I just keep trusting the Lord….
Praise God, I think I see a sliver of sunshine. Proverbs 7 warns again of adultery. Can you tell I am growing weary of this subject? However, I love verse 4. After encouraging the young man to follow the commands and store them up within him, he is told to, “say to wisdom, ‘you are my sister,’ and call understanding your kinsman.” Here is the key to right living. Seek after wisdom and understanding, make them a part of you, a member of your family. Do not depart from the teaching you have received.
Again, we see that nothing good comes from straying from God’s laws. Adultery destroys individuals, families, and even worse our souls are damaged irreparably. Is adultery unpardonable? No. Forgiveness asked is forgiveness received. But you can never recover the innocence that was lost, or fully repair the lives torn apart. I thing this is the reason the theme of adultery is so prevalent in Proverbs. Turning away from sin is always the better course. Seeking holiness is always the wisest choice.
Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and all that is within me…
It is another rainy day in Little Rock, but there is sunshine in my soul. Oh, I know it is corny, but that’s just who I am.
Today we look at Proverbs 6, warnings against folly, wickedness and adultery. Proverbs 6 begins by warning us of the folly of debt. Someone should pin these verses to the pillows of each of our elected officials. Perhaps if they had to sleep with debt and awake to see its ugly face every morning they would not be so anxious to keep increasing the debt to the point we will never be able to repay. But, I regress. In the light of today’s economy, it would do us all well to get out of debt any way we can. Debt is a form of slavery, and God did not deliver us from sin just so we would be under bondage of man. Verse 10 hits me hard: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
I sleep too much. It’s true. I should be out every day wading through the waters of Little Rock, gathering fish for the Kingdom, but I sleep. No one wants to think of being in poverty after working hard all of your life, but it happens. Sometimes the cause is a devastating illness of a loved one that takes all of the family’s resources; of late many of us have lost resources due to the decline of the stock market. But even worse is the poverty of our souls when we neglect the Word of God or spending time in prayer or helping others in need. God help me to stay alert and actively seek out opportunities to bring others to You.
Prov 12-19 warns of one who plots evil in his heart and always stirs up dissension, and goes one to tell of things that are detestable to God. Since I am a part of a Christian community, I feel insulated against the person who plots evil, but then I look at our government and think either the inmates have taken over the asylum, or there are people in Washington who are purposely bringing our country down. Only God knows the hearts of men.
We are told God hates haughty eyes (pride), a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. As Christians, people who follow after Christ, we should not exhibit any of these characteristics. The list before us are more than character flaws, they are sins against man and sins against our Lord and Savior. A man who stirs up dissension among brothers is one who causes problems in the church body–God forbid. May we pray each day that our hearts would be kept pure through the power of the Holy Spirt and that only the fruits of the Spirit would be visible in our lives.
Proverbs 6:20-23 are some of my favorite verses, where the son is told to keep his fathers commands and remember his mother’s teachings, for they will guide him, watch over him when he sleeps and the commands are a lamp and the teaching is light. I have one son and two stepsons and I pray this over them. I pray this over my grandchildren, that they would always walk in the light that God shines before them. And, I want them to remember that sometimes the light is only enough to show the path immediately before them. It is in these instances they should move slowly, never walking ahead of the light. God, keep my children and their children safe and may they all know You in your fullness.
New thoughts on holiness
As I continue in my efforts to intentionally seek after holiness, I find I am already being conformed by my journey. Seeking holiness is not a passive endeavor, nor is it something one can do without thinking. As I think of God’s holiness and pray that I would likewise be holy, I find that my choices are changing. No longer can I watch a television show that might be considered “racy.” No longer can I respond with anger when someone tries to bait me into an argument. Instead of staying at home on days when I do not feel well, I find myself attending church and feeling better for it. Let us pray that holiness is contagious, and as each one of us becomes more holy, let those around us catch holiness as if it were a fast spreading virus.
A proverb a day turns into 5 days
After attending the Dallas Razorbacks vs. Aggies game, I am somewhat behind in posting to my blog. I was able to read my Bible each day but since I did not take my laptop I have a lot of writing to do.
