Reading your Bible for Today January 23

January 23: Proverbs 18:10-12

KJV Key Verse: Proverbs 18:12
12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

Devotion:
One thing we do have as Christians is a strong tower, a fortress where we can come to survive our enemies. The Lord's name is that sanctuary where we can be lifted up into His arms and protected from everything. All we need do is call out in His name! All the wealth we require is within that tower because it is a place where all we need is held within. All those who know God may enter in to be safe. All those who do not, will be held without as if they are trying to storm a fortress on foot. We need to be ever close to our fortress by continuing in prayer and depending on the promises of God with faith.

Those who look to the world as their strength will only find what protection the world can give them. They look for protection in what is around them with the uncertainty it provides. The more they trust in the world and gain from it, the more they build up their own wall of protection, getting more and more fearful of those who wish to take it away from them. No matter how much they try to build up that protection, they never have true peace about that protection because it only protects against what they have thought of. All it will take is one thing which they have not thought of to bring the earthly house crumbling down...

Pride and arrogance are the things which keep us from looking for that true fortress. The pride of wanting to protect oneself. The arrogance or ignorance of thinking we can against much stronger powers than ourselves. Pride or ignorance will keep anyone away from God.

Before we can gain a position within the fortress, before we can have a position of honour within God's arms, we need to come to Him in humility. We need to show that we are willing to put our worldly arrogance and pride behind us and give in to God's will in our lives. When we do that, confess and seek God, we find our strength and rock upon which we can build our lives.

Points to Ponder:
How much do you depend on things around you?

How much do you give to God to protect?