but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it. Proverbs 2:22

Anyone who has read this book has undoubtedly ask, “when, Lord, when?” We see the wicked go unpunished and get away with heinous crimes against people. We call out for his justice. There will be a time, Brothers and Sisters, when this verse will come to pass. John wrote about this very thing in the Book of Revelations.

Praise God today for His mercy, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; Proverbs 2:21

Returning to yesterday’s theme of walking the straight line, it takes concentration to remain on the straight line, doesn’t it? But there is a secure hope in walking that line. And I’ll be honest with you, it can be tedious (but rarely boring) if we stay on that line. Others will try to persuade us to go with them a bit off the straight and narrow. What does that look like? A harmless drink with a friend at a bar. Being included in off-color jokes at the office. An extra long lunch with only your co-worker of the opposite sex.

There is wisdom in “toeing the line,” perhaps more than we realize. But we need to ask God to help us daily to do the right thing and to remain on the straight path.

Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. Proverbs 2:20

Have you ever tried to walk a straight line for a long time? Think of how difficult such a simple task it is to walk straight for ten miles.

The Christian path is like that. Seems simple at first glance. But there are flowers in the fields, animals roaming the forests, must-see monuments, and cute out-of-the-way eateries along our path. All of these beckon for our time and attention. There are also potholes on the path too. If we focus solely on the flowers and animals and sight seeing extravaganzas, we’ll walk across these potholes. In fact, I daresay that there are more potholes that call for our attention than good things.

But our focus is straight and narrow. Intentionally. Decidedly. And of course you need wisdom on this road, wisdom to make the right choices out of thousands that call us. Pray for that wisdom.

It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,
who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.
For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Proverbs 2:16-19

A few weeks ago, my wife and I were traveling home in a snow storm. A three hour trip took us seven hours. Along the way we saw cars and trucks in the ditches of an interstate highway. Each vehicle in the ditch was a reminder that if I wasn’t extremely careful with how I drove given the incredibly slow conditions, we could easily end up in the ditch too.

We need not look far in our culture to see the devastation that adultery and “fooling around” has wrought. Ladies and Gentlemen, when you’re ego is being built up regularly by someone of the opposite sex who is not your spouse, it’s easy to lightly fantasize the “what if” scenarios. Your guard erodes quickly and you begin to do things you wouldn’t normally do, especially if your wife was around. Men and women, run–do not walk–from these situations.

Pray that God will help you clearly recognize these morally dangerous situations, and that He will give you the strength to break away from relationships that will ultimately destroy your marriage if you pursue it.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways,
who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Proverbs 2:12-15

Presumably if you’re reading this, you are on the Straight Path. You know the Truth. And you are seeking ways of avoiding the crooked paths. The crooked paths are easy to spot but there are many of them. But, let’s be honest, there are many more crooked paths than the one Straight Path we travel on. There are many things that would trip us up, many voices we hear, many pulling us in different directions. It’s not easy to stay on that Straight Path, but you know it’s necessary. Unfortunately, there are even those who have walked on the Straight Path but have since strayed. You know about them and grieve for them, but every time you see them you are also reminded of the path they now pursue.

Perhaps you know one such person. Pray for that person today. Pray that they would return to their first love. Pray that God would do what He needs to steer them in the right direction. Then pray that God will give you wisdom (and strength) to avoid those crooked paths.

Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Proverbs 2:11

Growing up I remember a cartoon where the main character would say, “Savoire Faire is everywhere.” Savoire faire = knowing the right thing to say at exactly the right time. Obviously it takes wisdom to know what to say and when to say it. Often it’s a matter of not saying anything. Most of us have been on the receiving end of unnecessarily harsh, cruel, and judgmental comments. And most of us have also said those things and within seconds realize that it was the absolute wrong thing to say.

Pray that your words will be peppered with grace and understanding. Pray that you will be wise when you speak, even if it means you don’t speak.

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:10

Knowledge is fairly easy to identify. We learn something, that’s knowledge. We apply it, it’s wisdom or a part of it. And there’s a part of the learning process that satisfies. You know the feeling I’m sure. Usually we say “it dawned on me” or “a light came on inside.” It’s the “aha!” moment we get when something clicks with us.

A few days ago, I suggest that we all begin memorizing and internalizing a larger passage of Scripture this year. Here is what I said then:

My challenge to you this year is this: find a passage of Scripture and commit it to memory. Fill up your memory hard drive with those verses. It may be one or it may be an entire chapter of Scripture. Make it reasonable but make it challenging (memorizing the entire New Testament, while admirable, isn’t very reasonable without a solid plan to carry it out). Read it when you rise and when you go to bed. Print it on cards, Mutter it in the car on your way to work. Mumble it as you prepare supper each night.

When you know the passage as well as you know John 3:16, say it a few hundred times more. The goal here isn’t quantity of Scripture memorized but quality of the memorization. By the time you get to this point, you will have seen how transforming the Word of God can be in your life.

Ephesians 1, Ephesians 5, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 112, Psalm 139, Galatians 2 are all great chapters of Scripture to memorize. Obviously there are others, many others to choose from. Choose one. You can do it. When you do, write and tell me. (Lord willing, and He is, I am finally going to nail Psalm 139 after a few years of learning bits and pieces of it).

Like I said, you can do it.

As you continue to memorize one of those passages of Scripture, you will have more than one “aha” moments because the Word of God is powerful. Burn that Scripture passage into your very soul.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. Proverbs 2:9

One gaze at His righteousness should settle it for us all. We don’t see that now. Instead, we get glimpses into that justice. We also get glimpses by some of the glaring injustices we see all around us. We don’t get a picture of true justice. As Christians those injustices seem to compound as people boldly proclaim the Cross.

Pray for the church in Nigeria. Recently Muslims set fire to a church with Believers inside! Pray that despite the actions of a few evil men, His Word will be proclaimed even louder. Pray that they too will be able to gaze upon the One who gives them strength.

He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:7-8

If you’re a fortunate person, you’ve met someone who’s life has been to Hell and back, and is still able to praise God through it all. I say you are fortunate because rare is the individual who will go through trama and pain, and still come out wanting to please God. But it would be fair to ask why people go through these times of wretched tragedy, why wasn’t God there to protect them? I don’t know. If you’ve been reading this long enough, you’ll know that I really don’t have all the answers. It would be easy to not even ask these questions.

I do know this: God is faithful and just. He does hold victory for the upright. We will be victorious.

Today, there are many Haitian believers’ faith being tested in unbelievable ways. Pray that they will hold fast and give God the glory despite the desperate circumstances that country is now in. Pray that God will show them His triumphant victory in their lives.

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

Have you ever met someone who just exudes wisdom? I’ve only met a few people like this but I just wanted to stay in their presence as long as I could. I can almost guarantee you that this person has prayed and even begged God to give Him wisdom. He has spent time in the presence of those who were wise. He knows his Bible.

I know this sounds like a broken record, but continue to pray for wisdom in your life. Pray that God will give you the strength to search for wisdom. Pray also that He’ll help you as you memorize that passage of Scripture. Don’t give up. Don’t lose heart. If it takes you two or even three months to commit it to memory, it’ll be worth it. It really will.

then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:5

Ask the Forty-Niners in California if finding a large nugget of gold was worth the pain and hassle and abject poverty and back breaking work. My guess is, very few quit when they found a nugget, because if they found one, there just had to be more in the Earth.

When we are seeking God for wisdom, we’ll come across great insight and wisdom, and just admire it for a long time. Was it worth it, searching and asking and praying and memorizing for that little wisdom nugget? There’s always more where that came from.

Continue to roll that passage of Scripture over and over in your head. It’ll be worth it, just you wait and see.

and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure… Proverbs 2:4

In the mid 1800s the California Gold Rush began near Coloma, California (Sutter’s Mill). Thousands flooded the regions known for gold deposits and spent their last dollar digging up the Earth in search of that precious metal we call gold. Fortunes were made; many got by with particles of gold dust; many lost all they had. Entire towns were formed to support the miners. Still, the work was arduous and time-consuming and risky.

The writer of Proverbs has given us a great image of how we should seek wisdom. The wisdom we seek is worth many times more than gold, silver, or the dollar. The work required to gain wisdom isn’t easy and there is no “tangible” reward (such as a nugget of gold) after you have sought wisdom. In fact, there is never a time when you and I should stop seeking wisdom. It’s a lifelong task rewarded in the things you say and things you do, and even the things you think about.

Continue seeking God, the giver of all wisdom, asking Him to guide your thoughts, words, and deeds. Ask Him also to help you to burn that passage of Scripture into your mind.

And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Proverbs 2:3

Life isn’t easy and it often throws us some nasty curves. We cry out to God for some kind of understanding, some sane reason for the way things happen. I write this in the wake of an earthquake that just hammered Haiti. Thousands of people were displaced; the death toll is still rising as more bodies are found under the rubble of a decimated region.

Within hours of the earthquake many were asking online where God was when all of this took place. Why did it have to happen at all? If He is all powerful, can’t He control the elements and the natural disasters?

Unfortunately, I don’t have answers to those questions. I don’t.

I, like you, ask the same questions and I often call out to God for understanding as the writer of Proverbs suggests. It’s perfectly okay to cry out like this, to cry aloud for meaning in this crazy world.

Still, there is wisdom in our crying out to God. For one thing, it’s a natural thing for us to do because we don’t have all the answers. We may never ever get the answers to those questions but we still need to ask and ask and ask.

Turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, Proverbs 2:2

This verse goes hand in hand with yesterday’s verse. Memorizing Scripture is key to understanding the deep, deep things of God. Often we ask for wisdom and revelation over a certain matter, and the more we have God’s word in our hearts, something we hear or read just finally makes sense. We couldn’t explain it to others and it doesn’t set you apart from other Believers, but we “get it.” Deep within our souls we finally understand what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us. Even if you were asked to try to explain what exactly you “get,” it wouldn’t be the same because the “revelation” isn’t meant for others because no one is exactly like you.

That’s the transforming power of Scripture and of the Holy Spirit when He has something to work with, the power that has transformed people for thousands of years.

Continue memorizing that passage of Scripture and storing it deep within your heart. You can do this. We can do this together.

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, Proverbs 2:1

Most, if not all, of you are reading this on your computer monitor. We all know how to do the basics on a computer: open, write, save, print, search, and send. When you save a file, you are storing it away for future use. When we want to open the file again, we simply click on the file name and it opens. It has been stored away for us to use a hundred or a thousand times unless we replace it with updated information or move it to a different place.

You and I know the importance of hiding the Word of God in our hearts. We’ve seen its power in our lives and in the lives of others. It has the power to transform.

But our internal hard drives contain only the bare necessities. It’s like we forget to save what we read.

My challenge to you this year is this: find a passage of Scripture and commit it to memory. Fill up your memory hard drive with those verses. It may be one or it may be an entire chapter of Scripture. Make it reasonable but make it challenging (memorizing the entire New Testament, while admirable, isn’t very reasonable withoutt a solid plan to carry it out). Read it when you rise and when you go to bed. Print it on cards, Mutter it in the car on your way to work. Mumble it as you prepare supper each night.

When you know the passage as well as you know John 3:16, say it a few hundred times more. The goal here isn’t quantity of Scripture memorized but quality of the memorization. By the time you get to this point, you will have seen how transforming the Word of God can be in your life.

Ephesians 1, Ephesians 5, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 112, Psalm 139, Galatians 2 are all great chapters of Scripture to memorize. Obviously there are others, many others to choose from. Choose one. You can do it. When you do, write and tell me. (Lord willing, and He is, I am finally going to nail Psalm 139 after a few years of learning bits and pieces of it).

Like I said, you can do it.

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, Proverbs 2:1

You’ve probably heard the phrase “in one ear and out the other.” We say it when we feel that our words have no affect on someone. Or we might say, “It was like talking to a brick wall.” Either they weren’t listening to us or they were thickheaded and could not comprehend.

Throughout Scripture God wants desperately to teach us, but often His words go in one ear and out the other. His words, when we do read them, bounce right off us. Our minds race when we read the Bible because there are just so many things to do and catch up on. The cares of the world often overtake our thoughts.

But God is patient. Often He has to tell us many times before something finally sinks in. I’m sure He’d rather it “stick” the first time but He also knows our fraility.

Today as you seek God for wisdom to carry you through the day, ask Him for the ability to hear something important once and to obey it. It’s a rare gift to cherish if you have it.

but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. Proverbs 1:33

It has been said that being able to sleep soundly at night is a great thing because many, through circumstances and life situations, do not enjoy that luxury. Think of those times where you were up worrying and fretting over some issue. It was tough the next day and the day after that. It wears you down emotionally. You get drained fast and would enjoy relief, any kind of relief.

Wisdom is like that. When we realize that wisdom comes from God and has an infinite well full of it, we realize that God does in fact know what He’s doing! He knows that being wise is the best thing for you and certainly beats the alternative (foolishness).

Before continuing to Chapter Two, read Chapter One of Proverbs straight through. Pray that God will reveal His wisdom to you through His word each and every day.

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; Proverbs 1:32

These are strong words. In later chapters, we’ll explore the value of actively seeking wisdom. This verse, however, speaks to the folly of remaining complacent in our pursuit of wisdom.

Why do you think God is this strong about wisdom and becoming wise? Mainly because it’s important! He knows fully the value of wisdom and the vanity of foolishness.

When you pray today, ask God to give you wisdom. It wil be the theme for the next year perhaps. It’s a good theme and one worth exploring day by day. We simply cannot have too much wisdom.

since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. Proverbs 1:30-31

A few days ago we talked about being on the receiving side of “I told you so.” Have you ever been on the sending side? Depending on the situation, there could be laughter, but more often than not, there’s pain and suffering and tears. In fact, often you want to be wrong because you know the pain it will cause.

When we deal with people – regardless of the circumstances – this is one area that we need to tread lightly.

“Be kind. Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” -Plato

Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you have to flaunt it despite the overwhelming urge to do so. Using self-control in this isntance is a very wise choice.

Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, Proverbs 1:29

The Word of God often puts us in a quandary of our own choosing. One the one hand if we’ve been Believers for quite some time, we know what the Word of God says on many matters. We know that when God says something, it’s in our best interest to obey it.

And yet we don’t obey it.

So I have to ask the very real question, “why not?” Why, when we know that God would never lead us astray on anything at any time, why don’t we obey it in everything we do?

Entire books have been written by very learned individuals so I won’t pretend to know all the the answers, but I will make an attempt.

We don’t obey because deep down we may not have an overwhelming fear of the LORD, as this verse suggests. Deep down we think we are world-wise and can figure it out. It’s sin nature rearing its nasty head.

But fortunately (or unfortunately) we are all in the same boat. Some of us have a greater fear of the LORD; some of us have a lesser fear of the LORD.

In many instances in life, we have the choice to fear the LORD or not to. This week, think about what that means in your own life. Consciously consider the fear of the LORD when faced with a life choice. At the very least, you and I will become much more God-focused in our everyday life. Cultivate that desire to fear Him every chance you get.

when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Proverbs 1:27-28

Perhaps it’s best to address why we don’t heed wisdom when it’s given to us. The only word I know to describe this is “pride.” We think we can do it on our own. We think we know more than the Word of God and even God himself when we make unwise choices, though we’d never admit that we think that way.

Here’s the thing: the Word of God and the wisdom contained therein should be the final authority on decisions we make. Nobody reading this has a problem with that last sentence. But our thinking often gets skewed. We think “my circumstance is special; He just doesn’t understand it.”

The God of the entire Universe has graciously given us the Ultimate Authority Guide for Life: the Bible. In every circumstance, in every personality, in every event, in every conceivable situation, He knows what He’s doing. He knew even before time began what situation you would be in right now and the wisdom you would need to make the right choice.

And He invites you to ask Him and plead for that wisdom. It’s the only right choice.

But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you. Proverbs 1:24-26

How many times in your life have you heard the words “I told you so?” Actually I have heard those actual words very few times but it’s in the forefront of my mind when I go against sound advice from a close friend. Depending on the friend, he/she may not ever use those words (because nobody likes to pour salt on a wound, so to speak) but often you can tell from their knowing smile.

This is what the writer of Proverbs is trying to convey will happen if you ignore sound advice. Sometimes we’re just so bullheaded to go forward with plans and decisions that are not at all wise. More often than not, we know deep inside that those decisions are not wise.

So, to minimize our “I told you so” events from the Word of God, we need to study the Word of God, know what it says, and obey. In that there is compelling wisdom. Knowing what the Word of God says on a matter and not obeying it is, well, just not wise.

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. Proverbs 1:23

There are two responses in general to a rebuke: (1) accept it and change your ways; (2) reject it and go about your own ways. It really is one or the other. Ignoring it is identical to rejecting it since that’s what you’re doing in essence. Rejecting a rebuke is dangerous for us because if we reject it often enough, we become calloused to it.

Accepting a rebuke is a wise choice.

What is wisdom if not the ability to make the right choices when faced with many good (and a few bad) choices? The writer of Proverbs is telling us clearly that when we respond to a rebuke, it can teach us.

Rebukes from the Word of God are a very good thing. We just need wisdom and self-control when a rebuke is given (or when we read one and it “pricks our heart”) to fully understand what it can do if we don’t take heed. And remember, God, who is the supreme source of all wisdom, knows what’s good for us infinitely better than we know what’s good for us. If His word rebukes us, it’s for a very good reason.

“How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Proverbs 1:22

When we read this, our first inclination is to deny that we are simple people. But we are. Think about it. How many times have you known to do the right thing but didn’t do it? If we’re honest, we have to admit to lots of those times. So, the question then is, “why didn’t we do the right thing?” Excuses don’t really matter when the “right” thing is involved. Often we have to do the right thing regardless of the consequences, but I digress.

So that’s my point. for whatever reason, we don’t always do the right things when we absolutely positively know what that right thing is. That’s only one example but I think it is good. When we can acknowledge that we aren’t as wise as we think we are and don’t do the right things all the time, God can work with that kind of honesty and humility.

Pray that you will embrace the truths of this book even when it’s not easy.

at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: Proverbs 1:21

Going back to the previous devotion, I knew my mother’s voice. If I was playing and I heard “time for dinner” I knew it wasn’t my neighbor’s mom even though she didn’t call out my name specifically. Over the chatter and the playing and the cars zooming past, I knew my mother’s voice distinctively (as I write this, I can hear her voice still).

You and I will have to push away the clutter to hear the wisdom that come from God. When we do hear it over and over and over again, it will be like that familiar voice that you can pick out in a noisy crowd. You know the voice, and when you’re in a situation that you need a great deal of wisdom, that Godly wisdom will be loud and clear.

As we study wisdom, continue to pray that you will hear that wisdom out of the cluttered noises of the world.

Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; Proverbs 1:20

I love the imagery here. It sets the stage for the next few verses. Thirty five years have passed sinced then, but I have visions of my mother calling out to me when it was time for supper. Rarely did she have to go far from the front door. But when she did, the voice got louder and louder, half because she was getting closer, half because she was getting upset for having to chase us down! THAT’s the image this is trying to portray, calling out intentionally to us. And if we listen carefully, we’ll save ourselves a lot of grief and heartache along the way.

Are you listening? What are you hearing? Over the next few weeks and months as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, we have to remember that it’s not just getting wisdom for wisdom’s sake. We get the wisdom so that we can be wise. We can be wise in our relationships; we can be wise in our finances; we can be wise in our motivations and emotions. So prepare your hearts and minds. We need to pray that we won’t just be hearers of the world, but doers.

Listen carefully for He wants to teach us.

How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!
These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it. Proverbs 1:19

I recently did a very informal survey for those who would respond on Twitter. Twitter’s posting format is 140 characters so you have to make focused questions. “Would you rather be a millionaire through dishonest means or getting by with your integrity?” The answers were about 50/50. Hopefully, those reading this would choose the obvious answer, the one with integrity. Would it change the debate if I ended the question with, “and nobody would ever find out how you got it?” Or how about if you found the proverbial suitcase full of fifties and it’s actually in your possession. Here’s what I’m getting at with this. It’s easy to say you’d never ever do something when you’re not actually in the position to do it. It’s a little different when it’s staring you right in the face.

The thing is, we are tem

ted with integrity issues that are far more important than $1 million (anything you would consider a little white lie and stretching the truth comes to mind). In fact, we are probably tempted with them every day. But at the end of the day when we lay our heads on our pillows, we have to live with our thoughts, words, and actions. And a clear conscience and a fitful sleep is worth far more than a mere $1 million.

Integrity is an important issue in our day. It separates you from the “pack.”

