The Root of the Righteous

 

 

 “The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.” ~ Proverbs 12:12 NKJV

By Ryan Marks

          Wicked men will desire the wealth that others have and they are even willing to steal to get it. Their stealing may take the form of hidden fees, heavy taxation, class-discriminated taxation, murder, fraud, pick pocketing, lawsuits, and more because history has recorded that they do. Evil men have a record of ranting and raving for wealth inside of themselves—indeed it consumes many of them completely. Because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10), no wonder the thieves, the murders, and the false witnesses that are among us often started out greedy for plunder not to murder, steal or lie.

            On the other hand, there are the righteous. God keeps these people from having to beg by providing for them from His own immeasurable riches, but this is not so for the wicked. The righteous are righteous to their very roots (in Jesus Christ’s righteousness). The roots of their lives bring forth the fruit of their faithfulness over time: a loving, caring marriage; kindness and compassion for the poor and hurting; wisdom; purity; fruitfulness from the Lord; and a close, intimate relationship with the Lord. The righteous even affect others to their very roots! It is here, at the roots, that the righteous man plants his seed and fertilizes it by the divine grace contained in the spiritual gift(s) that have been given to him by the Holy Spirit, into the heart of another. The righteous man waters the roots of the lost whom he has sown in with the life-giving water of Jesus’ Spirit, the Holy Spirit. It is here that the righteous man rebukes, exhorts and teaches the wicked, he fertilizes the wicked root with transforming nutrients from God’s Word. And it is here that the righteous brings the Messiah, who is contained in himself, and shines the SONLIGHT needed for the growth: the process of spiritual photosynthesis. It is here at the roots that the righteous’ overflows his own reservoirs of sap, the sap of the Holy Spirit that is in his veins; the water of the living Word of God; and the light which is the Son of God living in Him!

   And what to say of the Salt that he is to the wicked? Perhaps it will taste bitter to the wicked man at first, but with instruction and faithful administration it can become the flavoring of his life! That is, if the wicked will accept it.

   The righteous man stands firm when storms arise because of his deep roots, but the wicked topples over: plundering whatever he can from others and being destroyed, left hopeless and stranded in the process of trying to obtain his greed’s fulfillment.

 Remember Proverbs 12:12 and be righteous by abiding in the vine of Christ (Jn. 15:5)!

Read Psalm 1.

 

Thought 366: A prayer for you the reader from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

 

 

               Thought 366

A prayer for you the reader

    May God bless you and may you always have reminders of what He did for you on the cross. May God bless your ministry and may He bless everyone that you affect in your realm of influence. May each one of you be like shining stars in this dark world. May He use you to share His saving Grace with those whom you meet. Dear Lord, bless my brothers and sisters out there with the strength to face the trials and testings that they will endure. Give them an unquenchable hunger for Your Word so that they may know Your ways. May each be used mightily by Your Holy Spirit in their workplace, home, church, school, the grocery store, and everywhere else that they GO (Matthew 28:19). O God, please bless each of them with a calling and help them to realize that life is not about what they want to do, but how You want to use them. Give each and everyone-no matter how small- a place to serve and worship You. Help them not fall even though the winds blow. God, may You be their everything and may each brother and sister allow You to use them. Lord, guide their eyes and show them things of You. Please give each a desire to serve You and to do right. Thank You God, and may Your will be the priority of their lives. Amen. Thank You for what You, Lord, for what You are going to do in each one of their lives.

 This is the last day, take 10 or 20 minutes and jot down some notes about what you have learned or about what God has taught you.

 

Thought 365: His Hand Clave to the Sword -- David's mighty men from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

 

Thought 365

His Hand Clave to the Sword – David’s mighty men

  Read 2 Samuel 23:1-39 and 1 Chronicles 11:10-47.

 

    The Bible tells us in these amazing chapters the feats of the mighty men of David in Israel of old. As you read them, consider how God transformed David’s original debt-bound, troubled men into warriors (1 Samuel 22:2).





 

Thought 264: 1 Corinthians 13:11 from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 364

1 Corinthians 13:11

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV

     The Apostle Paul testifies to the fact that when he became man, that he left childhood behind. There was no teenage years of “weirdness” that were considered a stage in his life. Young men and women should be learning new things and maturing just like adults. However, the modern perception of a “teenage” stage has reared up a false idea in our society. The term teenager and its definition were created under 100 years ago. We need to treat young men and women as what they are—young men and young women. They should be given responsibilities and be expected to mature beyond the current normal. The point, is since the Bible teaches the opposite of the “teenage” years then why should we uphold the idea?

 

The expectations you place on young people does influence them.





 

Thought 363: A Threat from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 363

A Threat

   Christians are a threat to the World, because we know that its foundation and focus are wrong. We are a threat in the sense that we live and speak truth that is contrary what the World believes. In today’s passage notice how Believers will be different from the world:

   And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

    And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

     When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

     And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

      Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

     Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

     Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

      But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

      But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.     Matthew 24 KJV