THE WAY YOU WALK

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 5:22-33 Key Verse: 33- Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath

JUNE 1

commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Key Words: Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you Have you ever given any thought to the way people walk? Some people have a penguin walk, others have a duck walk, full of wobble. Some people have a limp in their walk, while others walk fast and others slow. Now, any of these walks are fine with me, so long as we walk with the Lord. When we walk with the Lord, we go where He goes. It primarily deals with our location. When we walk with God, we are safe. We grow; we have fellowship, and we have assurance, among other things. As a young boy, I remember shopping with my family in downtown Mobile, Alabama. I was enamored by all the stores and people. My dad on numerous occasions would say, Now stay with me. As you can imagine, I didnt. I stopped to gaze in department store windows; as the old saying goes, Oops, they were gone. When my brain finally kicked back into gear, my parents were nowhere around. Here I am in this large city alone, scared, and seemingly doomed. As I wandered from store to store, fighting back the tears, this large hand grabs me and says, I told you to stay with me. Let me assure you from then on I did. The same principle applies when it comes to walking with the Lord. Our safety, peace, and assurance come from just staying with God!!

What to do: Walk with God and you will be glad you did.

JUNE 2 Bible Reading: I Samuel 8:1-9 Key Verse: 3- And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and
took bribes, and perverted judgment.

FORCEFUL WAYS

Key Words: And his sons walked not in his ways Samuel was a man of God, but not his sons. They lived for money (verse 3). Samuel forced his sons to be judges. That was a mistake. You cant force people to do anythingeither they want to or they dont. If they want to, theyll do a good job; if they dont want to, theyll bring havoc into your life. Let me give you an old saying that goes: You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make him drink. An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him, but as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find land. Finally, he was rescued by his friends. Disgusted and impatient with him, they asked, Why didnt you use that compass we gave you? You could have saved us a lot of trouble! The sailor responded, I didnt dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast. That old sailor was so certain he knew which way was north that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal persuasion on his compass. Unable to do so, he tossed it aside as worthless and failed to benefit from the guidance it offered. You cant force people to go in the right direction. You have to lead them there. It is their choice whether or not to follow.

What to do: Be a leader, not a forcer.

WISE WAYS

JUNE 3

Bible Reading: I Samuel 18:1-16 Key Verse: 14- And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was
with him.

Key Words: And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways The essence of the text verse is that David conducted himself in a Godly manner. Godly conduct is important, it allows others to see Jesus through our actions.

The authors of the following illustrations are unknown. When Queen Victoria was a child, she didnt know she was in line for the throne of England. Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldnt motivate her. She just didnt take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England. Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, Then I will be good. The realization that she had inherited this high calling gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from then on. A man in the Army of Alexander the Great who was also named Alexander, was accused of cowardly actions. He was brought before Alexander, who asked what his name was. He replied softly, "Alexander." "I can't hear you," the ruler stated. The man again said, a little louder, "Alexander." The process was repeated one more time, after which Alexander the Great commented, "Either change your name or change your conduct." If you are acting bad, then dont tell people you are a Christian. Change your name or change your conduct.

What to do: Behave yourself wisely in all your ways.

JUNE 4 Bible Reading: II Kings 17:1-15 Key Verse: 13- Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the
prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

EVIL WAYS

Key Words: evil ways According to II Kings 17:7-8, Israel had learned the ways of the heathen when in Egypt and had evidently taught these ways to their childrenwho taught them to their childrenand now they are worshipping false gods which God refers to as evil ways. The word evil carries the idea of rejecting God. Now, while I hate the idea of Israel rejecting God, there is some comfort to me in this. When we are rejected for carrying the message of God, we have a God Who understands our hurt and discouragement of being rejected. G. Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wesleyan ministry in 1888. He passed the doctrinal examinations, but then faced

the trial sermon. In a cavernous auditorium that could seat more than a thousand sat three ministers and seventy-five others who came to listen. When Morgan stepped into the pulpit, the vast room and the searching, critical eyes caught him up short. Two weeks later, Morgan's name appeared among the 105 REJECTED for the ministry that year. Jill Morgan, his daughter-in-law, wrote in her book, A Man of the Word, "He wired to his father the one word, 'Rejected,' and sat down to write in his diary: 'Very dark everything seems. Still, He knoweth best.' Quickly came the reply: 'Rejected on earth. Accepted in heaven. Dad.'" In later years, Morgan said: "God said to me, in the weeks of loneliness and darkness that followed, 'I want you to cease making plans for yourself, and let Me plan your life.'" Rejection is rarely permanent, as Morgan went on to prove. Even in this life, circumstances change, and ultimately, there is no rejection of those accepted by Christ.

