“Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” Prov. 3:7-8
Today’s Christian daily devotional
I stepped out onto the rainy street and the impact of the concrete send a wave of excruciating pain throughout my bones. In defiance of the ache, I straightened my back and proceeded into Starbucks to retrieve my favorite drink and just forget about it. But, the ache permeated my body so deeply that it took my breath away. As my cup of Americano cooled, my mind swirled with worry.
This was not the kind of discomfort I was accustomed to. My daily workouts had conditioned me to be prepared for pain, but this was different. This was scary.
After several missed workouts and canceled dinner dates, my husband pressed me to call the doctor and to run some tests. The doctor’s diagnosis confirmed my suspicions. At age thirty-three I had osteoporosis.
When I read Prov. 3:7-8, the weight of it hit me hard. For thirty-three years, I lived in rebellion. I never considered departing from evil; I was actually drawn to it. If something felt good for me in the moment, I went for it. I had little regard for the effect my choices would have on my future or the people that I claimed to love. My own “wisdom” led to some pretty bad decisions.
Today, my daily diet of Greek yogurt and yearly bone scans are a reminder of the responsibility I have over my health—not only my physical body, but my spiritual self as well. I have determined to let God lead my life with His wisdom, as I saw only bad results from my own.
As I follow Him, I can feel not only my body becoming healthier but also my mind and emotions are being healed as well. Recovering from yourself can take a lifetime to achieve, but it sure beats succumbing to an early death!
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for another day and another chance to look back on yesterday and learn from it.
I pray against feeling overwhelmed and depressed about my past and the bad decisions I have made. I choose to listen to the lessons that I can learn through those expensive, painful and heart-consuming choices.
Thank you, Lord for Jesus Christ. When I asked Him to live inside of me, I received the wisdom and power to overcome my worst enemies—that is including myself!
Lord, help me to never forget where I came from, but to accept the forgiveness you gave me the moment I asked. Help me to forgive myself and move into a greener pastures that seemed impossible for me in the past.
That impossibility is trumped because I now have the power of God working in me and through me. In Jesus’ precious name, I accept it! Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional.
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan