Dave's Diary

Prayer

As you begin your devotion, spend time honouring the Lord in prayer. Then ask Him to speak to you and give you guidance from His Word. Ask Him to show you how to live this day for His glory and His pleasure.

Reading

Read Proverbs 1 slowly and prayerfully. Notice which verse particularly jumps out at you. Re-read that verse a few times slowly. Write it down in your journal. Try to memorise it so that you can reflect on it without having to read from the page.

Prayerful Reflection

Now take that Proverb and think about your life at the moment. Is there a situation in your life to which that Proverb applies. Ask the Lord how this verse from His Word is telling you to live out His wisdom in that situation. Make notes in your journal.

Prayer

Now pray for the grace to live out the truth of that Proverb in the specific situation you thought about and in the day that lies ahead of you in general.

A Devotional Thought

Proverbs 1:⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This verse serves as an absolute foundation for the whole Book of Proverbs, as well as for our lives as disciples. It invites us to live from the foundation of a deep sense of loving awe and reverence towards God. It calls us to orientate our lives around the central goal of pleasing God. This is “the fear of the Lord” – not a fear of His punishment, but such a deep and reverent love and honour for God that our greatest desire is to please Him and our greatest “fear” is to live out of step with His desire for our lives.

May our lives be completely orientated towards this desire today. In each situation we face, may our first thought be, “How can I please the Lord here?”