DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY JUNE 9:
WORD OF WISDOM
Trials without God will break you. Trials with God will make you!
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DAILY DEVOTION
Ignoring What Really Matters
"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of
herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have
done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye
love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which
appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them."
Luke 11:42-44
In Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the following
conversation takes place between Alice and the Cheshire Cat that describes
how our effort in life can be wasted. "Would you tell me, please, which way
I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get
to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where-" said Alice. "Then it doesn't
matter which way you go," said the Cat. "So long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice
added as an explanation. "Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you
only walk long enough."
It is easy for us to find that our lives are filled with activity, but not
with productivity. We can find that our focus drifts from one thing to the
next, and we look only at what is before us rather than having clear goals
and destinations in mind. The truly important things in life are often
drowned out by the clamor of the urgent, and if we are not careful, we will
find ourselves spending all our time and energy on things that are of very
little true significance. The Pharisees counted out the tiniest leaves in
their herb gardens to be sure they were tithing in accordance with the law,
yet at the same time they ignored the things that were eternal. As a result,
Jesus condemned them for their lack of proper priorities.
If you avoid the trap of focusing on things that don't matter, your life
will be much more productive.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Psalm 26-30Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
A song of David.
26 Lord, you be the judge and prove that I have lived a pure life.
I have depended on you, Lord, to keep me from falling.
2
Look closely at me, Lord, and test me.
Judge my deepest thoughts and emotions.
3
I always remember your faithful love.
I depend on your faithfulness.
4
I don't run around with troublemakers.
I have nothing to do with hypocrites.
5
I hate being around evil people.
I refuse to join those gangs of crooks.
6
Lord, I wash my hands to make myself pure,
so that I can come to your altar.
7
I sing a song to give you thanks,
and I tell about all the wonderful things you have done.
8
Lord, I love the house[a] where you live,
the place where your glory is.
9
Lord, don't treat me like one of those sinners.
Don't kill me with those murderers.
10
They are guilty of cheating people.
They take bribes to do wrong.
11
But I am innocent,
so be kind to me and save me.
12
I am safe from all danger
as I stand here praising you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
A song of David.
27 Lord, you are my Light and my Savior,
so why should I be afraid of anyone?
The Lord is where my life is safe,
so I will be afraid of no one!
2
Evil people might attack me.
They might try to destroy my body.
Yes, my enemies might attack me and try to destroy me,
but they will stumble and fall.
3
Even if an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid.
Even if people attack me in war, I will trust in the Lord.
4
I ask only one thing from the Lord.
This is what I want most:
Let me live in the Lord's house all my life,
enjoying the Lord's beauty
and spending time in his palace.[b]
5
He will protect me when I am in danger.
He will hide me in his tent.[c]
He will take me up to his place of safety.
6
If he will help me defeat the enemies around me,
I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and play songs to honor the Lord.
7
Lord, hear my voice.
Be kind and answer me.
8
My heart told me to come to you, Lord,
so I am coming to ask for your help.
9
Don't turn away from me.
Don't be angry with your servant.
You are the only one who can help me.
My God, don't leave me all alone.
You are my Savior.
10
Even if my mother and father leave me,
the Lord will take me in.
11
I have enemies, Lord, so teach me your ways.
Show me the right way to live.
12
My enemies have attacked me.
They have told lies about me and have tried to hurt me.
13
But I really believe
that I will see the Lord's goodness before I die.[d]
14
Wait for the Lord's help.
Be strong and brave,
and wait for the Lord's help.
A song of David.
28 Lord, you are my Rock.
I am calling to you for help.
Don't close your ears to my prayers.
If you don't answer me,
I will be counted among the dead.
2
I lift my hands and pray toward your Most Holy Place.
Hear me when I call to you.
Show mercy to me.
3
Don't treat me like the evil people
who do wicked things.
They greet their neighbors like friends,
but secretly plan to hurt them.
4
They do bad things to others,
so make bad things happen to them.
Give them the punishment they deserve.