What to do: There are worse things than being rejected by man, one of which is being rejected by God.

THE WAYS OF ABIJAH

JUNE 5

Bible Reading: II Chronicles 13:13-22 Key Verse: 22- And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are
written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

Key Words: Abijah, and his ways What exactly were the ways of Abijah? In I Kings 15:3 we read in regard to Abijah, And he walked in all the sins of his father [Rehoboam]. Rehoboam is responsible for the division of the nation of Israel, because of his heavy taxation. The Southern Kingdom (Judah) divided from the Northern Kingdom. Not only was his heavy taxation a burden, he also warred against his own people (Judah). He was also immoral in that he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines (II Chronicles 11:21). So it was with his son, Abijah: divisive and immoral. Speaking of being divisive: there are as many in our churches today that are like Rehoboam and Abijah (divisive). Ray Stedman said, "Some people for the sake of their point of view would destroy the unity of your church. How do you deal with them? Avoid them. We must keep our eye on them and turn away from them. In other words, we dont listen to

them. Were never obligated to hear a person out when what theyre saying is not consistent with Christian speech. If they are tearing down the church, tearing down the pastor, tearing down the leaders or Sunday School teachers or any believer, we should not listen. Because even out of a misguided sense of courtesy, our listening to them would make it seem that we agree, while what were doing is giving them another chance to vent their verbal poison." Let me caution you: be careful who you listen to. They may be a wellintentioned Rehoboam or Abijah.

What to do: Follow Gods ways, not mans.

WAYS OF THE KINGS

JUNE 6 Bible Reading: II Chronicles 28:1-15 Key Verse: 2- For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten
images for Baalim.

Key Words: For he walked in the ways of the kings What exactly was the ways of the kings of Israel? We are told in verse 3 that he sacrificed children by fire to false gods. He also allowed places of false worship to be built (verse 4). Now, while we cringe at such as burning children in fire, why do we not cringe at the one million babies aborted each year in America? One of the most talked about human tragedies of history was the slaughter of 6 million Jews by Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. How could a civilized country allow the construction and operation of Nazi death camps? Sociologists tell us that only 10% of Germans fully backed Hitlers radical views. Analyses reveal that Hitler came to power because he promised German prosperity. People were willing to overlook Hitlers hatred as long as he could put money in their pockets. Today, we are looking at a Holocaust taking place in our own country called abortion. (A perspective on the slaughter of American children today)

Civil War (both sides) WWI WWII Korea Vietnam

98,332 deaths 116,708 deaths 407,316 deaths 25,604 deaths 58,168 deaths

Abortion deaths since 1973 44,670,812 deaths Pray for America for it appears we have gone the way of the ungodly kings.

What to do: Pray up! Stand up! Speak up! Let your state and federal representatives know how you feel.

GRIEVOUS WAYS
JUNE 7 Bible Reading: Psalm 10 Key Verse: 5- His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his
sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

Key Words: His ways are always grievous We read in verse 2 the wicked. Again in verse 3 the wicked. And again in verse 4 the wicked. And we read in verse 5, His ways are always grievous. Whose ways? The wicked! In the theological word book of the Old Testament it says of the wicked that they were guilty of violating the social rights of others. They were violent, oppressive, and greedy. The goal of the wicked is always personal gain. Their ways are always grievous. As you read Psalm 10 it is clear that the wicked were causing much grief in the lives of the righteous. But David didnt want the righteous to become so full of despair so as to forsake God (verse 16). The Lord is King forever so as long as God is King, alls well that ends well. Halford E. Luccok writes in Unfinished Business. One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The

town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present." David understood this and so he encouraged the people to have faith (in God) for the future, and so should we.

What to do: Dont let the wicked ones get you down. God will ultimately prevail.

DIRECTED WAYS
Reading: Psalm 119:1-8 Key Verse: 5- O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Key Words: my ways were directed

JUNE 8

John Phillips in his book on the Psalms writes, It is clear that the writer of Psalm 119 was a suffering saint who had to endure contempt if not downright ill treatment. It is because of this suffering that the Psalmist asks God to direct (firmly establish) his ways. When going through the trials of life, it is difficult to stay on track. We can become easily derailed. As a youngster I had a Sunday School teacher who was constantly giving us object lessons. One such lesson occurred on a warm spring day when he took our class out for one of his object lessons. As we all sat in a circle, he had each one of us go one by one and pull up a weed of some kind. Then he put us in teams, had us pull up a large weed, and then he gave us the assignment of pulling up a pine tree which only stood about three feet high but no matter how hard we tried, we couldnt budge that pine tree. He proceeded to tell us that in life we will either be planted in the world or the Word, and the time would come when we would be firmly established, unmovable. He closed by saying, Make your choices in life prayerfully because the day will come when no one will be able to move you.

