Daily Bible Verses for 12/29/2016

Daily Verse(s)
Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Reading Notes
It can be so hard to wait on the Lord. Part of our fallen nature is to have impatience and the overwhelming desire to take control. To begin working our own plan for the causes we desire most and to set our own timetable for when we want things to happen. To do things our own way and leave God out of our plans, because we want things made our way. However, that’s not the way the Lord works! There really is nowhere in the Bible where it says, “the Lord helps those who help themselves.” That’s just an old wives’ tale! It was a phrase taken out of one of Aesop’s Fables about Hercules. It was never in the Bible and it still isn’t today. However, the idea for self-fulfillment appeals to our sinful nature. It appeals to our pride because it helps us to focus on ourselves and our desires, rather than on God’s will and direction.

Moreover, it’s part of the heart of rebellion against God, because it provides us a good excuse to do things our own way, within our own time-frame and under our own control. However, when we do this we must be honest and understand, not only are we acting in rebellion against God, but we also get so much less in the process. That includes less joy, less fulfillment and less in the way of results. We have to remember God is not going to violate our free will. If we choose to leave God out of the equation He will let us do so to our own destruction. God will not force us to wait on Him. And when we take matters into our own hands we will never know what God had planned for us. God’s blessings for us are so much more than we have planned for ourselves. The good things God has in store for us, are so much more than we plan for ourselves, why? Because God looks at us with eternity in His heart, and concern for our good, for our salvation and for the good of others and the good of His kingdom.