DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR MONDAY JULY 22:
WORD OF WISDOM
People who do not use punctuation deserve a long sentence.
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DAILY DEVOTION
After All, It Is Monday
Written by Rev. James L. Snyder
I do not consider myself lazy. I think of myself as an Energy Conservative.
I am saving my energy for sometime down the road when I may need it, and who
knows when.
This, however, is not the opinion of the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.
If there is a lazy bone in her, it has sprouted wings and flown away a long
time ago. She works hard, which I do not mind, except she expects me to keep
up with her.
I enjoy slouching around, busily engaged in doing nothing. I have become an
expert in this, which has become more than a hobby with me.
Occasionally my wife will say, "What are you doing right now?"
To which I answer, "Nothing."
Her response is, "I thought so. Could you come and help me now?"
I guess everybody has their own definition of "nothing." To be sure, my
wife's definition is not the same as mine. At this point, I am not quite
sure who has the right definition.
Some people have the idea that if you are doing nothing, you are being lazy.
I like to contradict that. Nothing and lazy are two different things. Don't
ask me the difference because I'm not quite sure I could explain the
difference, I'm just too lazy.
The best day of the week for me to be lazy is Monday. Weekends are always
busy with church work and such that Monday is a wonderful time to chill out
and unwind. Over the years, I have become an expert in this weekend recovery
exercise.
I guess everybody is lazy to some degree. Again, it depends on your
definition of lazy. Everybody needs an opportunity to relax a little and get
ready for the next activity.
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has a different idea about this. If
you are up and it is daylight, you have to be working and doing something.
"You can sleep tonight when you go to bed," is one of her famous sayings.
There are times when I wish I were living in Alaska, where they have about
67 days of night. Can you imagine sleeping for 67 days and actually doing
nothing?
My wife would like the other time of the year in Alaska, where they have
sunlight 24 hours a day.
A person should regulate his life and not be overwhelmed with anything,
particularly work activity.
I'm not against work at all. I just do not want my work to interfere with
those lazy moments so predominant in my life. I schedule my work around my
laziness as much as possible.
After all, what is wrong with being lazy? I know, as my wife has reminded
me, that there is work that must be done. Yet, there are times when we need
to live above our work schedule. Or, maybe live below it, I'm not sure.
I try to take Monday's off and schedule nothing that day. I'm not always
successful, I will admit. But it is not because I do not try.
We had come through six or seven weeks of work every day. Just when I wanted
to take a day off something came up and I had a cancel my day off and focus
on the work before me.
It was a Thursday afternoon and I came into the house, sat down in my chair
and in a few moments found myself sleeping. Actually, my wife found me
sleeping.
"You're not sleeping?" she asked.
It startled me and I woke up and saw her there and gently said, "No, my
dear. I was praying for you and the kids and the grandkids."
She smiled very graciously and said, "Okay, that's quite all right, keep
praying."
I was so excited that I got something over on her that I could not go back
to sleep. I was so glad that it worked. I plan to use that ploy in the
future.
Several weeks ago, we had a very busy weekend. Not only church programs but
also other activities that took up most of Saturday. Come Monday morning I
was completely worn out. I said to myself as I got out of bed, "I'm going to
practice my lazy exercises all day today."
I went out, sat in my chair and just relaxed. It felt so good. Being lazy
has a good feeling to it at times. Of course, only people who work hard can
appreciate those lazy moments. I was appreciating my lazy moment.
I then heard the front door open and in came my wife who had been shopping
for groceries. She looked at me and said, "You're not still in that chair
doing nothing, are you?"
I could not use the prayer strategy because my eyes were open watching TV.
Looking at her with a grin all over my face I said, "I'm exercising my lazy
rights. After all, it is Monday."
She smiled back, went into the kitchen and began putting away the groceries.
I leaned back in my chair and said to myself, "Isn't lazy something
special!"
It was then that I thought about a verse in Genesis. "And on the seventh day
God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from
all his work which he had made" (Genesis 2:2).
Even God ended his work and rested one day during the week. He is my
example.
Dr. James L. Snyder, is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine
Road, Ocala, FL 34472.
He lives with his wife in Silver Springs Shores. James is an award winning
author whose books are available at https://amzn.to/2SMOjwO.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Isaiah 7-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
7 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of
Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of
Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but
could not [a]prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David,
saying, "Syria's forces are [b]deployed in Ephraim." So his heart and the
heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the
wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and
[c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on
the highway to the Fuller's Field, 4 and say to him: [d]'Take heed, and
[e]be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking
firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of
Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted
evil against you, saying, 6 "Let us go up against Judah and [f]trouble it,
and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them,
the son of Tabel"- 7 thus says the Lord God:
"It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
8
For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
9
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established." ' "
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 "Ask a sign for
yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the
height above."
12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!"
13 Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to
weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself
will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He
may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child
shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread
will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of
Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house-days that have not
come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah."
18
And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19
They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20
In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor,
With those from beyond [j]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21
It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22
So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23
It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
It will be for briers and thorns.
24
With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25
And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.
Assyria Will Invade the Land
8 Moreover the Lord said to me, "Take a large scroll, and write on it with a
man's pen concerning [k]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself
faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of
Jeberechiah."
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the
Lord said to me, "Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 for before the
child [l]shall have knowledge to cry 'My father' and 'My mother,' the riches
of Damascus and the [m]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king
of Assyria."
5 The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:
6
"Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son;
7
Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [n]the River, strong and mighty-
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [o]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
8
He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [p]fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.[q]
9
"Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10
Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, but it will not stand,
For [r]God is with us."
Fear God, Heed His Word
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [s]a strong hand, and instructed me
that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12
"Do not say, 'A conspiracy,'
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their [t]threats, nor be [u]troubled.
13
The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14
He will be as a [v]sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of [w]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15
And many among them shall stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [x]taken."
16
Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17
And I will wait on the Lord,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.
18
Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who
whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek
the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If
they do not speak according to this word, it is because there[y] is no light
in them.
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen,
when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse [z]their king and
their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see
trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into
darkness.
The Government of the Promised Son
9 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3
You have multiplied the nation
And [aa]increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4
For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of Midian.
5
For every warrior's [ab]sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
Will be used for burning and fuel [ac]of fire.
6
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The Punishment of Samaria
8
The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9
All the people will know-
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria-
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10
"The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars."
11
Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12
The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is [ad]stretched out still.
13
For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14
Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush in one day.
15
The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16
For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17
Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks [ae]folly.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18
For wickedness burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
No man shall spare his brother.
20
And he shall [af]snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21
Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be against Judah.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
Footnotes:
a.Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
b.Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
c.Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
d.Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
e.Isaiah 7:4 be calm
f.Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
g.Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
h.Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
i.Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
j.Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
k.Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
l.Isaiah 8:4 knows how
m.Isaiah 8:4 plunder
n.Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
o.Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
p.Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
q.Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
r.Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
s.Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
t.Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
u.Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
v.Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
w.Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
x.Isaiah 8:15 captured
y.Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
z.Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God
aa.Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the
people You brought down in Your joy
ab.Isaiah 9:5 boot
ac.Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
ad.Isaiah 9:12 In judgment
ae.Isaiah 9:17 foolishness
af.Isaiah 9:20 slice off or tear