Is that not what the Psalmist is asking for? To be firmly established in Gods statutes.

What to do: Make your choices carefully because todays choices are tomorrows roots.

CROOKED WAYS
JUNE 9 Bible Reading: Psalm 125 Key Verse: 5- As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead
them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

Key Words: crooked ways The word crooked means twistedthe idea of twisting or braiding the hair. When ones ways are twisted, the results can never be straight. Speaking of twisted!! Whoa! What in the world is happening with our kids today? Lets seeI think it started when Madalyn Murray OHair complained that she didnt want any prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you had better not read the Bible in school the Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK. Remember Dr. Benjamin Spock, who said we shouldnt spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem? And we said, OK, we wont spank them. Then someone said that teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And our administrators said whoa, no one in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we dont want any bad publicity, and we surely dont want to be sued. Then someone said, lets let our daughters have abortions if they want, and we wont even have to tell their parents. And we said, thats a grand idea. Then someone else said, lets give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we wont have to tell their parents. And we said, thats another great idea.

And then some of our top officials said that it doesnt matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said, as long as I have a job and the economy is good, it doesnt matter to me what anyone does in private. So now were asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they dont know right from wrong, and why it doesnt bother them to kill. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with we reap what we sow. Whoa! What a concept!

What to do: Make your ways straight (live by the Bible), and the results will always be straight.

SINGING WAYS
JUNE 10 Bible Reading: Psalm 138 Key Verse: 5- Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of
the LORD.

Key Words: they shall sing in the ways of the LORD Psalm 138 is a prophetic psalm; it speaks of the time when Christ will reign on earth. The kings of the earth will hear the words of His mouth, as David says. They will say, Never man spake like this man. They will come, like the queen of Sheba, from the ends of the earth to see Him, to listen to Him. Each will return saying, Behold, the half was never told me. And they will sing! When the rulers of the world meet in conference now, they do not open their sessions with song. They neither sing nor pray. There is not much to sing about and most of them do not believe in prayer. The rulers and delegates of the nations meet to discuss the storm clouds that hang, now here, now there, over the world, or to discuss this crisis or that outrage or this famine or that economic woe. What with the hostilities, rivalries, and jealousies of both superpowers and lesser powers, there is not much to sing about (though there is plenty to pray about) when the nations convene in conference. They squabble now. They will sing then.

And sing we will to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! A man once complained to the pastor, I dont like the hymns you chose today. Thats OK, came the reply. We werent singing them to you. Amen!

What to do: Think about it. If there is a singing which is in the way of the Lord, then is there not a singing which is not in the ways of the Lord? Make sure your singing is right!

JUNE 11 Bible Reading: Proverbs 5:15-23 Key Verse: 21- For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he
pondereth all his goings.

WAYS OF A MAN

Key Words: for the ways of man Proverbs 5 deals with the subject of adultery. Its not Gods way; its mans way!!! Man can come up with every excuse under the sun for not being faithful to his wife or not being clean sexually, but God knows the truth. Listen to the words of a minister who ended up with a ruined marriage and a ruined ministry after a one night stand, Adultery isnt something that happens with the act it happens months beforehand. Its an attitude. You disconnect yourself from the person youve said youre spending the rest of your life with. Remember some years ago watching Phyllis George interview Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Roger Staubach? It was a dull interview until Phyllis asked, Roger, how do you feel when you compare yourself with Joe Namath, who is so sexually active and has a different woman on his arm every time we see him? Phyllis, Roger answered, Im sure Im just as sexually active as Joe. The difference is that all of mine is with one woman. Touchdown! Roger hit the end zone with that comeback. Real men dont commit adultery. A real man sticks with one woman. Period!! Amen!

What to do: Dont go the way of a man, but go the way of the Lord.

JUNE 12 Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:1-12 Key Verse: 12- There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death.

