<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+51:1-9">Psalm 51:1-9</span></span></p><p>Even the most casual reader of  <span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+73">Psalm 73</span> cannot help but be struck by the openness and honesty of the psalmist. He says: "My feet had almost slipped  for I envied the arrogant" (vv. 2-3). This again is one of the great values of the book of Psalms - it brings home to us the importance of acknowledging what is going on in our hearts when we are caught up in the midst of conflict. I cannot stress enough how spiritually damaging it is to ignore or deny our true feelings. There is a form of teaching going around in some Christian circles today which holds that one should never admit or acknowledge a negative thought or feeling - not even for a single second. Life must be lived positively, it is said, and that means refusing to consider or even glance at anything negative. What nonsense! The people who advocate this approach to life can never have read the book of Psalms. I am all for a positive approach to life, but positivism first involves facing things realistically no matter how negative they may be. How can you know what you need to be positive about until you have clearly seen what is troubling you? Once an issue is faced, and faced realistically, then the matter can and must be dealt with in a positive way. But to try and be positive without bringing into clear focus what is wrong is like building a house on sand. No matter how much cement is poured into the foundations, and no matter how well the walls are reinforced, when a storm comes it will sink without trace. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, drive this truth deeply into my spirit, for I see that it is not enough to be honest with You and others, I must also be honest with myself. Help me get there and stay there. In Jesus' Name I ask it Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="pr+12:15-22">Proverbs 12:15-22</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="le+19:11">Leviticus 19:11</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="mal+2:6">Malachi 2:6</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What word does the Bible use for denial?</li><li>What delights the Lord?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts " (v. 6) 

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="pr+12:11-28">Proverbs 12:11-28</span></span></p><p>There are people in our world who, even though they are not Christians, catch sight of the fact that the universe is made for wisdom and that to live effectively on this earth one has to search for wisdom and cultivate it. Through rational thought and intuition these people come to the conclusion that without diligence, life is more a cage than a challenge. Victor Frankl is one such person. Frankl is a Jew who was put into a concentration camp in the Second World War and survived the Holocaust. In fact, the only reason why he was not murdered with the other Jews was because he was appointed personal physician to several of the Nazi SS officers. Throughout the years in concentration camp he gave himself to the task of finding out why it was that despite tremendous odds some survived while others gave up the will to live. He discovered that the reason why people gave up so easily was because they had no sense of meaning. Those who had a meaning or purpose to live for, such as the hope of seeing a loved one again, kept going despite the greatest odds, while those who had no meaning or purpose simply gave up. Frankl discovered by empirical means what another Jew discovered by revelation - that in order to persist, one needs hope. That Jew was the apostle Paul and he took things a stage further than Frankl when he said, "Christ in you, the hope of glory"  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:27">Colossians 1:27</span>). Christ with us is one thing; Christ in us - now that's another. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, how can I sufficiently thank You for the joy of having Christ within? His presence within gives me a hope that provides meaning in the deepest and darkest moments of my life. Thank You, Father. I am eternally grateful. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+6:1-9">Galatians 6:1-9</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+12:1">Hebrews 12:1</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="jas+5:11">James 5:11</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What must we not become weary in?</li><li>How are we to run?</li></ul></div></div>

"Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor." (v. 24)

<p><span class="bible-text "> <sup class="verse-num poetry-line">22 </sup><poetry>The <smallCap>Lord</smallCap> detests lying lips,  <br/><indent>but he delights   in people who are trustworthy.  </indent><span class="pb"></span><poetry></poetry> </span></p>

The <smallCap>Lord</smallCap> detests lying lips,<cr>1</cr> <br/><indent>but he delights<cr>2</cr>  in people who are trustworthy.<cr>3</cr> </indent><pb/><poetry>

Proverbs 12:22

 22 The Lord detests lying lips,   but he delights   in people who are trustworthy.   

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. 

<p><span class="bible-text "><poetry>The <smallCap>Lord</smallCap> detests lying lips,  <br/><indent>but he delights   in people who are trustworthy.  </indent><span class="pb"></span><poetry></poetry> </span></p>

 The Lord detests lying lips,   but he delights   in people who are trustworthy.   

Bible Verse of the Day

January 8, 1889

Proverbs 12:22 NIV

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