If you wonder why you should bother to read the book of Proverbs 12 times during the year, keep reading and you will find an abundance of reasons. Verses 2-7 0f the first chapter says:
- for attaining wisdom and discipline
- for understanding words of insight
- for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life
- doing what is right and just and fair
- adding to the learning of the wise by listening
- giving the discerning guidance
Why wouldn’t we want to spend a portion of every day devouring words that will accomplish all of these things? And v. 7 is one of the strongest verses in the entire Bible: The fear (awe) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
If you have ever watched Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” you may think wisdom is no longer sought after or treasured. It seems we have all but abandoned our quest for knowledge, and the thirst for godly wisdom has likewise been abandoned. But if you continue to read further in Proverbs, you will see that just as there are rewards for wisdom, there is punishment for folly. Vs. 25 and 26 actually says, “I will laugh at your calamity because you did not listen to me.” I have heard some pastors say this verse means that God will laugh at our calamity, but these verses are about wisdom, not God. I cannot imagine God laughing at the demise of any of His children, but we should not test God by continually turning away from His instruction.
Proverbs 2 goes on to deal with the moral benefits of wisdom telling us we should search for wisdom as though it were silver or some other hidden treasure. I remember the movie “Goonies” which was about a group of misfits who had found a treasure map. So convinced were they that treasure would be found, they began a journey that not only was rife with traps but also put them at odds with a family of criminals. If we would only seek wisdom with the same fervor those kids sought (and found) the treasure, then we are told in v. 10 of Ch. 2 that “wisdom will enter your heart.” Wisdom saves from wickedness, perverseness and darkness and keep us in the company of good men. (v 20)
Proverbs 3 goes on to expound on the benefits of wisdom. Prov. 3:1-2 says wisdom will increase our lives and give us prosperity. Prov 3:5 is another one of those scriptures that once learned, stays with you forever: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.” If I tell God that I am committed to trusting Him with all of my heart, but then do not invite Him to partake in any of my decisions, I am not being honest. When I read my Bible and pray, if I do all of the talking and do not give God any time for any input, then I am really just talking to myself, and that has never been known to be very productive. When we find ourselves on the wrong path, time after time, then it is clear God is not directing our paths and we need to back up and start again.
Prov 3:11 can be a tough scripture: do not rebuke the Lord’s discipline for the Lord disciplines those He loves. No one likes to be disciplined. Discipline equals punishment and punishment implies you have done something wrong. But God’s discipline is not man’s discipline. God’s discipline is designed to turn you back to Him. When we find ourselves on the mat, down for the count, that is when we should look toward Heaven and turn toward God for the answers to life’s questions.
Prov 4 says though it costs you all you have, get understanding (v.7). Most of us have never given all we have for anything. We always save a little something back “for a rainy day.” Giving all we have is just not in our nature. Jesus, however, gave all He had to purchase our redemption, not His, ours. Will we ever completely fathom God’s mercy, Jesus’ sacrifice, or why God even wants a relationship with such flawed individuals? God, please give us the wisdom to understand, and the understanding to continue to seek your wisdom.
V. 22 says God’s words are life to those who find them and health to our bodies. We are to guard our hearts, for they are the wellsprings of life. Again, I wonder why–why would we not cling to the word of God, why do we not take more time to visit His word, to hear His word, to make His word a part of our daily lives? Why do we not make a conscious effort to memorize His word? What else can you think of that is life to those who find it, and health to your body? Help us Father, to recognize the importance of your word, and to receive the life found therein.
Prov. 5 speaks primarily of adultery. Many of us may think we can skip this chapter as it does not now, nor would ever, apply to us. Not so fast. This chapter speaks not just of adultery, but of the lack of discipline that can lead to adultery. There is that word again–discipline. V 12 says, how I hated discipline, how my heart spurned correction. These are the words of a man whose life was ruined by a lack of discipline. Is discipline so hard that we are willing to trade it for our life? God forbid that we choose folly over wisdom, or evil over good.
More proverbs
Now we look at Proverbs 31, the saga of the virtuous woman. When I was a child, my mother told my twin and me that our verse in the Bible was Prov. 31:29. She said that the 31st chapter was for girls (and Prov. 21 was for boys), and your birth date was your verse, so my verse is “many women have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.” Let me tell you, as a child I grew weary of hearing a verse recited that first of all applied to women and I was just a little girl, and secondly was about someone who sounded pretty much perfect, and perfect I was not.
Oh, but now how I love that verse and I love that chapter. The virtuous woman is not Martha Stewart on steroids, but instead, a model which, admittedly lofty, is absolutely attainable. I view the virtuous woman somewhat the way I view holiness. Virtue is a growth process. As we go through our lives, we may not always act with virtue, but just because we fail it does not mean we fall. When we stumble we reach out to steady ourselves by holding onto the tenets of our faith, we ask forgiveness, and we move forward. Thank you, Father, for this character trait to which we can all aspire.
Seeking Holiness 