Day 104 One-Year KJV Bible Reading - Joshua 9:3–10:43; Luke 16:19–17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4
Be Diligent
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. – Proverbs 13:4
Everyone has desires but not everyone is diligent. The difference is that some have diligence to get up and get things done and others are lazy so they end up having nothing.
Fill me with Your diligence today, Father that I may see my desires, but even more-so Your desires come forth. I ask this in Jesus Name. Amen!!!
Diligent – Characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort.
Fear Not! The Lord Will Fight Your Battle!
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. – Joshua 10:8
And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. – Joshua 10:42
I love how God directed Joshua in the past tense though the battle hadn’t happened at that point. It reminds me that He is already in my tomorrow and knows much more about fighting than I do, and so there truly is no need to fear. He will fight my battles as they come if I do my part. My part – Fear Not!
This year I am reading my daily Bible reading aloud, and as you know, if you follow this blog, I write down what speaks to me from each passage. It is amazing how much I am learning as I hear the stories move one into another. It has brought so much clarity. It is also horrifying how much I have missed over all these years. Today I am incredibly thankful for God’s Word and His direction to change it up a bit that the passages each day would come to me, fresh and new. It fills my heart with wonder.
Do What is Your Duty To Do
But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. – Luke 17:7-10
We all have calls and duties. God has assigned us to specific ministries, and we shouldn’t need to be verbally thanked by God or man each time we do something; if I feel that need, I probably should look carefully at my need for approval and recognition. God sees and knows, and that is all that matters. What is my duty? Today, it is to read His Word, meditate on His Word, pray, and I will do various other responsibilities I committed to doing within the church. They are my duty because I committed…much as Joshua committed to the men from the “far away land” that He would come into an alliance with them. They deceived him, but a commitment is a commitment. A vow is a vow. So it is with my commitments.
That they May Seek They Name
Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. – Psalm 81:1-3
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. – Psalm 81:13-16
Some would say ease of life is a great blessing and it is but the greatest of blessings could be the sickness, the persecution, the hardships that you go through but that leave you calling on the name of the Lord. Taking your hands off of your life and surrendering, turning your life over to the one true and living God – that is the greatest blessing any of us could ever receive on this earth because it is a blessing that will last for an eternity.