Lord Jesus, guard our hearts and minds from these subtle but powreful temptations. May we rely on you for strength to make the right choices dealing with integrity.

my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. Proverbs 1:15-16

Resisting temptation is wise. I’ll even go one further. If you think about it, it’s one of the nine qualities of the fruit of the Spirit: self-control. Not allowing yourself to be put into tempting situations is a wise choice. I’m primarily addressing the men with this devotional.

I’ve probably used this illustration in this space but it’s appropriate here. The queen was interviewing coach drivers and asked, “how close to the edge of a mountain could you steer the coach?” After several precise answers, one man wisely said, “Ma’am, as far away from the edge as possible.”

Gentlemen, I implore you, don’t put yourselves in situations where temptation is one or two easy steps away from actual sin (i.e., surfing the Internet for hours with no one else at home to keep you in check). It’s a recipe for trouble. You’re probably not that strong. And if you were, why would you want to test it? As they say nowadays, “let’s not even go there.”

Exercising self-control before being put into tempting situation is wise.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Before I pickup where I left off on the Book of Proverbs, I need to build on what I wrote yesterday. Without question, we are to have evidence of all the nine qualities listed in Galatians. But most of us know our strengths and weaknesses, probably more than we care to admit. Some of those qualties are much easier for us to apply than others. We don’t have to work on it at all. There are others, however, that just go against the grain of our beings. Take a look at that list again and go through them one by one. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Which are middle of the road?

For this next exercise you will be using the final quality on that list: self-control. Let’s face it, we gravitate towards the easy and the “road most traveled.” Naturally, you will want to work on your strengths. But if we are to cultivate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and bear fruit of the Holy Spirit, we have to choose the quality we know for certain we are weak at. What is it for you? By the way, if you’re stumped and really don’t know what your strengths and weaknesses are from this list, ask your spouse or a good friend to help you. They see you in a different way than you see yourself.

Lastly, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us in these areas. We cannot do it on our own. Simply put, if we could do it on our own, we wouldn’t need Him. Daily, hourly even, ask for HIs help in cultivating that quality. Even this daily/hourly conversation will bear great fruit. As a reader commented yesterday, memorize verses that relate to that quality. Remember you are not merely working on a weakness; you are asking the Holy Spirit to work through you with a quality that will bring fruit into your life.

That’s powerful stuff.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

By now you’ve already broken any New Year’s resolution you vowed you’d never break. It happens every year.

I’ve got a much better resolution for you. Do you see that list of the fruit of the Spirit above? Those attributes are just waiting to be applied to your life.

Resolve in 2010 to single out one of those attributes and go forward through the year with the mindset that you will hone in on that quality and exemplify it throughout the year. It doesn’t mean that you’ll let the other eight qualities go, but that you will emphasize one. I know, we’re supposed to do all of those things, but you focus on one of those and the others will line up right behind. For instance, you can’t be peaceful and not be joyful or loving. Fortunately you’ll have someone to assist you, the Holy Spirit, since those qualities are a fruit of the Spirit. Ask the Spirit of God to help you with that quality. He will.

So here’s the ultimate goal: to have one of the fruit of the Spirit in a greater capacity than you did in 2009. Again, if you need help, He will help.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Those who are Believers in Jesus Christ know about this passage. It’s the caterpillar to butterfly, Winter to Spring, dead-come-to-life passage. As a new Believer you see things, well, differently. It’s difficult to explain unless you’ve been to that point. Those who have tasted that “new creation” never turn back. In fact, the change is so overpowering and overwhelming that there are those who would die for their faith than to go back.

It’s hard to know who reads this from day to day but if you have no idea what I wrote in that last paragraph because it seems utter nonsense to you, then now’s a good time to examine your life. Resolutions. New beginnings and all.

What’s your purpose in life? What’s your passion? At the end of 80 years, what do you want others to say about your life? What is your hope at the end of that life? But you say, “that’s 50 or 60 years from now.” Is it?

A distant relative of mine was murdered five days ago. She was 23 years young. I don’t say that to scare you but to say that you really don’t know when you’ll pass. High ranking politicians like to say that they are x number of heartbeats from the presidency. They understand the brevity of life.

If you are mixed up and confused about all this end of life stuff, drop me a line. For thousands of years God has been transforming lives. He’s not finished yet.