August 15

Today's Reading

Nehemiah continues with a prayerful acknowledgement that the nation had lost so much, not because of military failure, but because of spiritual malaise. The people then confessed and repented, seeking God's provision and blessing. That's a great lesson for us personally and in the church.

1 Corinthians. Paul was very focused. He worked hard to stay spiritually, emotionally and physically fit. He also refused detente with the devil; NO temptation has the power to overwhelm us because God is faithful. When we stumble (and I do), we are responsible. That's the time to approach God with a broken and contrite heart.

Psalms. "6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him." Is that a great promise, or what? I think we might pray more if we were desperate more.

Proverbs. I have worked around genuinely poor people. They are humble and seek little. We ought to have a heart to help them. We also need wisdom to let God use them in the strengths they have that we need to experience.

What do you see today?