Quiet Walk

[Judy Harder]

November 14

1 Timothy 6

The quest for godliness motivates us to "fight the good fight" of faith while we live on earth.

INSIGHT

If any of us could have three wishes, most of us would include wealth as one of those wishes. Everything else being equal, we would rather be rich than poor. Yet that very desire is a snare - so much so that Paul urges Timothy to flee the love of money and "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (v. 11). And he adds: "I urge you . . . that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing" (vv. 13-14). If we have wealth, we are to use it compassionately. If we do not have wealth, we are to be content.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord for being free to worship Him with words and with our lives:
O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens! . . .
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? . . .O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8:1, 3-4, 9)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin and in fellowship with Him:
"Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

Confess any sins which the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
the renewing of your mind,
needs of your extended family,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

[Judy Harder]

November 15

2 Timothy 1

Paul exhorts Timothy to rekindle his zeal for the Christian life and ministry.

INSIGHT

A number of years have passed between the writing of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. During that time, Timothy has faced great trial and opposition and is in danger of discontinuing his ministry. Paul writes a terse letter of exhortation, urging strength and constancy. A list of phrases used in this book include:"stir up," "do not be ashamed," "hold fast," "be strong," "endure hardship," "be diligent, "flee youthful lusts," "pursue righteousness," and "preach the word!" In the heat of battle, short and powerful commands are easy to comprehend.

PRAYER

As you consider God's love for you, praise Him that He guides your spiritual growth:
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. . . .
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You (Psalm 9:1-2, 9-10).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
There is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
"In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
the leading of the Lord in your life,
opportunities for evangelism,
your activities for the day,
whatever else is on your heart.

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord (Psalm 31:24).

[Judy Harder]

November 16

2 Timothy 2

Paul uses the metaphors of a soldier, athlete, farmer, and worker to encourage Timothy.

INSIGHT

In our hard-driving society, gentleness is almost a lost commodity. Not only is it rarely honored, but it is also often thought of as being undesirable. Yet Paul instructs Timothy that the "servant of the Lord must . . . be gentle" (v. 24) and that our gentleness may help others repent from sin. Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek (the gentle)" (Matthew 5:5). Gentleness is not a word which suggests weakness or impotence. It is used of powerful war horses who have been skillfully trained to instantly obey their masters. It is a word which suggests power under complete control. It offers much.

PRAYER

The Lord is gentle with us, and for this we praise Him and try to be gentle toward others:
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11).
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings (Psalm 33:1-2).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater passion for moral excellence,
Christian education institutions,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
"Let God be magnified!"
But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay (Psalm 70:4-5).

[Judy Harder]

November 17

2 Timothy 3

As Christians, we must be on our guard to follow the truth continually.

INSIGHT

The Scriptures are designed to be the basis of truth for leading a Christian to maturity in Jesus Christ. They are accurate and trustworthy, afford adequate knowledge, and lead to a godly, biblical lifestyle. They also yield a biblical ministry: "that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (v. 17). A mature Christian is one who knows what he needs to know (knowledge), is what he needs to be (lifestyle), does what he needs to do (ministry), and is guided by the Scriptures in all of this.

PRAYER

Praise the Lord for His magnificent Word that contains perfect instructions on how to live:
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
My soul breaks with longing
For Your judgments at all times.
You rebuke the proudÑthe cursed,
Who stray from Your commandments. . . .
Your testimonies also are my delight
And my counselors (Psalm 119:17-21, 24).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You (Psalm 51:12-13).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God." (Matthew 5:6-8)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater self-control,
those who minister in our inner cities,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man's all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

[Judy Harder]

November 18

2 Timothy 4

Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word of God and offset the ministry of false teachers.

INSIGHT

We think of Paul as being one of the great spiritual giants of the ages. Because of this, most of us don't expect to receive the same reward that he will. However, we need to realize that the Lord does not reward talent or results - He rewards motive and faithfulness. At the end of his life, Paul wrote: "There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (v. . That means you and me!

PRAYER

How wonderful it is to know that God will reward our simple faith:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy,
And teach me Your statutes (Psalm 119:124).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah (Psalm 3:3-4).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
purity in your thoughts,
love for the unlovely,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3).

[Judy Harder]

November 19

Titus 1

Paul instructs Titus to appoint spiritually qualified men to oversee the church ministry.

