Awesome Autumn Sept 22-Sept.27 (in case you missed the other entry.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 September 22-30 Pages 1-12
Section 2 October 1-October 31 Pages 13-56
Section 3 November 1-November 30 Pages 57-104
Section 4 December 1-December 21 Pages 105130
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
(Psalm 90:12)
SECTION ONE: SEPTEMBER 22-30
ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 3
FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY MATTER UNDER HEAVEN:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
Section One Theme: Heroes and Prophecy
September 22 Scripture (Psalm 39:4-5)
O Lord, make me know the end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths; my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
The change of seasons reminds us of how short, in the full picture of things, our lifespan is, and “The time always flees; it will wait for no man.” (Geoffrey Chaucer, Prologue to the Clerk’s Tale, The Canterbury Tales).
It is a good time for us to evaluate how our lives are progressing, how we use, or how we waste our time, and how the trajectory of our lifespan is going. The “busy” time of the year is coming, with holidays, school activities for us, or our children and grandchildren, significant weather preparation, and programs, festivals, concerts, football games… need I remind us of scheduling conflicts? Believers need to set aside time-wasters and meaningfully concentrate on the important tasks of our commitment to live our lives as God’s stewards. Begin by praying at breakfast- time, asking for God to guide and bless us as we travel, work, study, interact with people, going our separate ways, and because we all need strength to accomplish what He wants us to do each day ahead. It’s a good way to start
Prayer:
Lord, God, I am in Your hands today and always. Let me honor You in word, deed, thought, and tasks in this new season and new day You have allowed me to see. Bless those You plan for me to meet today, for I am Your message to the world that each moment is precious, and I can live my life well because I have asked You to bless my walk with You.
Make me a living sermon as You bless my testimony. Amen.
September 23 1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath story:
Saul, the Philistine giant said:
“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you become our
subjects and serve us.”
David, a young shepherd boy but chosen by God, challenged Goliath. Then David said to the Philistine:
“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This
day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel”
You know the rest of the story, or you can read how ridiculously, David was prepared by Saul to face the giant. Really! A huge shield and armor? See God’s hand, written clearly throughout the narrative. and several others throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. So, let the narrative begin with a classic hymn of the church.
I was involved in church music for many years. The pastor and I chose this hymn for the Sunday service following the 9/11 tragedy. It was totally fitting and still inspires Christians today to think about the heroes who have been used by God for the good of others and to give glory to God. It will serve as the prayer for this day’s entry.
Pray Isaac Watts’ inspiring words, or sing it to yourself.
A thousand ages in your sight
Are like an evening gone,
September 24 Scripture (Psalm 37:23-24)
The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds His hand. (Take time to read the whole Psalm. You will be blessed.)
One of the things I delight in every morning is sharing a Bible verse for the day on our family’s cellphone group. It’s part of my daily routine with my devotion time. If I anticipate that time might be compromised the next morning, I write it as a draft the day before and send it the next morning. My grandchildren, now twelve and fifteen, often respond with a thumbs up or a heart emoji. I love that!
I remember driving to my teaching jobs, anticipating a task-filled day, stopped at a traffic light. I started using that time praying. I know God listens and often felt His Presence when I captured even those short seconds.
Instead of becoming frustrated, watching the slow traffic, or hearing sirens, or just imagining what all those other drivers were facing, it gave me confidence that God knew what I would face that day because He knows everything. He knows my rising up, my journey, my hopes, my needs, and the challenges I’ll face.
Prayer:
Lord, You know me oh, so well. You know I will attempt to run my life, and I’ll mess up yet again. But when I rely on You, I have Your loving counsel. You’ll guide my steps, renew my strength, and use me to spread Your love to others if I can just get out of the way and trust you. Today, use me for Your purposes. Set up Divine Appointments, Godincidences, so I can represent You to others in thought, word, and deed. For Jesus’ sake, Amen
September 25 Scripture (Psalm 23: 1)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Sheep are notoriously prone to wander; they need a shepherd. The Bible is filled with images of sheep, atonement, separation of sheep and goats, etc. but I so love this Psalm for its words of provision for us. When we are weary, worried, troubled, facing dilemmas, or lamenting our circumstances, verses 2-3 are worth memorizing and remembering when we are stressed. “He MAKES me lie down in green pastures. He LEADS me beside still waters. He RESTORES my soul. Memorize this Psalm. Teach it to your children, and each one of you will rejoice to know personally, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me. Write it on your hearts!
Ultimately, the last verse will bless His children mightily:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Blessed Holy Spiriit, I so need Your guidance, the comfort of knowing You are walking before me this day and always, preparing blessings and rest for me in this fallen world willed with crags, dangers, and storms of life.
I trust You to bring me close to You each day, for I so need Your peace and assurance that I am not alone but am following The Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep. Thank You for loving me as one of Your own. Amen.
September 26 Scripture (I Corinthians 16:14)
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
Francis of Assisi said, “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” (https://www.sumasacchurch.com/sermons/you-may-be-the-only-bible-some-people-read-1-tim-411-52).
A current contemporary Christian songs says, I want my Life to Preach. (Ryan Stevenson & Matt Hammitt – Preach Lyrics – Genius)
We need to be “responsible” Christians, sharing love, caring, responding as Christ taught to daily situations. We are not to be proud of who we are but humbly to be unafraid to show ourselves as examples of God’s mighty power to live life courageously for Him. Let us never be legalistic or “holier than thou,” for that defiles the whole mission and can turn people away.
We need to be winsome in our witness, and when someone asks us what makes us able to face difficulties or why we refuse to participate in derogatory speech or laugh at “dirty” jokes, our answer needs to be said in love: that we indeed do march to a different drummer and we make life choices based on Biblical principles. We may be the only sermon people hear or see, so let our lifestyles show that God is in charge, and we welcome His guidance every day.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You came into a world of hostility, Roman rule, people looking for a Redeemer. While I am still free to express my faith, worship You without persecution, share the Gospel, USE ME MIGHTILY to affect my world situations in a way that represents Your principles in my life. Amen.
-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-WESOME AUTUMN ENTRIES SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4. SORRY, CAN’T REPRODUCE THE PICTURES AND FORMAT FOR THE BOOK IS 6”’ x 9′ BUT THE TEXT IS THE SAME.
September 27 Scripture (Joshua 1:9)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go.
During the summer I reread God’s word as recorded in the book of Joshua. While this scripture was spoken directly to that mighty man of God, we can take courage in knowing the eternal truth that God speaks to us in answers to prayer just as mightily as he did to the Old Testament heroes and to saints through the ages. His truth is eternal. While Joshua had battles to fight (our generals could learn from the strategies God gave Joshua) and for the second time in recorded history, the Red Sea waters divided, and man walked in dry land and even collected and used rocks to make an altar and mark the place.) Enjoy the read.
We will never know, this side of heaven, how many times God’s timing in our lives prevented disasters or set up meetings with those we were supposed to meet on His timetable. I call them Godincidences. For those walking with the Lord, nothing is left to chance or luck. God knows our whole life’s journey. Psalm 139:16 tells us our days are numbered from before we are born…we won’t change our death date or add a cubit to our height. God is in charge!
So, we can trust God, and indeed, even if we are brought before judges, we are not to worry about what we are to say. He will provide the necessary words for we are His children, and He will provide all we need when we need it.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to remember to trust You in moments when I don’t know what to do or what to say or how to react, or where my strength will come from. You’re in charge. Amen!
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September 28 Scripture (Revelation 21: 5-6)
And He who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also He said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
How grateful I am for the apostle John’s writing of the book of Revelation where God is seated on His throne in heaven, and John was privileged to see and record God’s message to us through the ages and the time to come in eternity. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, here meaning God is the beginning and the end. He is IN CHARGE of all things in the universe, all that ever was and all that will ever be. Fall down in worship!