WAYS OF DEATH

Key Words: There is a way.ways of death Its interesting to me that we start out with a way (Jesus) and end up with ways. Isnt that the way people believe though? They believe there are many ways to heaven. Cain had that problem. Cain substituted reason for revelation, beauty for blood, trying for trusting, and feeling for fact. But in the end he ended, not with salvation, but sorrow. There is a difference between your religion and mine," said a Christian to his neighbor. Indeed! was the reply. What is that? It is this: Yours has only two letters in it, while mine has four. What do you mean? said he. Well, yours has DO. Mine has DONE. It seems there was a pretzel stand out front of an office building in New York. One day, a man came out of the building, plunked down a quarter, and then went on his way without taking a pretzel. This happened every day for three weeks. Finally, the old lady running the stand spoke up: Sir, excuse me. May I have a word with you? The fellow said: I know what youre going to say. Youre going to ask me why I give you a quarter every day and dont take a pretzel. And the woman said, Not at all, I just want to tell you that the price is now 35 cents. So it is with religion when it comes to being born again. You can never do enough. Just when you think youve earned it, Satan raises the price.

What to do: You can go the way of Jesus which is life, or the way of religion which is death. The choice is yours.

JUNE 13 Bible Reading: Proverbs 16:1-10 Key Verse: 2- All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD
weigheth the spirits.

THE WAYS OF MAN

Key Words: All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes The key to our text verse is the last part, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. To God what we do is important, but the spirit in which we do it is just as important. The word spirits in verse 2 carries the idea of a refreshing attitude. So while we, and even others, may believe what we are doing for the Lord is a good thing; God only sees it as good when what we do, we do with a refreshing attitude. The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, "What are you doing?" The first replied, "I'm cutting stone for 10 shillings a day." The next answered, "I'm putting in 10 hours a day on this job." But the third said, "I'm helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London's greatest cathedrals." Remember, God weighs the spirits. Is yours and mine a refreshing attitude or has it grown old and stale?

What to do: Do what we do for God with the right spirit, not occasionally but continually.

JUNE 14 Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:8-13 Key Verse: 9- For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

THE HIGHER WAYS

Key Words: so are my ways higher than your ways The word higher means exact. Gods ways are more exact than mans ways. As you read Scripture, it becomes apparent that Gods ways are heavenly and mans ways are earthly. God sees from above and we see from below. I fought in Viet Nam. It would not be unusual for a surveillance plane to call down and tell us where the enemy was located. We often would guess where the

next enemy attack would come from, but because the surveillance plane was much higher than we were, they knew. Their thoughts were accurate because they were higher than we were. So it is with God: His thoughts are higher than ours. Now, we would have been foolish not to heed the advice of those in the surveillance plane. So the same is true for us today: we would be foolish not to heed God for He sees what we cannot see, and our life depends on us following His direction.

What to do: Follow Gods direction for He sees and knows what we can never see or know.

UNSTABLE WAYS
Bible Reading: James 1:1-8 Key Verse: 8- A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Key Words: unstable in all his ways

JUNE 15

The words double-minded and the words take no thought from Matthew 6 came from the same Greek word. Also the word careful is from the same Greek word merizo. It means to be anxious, stressed out, worried. So it is the anxious, stressed out, and worrying person who is unstable in all his ways. Corrie Ten Boom said, Worry doesnt empty tomorrow of sorrows; it empties today of strength. Two different thoughts about worry follow. First, there was a French soldier in World War I who carried with him this little receipt of worry: Of two things, one is certain. Either you are at the front, or you are behind the lines. If you are at the front, of two things one is certain. Either you are exposed to danger, or you are in a safe place. If you are exposed to danger, of two things one is certain. Either you are wounded, or you are not wounded. If you are wounded, of two things one is certain. Either you recover, or you die. If you recover, there is no need to worry. If you die, you cant worry. SO WHY WORRY? Thought number two is about a woman who had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in

the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. Good evening, said the man of the house. I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting ten years to meet you. Worry is a great destroyer. It destroys your joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, your personality. Warren Wiersbe says that 98% of everything we worry about never comes to fruition. So why worry?

What to do: Invest your time in others and you will find little time to worry.

THE WAY OF SUCCESS

JUNE 16 Bible Reading: Joshua 1:1-8 Key Verse: 8- This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Key Words: and then thou shalt have good success Many people are waiting for their ship to come in. The problem is theyve never sent one out. Let me ask you: How do you define success? To me success is based upon attaining those things that can attain heaven, souls of men, and giving to God (Matthew 6:19-21) are certainly two of those things. January 6, 1850 was bitterly cold in Colchester, England, a hard-biting blizzard keeping most worshipers at home. At the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Artillery Street only about a dozen showed up. When it became apparent that even the pastor would not arrive, an unlettered man rose and spoke haltingly from Isaiah 45:22, then the crowd dispersed, thinking the days service a loss not realizing that a fifteen-year-old boy had ducked into the room to escape the snowstorm, and, hearing the sermon, had been converted. Years later that boy, Charles Spurgeon, wrote: Dont hold back because you cannot preach in St. Pauls; be content to talk to one or two in a cottage. You may cook in small pots as well as in big ones. Little pigeons can carry great messages.

