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Today’s devotion is based on Proverbs and is from the Pray.com team.

Love chooses to cover, not expose. Proverbs 17:9 shows us the wisdom of forgiveness and discretion. To “cover a transgression” is not to ignore sin but to let love lead in how we respond. It’s the difference between healing and harming. Repeating offenses—primarily through gossip—tears relationships apart. But choosing to protect and forgive preserves love. This kind of mercy doesn’t come easily, but it reflects God’s own grace. In a world quick to share and slow to forgive, God calls us to love that heals and holds others up.

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. [Proverbs 17:9]

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Written by Henry Frost (1858-1945), a Canadian missions leader, Bible teacher, speaker, evangelist, counselor, and author.

Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer as our praise, and nothing so blessesthe man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: “Try Thanksgiving.” I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the Psalmist was right, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.”

And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. [John 11:41]

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Written by Megan J. Conner, a contemporary author, editor, and speaker.

Have you ever truly considered the wind? It can be a gentle and leading breeze or a forceful and powerful gale. However, because it is an unseen force, it is often overlooked and sometimes even misunderstood. It can be the same with our awareness and understanding of our Heavenly Father and His Kingdom… We accept that the wind exists because we can sense it. We cannot grasp the wind, but we can feel its gentle brush against our skin. We cannot see or taste it, yet fragrance is often a travel companion to a breeze. Though intangible, there is evidence that affirms the existence of the wind. And we readily accept this truth without questioning its validity. The same should be true about the Lord, yet we struggle to believe in what is unseen when it comes to our Heavenly Father. Just like the wind, the reality of a living and active God in our lives is evident, if only we would have the eyes to see. Every day, we journey through our lives in an artistic masterpiece.  Stunning vistas, impressive geological sculptures, complex beings in all of their animate and inanimate forms, nurture our bodies and souls with their beauty and provisions, allowing us to survive and thrive here on this earth. Though visible, these earthly attributes remain hidden by the busyness and noise of all that demands our attention, and the worries that consume our hearts. It is my prayer today that we quiet our souls, lean in, and listen for that gentle whisper, that fragrant breeze. Our Heavenly Father is here, leading and guiding us down the paths He has for us.

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. [John 3:8]

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Written by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), an American clergyman and author.  This is an excerpt from his book “Best Methods of Promoting Spiritual Life.”

To promote spiritual life is not to be more religious where one is already religious. It is to be religious where he is irreligious now; to let the spiritual force which is in him play upon new activities. How shall he open, for instance, his business life to this deep power? By casting out of his business all that is essentially wicked in it, by insisting to himself on its ideal, of charity or usefulness, on the loftiest conception of every relationship into which it brings him with his fellow man, and by making it not a matter of his own whim or choice, but a duty to be done faithfully because God has call him to it…God chose for him his work and meant for him to find his spiritual education there.

Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters. [Colossians 3:23]

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Written by Elizabeth Cooledge Jenkins, a contemporary writer, preacher, and campus minister. This is an excerpt from the book “A Beautiful Year in the Bible.”

God desires the holistic, long-term flourishing of our whole world and every person and community in it. As Lisa Sharon Harper writes, “If we are human, then we are created to flourish and exercise agency in the world – economic and political, as well as social and cultural agency.” Flourishing holds many dimensions; God invites us to partner in creativity and hope, courageously building a world where all can thrive…The instructions God gives us are not arbitrary. Rather, they are wise guidelines, written with our best interests in mind…God is trustworthy. We can choose to trust God’s ways of sharing unconditional love, courageous peacemaking, and a steady commitment to all people’s flourishing.

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. [Psalm 92:12]

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Written by Vivian Bricker, a contemporary writer.

There are many false gods in this world today. While we often think of false gods as golden calves, shrines, or other created objects, they can also be in the form of our career, relationships, or appearance. Anything can become an idol if we place it above God. This also includes good things like a spouse, children, or parents. The moment we put something or someone above God, it becomes the “god” in our lives and can cause us to turn away from Christ. As one can imagine, this is not our purpose in life. Our purpose in life is to know the Lord, love the Lord, and make Him known. We won’t be able to do this if we have put other things above the Lord. For example, if we have made our career the god of our lives, we will make it our priority and focus above all else, placing God on the back burner.  Rather than serving the Lord and equipping other believers to know Him, we will become obsessed with our job, deadlines, and how to keep climbing the company ladder. While nothing is wrong with wanting to be successful or enjoy our jobs, we don’t need to place them as more important than God. God is greater than our careers because He is the One who has created us, saved us, and loves us. Our career or any other “god” we have created in our life does not do these things… Whatever has taken the place above God in your life, choose to give it over to Him and rest in His forgiveness. 

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. [Exodus 32:7-8]

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Written by Abidan Shah, a contemporary pastor and writer.

What are you relying on to bring you peace, joy, or courage—and is it truly satisfying your soul? In a world that promises peace in a bottle, joy in a purchase, or comfort in a distraction, God offers something better—His Spirit. Instead of filling our lives with what leaves us empty, we are called  to be filled with the Spirit—finding our peace, courage, and joy in the One who will never fail us…True freedom in Christ is not doing whatever we please, but loving others enough to lay aside anything that might cause them to stumble…Choosing the Spirit over substitutes not only strengthens our own walk, it points others to the hope found in Jesus.

For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. [Romans 14:17]

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Written by Jennifer Waddle, a contemporary author.

To be considered blessed or prosperous in our culture, is to be affluent in wealth, success, or notoriety…The Hebrew word for blessed is esher, which means internal happiness and contentment. It has nothing to do with worldly achievements, but rather peace and joy that is rooted in God alone. The promise of blessedness comes for those who find delight in the Word of the Lord, who meditate on it day and night. Of course, we can’t spend every minute reading the Bible, but we can hide the Word in our hearts and carry the Scriptures with us through every season. It’s not about head-knowledge, but rather heart-knowledge, filling our souls with words of life.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. [Hebrews 4:12]

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Written by Ray Pritchard, a contemporary pastor, author, and president of Keep Believing Ministries.

There are many days where I feel an overwhelming sense of discouragement, exhaustion, or frustration. It might be little things that bring about these feelings in me, or it might be major life events that have left me weary and hurting, but either way, I know I don’t have the strength on my own to make it through. It’s days like those where I find prayer comforting. When we feel those feelings creeping in, may we instead choose to kneel before our Father in heaven and ask him for the strength and courage we need to carry on.  We often don’t think about the connection to prayer and courage. But prayer is how we remind ourselves of what God has done in the past and who he is. He is infinitely good, wise, strong, loving, and perfect. And that infinite wisdom, goodness, love and perfection is what he uses to care for us every day. When we look back on our lives, we can see how all God has promised is true – he has never left us alone in our problems. He is always with us, always providing for our needs, always loving, carrying and strengthening us each day for the challenges ahead. When we take time to pray a prayer of gratitude for what God has done, it will encourage us to pray boldly, for the help we need in the present and future moments to come.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7]

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Today’s prayer is written by David Mathis, a contemporary pastor and blogger.

Lord, thank you for your abundant, abounding grace. Thank you that we don’t have to earn a drop of the mighty river of grace that flows freely for us today. Thank you for the unexpected, unmerited favor you’ve showered on my life. Help me put myself in the path of your love and grace. Help me not neglect the disciplines I need to meet with you regularly and to drink from the water of life. Thank you for your rich love. Amen.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [2 Corinthians 12:8-9]

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