Dave's Diary

Prayer

LIfe-Giving Lord, please open my eyes to see and my ears to hear the wonderful truth of Your Word today. Amen.

Reading

Read Proverbs 29 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.

A Devotional Thought

Proverbs 29: 
¹⁸ Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. (AMP)

¹⁸ Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,
    but blessed is he who keeps the law. (ESV)

The contrasting second half of this proverb makes it really clear that what the author has in mind in the first half of the proverb is this: “If there is no clear revelation of God’s will (or no acceptance of that will as normative) in a given community, that community will eventually descend into immorality and confusion.” People need the boundary lines of God’s good, pleasing and perfect will to keep us on the Way of Abundant Life. When we either do not receive them (because we do not bother to study His Word or listen to it preached and taught), or do not accept and submit to them (because we think we know better than Him), we are on a road headed away from God’s True Life.

The full blessings of God’s Abundance are found within the boundaries He has revealed to us and so those who “keep His law” give themselves the opportunity to walk in those blessings. It’s so important that we grasp this truth. God does not give us laws and boundaries to spoil our fun. He gives them to us to bring us into abundant life!

May our vision for our lives be formed by God’s Word today. And if you’re wondering where that vision might start, just remember Jesus’ new commandment to His disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you.” How about setting out to fulfill that vision Jesus has for your life today? A vision of you loving others with His self-giving love in order to make their lives better! If we pursue that vision, we cannot go wrong in the Kingdom.

Prayer

Lord, I surrender to Your vision for my life. Please lead me along the narrow way of Your good, pleasing and perfect will; and please empower me to live a life of self-giving love today. Amen.