INSIGHT

The Bible is an enormous book that is difficult to master. It contains nearly 1,000 pages of information, none of which is insignificant. While it is true that new Christians can read and study the Scriptures on their own and gain spiritual truths through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is highly unlikely that anyone can grow to a mature understanding of the Bible without relying on teachers who know more about the Bible than they do. Herein lies a danger: We may not know enough about the Bible to determine if what is being taught to us is accurate. Therefore it is important to align ourselves with a church that believes and teaches the Bible. This type of setting will help safeguard us from being led into error.

PRAYER

Thank the Lord that He warns us about the danger of falling away from Him, and praise Him that He safeguards the faithful:
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory
(Psalm 63:1-2).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
(Hebrews 9:27-28)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater love for your family,
missionaries in North and South America,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 15:5-6)

[Judy Harder]

November 20

Titus 2

The book of Titus encourages people of all ages to live proper lives as Christians.

INSIGHT

The knowledge of Christ must effect a transformation in our lives so that our attitudes and actions will Òadorn the doctrine of GodÓ (v. 10). The words we speak will influence others only if our actions support our words. God has redeemed us from the slavery of sin, assuring us of "the blessed hope" of the coming of Christ (v. 13). Because we will one day be delivered from this world, we are to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, fixing our faith on the coming of "the blessed hope." This means we must be good stewards of the things of this world and live for the things Jesus would live for if He were in our place.

PRAYER

Because we can joyfully look ahead to a new life in another world, we praise our God:
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. . . .
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
(Psalm 63:3-5, 7)

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up . . .
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen (Psalm 41:10, 13).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
(Hebrews 11:6)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
faithfulness with your finances,
revival among Christians in America,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)

[Judy Harder]

November 21

Titus 3

Those who believe in God should be careful to maintain good works.

INSIGHT

It is difficult for us to separate our hope of heaven from our good works. We instinctively feel that we must be good to get to heaven. While God certainly wants us to live good lives, none of us can live a life good enough to get to heaven. One sin disqualifies us, and everyone has sinned more than once. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us . . . that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (vv. 5, 7). Salvation is a gift.

PRAYER

The Lord longs to mature us in Christ, the very thing for which we long, and so we praise Him:
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together. . . .
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:1-3, .

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"
Says the Lord, your Redeemer (Isaiah 54:7-8).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
(Psalm 51:12)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater wisdom in decision-making,
needs of close friends and family members,
your activities for the day.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name! . . .
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!(Psalm 103:1, 21-22).

[Judy Harder]

November 22

Philemon

Paul urges Philemon to have mercy on his runaway slave, Onesimus, who has become a Christian.

INSIGHT

If anyone is a servant of Christ, he cannot be a tyrant to men. Jesus taught forgiveness, compassion, and gentlenessÑnot harshness, anger, and retribution. Paul urges Philemon to forgive, receive, and restore his runaway slave, Onesimus, as a brother in Christ, now that he has become a Christian. The fact that this letter has been preserved indicates PhilemonÕs favorable response. Although we do not have slaves today, our employees, co-workers, associates, and neighbors deserve respect from us. Service to Christ requires a forgiving spirit.

PRAYER

Thank and praise the Lord that what He requires of us is something we are able to give Him:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain. . . .
We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
In the midst of Your temple.
According to Your name, O God,
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;
Your right hand is full of righteousness (Psalm 48:1, 9-10).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1).

The Lord encourages us to come to Him with our concerns and desires. As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
spiritual victory over temptation,
opportunities to serve the Lord,
whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore (Psalm 121:7-8).

[Judy Harder]

November 23

Hebrews 1

Because Christ is the Son of God, He is superior to angels in every way.

INSIGHT

Angels do not seem real to us. They are found in fairy tales, and we tell children about them; but we tend not to take them seriously. They are very real, however, and play an important role in ministering to us as believers. Throughout the Bible we only get glimpses of the work of angels in our lives, but one of those glimpses is found in today's chapter. We read here that they are sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Perhaps this is the passage from which the idea of a guardian angel has come. Apparently, angels can appear in human form, for some have "entertained angels" without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). They are also very active in world affairs. At present, they are much greater than men, but one day redeemed men will "judge angels"(1 Corinthians 6:3).

PRAYER

Angels are ministers who serve believers, and we can praise the Lord for them:
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen (Psalm 72:18-19).

Pause for praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O Lord, I know the way of man is notin himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
O Lord, correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing (Jeremiah 10:23-24).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
(James 1:17)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
a stronger desire to be like Christ,
local churches across the nation,
your activities for the day.

Close with this prayer to the Lord:
He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.
He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions (Daniel 6:26-27).