His story is indeed DONE. He provided salvation for all whom He chose to believe in the victory of Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, and the source of our hope of redemption.
Galatians 5: 14 says: The whole law is fulfilled in one word: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. That is now our mission, and these are our marching orders.
Prayer:Lord God Almighty, knowing that You loved me enough to send Jesus to show me Who You are, let me dwell in Your Presence even when I am in this mortal state in this broken world. Let me show love to those who love You, but even more to those who do not yet embrace Your Son, and let me reveal His Presence in my life story so that I have opportunities to share the greatest story ever told, that You loved me enough to sacrifice Your Son Jesus so that my sins and theirs can be forgiven, and yes, even forgotten. Amen.
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September 29 Scripture (Proverbs 18:10)
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Picture with me a citadel, castle on the highest hill, a watchtower, and place of security, a place where watchmen can search for trouble, a place built of stones for protection, and a place secure from breaches. Nowadays, it would include cyber, space, intel, AI and all kinds of protections for our electronics, but you get the picture.
God knew about warfare; even some things in Armageddon sound like helicopters and drones if we look at them with imagination and creativity. There is nothing God cannot do, in any time, in any country, in any part of the universe, for He alone is our source of protection.
He knows every cell, rogue or not, in our bodies. He wove us sinew, bone, and cartilage in our mothers’ wombs. He will keep our feet from stumbling. He even makes animals talk if He pleases. (Balaam’s donkey) He will put dreams into our sleep and interpret them if we need that. He will prevent tragedy or allow it to happen so that we might learn of His power. He will place the King of heaven, Jesus, in a dirty stable in the middle of the night, or provide water from a rock, or raise an invisible angel army.
Prayer: Lord, if I have any doubts, give me a voracious appetite to consume Your word, the Bible, cover to cover, for Your amazing story is available to me. I don’t need chat rooms, or AI, or influencers to offer apologies or tell me what to believe or do or say, or what lifestyle to embrace. All I need is Scripture, and I’ll learn to walk in steps You choose for me and my loved ones. For You are the true Source. Amen.
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September 30 Scripture (1 Kings 3:8-9)
And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?
When God chose Solomon to lead His people, Solomon prayed for wisdom. We may not be given such a leadership role, but the book of Proverbs stresses wisdom as one of our most important responsibilities and gives many examples of the wise versus the foolish paths we as humans can take. Today, let us pray for wisdom in making our decisions, in choosing our activities, in raising our children, and in our praying for our nation, our world, the church and its outreach to others, and in our daily walk with the Lord. With wisdom comes insight, and with constant communication with God for ourselves and in intercession for others, let us pray for insight and for faith to supply the things we cannot see as we face problems, difficulties, decisions, and indeed, in our daily walk with the Lord.
Prayer: Almighty Father, I pray with Solomon to live in this mortal life with wisdom. I pray the Holy Spirit will guide me. Help me to run to You when I am perplexed, confused, or must make difficult choices, for I know that You love and guide me and are ready to listen as I call on Your Name. Indeed, give me wisdom, beginning with the sure knowledge that You, the creator and sustainer of my life will answer my prayers. I expect Godincidences will happen! Amen.
SECTION 2 OCTOBER 1-OCTOBER 31
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3
FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY MATTER UNDER HEAVEN:
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
SECTION TWO THEME: GROWING OUR FAITH
PSALM 8
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
You have established strength because of Your foes,
O still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You are for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower
Than the heavenly beings
And crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion
Over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
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October 1 Scripture (Exodus 33:12-14)
Moses said to the Lord, See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight. Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight. Consider too that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My presence will go with you, and will give you rest.”
