specific in his prayers, which tells God exactly what he wants. It’s a good way to pray and ensures that God will listen to your prayers.

Day 357 Bible Readings for December 24 – Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

Ezra 10, Revelation 14: 14-20, Revelation 15, Proverbs 29: 1-9

Ezra 10: 2-3 (ESV)

“And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law.”

In verses 2 and 3 from Ezra 10, Shecaniah tells us that it is against God’s law to be yoked to someone who is not of the faith. If you are yoked with someone not of the faith, you must give them up including the children from the relationship. Fortunately, we are not bound by the old covenant that Ezekiel and Shecaniah lived under in their life. Since we are under the new covenant with Jesus Christ, if we are yoked with someone not of the faith, we do not have to leave them. God will find a way to work with the situation in our life. Perhaps the person not of the faith will turn to God because of our belief in Christ. We need to trust in God in this matter of being yoked with an unbeliever.

I think it must be hard especially in times like Christmas, when one is yoked with an unbeliever. The person not of the faith may not have the same enthusiasm for the season that you do. But if we come to God yoked to an unbeliever, we need to stay with the person since they might be with us as part of God’s plan. In these types of situations, we need to trust in God fully that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, that God has a plan for our lives.

Day 356 Bible Readings – Proverbs 28: 26 (ESV)

Ezra 8: 15-36, Ezra 9, Revelation 14: 1-13, Proverbs 28: 18-28

Proverbs 28: 26 (ESV)

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

In verse 26 from Proverbs 28, Solomon tells us we cannot trust our own mind. When Solomon writes of wisdom, he is of course referring to the wisdom found in God’s words and following his laws. It is often tempting to trust in our own minds since it is what helps us get through the day to day living of our lives. But while the mind can help us with living, it only by reading and dwelling in God’s words and following his laws can we be delivered of all dangers.

I think if you ask any person of faith, they will tell you many stories of when they trusted their own mind instead of relying on God’s words or laws for advice. These stories like mine often did not end well. They will then offer you stories of when they trusted God’s words and laws instead of what their mind was telling them do. They followed God’s words even it seemed so contrary to what their mind and the world was telling them. Then they will tell you the miracles that happened in their life when the followed God’s words. If you find yourself sometimes doubting God’s words and his laws, then pray to God to show you which direction to go in your life. God is always faithful and will always give you his wisdom to follow in your life.