JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Use Every Day Wisely"

Proverbs 24:30-34  "I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down.  When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man."

1 Corinthians 15:50-54  "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"

James 4:13-15  "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'"

Psalm 37:18  "The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever."

Luke 12:33  "Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

Insight: We cannot waste our time on Earth.  We have a limited amount of time and must use it wisely.  Take time to rest and enjoy some entertainment, but don't forget the things that are most important.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and remind us of the important things in our life.  Help us to reserve plenty of time for You and for our family.  Help us to avoid fruitless endeavors and to use our time wisely.  Thank you for giving us so much time on Earth.  Let us use it to bless You and others.  Praise You for being good and giving us much more than we deserve.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

On January 7, 1610, Galileo (1564-1642) pointed his newly invented telescope at the sky from Padua, Italy, and made several important discoveries. He was the first the see Saturn’s rings and also the moon-like phases of the planet Venus. Galileo quickly realized that the created solar system was much more beautiful and complex than previously thought. He later wrote about his discovery of Jupiter’s four major moons:

What surpasses all wonders by far...is the discovery of four wondering stars (moons). All these facts were discovered and observed by me not many days ago with the aid of a spyglass I devised, after first being illuminated by divine Grace.

This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

We need to have a seriousness of purposely and a lightness of heart.

If you'd like to read more quotes, you'll want a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.