Isn’t it awesome that the Bible brings us so many instances of man’s petitions to God and God’s specific promises of His Presence? Moses prayed, like Solomon did, for wisdom and guidance. (tradition holds that Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes I am using as section headings in this book)
In October we will look at some of these intercessions by prophets, disciples, even Jesus Himself as they faced life circumstances. By these examples, may we learn that God is ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), closer than hands and feet (Psalm 145:18) and God’s telephone number is Jeremiah 33:3. By your humbly asking God, Who loves us so very much, we will gain the insight and faith to go forward or stop in our tracks until the answer is revealed to us.
Prayer: Lord, You teach me to pray. Help me remember even the childhood prayers I’ve relied on as truth. Indeed, “ Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, I am weak, but He is strong.” It may take that humility to trust You, God. I know You listen as I pray. Amen.
-=-=-=-=-October 2 Scripture (Acts 6:1-6 )
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
We trust our churches and Christian organizations do this problem-solving in our time, using prayer, discussion, and decision-making in line with scriptural authority. These early church-planters were over-worked and overcome, and expressed the problem. God provided Stephen and others, blessed them by the laying on of hands and prayer, and got on with what they felt led to accomplish. Now, in many churches, there are small groups which help us live in accountability, helping each other with life-challenges, and our churches, hopefully, we also relieve our pastors to concentrate on preaching and not other ministries that other believers can accomplish. It just makes sense.
Prayer:Lord, You have provided me with gifts. May I have discernment to serve Your cause well. I volunteer! Amen.
October 3 Scripture (Psalm 119: 129-130) Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
God speaks to us through His word, through the Bible stories of His heroes, saints through the ages, through accounts of His victories over insurmountable odds, His prophesies fulfilled, and through His unmistakable plan for our salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus for our transgressions. The more we read of the miracles, His faithfulness to all generations, and His infinite love for us, the more our faith walk becomes belief.
When we ignore the blessing of studying what the Bible says, the more inconsistent our faith walk is. We stumble, we sometimes grumble, and we lose focus, don’t we?
The book of Hebrews warns us not to “drift,” to let other priorities rule us, or to think that once we confess our belief in Jesus, we are “covered,” and have punched our ticket to heaven. Not true! The closer we walk with Jesus in this life, the more kingdom blessings we notice in our mortal lives.
As the seasons of our lives pass, let us endeavor to grow in our God-wisdom, share His message with others, and in doing so, yearn for heaven’s blessings all the more each day.
Prayer:
Almighty Father, I have the blessing of scripture to guide my every step. It is the lamp and the light for my earth-journey. Let me not neglect to read, study, discuss, understand, and use its guidance, for it is indeed the blessing I have as Your adopted child, and can call on You, Abba Father, all my life. “The Bible tells me so.” Amen.
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October 4 Scripture (Romans 8:26)
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Have you ever felt so disconsolate, so desperate for answers, so discouraged, so alone that you couldn’t face a situation?
I think of the disciples the day after the crucifixion sometimes. Imagine it. They gathered in fear in that upper room. Perhaps it is even more personal for you. Listen to Mandisa’s contemporary song, He Is With You. (You Tube.)
I remember uttering the question, “Why, Lord? Why?” when life seemed difficult. Although my head knew God is always in charge and sees the “big picture” I could not yet fathom such a blessing. Only later did I comprehend that He needed me to call on Him to make things easier to bear.
Scripture tells us Jesus is our intercessor to the Father, and when Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit, became our Comforter, our Sustainer, and the one who guides us. The Holy Spirit helps us take another step when our strength fails, helps us to find just the right scripture to sustain us for one more day, and sends us people of faith to walk alongside. Sometimes we need desperate circumstances to understand the full extension of God’s Presence with us.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to know that when my strength fails, You carry me through deep waters. I need to humble myself; Your amazing grace refreshes me. Those are the times I recall in thanksgiving Your special unmistakable sustaining Presence. You never ignore the prayers of Your saints. Amen.
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