Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep us
through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all that.
Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker
L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, Good morning. It
is Sabbath, August nineteen, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name is
L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily
Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no
exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of Ephesians,
and our caption for today is living Wisely, Living Wisely. Before I
get into that, I'd like to just say happy birthday to my big sister
Lisa. I know that you will have a continued blessed life. Continue to
pray, continue to trust God, and listen. I am thankful that you're
here because I don't know where i'd be without you. So happy birthday to
my big sister Lisa. Let's go ahead and pray and then we will get
underway. Father, thank you for this Sabbath morning and for the privilege we
have to open up your word. Please give us the wisdom that we seek
in Jesus name. I pray, Amen and Amen again, living wisely.
All right, So I'm going to read a couple of passages for you.
First is the book is from the Book of Psalms, the Book of Psalms,
chapter ninety and I will read verse twelve. And so the Bible reads
here, so teach us to number our days. And of course there is
much said before this, but the bottom line here is teach us to number
our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. We see, our
lives are fleeting right now, we are all dying. Did you get that?
That sounds so ominous, like it sounds almost pessimistic, But it's it's
not. It's the reality, like matter left alone breaks down. Now we
are matter, and thank God he is sustaining us. But really and truly,
like we are not going to live on planet Earth as it is forever.
And if the Lord delays us coming long enough, then each of us
will die, if not, if not, or not each of us,
but each of us can die. Right But every one of us has experienced
the death of a friend or a loved one, and we understand what that
is. So while we are here, with the time that we have left
talk, we are to apply our hearts to wisdom. All right now to
Proverbs chapter two, beginning at verse one, and the Bible reads, my
child, if you receive my words and store up my commands inside yourself,
by making your ear attentive to wisdom, and by turning your heart to understanding.
Indeed, if you call out for discernments, shout loudly for understanding,
if you seek it like silver, and search for it like hidden treasure,
then and may I add right here and only then, then and only then
will you understand how the fear of how to fear the Lord, and you
will discover knowledge about God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his
mouth comes knowledge and understanding. So God has given us incredible promises that if
we are hungering and thirsting after His righteousness, if we are calling out unto
God and giving all that we have and all that we are in the pursuit
of his wisdom. Then he will give us a bonus. He will give
us an understanding and the ability to fear him and to respect him. Right,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You see,
fools despise knowledge and instruction or did I say it backwards? But you understand
where I'm going with this, right, So I'm thankful that God, when
he says that we should live wisely, does not leave us defend for ourselves.
There are so many people coaches like me, but not exactly like me,
who are selling all kinds of snake oil, right, all kinds of
things, how to do this and how to do that, And your coach
probably has no either experience or enough scruples to say no, maybe you should
go over there, right. And there are even therapists and professionals of other
trades that normally it would be wonderful to trust them, but even some of
them are unscrupulous. Preachers and leaders in the family of God, sometimes unscrupulous
and not really giving people what we need on this pathway to godly wisdom.
I'm just saying like, those are the are close to the worst case scenarios,
and so This is why God wants us to connect with him directly,
so we can see and understand and detect wisdom. Yes, when it is
available, seek unto God for wisdom. Now, the lesson writer wants us
to go back again to the Book of Ephesians, chapter five, beginning at
verse fifteen. We're just setting up for the coming week, okay, and
the Bible reads, Look carefully then, how you walk not as unwise,
but as wise making the best use of time. Remember we got that from
the Book of Psalms. Because the days are evil. Therefore, do not
be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do you
understand, like the Bible is showing us here the connection with living wisely and
listening to what God's will is. Yeah, I'm going to read a story
right of the lesson Okay. Not long ago, a crystal jug was placed
on auction in the United Kingdom. The auctioneers described it as a nineteenth century
French claret jug. I don't know if I pronounced that correctly, estimating it's
worth at the US two hundred dollars two percent to excuse me. Perceptive bidders
recognize the jug as an extremely rare Islamic your it's true? What is the
appraised worth? Appraisal worth five million euros or about six point five million US
dollars? What allowed the bidder to walk away with such a bargain? The
bidder knew something that the auctioneer did not, the true value of the jug.
In Ephesians Chapter five, verses one through twenty, Paul contrasts what pagans
and believers valued. Pagans valued a racy story and a drunken party and debauched
sex as the great treasures of life. Believers, though, in contrast,
know the ultimate day of appraisal is coming, when the true value of all
things will become apparent. Instead of placing their bid on partying and drunkenness,
they treasure, among other things, all that is good and right and true
in Christ. Paul thus urges them to snap up the bargains found in Christ,
as they live as well and do on the threshold of eternity. And
so God is showing us that we are of inestimable value to him, and
he wants us with that value he has placed on us by giving us his
son, like if you have a need of something like earthly we have to
look at what God has already given us, Like if you need money,
you need rent, you need food for the baby, you need diapers,
you need simple things of life, and just don't have them right now.
The Bible says, if God has given us Christ, his son, how
shall he not also with him give us freely all things. So God has
already shown us his value of us, and he wants us also to value
the things that matter to him, to value, wisdom, to value,
submission to his will, to value, not diminishing ourselves by doing things that
separate us from God. You understand by giving us a mindset, the Bible
says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
And then he showed the path of humility that Jesus walked. Okay,
and so since our time is limited, as we walk on planet Earth today,
let's read what the Bible says and Ephesians five verses fifteen through seventeen.
As we come to a swift clothes see, then let you walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise. I'm reading it again, redeeming the
time, because the time or the days are evil, have a wonderful rest
of your sabbath peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember
we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God. This has been your daily portion with L. David Harris.
Make it a great day.