5
They don't notice what the Lord does.
They ignore all the good things he has made.
So instead of building them up,
he will destroy them.
6
Praise the Lord!
He has heard my prayer for mercy.
7
The Lord is my strength and shield.
I trusted him with all my heart.
He helped me, so I am happy.
I sing songs of praise to him.
8
The Lord protects his chosen one.[e]
He saves him and gives him strength.
9
Save your people.
Bless those who belong to you.
Lead them and honor them[f] forever.
A song of David.
29 Praise the Lord, you heavenly angels[g]!
Praise the Lord's glory and power.
2
Praise the Lord and honor his name!
Worship the Lord in all his holy beauty.
3
The Lord's voice can be heard over the sea.
The voice of our glorious Lord God is like thunder over the great ocean.
4
The Lord's voice is powerful.
It shows the Lord's glory.
5
The Lord's voice shatters great cedar trees.
The Lord breaks the great cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes Lebanon shake like a young calf dancing.
Sirion[h] trembles like a young bull jumping up and down.
7
The Lord's voice cuts the air with flashes of lightning.
8
The Lord's voice shakes the desert.
The desert of Kadesh[i] trembles at the Lord's voice.
9
The Lord's voice frightens the deer.[j]
He destroys the forests.
In his temple everyone shouts, "Glory to God!"
10
The Lord ruled as king at the time of the flood,
and the Lord will rule as king forever.
11
May the Lord make his people strong.
May the Lord bless his people with peace.
A song of David for the dedication of the Temple.[k]
30 Lord, you lifted me out of my troubles.
You did not give my enemies a reason to laugh,
so I will praise you.
2
Lord my God, I prayed to you,
and you healed me.
3
Lord, you lifted me out of the grave.
I was falling into the place of death, but you saved my life.
4
Praise the Lord, you who are loyal to him!
Praise his holy name[l]!
5
His anger lasts for a little while,
but then his kindness brings life.
The night may be filled with tears,
but in the morning we can sing for joy!
6
When I was safe and secure,
I thought nothing could hurt me.
7
Yes, Lord, while you were kind to me,
I felt that nothing could defeat me.[m]
But when you turned away from me,
I was filled with fear.
8
So, Lord, I turned and prayed to you.
I asked you, Lord, to show me mercy.
9
I said, "What good is it if I die
and go down to the grave?
The dead just lie in the dirt.
They cannot praise you.
They cannot tell anyone how faithful you are.
10
Lord, hear my prayer, and be kind to me.
Lord, help me!"
11
You have changed my sorrow into dancing.
You have taken away my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy.
12
You wanted me to praise you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever!
Footnotes:
a.Psalm 26:8 house Or "Temple." See "Temple" in the Word List.
b.Psalm 27:4 palace A large house built for a king. Here, it is the Temple.
See "Temple" in the Word List.
c.Psalm 27:5 tent The place where God lives among his people. Here, it is
the Temple in Jerusalem. See "Holy Tent" and "Temple" in the Word List.
d.Psalm 27:13 before I die Literally, "in the land of the living."
e.Psalm 28:8 his chosen one Or "his anointed one." This might be anyone God
chose to serve in a special way, but it is usually the king he has chosen.
f.Psalm 28:9 honor them Or "forgive them." Literally, "lift them up."
g.Psalm 29:1 heavenly angels Literally, "sons of gods." This probably means
God's angels who are pictured here as priests worshiping him in heaven.
h.Psalm 29:6 Sirion Or "Mount Hermon."
i.Psalm 29:8 desert of Kadesh A desert in Syria. This might also mean "the
holy desert."
j.Psalm 29:9 deer Or "oak trees."
k.Psalm 30:1 Psalm 30 A song . Temple Or "A psalm. The song for the
dedication of the house. Dedicated to David."
l.Psalm 30:4 name Literally, "memory" or "memorial."
m.Psalm 30:7 I felt . defeat me Literally, "You placed me on the strong
mountains."
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright C 2006 by Bible League International