Even a little dog can bark at a thief, wake up the master, and save the house. Do what you do right thoroughly, pray over it heartily, and leave the result to God. Success is carrying out Joshua 1:8. Do this and you will be successful in the eyes of God.

What to do: Dont just read and memorize Joshua 1:8. Live it.

THE WAYS OF DAD

Bible Reading: I Kings 22:41-49 Key Verse: 43- And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside

JUNE 17

from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.

Key Words: and he walked in the ways of Asa his father Jehoshaphat while worshipping God also allowed the high places to remain. These were places of pagan worship. He evidently was influenced greatly by his father Asa for we read in I Kings 15:14, But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asas heart was perfect with the LORD all his days. Remember the old saying: like father, like son? In this case the saying would be true. For the record, I have no sons; but I do have grandsons. I dont want them to be like me. I want them to be better than me, much more spiritual than me. A Fathers Prayer by General Douglas MacArthur (May 1952) Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him

humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, have not lived in vain. Let dad not live in vain. May our goal not be to have our sons resemble us, but may they resemble Christ.

What to do: Strive for the above.

DEPARTING WAYS
Bible Reading: Acts 15:22-40 Key Verse: 39- And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed Key Words: that they departed asunder What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? What happens when two good men, two Godly men, are equally convinced that quite opposite courses should be taken? In this case there was a very hot discussion. Barnabas presented all the positive reasons for including Mark in the new venture: he was young, he had promise, grace should prevail, he deserved a second chance. Paul presented all the reasons for not including Mark: he was unstable, he might fail again next time at an even more critical point, it was not fair to expose him to dangers (and dangers there would be) beyond his capacity to face, Mark had other talents, he had a way with words, let him be content serving the Lord within the framework of his talents and temperament. The discussion grew heated. And dont you forget, Paul, how I took up your case when you needed a friend, Barnabas might have said. Come to think of it, Paul might have angrily replied, You dissembled right here at Antioch when Peter and the others refused to eat with the Gentiles. Im not so sure about you any more, my brother. In the end, the two angry men faced each other, sorry that it had come to such a pass but both quite inflexible over the central issue John Mark. There was only one thing to do, shake hands and part company. How sad! How true to life.

JUNE 18

asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

I have a little saying that goes: Disagree without becoming disagreeable. Two good men can disagree; it happens all the time, but do so with the right Godly spirit. Amen!

What to do: Disagree without becoming disagreeable.

CARING WAYS

JUNE 19

Bible Reading: Nehemiah 1 Key Verse: 4- And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Key Words: that I sat down and wept Nehemiah was a great leader. As a matter of fact, each chapter of Nehemiah tells us of Nehemiahs leadership characteristics. But in chapter one he was a great leader because he cared. He cared about the people of Jerusalem, verse 2. He cared about the condition of the walls at Jerusalem, verse 3; but he also cared about how Israel had offended God. In chapter one, we see that Nehemiah cared enough to ask, verses 1 and 2. He cared enough to pray, verses 6 through 10. And he cared enough to weep, verse 4. Nehemiah cared!! Author Leo Buscaglia once told about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child; the winner was a four-yearold boy. His next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into this gentlemans yard, climbed into his lap and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, Nothing. I just helped him cry. (The Story File). Tears are a language God understands, and I have found most people understand the language of tears as well.

What to do: Care about people, even those you battle with liking.

JUNE 20 Bible Reading: Isaiah 57:1-15 Key Verse: 15- For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

CONTRITE WAYS

Key Words: contrite ones The word contrite is found twice in our text verse. The word means to be bruised or crushed. As you read the verse, its plain to see that God is talking to Israel and promises to dwell with those who are contrite. He also promises to revive the contrite. The psalmist says in Psalm 51:17 that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. When we are hurting God promises to be with us. But we must also understand that when we sin and genuinely desire Gods forgiveness, our hearts will be contrite, broken because we are genuinely sorry for our sin! The royal palace in Tehran, Iran, has one of the most beautiful entrances of all palaces in the world today. As one enters the royal palace the domed ceilings, sidewalls, and columns seemed to be covered with diamonds. When the Royal Palace was planned, the architects sent an order to Paris for mirrors to cover the entrance walls. The mirrors finally arrived in their crates. When they took the crates apart, all the broken pieces fell out. They were all smashed while being transported. They were going to throw them all away when one of the men had an idea to see how the broken pieces would look if they fitted them together. The result is an enormous distortion in reflections, and it sparkles with diamonds like rainbow colors. Broken to be more beautiful! That is exactly what God can do with the broken pieces of our lives if we will just turn it over to Him.

