As we near the end of Lent and prepare to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, we will turn toward responding to how it impacts our life. Here is the first devotion that makes clear our need to respond:

IN WORD Have you sought dramatic change in your life? Consider the fact of Proverbs 5:21. Nothing will so radically alter your perspective as the knowledge of this truth. It is an older version of Paul’s sobering observation: “Each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). Jesus illustrated the principle with several parables (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 16:1-12; 19:11-27). We are not left on this planet as unobserved, unaccountable masters of our own selves. We are seen.
We are accountable to our Creator. And one day we will stand before Him to explain what we have done and what we have left undone. We will have to own up to every thoughtless comment (Matthew 12:36). We will have to explain the discrepancy between the resources we’ve been given and the resources we’ve used. This can be a frightening thought, but it is not meant to frighten us.
Before our accounting we have already been given assurance of forgiveness in Christ. Those who are not in Christ have reason to fear indeed, but we who believe have been covered by the sacrifice of Jesus. What meaning, then, does this verse have for us? It is sobering in spite of our salvation. One day at the end of our earthly lives, we will stand before God with a full understanding that we had the power of Jesus Himself working within us, and an acute awareness that we did so little with it.
IN DEED These words are not for judgment, they are for encouragement. God gives them to stir us up. They prompt us to live with an understanding of whose we are and why we were made. Let the truth of God’s ownership sink in. When it does, it changes everything. Your life will never be the same. “As long as I see anything to be done for God, life is worth having.” – David Brainerd (in “Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

The book of Proverbs teaches us that wisdom is about discerning God’s ways in our lives. Proverbs 1-9 are a series of challenges and Proverbs 10 onward are proverbs that summarize the differences between one who submits to God’s will and one who chooses to follow their own way, and the consequences of their actions.
Take some time to read from the first part, or choose seven chapters from the second part. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern which path you are on and how God may judge how you’ve lived. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you to better align with the Lord to experience His blessed, abundant life for you. Have a blessed week! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam