Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 25, 2017
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! Psalm 128:1
We all want to have blessed relationships. For example, we desire God to help us resolve a conflict with a friend, so we pray for peace. Maybe we want to get along with a difficult co-worker so we ask God for patience, or perhaps we desire a closer relationship with our mate, so we pray.
But even though we ask for God’s help we can “throw rocks” on our relational path of blessing if we hold a grudge, refuse to forgive, harden our heart, or say spiteful things to the exact person we are praying about and asking God for help with. Remember this: You can’t walk God’s way and also dance with the devil. You can’t expect good results with bad behavior, blessing follows obedience.
Last year, I had some “rocks” in my hand when I got hurt by someone close to me. It wasn’t a big thing, but my emotions felt like it was a big thing, so out of self-protection my heart was screaming, “Throw them!” But instead of reacting, I laid those rocks down because I know that no good thing comes from going against God’s ways. Nothing good comes from throwing rocks on the path of one’s own relational blessing.
“But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it’” (Luke 11:28)!
Maybe you are in the middle some kind of heated tension with a loved one. Maybe you are wrestling a neighbor. Deep down you know you want peace, but the sinful part of you wants to throw those rocks by gossiping, retaliating, scheming, or just being unkind. Let me encourage you. Lay down your rocks and hold out your hands in submission to God instead. Then do your relationship His way. You’ll be glad you did.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25). NKJV
Prayer
Lord, no matter how badly I want to throw rocks against your will, help me to obey you and remember that blessing follows obedience... Amen.Application
Make an honest assessment of your heart condition. If you are saying you want to handle your relationship God’s way, but in your heart you know you don’t entirely have the right intentions, align your actions and your motivations.Related Reading
John 13:17; Luke 6:46-48; James 4:17Post/Tweet today
Blessing follows obedience. #WisdomHunters #DontThrowThoseRocksWorship Resource
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Thank you Shanna for such a timely word, as usual. I do have rocks in my hand, for a co-worker who I feel is trying to hurt me by undermining my character to my workmates and managers. I will practice whar you have spoken and ask Jesus to help do the rest? Thank you.
Email address correction- sorry. 🙁
Dear Billy,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words for Shana. Please know that she will read them and I am sure she will be blessed by them. I am sorry you are going through this challenging situation at work but I am thankful that you know who your heavenly Father is and that He is walking next to you during this “test”. Shining His Light during this time is such a mighty testimony to those around you.
I am glad Shana’s devotional “struck a note” with you. My thoughts are that it may have “struck a note” with many in our Wisdom Hunter’s family (I know it did me!!).
Billy, we are thankful you are a fellow wisdom hunter and look forward to hearing from you again.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God.”
Psalm 38:15