From my head to my heart...Day 19

It appeared as though King Solomon had it all.

He was so wealthy and wise at making money people would come to sit at his feet to listen to him speak.  He had 1,000 women at his disposal.  He had fame, glory, power...by all means he should be a very happy man.

While God used him to write the book of Proverbs, one of the most practical books in the Bible, Solomon also wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, where he starts out with the gripping words: "Everything is meaningless."

Solomon had practical knowledge that gave him wisdom in making decisions in his life.  But he was frustrated in finding the meaning in life.  He'd looked for it in women, wealth, power...and found it in none of those places.

Solomon had talked of the fear of the Lord and trusting the Lord, but hadn't gotten to the point of God really being in his heart.  

"We can achieve success and gain some wisdom - but if we do so without God, it will leave our hearts empty.  Like Solomon, if we follow the rules of wisdom, but don't develop a relationship with the Giver of wisdom, our hearts will be unsatisfied." (50 Days, p.76)

How are you feeling on Day 19?

Is God's wisdom beginning to change anything in your life?

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Wisdom comes from understanding absolute truth...Day 18

Today's study talks about using a chair to understand absolute truth.  


The picture above, for example, shows a chair with four legs, a seat and back, and arm rests.  The truth of the chair is certain, you can sit on it and expect it to hold you.  "By sitting in the chair, I am giving myself to its stationary nature.  It doesn't move so I don't move." (50 Days, p. 71)


God's word is similar to the chair...you can also depend on it, and expect it to hold you.  But, you actually have to use the chair in order to get it's full effect, and actually trust and depend on it to support you, you have to sit in the chair.  


You have to sit with God and His word in order to depend on it, in order to trust it and allow it to support you.  "Sitting in the chair illustrates the fact that I'm fearing the Lord and trusting in Him." (p. 71)


Part of gaining wisdom is understand right from wrong.  We can find those answers in His word, we can apply His word to our life.  We can live in truth and depend on what God tells us....that's developing the spiritual discipline of wisdom.


"God gives me truth to rely on - a stationary chair.  If I choose to sit in it, if I choose to trust God, then I'm agreeing with God's authority to determine my morals.  And God's truth doesn't move.  God's rules, not ours, must prevail." (p. 73)


How are you "sitting" with absolute truth today?


Are your morals conflicting with God's word?


Are you in relationship with others to help you along the way?


How is God working to give you wisdom in areas of your life?  Are you seeking His wisdom?


We pray you are and ask for God's presence in your life, please feel free to fill us in on your journey and head to our website, we've got new ideas on how to get you connected in a small group.


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You can trust God, He directs your paths and makes them straight...Day 17

To recap yesterday's study, we started with a step in the direction of understanding who God is and who I am.  We can glance back at Proverbs 1, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  Recognizing who God is starts with an awe of Him and his holiness; honoring his goodness and power and strength.


Today we start into Step 2 of what it looks like to develop the spiritual discipline of gaining wisdom: Trusting God.  


God is worthy of our trust. 


As we've given up our desires to control our own lives and handed the control over to our all knowing, all present, all loving Father...we can trust that He desires a relationship with us so much more than we can even begin to understand, He loves us and He has a plan for our lives.  We can actually trust Him, to make our paths straight.  We can completely rely on His presence in our lives, and that a life without trust and fear of God can lead to an existence of total chaos.


How are you sitting with trusting God today?


Are you ready to rely on Him to make your paths straight?






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I'm Not God!....Day 16

Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."


To fear the Lord is not to actually be scared of him, but to be in awe and reverence of who He is, of His holiness, and how He is set apart from us.  It's basically to realize that we are not Him.  


It's best to start in the right place of understanding who we are in God's presence.  "We want to make our own choices without God's direction.  When we do, we're acting like we are God!...I don't think it's ever going to lead us to the place of wisdom because it doesn't begin with the fear of the Lord." (50 Days, 67)


If we are to gain wisdom, the first step is giving God the proper honor He deserves, and acknowledging your place as His child.  If we want to develop the spiritual discipline of wisdom, we start with fear of the Lord, begin in His word. For Proverbs 2 says: 


 "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers."

How are you feeling in regards to "fearing the Lord" today?

