A few more thoughts on prayer from E.M. Bounds:

“Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.”

“No learning can make up for the failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts will supply its lack.”

“Four things let us ever keep in mind: God hears prayer, God heeds prayer, God answers prayer, and God delivers by prayer.”

“Little praying is a kind of make believe, a salve for the conscience, a farce and a delusion.”

“Prayer is not learned in the classroom but in the closet.”

“Prayer is the greatest of all forces, because it honors God and brings him into active aid.”

Have a great Sunday!

Sam

Blessings!

In the meantime, we wanted to give YOU a chance to Blog. Out of the 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs and hundreds of verses…which one is most meaningful to you???

Simply click on the Comments section below and share with everyone your verse(s). And share why it’s your favorite, as well.

By the way, mine is…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

My wife Theresa really turned me on to this verse years ago. She translates it…”let go, let God.”

Godspeed!

David

What a blessing this 31 day journey has been! It began with “Knowledge or Wisdom?” and ended with “A Woman After God’s Own Heart”. 

Proverbs has to be the most practical of all of the books in the Bible. It shows us how to become wise, make good decisions, and live a God-centered life. And then it covers about a billion other subjects, all of which we need help with in our daily living! 

We have received so many encouraging comments. Here are just a few: 

“Hey David, just want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed Proverbs this month. I’ve been away from my regular morning routine much of the month, so each of the daily devotionals have been fantastic, and have enable me to at least take a few minutes each morning with the Lord. Thanks for all you and WM does!!!” 

“I really appreciate the 31 days. I can’t believe we’re at the end of the month and I’m sad to not have those to look forward to each morning.” 

“A friend sent me this link on day one and it really had an impact on my success in reading the Proverbs each day.  I look forward to more daily bible guidance from you in the future.” 

“I have really enjoyed your posts the last 29 days, however this one really goes right to the heart of things.” 

“A perfect verse with perfect timing.  Although the need is not in regard to work, I have found comfort in my struggles of today when I read the verse from Proverbs.  I will walk with a lighter step today.” 

“These have all been powerful but this one is especially timely!!!” 

Make sure you Subscribe to the Blog (above right) and continue on this journey to bridge the gap between our faith and work. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorkMatters and on our Facebook Fan page at  www.facebook.com to connect, be encouraged and equipped. 

Thanks for taking this journey with us. It has been a blessing for Sam Bates and I to share it with you. 

Father, we started 31 days ago on a focused journey to read your word and pray. Thank you for granting us that privilege and for working powerfully in our lives through our obedience in the journey. May you give us the courage to walk out what we have read and prayed. Amen 

David and Sam

Most of Proverbs 31 is well known for describing the ideal woman. So, for the final day of our 31 Days of Proverbs and Prayer, I recruited my ideal woman,    my wife Theresa, to share her thoughts on this powerful proverb…

The first time I read Proverbs 31, I was totally overwhelmed.  Beginning in verse 10 through verse 31, this proverb describes what initially appeared to me as a superwoman.  Each verse describes all that this ideal woman does for her family, her work and her community. She has countless talents, she’s smart, industrious, an excellent wife and mother, a manager, a manufacturer, merchant, and seems to take very little time for herself. And, she seems to do it all with very little sleep! So you can understand why I might have felt somewhat discouraged. 

Fortunately, a couple of years ago, a few friends and I decided to do a bible study on Proverbs 31.  They had many of the same initial impressions as I had. So, we decided to really dive into this proverb to better understand what God was intending with this instruction.  We realized that Proverbs 31 was a summary of an entire woman’s life, not something she achieved in one day or even one year.  As we studied each verse, we began to see that the woman described and the many demands on her life were not much different then life’s demands for women today. The tasks may be different now, but women today still wear many hats and have many responsibilities. 

What we began to understand was that it wasn’t necessarily the specific tasks she completed but the attitudes and qualities that she exemplified while doing them, in other words her “heart.”  The Proverbs 31 woman was reverent, faithful, good, diligent, disciplined, energetic, thrifty, industrious, kind, generous, wise, helpful and more. She truly exemplifies a woman after God’s own heart.  These qualities are definitely worth striving for whether we are at home, at work, with family, friends, or even with strangers.  

There are many women in this world who may be more talented, more beautiful, more successful, more famous, but none of that ranks in importance to God than pursuing the godly qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman.    

If you or someone you know is interested in studying this proverb in depth, Elizabeth George has written a couple of wonderful Bible studies. Click on the link below: 

http://www.elizabethgeorge.com/george/books.asp?catid=2

Father God, many women today feel overwhelmed fulfilling all of the different responsibilities they have. Please use this teaching and this proverb to encourage them.  Amen

As we count down our 31 Days of Proverbs and Prayer, it’s seems fitting that we can focus on one of the simplest, yet most profound of the Proverbs! 

Isn’t it amazing the cycles many of us go through with our money and the impact it can have on our faith? Generally speaking, our 20′s are spent in passion and fun. Our 30′s are spent striving for success and financial independence. Our 40′s are often more of the same, until some hit a wall and begin to ask ”why I am I killing myself?”. 

Money is not evil. In fact it can be a tremendous blessing when used with a Kingdom mindset. But so often when we have plenty, our focus just naturally drifts to other more worldly treasures and away from God. Would you agree?

