"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." -- Proverbs 24:26

To not know... to be in the dark... to not understand what is happening around you can be one of the worst things.  Not nearly as bad though, than when you're being deceived or lied to.  It is one thing to not be informed, it is quite another to be misinformed.

If we are to make sense of this world and this life we live, then we need to be honest with one another.  One of the oldest laws on record calls for us to not bear false witness.  Whenever someone lies, we are breaking that 9th commandment.  If you are needing to confess something, don't hold it in.  If you need to right a wrong, do so.  God has given this day to you, and you have an opportunity to be set free in the truth. 

Readings:  Jeremiah 6:15-8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 24:26

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness." -- Colossians 2:6-7

I open my top drawer to my dresser and find unused gift cards from Christmas of last year.  I had forgotten that they were even there.  It made me wonder how many other gifts I have around that never got used-- that sweater, that kitchen gadget, that book I didn't read.   And then what about the gift of life we receive in Christ?  What have we done with that gift?  Paul reminds us to be mindful of the ultimate gift we possess which we received at no cost to us.  But it's not enough to receive it.  We must redeem it by living in it.  This is the way we honor the giver of the gift.  How will you honor him today?

Readings:  Jeremiah 4:19-6:14; Colossians 1:21-2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 24:23-25

""All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." -- Colossians 1:6

How many years ago was this written?  So if the Word has been spreading ever since, why the need to continue spreading?  Shouldn't it have taken by now?  A few thoughts about that, and why we need to continue to spread the gospel:

*  Today's world is a different world-- different people, different understandings, different values, etc.

*  People forget who they are.  Generations are skipped, and people lose their bearings.  We see this in our Isaiah readings we're in... we read "return faithless people"... we need to remember that when a story is lost, multiple and successive generations can be lost with it.

*There are always people in need of hope and life.  Through faith, we find that.

Don't stop telling the story, even as it continues to spread.

Readings:  Jeremiah 2:31- 4:18; Colossians 1:1-20; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 24:21-22 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things." -- Philippians 4:8

We might refer to this text as "Paul's take on Positive Thinking"... 

When Norman Vincent Peale catapulted the Positive Thinking Movement with his seminal book, The Power of Positive Thinking, people responded like crazy.  Some bought in all the way and changed their views and the way they processed things to reflect on the positive side of everything... to the point that it drove others nuts.  The other side embraced the power of negative thinking and bashed positive thinkers (as I suppose was their inclination to do anyway).  They said it was hocus pocus psycho babble... they said you can't (and shouldn't) try to be happy all the time.  I agree.  You shouldn't try to be happy all of the time.  However, I disagree with the point that positive thinking is hocus pocus psycho babble.  For scientific backing check out Martin Seligman's work on it.  He was a confirmed curmudgeon turned authentic happiness guru.  But we didn't need to wait for the scientific proof to know that life is better when you focus on things that matter and things that are excellent.  Paul told us this 2000 years ago... and he wasn't the first.  

So look around you today... I invite you to see the positive side of that which is around you.  Name your blessings and thank God for them.  Be aware of how grateful you can be for all the good God has placed in your life.  

Readings:  Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 24:17-20

"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the Lord, "so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the Lord. -- Isaiah 66:22-23

As we consider life after death, we wonder what heaven is like, and pray we make it... we also wonder what hell is like and fear it...  are they physical realities or spiritual realities?  Are they places are states of existence?  Since God is Spirit, I believe they are spiritual states and not physical locations.  I believe hell is eternal separation from God, and heaven is eternal union with God.  I base this belief on what I have read in the New Testament.  And then I read passages like this from Isaiah (Revelation echoes this) where a "new heaven" and a "new earth" are spoken of... could these be physical?   Truth is, I don't know... I only believe... and that's where I have to find peace in my not knowing, trusting God that he's got it.  If I live my life constantly focused on and longing for the afterlife, I could miss out on the gift of this life.  We don't know what life will be like after this one.  But we do know what this one's like.  Make it count!

Readings:  Isaiah 66:1-24; Philippians 3:4b-21; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 24:15-16

"Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." -- Proverbs 24:13-14

Our taste buds are wired for sweetness.  Our minds are wired for knowledge.  However, our tongues are not always dependable when trying to discern that which is good for us.  Eating a sweet peach or slice of watermelon has different consequences than eating a sweet piece of candy.  While our tongues love both,  they are not both good for the body.

Knowledge, though useful, does not equal the value of wisdom.  Debates will go on about what is and isn't wisdom, but for our purposes today, let's assume that wisdom is the ability to appropriately and effectively apply knowledge in our lives.  It's one thing to know something... it's quite another knowing what to do with what you know.

Seek knowledge with everything you have, but more than that, seek God's will in how he would have you apply that knowledge to his purposes.

Readings:  Isaiah 62:6-65:25; Philippians 2:19-3:4a; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 24:13-14

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." -- Isaiah 60:1-3

Israel is called to rise up from the state of want and brokenness they have known and to show the world the glory of God as experienced in a people.

Life can get monotonous at times... people living a pattern of meaningless activities while waiting for something big to happen.  What they don't realize is that something big has already happened. 

It is there, just beneath the surface of your spirit... you know it's there... you feel the subtle heat coming from an ember within you that is ready to burst into a fire of passion-filled life of impact.  It's there.  You just need to give it some air and some space and some fuel to catch.  Don't smother it and snuff it out.  Don't dampen it with your brooding.  And don't starve it to death.  Let it catch, and you will find a life of meaning and purpose that is powered by the Holy Spirit.  So fuel it with prayer and study and by sharing God's love and grace with as many as you can... fan the flame... that's it.  You're on your way to rising up.  It can be a new dawn for you, too.

Readings:  Isaiah 60:1-62:5; Phillipians 1:27-2:18; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 24:11-12