Solomon knew what wisdom he needed and where to find it...Day15

The Beginning of Knowledge

The Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Isreal:

To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,

to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in righteousness, justice, and equity;

to give prudence to the simple, 

knowledge and discretion to the youth - 

Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance, 

to understand a proverb and a saying, 

the words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; 

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This is the prologue for the book of Proverbs, a book written in it's entirety by King Solomon, and inspired completely by God.

In 1 Kings Solomon confesses to God he is just a little child, and doesn't understand how he can carry out his duties.  Jesus says something similar in the book of Matthew: "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matt 18: 3,4

There's something about the innocence and purity of coming to God as a child.  Coming as His child, seeking Him and His wisdom.  

The devotional on Day 15 talks about the Bible being our location to find God's wisdom.  Today's study is also talking about the places we've chosen to avoid walking in wisdom, and where we've become trapped and had costly consequences.  Understanding the cost of our own decisions and actions "helps us to calculate the value of God's knowledge and wisdom." (50 Days)

How are you doing on this Day 15 of our 50 Day journey?

Where is God showing you how you've become ensnared in a trap?

How do you seek God's wisdom?

Please feel free to share on Day 15 or on any of our previous days. 

Lord, I ask you to give me the Spirit you gave Elijah and the humility of Moses...

We've closed up this week's study with a sermon on Moses this weekend.  What has God been teaching you?

Are you struggling with your pride?

Are you feeling as if you are wandering in the wilderness?

Do you relate to Moses as he grew irritated with his companions?

Is God showing you His great, overwhelming love for you?  Are you experiencing a season of discipline?

We're curious where you are sitting in your relationship with God, feel free to comment.

I'm in relationship with other believers, and it's not always easy...Day 12

Relationships are great, but they aren't always sunshine and roses.  Growing healthy roses requires work; you need to get good and dirty, and sometimes there's a little manure involved.  

Relationships can be pretty similar sometimes, producing beautiful results, but they can be messy and dirty and stinky too.

In Day 12 we're seeing how Moses reacted to messy relationships.  People pushed his buttons.  Moses talked to God about the situation, God told him what to do, and Moses chose to react out of his irritation and anger with the people.  So, out of God's love for Moses and His people, Moses was disciplined by God.  

God continued to work on building the foundation He had started with Moses in the desert, to teach Moses of humility and put aside his pride.  

What is God teaching you on Day 12?

What pushes your buttons?

How is God using the relationships in your life to show you where discipline is needed?

How is God showing you He loves you today?

And again, if you aren't in a small group, please contact us, we want to help, check out our community pastors page www.reallifeministries.com/community-pastors or call the church at 777-7325.

A New Identity - Day 11

God has "deconstructed" Moses.  When God encounters Moses at the burning bush, Moses is a man who lacks confidence, and asks God, "Who am I" to do this work you've set before me?  And he is right where God needs him to be.

Are you lacking confidence in a task God has asked you to accomplish?

Are you dependent on God?  How are you relying on your community of fellow believers to accomplish the mission of God's will?

How is God working on your heart today?  We would love to hear from you.

Serving in the Desert - Day 10

50 Days Devotional - Day 10                            



We are on a journey through the story of Moses this week.  Day 9 revealed the time at the beginning Moses' life.  His parents faith to save him from death as an infant, God's plan of provision for Moses by allowing him to grow up in the palace, and Moses' demise by choosing to commit murder and run and hide in the wilderness.

Today we're thinking through what those 40 years in the dessert would have looked like for Moses.  The time was about deconstruction, about taking apart the old Moses and constructing the new Moses who could do all God had set out for him.

But, Moses didn't do it alone.  God gave him a community.  God gave him a wife, children, and a family that could help him in some of his darkest times.

God is the same now as He was then.  He has given you community too.  Your community, your small group, can help you pull off the old stuff that's piled on top of you, and help you become the person God has desired you to be all along.

Who is God using in your life?  What is God stripping away in you?  How is God reconstructing you to become who you will be?  You don't have to mention names in your responses, but let us know how God is working in you in mighty ways!

If you aren't in a small group, please contact us, we want to help all of our members become connected.
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50 Days: Developing Your Spiritual Character

The purpose of this site is to provide an outlet for active participants at Real Life Ministries to describe their 50 Day journey.

As we begin Day 9 of this Journey we're asking God to give us the humility of Moses.  Last week we discussed the Spirit of Elijah in service, in our home groups and small groups, and in our communities.

We want to know, how is God moving in your life?