31 Days of Devotion Challenge
GIVE GOD THE FIRST AND BEST:
There is a principle in Scripture that if you give God the first of what He gives you, He will bless the rest. Let us begin January by devoting the first 31 Days of 2025 to seeking Him and wisdom.
THE CHALLENGE:
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READ: Proverbs have 31 chapter aligning with 31 days in January. Each chapter on average, takes only 3 minutes to read. Either read in your Bible or listen to it on a Bible App, a chapter in the morning, then again at noon time, then again at evening. When you read/listen the 2nd and 3rd times, try to recall from heart what you read earlier. Consider how this wisdom applies to your life.
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PRAY: Each time, take a few minutes to pray. 1, that God would make you wise to understand, and apply His wisdom to you. 2, pray the context of the chapter to apply to your family, Church, and our Childcare ministry.
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MEDITATE: Each day is a small devotion from me and a word of wisdom to consider. May they bless you in some way.
“O come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; And we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand”. Psalm 95:6
Certainly, we can do this for January by giving ourselves to Him!
Blessings,
Pastor Dan
January 3, 2025
JANUARY 3 DEVOTION
“Forget Not My Law”
Can you recite the 10 commandments right now? Do they come to you easily, or did you have to dig back in that memory bank of yours and really dust off those files?
God’s Law shows us our sin, and ultimately, that very reason why we need a Savior. But the Law is also meant give us mercy and truth. If you follow any other religious or spiritual teaching other than what God has given you in the Bible (1st commandment), it can lead you right into the hands of demons and away from Christ. Commit adultery (6th commandment) and it can destroy your marriage, family, home, career, and even your physical life if you get AIDS. There were times in my youth where I foolishly didn’t heed my parents’ warnings and it could have cost me dearly (4th commandment). So, “for length of days and long life, and peace, shall they add to you” (v2), if you keep them!
None of us should ever be so proud to think, “that happens to other people, but it won’t happen to me!” So “bind them about your neck….write them on your heart (where your emotions can be swayed toward sin), and trust God’s understanding and knowledge, not your own.” (v.3-5). You will be blessed! (v8).
Today’s Wisdom Words:
“You will possess what you pursue. Whether good or evil"
Assignment:
• Read Proverbs 3. three times today: morning, noon, and evening. Read it so as to write it on the table of your heart. (Be doers of the Word).
• Pray, asking the Holy Spirit to be the pen that engraves His words upon you. Whatever you don’t understand about your circumstance, submit your understanding to God and His leading. Pray for your family, Church, Pastor, and the outreach ministry at Faith.
BONUS:
Here are the 10 commandments if you need to learn them or brush up. (see left margin)
Pastor Dan
January 2, 2025
JANUARY 2 DEVOTION
“How To Get Wisdom”
I’ve always wanted to pan for gold. It has always amazed me that God laid gold all over the world, in specks in rivers, in veins in the ground, and scattered among rocks. All this, for free! Hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of gold, for anyone who searches for it. No matter who you are or what your background, it’s there for those willing to seek and put in the effort to find it.
God gives wisdom in the same way, and it is scattered throughout His Word. Some is easily found on the surface when read, while other nuggets must be more thoroughly sifted and sought. There have been times when I’ve dug and dug into a verse, knowing there is treasure there, but come up short of understanding. And then one day, it finally surfaces and shines amidst understanding.
God blesses effort…He blesses those who diligently seek. You have to be a ‘verb’ kind of seeker if you want the reward. Read Chapter 2 and notice all of the ‘verbs’ used:
“My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
God doesn’t bless the lazy, and those who won’t put the work in searching, will not find the treasures He has hidden. But for those who hunger, and thirst, and seek Him with diligence will be blessed by Him. The Lord then gives wisdom.
Today’s Wisdom Words:
“You will only find success in that which becomes an obsession”
Assignment:
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Read Proverbs 2 three times today: morning, noon, and evening
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Pray, thinking about how these verses apply to your life. Pray that your family to have an obsession for seeking God. Pray for the people of our Church and the Little Lambs families. Pray for your Pastor to have a deeper obsession for panning the wisdom of the Book. Morning, noon, and evening, let your prayer habit grow.
Pastor Dan
January 1, 2025
JANUARY 1 DEVOTION
“The Fear of the Lord”
Electricity is a wonderful thing. What a happy thing to just flip the switch and in an instant have lights on in the house or push a button and have the furnace turn up the heat in winter. I am thankful for electricity, but I also have a healthy fear of it, that is, I respect it. I make sure the breaker is off when I am working on something electrical, even double or triple checking. Wisdom (and some memorable experiences!) have taught me fear can be a good thing.
Sometimes, we do not take the ‘fear of God’ seriously enough. God is our Father. And those blessed with an earthly father help us gain wisdom in what it rightly means to ‘fear’ God. I loved my Dad, played with him, and learned from him, and he loved me too. But I knew even as he loved me, giving back talk or disobedience, would not make him please and might land me under discipline. So I sought to listen to him, and give him proper respect. This is what it means to fear God, but to an even higher degree. To fear God is the beginning of knowledge (1:7). That is, anything you want to know the truth about or be successful at in this world, it begins with listen to God’s voice and His Word over anything or anyone else. Period.
To avoid hardship, deception, confusion, and pain, begins with listening to Him. He even provides a way out of the grave and Hell, if we respect Him enough to listen and cling to Him. “Lord, to Whom shall we go? YOU have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68)
Today’s Wisdom Words:
“Whatever you are willing to walk away from, will determine what God is willing to bring to you”
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Read Proverbs 1 three times today: morning, noon, and evening
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Pray what you learn from today’s chapter to yourself, your family, and to our Church and Childcare ministry: three times morning, noon, and evening
Pastor Dan
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