We claim this scripture for WorkMatters, as well. As a non-profit, no matter how hard we work to raise money for this workplace ministry, we have to learn to be content with our daily bread. Else we also risk saying, “Who is the Lord?”

Where ever you are financially, I want to challenge you to contemplate this verse today. Decide for yourself how money will influence your relationship with the Lord.

Jesus, this is such a difficult subject for us. Will you search our hearts and show us the truth? Give us the ability to see and use our money in a way that is pleasing to you. Thank you for the Bible! Thank you for giving us your principles to live by. Amen…

Last week in Denver, CO God gave me the opportunity to witness the difference between fear and trust.

On February 7, 2009, we had a devastating ice storm in northwest Arkansas. Tommy Van Zandt, a very special friend to many, many people, climbed a ladder to continue cutting countless limbs dangling from trees. His two sons, who had been helping him, had gone inside for lunch. The details are unknown, but Tommy fell off of the ladder and severely damaged his spinal cord resulting in paralysis from the neck down.

In an instant Tommy’s life changed, as did the lives of  his wife Robyn and their boys. And it rocked the lives of  hundreds of men and women who know and love this humble, people loving, man of God. Tommy has been at Craig Hospital in Denver for several months where he is focusing on his rehabilitation.

That’s where my story picks up. As I sat and visited with Tommy, I was amazed at his attitude. I had heard he was “the same old Tommy”, but I wasn’t prepared for his enthusiasm for how God was already using him to impact the lives of people around him, including the staff at Craig Hospital. I know that Tommy has some very difficult challenges ahead of him as he learns to fight this new battle. But he has a choice. He can fear his injury. Or, he can “trust in the Lord that will keep him safe”.  To see Tommy already trusting God for how he can be used in his present circumstances is inspirational!

Father, we join again today with hundreds, if not thousands of people to lift up to you Tommy, Robyn and their boys. We pray first for complete healing from this injury. But at the same time, we pray that you will continue to give Tommy the ability to trust you. And use Tommy’s life to inspire us to do the same in our marriages, our parenting, our work, and our friendships. Amen

I just returned from a wonderful vacation in the mountains with my wife and two boys. What incredible perspective time away from work can give us.

Maybe like you, I always try to find a special book to read on vacation that will inspire me to think in new and different ways. On this trip, my wife strongly recommended a book to me that exceeded all of my expectations and I want to strongly recommend it to you, as well.

Andy Andrews, who spoke at our 2008 WorkMatters Leadership Conference, has a new book called The Noticer. This book is about gaining perspective.  Andy uses a very unique approach in writing this book that will not only move you in powerful ways, it will also be very difficult to put it down.

“Understanding and knowledge” (from this Proverb) are close cousins to perspective. When you spend time unpacking this verse, you may be able to easily relate it to your company and some of the leaders in your company. But leaders (that’s you!) with understanding and knowledge typically have a unique ability to bring perspective, especially to difficult challenges we all deal with in our work.

Do you want a new perspective? Read this book. It won’t take you long. Then, share your comments back here on the blog, or on our Facebook page, or on Twitter at “WorkMatters”…or you can just email me at droth@workmatters.org!

Father, thank you for working through writers. For stimulating us to be more like Jesus in so many different ways. These Proverbs provide us with rich principles with which to live. They give us perspective!   Amen.

Check out The Noticer at http://tinyurl.com/m6o6bx

We tend to place a lot of faith in our plans for the future. We are quick to brag about what we expect to accomplish. We take tomorrow for granted. The fact is, we don’t know what tomorrow may bring or even if there will be a tomorrow.

Seems like when I feel the most sure that I know what tomorrow will bring, that’s exactly what does NOT happen.  Although we can totally depend on God, our plans are certainly not his plans.  He has total control over our tomorrow and for us to think we know how it’s all going to work out is a very risky position.  Only God knows what tomorrow will bring.   It may not be what we expect or want, but it will happen as according to His plans.

Can you live with letting God be in control of tomorrow or do you get agitated and frustrated when things don’t work according to your schedule?   Relax that  “kung fu grip” on your plans and trust that Gods plan are good enough, no matter what.

Father God, it can be so hard to hold our plans with a light touch.  We feel it’s important to plan diligently and carefully.  However, sometimes you have plans that supersede ours.  Give us the humble spirit to accept that these changes are from you and if that is what you want, we will submit cheerfully and not whine and complain about it.  Amen.

After reading this chapter a couple of times, my mind was continually mulling over  this verse.  Well, actually,  this verse and the one about the dog returning to it’s own vomit….But I digress.   Anyway, the verse speaks clearly about the chances of one who thinks is he or she is wise….not good.   Here is a great example of one who seems to think he is wise in his own eyes.

There are some who truly see themselves as having all the answers, not needing anyone else’s council or advice.  We all have worked with a few of these types.  They ooze pride and arrogance in a smug self-centered way and end up looking pretty ridiculous.  Often they bumble around because they are not willing to seek the counsel of those they work with.  I thought the fool had it pretty rough in Proverbs,  but King Solomon thinks this type of person is worse off than the fool.

Lord, we can often be so full of ourselves and think we really are special.  Somehow we have concluded we don’t really need anyone else to make it in this world.  We ask  your forgiveness for this worse than foolish mindset and for power to destroy the Enemy who buries these lies in our minds.  Amen.