NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Day 277 – Learn how to tell a trail from a tumbleweed!

Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World

Scripture focus: Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That's right—if you make Insight your priority, and won't take no for an answer, searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you'll have come upon the Knowledge of God. And here's why: God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He's a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. So now you can pick out what's true and fair, find all the good trails! Lady Wisdom will be your close friend, and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion. Good Sense will scout ahead for danger, insight will keep an eye out for you. They'll keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions of those who are lost themselves and can't tell a trail from a tumbleweed, these losers who make a game of evil and throw parties to celebrate perversity, traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends. Proverbs 2:1-15 The Message

I’ve got some bad news, and some good news – first the bad.

If we want to grow a big heart, find our grand epic adventure, and discover our true, God-created identity – we’re going to have to learn how to say “No.” We’re going to have to…

· deliberately, consistently, faithfully, turn our ear and set our heart on something other than just the next thing that sparks our fancy.

· redefine the nature of adventure. Our mid-brains have taught us that true adventures are action-packed and adrenaline soaked. But this kind of adventure is going to require patience and perseverance. Too much adrenalin and a desire for quick results will throw us off the trail to abundant living.

· understand that we may start with one intention, but along the way, discover something even better than we had dreamed up ourselves.

· recognize the voice of God and appreciate the value of his word.

· realize that pretty soon, we’ll develop better discernment and make wiser choices – and this will not be a coincidence or a run of exceptionally good luck!

· make new friends – some of the old ones are going to have to go. Our new friends must be people who can help us on our new journey – not confuse us with old ways of thinking and living.

All these changes are going to seem unnatural – because they are! But be patient. What feels bad today, may be viewed as blessing in hindsight. Tomorrow, some really good news!



Recommended reading: Jeremiah 3 and 4 in the morning; Colossians 1 and Psalm 51 in the evening

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