What to do: Dont be arrogant when caught in a wrong. Be genuinely contrite. Its then that God will do what you could never do with your life.

JUNE 21 Bible Reading: I Samuel 15:1-23 Key Verse: 22- And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

DISOBEDIENT WAYS

Key Words: to obey is better than sacrifice We are told in Hebrews 13:17a to obey them that have the rule over you; not only that but we are to go further and submit yourselves. Its not a matter of obeying only when we agree with authority, nor is it a matter of obeying only when we understand. We are simply told to obey and submit. Disobedience leads to disaster. All one has to do is look at King Saul to clearly see that. Listen to this description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine: "There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were 'playing around' with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would 'free wheel' when they took the power off it. "Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computerdriven alarm systems. "One by one the computers would come up and say, 'Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!' And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world, from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world." This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned. The instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril, and tragically, at the peril of the innocent.

What to do:

 Obeying God requires us be sensitive to the warning signs God give us.

JUNE 22 Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Key Verse: 2- And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE

Key Words: and these blessings shall come on thee Just as disobedience leads to trouble, obedience leads to a blessing. All one has to do to see this truth is look at Abraham, or Joshua at the walls of Jericho, or Naomi going back from Moab to Israel, and the list goes on and on. Its a simple principle: obey, but not always easy to do. F.B. Meyer preached in London, England, while Charles Spurgeon & G. Campbell Morgan were preaching there, too. They were all great preachers, but Spurgeons church and Morgans church were both bigger than Meyers church. And he admitted to being a bit envious of them. So he prayed, asking God to tell him what to do because he was jealous of them, and he didnt want to be jealous. And somehow God instructed him to pray for both Spurgeon and Morgan, that their churches would prosper, and that more and more people would come to them. Well, Meyer said that he didnt want to do that. But he thought that he had better obey the Lord. So he prayed diligently that Spurgeons church and Morgans church would grow and grow. He said, Their churches grew so much in answer to my prayers, that they overflowed. And, he said, the overflow came to my church. Obedience does lead to blessings, but disobediencewell, lets just say you dont want to go there.

What to do: Dont question God; just obey Him.

JUNE 23 Bible Reading: James 5:13-20 Key Verse: 20- Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

ERRONEOUS WAYS

Key Words: error of his way Lets face reality, we all sin; but when we refuse to confess our sin, sickness is a possible result. Let me hasten to add that sin is not always the cause of sickness, but it is a possibility. As believers when you see someone living in sin, what do you do? What should you do? Certainly the goal is to convert. The word convert carries the idea of a change of direction, to turn from error to truth. If the person living in sin refuses to heed your concern and caution, you should continue to pray for them, knowing that their lack of heeding will result in Gods chastening. Corrective suffering is tribulation or affliction God allows in our lives to chasten us for unforsaken sin in order to turn us back to Him. In the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the broken end of a high voltage wire was lying on the pavement, along which the engineer was walking, unaware of the fact that he was about to be FRIED! A worker saw the danger and yelled to warn him, but his voice was drowned by the noise around. Picking up a stone, he threw it as hard as he could and hit the engineer on the chest. Angry, the engineer looked up--but just as he did, he saw the wire just as he was about to step upon it. Tearfully, he thanked the worker for saving his life. The stone hurt, but the high voltage wire would have hurt MUCH more. It was a loving act of CONCERN that motivated the worker to throw the stone at the engineer. I would rather be hit by you than chastened by God. How about you?

What to do: Make sure your ways are also Gods.

JUNE 24 Bible Reading: Lamentations 3:37-54 Key Verse: 40- Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Key Words: try our ways
In one of our previous devotions we were told that all of our ways are clean in our own eyes. How true! But here Jeremiah tells us to go the extra mile to make sure we are right first. He says search (examine), then he tells us to try (put to the test) to make sure we are right. There is a three-fold test you can take to see if you are indeed right. First, there is the Scripture test. Does what I am doing (not othersme Romans 14:12) line up with the Scriptures? Second, there is the submissive test. Am I obeying those who have the rule over me? Third, there is the spirit test. Is my spirit right? If you fail any one of these, back up, bow down, and lift up your voice and ask God to forgive you. The comedian Jeff Foxworthy became famous with his routine, "You might be a redneck if . . . " Here are some of my favorites: You might be a redneck if the directions to your house include the phrase "turn off the paved road". You might be a redneck if your front porch collapses and four dogs get killed. You might be a redneck if you took a fishing pole to Sea World. You might be a redneck if you have to go outside to get something out of the fridge. You might be a redneck if your dad walks you to school because youre both in the same grade. You might be a redneck if you have flowers planted in a bathroom fixture in your front yard. You might be a redneck if you think the last words to the Star Spangled Banner are: Gentlemen, start your engines. Likewise, you might be a Pharisee if you spend more time talking about the sins of others than you do in repenting and confessing your own.

THE TRIED WAY

While we laugh at these, the truth is if we fail to try our ways, we look just as foolish. So let me encourage you, dont just assume youre right because you think so or because others say you are. Try your ways.

What to do: Try your ways by the 1) Scripture test; 2) Submissive test; and 3) the Spirit test.

UNEQUAL WAYS
JUNE 25 Bible Reading: Ezekiel 18:24-32 Key Verse: 25- Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of
Key Words: are not your ways unequal
Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

The teaching of this chapter answers the new psychology we have today. Psychology argues that the reason a person is a brat or an oddball is because his mother didnt treat him right but neglected him and didnt love him. My friend, you stand alone. You are a sinner because you are a sinner yourself. Theres an old bromide that is rather crude, but it certainly expresses it well: Every tub must sit on its own bottom. Every individual will stand before God, and he wont be able to blame his papa and mama at that time. Israel is blaming God; they are saying You are the reason we are the way we are. Ever since Adam and Eve the human race has played the blame game. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, Elijah blamed God, and so it goes. The Tennessean (Sunday, August 1, 1999) printed an article with the title, First lady links affairs to childhood abuse. Hillary Clinton had vowed not to discuss her husbands affairs with Monica Lewinsky or her feelings about his philandering. But in an interview with an English publication, she placed the blame for Bill Clintons adultery on his childhood abuse. The former first lady says that Bill was barely four years old when he learned of a terrible conflict between his mother and his grandmother. She claims that a psychologist told her that a boys being in the middle of a conflict between two women is a tragic situation. He is torn between trying to please both women. She attributed Bill Clintons weakness to the deaths of his father, of his mother, and of Vincent Foster. She defended her husband as a very,

very good man, but one who needs to work on his weaknesses. She also blamed the vast right-wing conspiracy for many of his difficulties. When we begin to fault others for our failures we have then fallen for one of Satans oldest tricks called the blame game! Oh me!

What to do: What a shame when people fall for the blame game. Remember, its a lot easier just to confess it than to blame others.

THE WAY OF RECEIVING

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:1-12 Key Verse: 7- Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you:

JUNE 26

Key Words: Ask and ye shall receive In todays world of greed and gain, Matthew 7:7a, Ask and ye shall receive is always taken as a selfish, covetous way God becomes our errand boyfetch this and get that. But could it be, should it be that God wants to give us victory over such things as our besetting sins? As a young woman, Frances Havergal, author of the hymns, Take My Life and Let It Be and Like a River Glorious, had a very quick temper. It was the kind that would easily explode. After she would blow up, she would be mortified and confess her failure to the Lord only to lose her temper, again and again. One day after a particularly bad explosion, she threw herself down by her bed and wept. She prayed, Lord, must it always be so? Will I always have this temper to keep me humble before you? While she was on her knees, the Lord injected a verse of Scripture in her mind: The Egyptians whom you have seen today you will see no more forever. God spoke these words to Moses when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites to take them back into bondage. Havergal related the verse to her temper and the way in which Satan wanted to use it to pull her into failure, bondage, and defeat. She saw that God could take her temper away. She asked, Lord, could it be forever? It seemed to her that the words came back from the Lord, Yes, no more, forever. Her sister

said that from that day Frances Havergal never again lost her temper. She believed God, and the Lord gave her total victory in her life. Today, maybe, just maybe, we should ask God not to be our errand boy for selfish gain, but to be our God and ask Him not to give but to take away that besetting sin so we can receive freedom from it!!

What to do: Ask, but ask for Gods glory, not for things but for spiritual victory in your life.

TRAVERSING WAYS
JUNE 27 Bible Reading: Jeremiah 2:14-30 Key Verse: 23- How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim?
see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

Key Words: Thou art a swift dromedary A dromedary is a young female camel which is wandering around in a newly cultivated field with new crops about to sprout (traversing). The young female camel isnt trying to destroy the newly planted field, but in her absent-mindedness and her wandering, she does. This young camel is innocent but still destructive. In the church I call these people well-intentioned dragonsdoing one good thing and stirring up two troublesome things while doing so. We all know these people. The problem is more often than not, they appear to be so innocent that others fail to see the trouble they are causing except for the farmer who cultivated the field. Do you know anyone like this? A father came home from work just before supper and was met by his five-yearold daughter on the sidewalk outside the house. The little girl was not smiling. Is something wrong, honey? he asked. Yes, she said, all day long Ive been having trouble with your wife. Thats the dromedary, with all innocence, the wandering around causes unintentioned trouble. We are commanded to love people, but in all honesty, these

people are hard to love and for the farmer, impossible to like. Love them we must! Like themwell, thats another story.

What to do: Love the dromedary and try to like them.

SLIPPERY WAYS
JUNE 28 Bible Reading: Jeremiah 23:9-15 Key Verse: 12- Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the
darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

Key Words: slippery ways God is speaking to the prophets and priests in Jeremiah 23. If He is rebuking them it is because they are causing the people of Israel to fall. He calls their teaching slippery ways. The word slippery means smooth, treacherous, blandishment, to coax or flatter with the idea of enticing a person. Butterflies can be lured into capture by decoys. Naturalists cement the wings of a dead butterfly to a head and body that has been sketched on cardboard. The object is then cut out and covered with cellophane to protect it. When suspended from a twig by a thread it will turn in a lifelike manner whenever a breeze strikes it. While real butterflies will not stop or touch it, they will hesitate or flutter around momentarily, so that the naturalist has an opportunity to net them. (Lou Nicholes Missionary/Author). Its always wise to remember as someone has said, Flattery is like perfume. The idea is to smell it, not swallow it. Another suggested, Flattery is like counterfeit money which, but for vanity, would have no circulation. Most of us would rather be hurt by flattery than helped by criticism. It could be said, Flattery is not communication; it is manipulation.

What to do: Be careful on the road called life. There are many slippery ways and you dont want to fall.

JUNE 29 Bible Reading: Matthew 7:13-20 Key Verse: 13- Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

THE BROAD WAY

Key Words: Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction There are not many ways to heaven; there is only one way: through Jesus Christ. John 14:6 Jesus said, I am the way. Acts 4:12, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. When the Persians were preparing to fight against the Babylonians they knew they had to lure them out into the broad field. You see, the Persian army outnumbered the Babylonians two to one. If they could lure them out into open terrain they could defeat them because of the massive number of soldiers they had. The broad way would allow them to win, and the Babylonians fell for the trap and went into the broad wayand they were defeated. When the Greeks fought against the Persians they as well were outnumbered, but they realized the only way they could be victorious was to lure the Persians into a narrow path in the mountains. In the narrow way, it doesnt matter how many soldiers you have, the only soldiers who can fight are the ones at the passage way of the narrow path. So the Greek army put their greatest fighters at this point of the battle and won easily although the Persians outnumbered them three to one. The narrow way is the way to victory for the believer. Jesus is at the point of the passageway. The only way for the enemy to win is to defeat Jesus not possible! Through Jesus we have victory. To God be the glory for His narrow way is our source of victory!

What to do: Make sure you are in the narrow way. All other roads lead to sorrow.

JUNE 30 Bible Reading: John 14:1-7 Key Verse: 6- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.

JESUS IS THERE

Key Words: I am the way If the surgeon were to open up our hearts, what would he find? "Tomorrow morning I'll open up your heart" the surgeon said to the 8 year-oldboy. "You'll find Jesus there," the boy said. The surgeon continued, "I'll open your heart and check the damage." "You'll find Jesus there," the boy said. "When I see the damage, I will suture you back up and then think about the next step," said the surgeon. "You will find Jesus in my heart because my Sunday school teacher told me so. She said it says so in the Bible. Besides that, our Sunday school songs say He lives there," said the boy. The surgery took place the next day. After the surgery the surgeon began to make notes of what he found. In his mind there was no hope and no cure. The little boy would die within a matter of months. The thought began to get to the doctor and all of a sudden the doctor shouted to God, "Why did you do this to the boy? Why can't he live a normal life?" God spoke to the surgeon's heart and said, "The boy is a part of my flock and will always be a part of my flock. When he is with me there will be no more suffering and pain. He will have comfort and peace. One day his parents as well as you will join him and my flock will continue to grow." The next day the surgeon went to the boy's room and sat down with the parents beside the bed. In a moment or two, the boy opened his eyes and asked very quietly, "What did you find in my heart?" With tears flowing down his cheeks, the surgeon said, "I found Jesus there." When others look at the actions of our heart, do they find Jesus there?

What to do: Let others find Jesus at the heart of all we do and say.

I deeply appreciate the help of

Cathy Fortenberry Sandy Lancaster Glenda Myrick Mary Parsons John and Tascha Piatt Reba Pontbriand And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using these people to help this devotional would not have been possible.

Dr. Mike Rouse