A proverb a day keeps apathy away…
Come, Holy Spirit, that I may hear the words of the Lord and accomplish your good purpose for my life.
Today, I will be discussing Proverbs 29, 30, and 31. The second verse of Proverbs 29 is one worth a closer look. “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice.”
One of the characteristics of God is righteousness. When we pray to Jehovah-Tsidkenu we are praying to God, our Father, who is righteous. None of us can claim righteousness for ourselves except through the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus gave His life to purchase our salvation, then he imputed His righteousness onto us. We went from being on the wrong side of the canyon carved out by sin, to spanning the gulf by way of the cross, and were made righteous, that is we attained right standing with God our Father. When we live a righteous life, we live with integrity. Integrity is who you are when no one is watching.
While righteousness can only be attained through Jesus, I believe integrity is a communicable disease. When we live a life of integrity, others will take notice. The world can be changed through one righteous act at a time. Praise be to Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the God who is righteous, and to Jesus, who clothes us in His righteousness.
Proverbs 29 goes on to talk about self-control. Speaking as one whose foot is perpetually in her mouth, I will tell you self-control for me is an ongoing battle. But when I start my day asking that God be in control of my words, my actions, my responses to others, my day goes much smoother.
Proverbs 30 is so full and rich. As a poet, I love the lyrical quality of the verse. As a student of the Bible, I am in awe of the wisdom collected here. Verse 5 gives us the assurance that every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
We have all at some point in our lives been caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella, without a covering, and making a mad dash to the car have been soaked, for who can run faster than the rain? When wickedness rains down upon us, we have a ready shield, and we will emerge from the storm unscathed. God is our shield, our refuge in the time of storm, our resting place when all around us is in turmoil. He covers us with His wings and like a mother hen, He will not leave us or forsake us.
Proverbs 30 goes on to warn of the evils of pride (12-13) and greed (v15) but follows these verses with 18-19 and talks about things too wonderful for the author to understand. Are there things too wonderful for you to understand? How about the smell of a newborn baby, the caress of a loving husband, the security a woman feels when her pantry is full, and the faithfulness of a friend.
When we read verses 24-28 we see examples, yet again, of wisdom. But not only wisdom, we see a picture of community, for one ant alone cannot provide for himself. It is the community of ants, together, that provide for the needs of all. As a member of the Christian community, I believe we each should do our part to grow the kingdom of God, and as a member of the greater Little Rock community I believe we should do our part to support the place in which we live. Helping the poor and the widowed is a Biblical concept which we should never overlook. I thank God I am part of a community of believers who put their money and their time to work in helping those who cannot help themselves.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me…
Good morning. I did not post yesterday so I will talk about two days of Bible study. But, I have a meeting at church at 10:15 so I will post later in the day. Stay tuned…
He who is blameless
Prov. 28:1 begins by saying the wicked man flees though no one pursues. What a terrible existence, to always be looking over one’s shoulder. There is a term in psychology called transference. Simply put, it means the patient transfers or projects his feelings upon those around him. So, in this instance, because a man is wicked, he is always suspect of those around him, thinking because he would do harm to others, others would do harm to him.
The second verse of Proverbs 28 is just as bad as the first: when a country is rebellious, it has many rulers. As a child, we had to know not only the President’s and Vice-President’s names, we also had to know the name and function of the Cabinet members. These people, along with our Congressmen, were our leaders. Today, we have people called Czars in addition to our Executive Staff and Legislative Staff. Why do we have so many leaders, yet our country seems to be drifting upon the seas of discontentment and smashing against the rocks of partisanship and enmity? The answer is simple: rebellion. Rebellion against God and His laws. We have turned our backs upon the living God to pursue our own desires.
Proverbs uses comparisons to show us God’s will vs. man’s desires. We see the rewards of the blameless and the punishment of the wicked. One of the most pungent verses in this chapter says he who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap (v. 10) But it is followed by what I consider the central verse of this Chapter–whoever confesses and renounces them (his sins) finds mercy.
Mercy, grace and love–if Jesus is the cornerstone of the gospel, then these are certainly the foundation. God has said He is holy, be thou holy, too. But we are incapable of holiness because we were born in sin and we live in a sinful world. So God says, I cannot overlook sin, but what I can do is provide a redeemer for your sin so that you can be reconciled to me and we can fellowship one with another.
Today (and every day) I put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10). I wear the helmet of salvation to protect my mind from assaults by the enemy, I put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect my heart from slings and arrows that would weaken my witness, I gird my loins with truth, the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I shod my feet with the gospel of peace, so that the footprints I leave will blossom into fragrant flowers of peace, I pick up the shield of faith which I can use to deflect the attacks of the enemy, and the sword of the Spirit, the very Word of the very living God and I use only the Word to answer the attacks of the enemy, for the enemy cannot be debated, cannot be persuaded. And, I pray. I pray that God will give me the spirit of discernment, the wisdom of Solomon, and the compassion of Jesus.
Justice
Each day I try to read a chapter from Proverbs. Proverbs is such a practical book for one who is practicing the Christian faith, and it is filled with such wisdom, that I never tire of reaping the benefits of the nuggets of truth found therein.
Today being September 26, I read Proverbs 26 and was struck by the theme of justice. We are warned repeatedly in this chapter about the folly of foolishness and the inability of wisdom and foolishness to coexist. Did you know that Solomon never prayed for riches, even though his wealth was legendary? Instead, Solomon prayed for wisdom and he was rewarded with long life on the one hand and wisdom on the other hand. When we pray for the right things, with the right motive, we might be surprised by receiving more from God than we ever expected.
Proverbs 26 goes on to admonish against laziness, gossip and even maliciousness. If we are in Christ, why should we be concerned with such warnings? I believe it is because even those who are intentional disciples can find themselves on a detour from time to time. I don’t consider myself to be lazy, a gossip or malicious, but that does not mean I have never been guilty of such activities. For this reason, I think it is vital that we stay connected to God’s word. If I read about God’s plan for my life in the morning, it is less likely I will act against His will in the afternoon.
Moving on to Ephesians 1 we find Paul writing to the church at Ephesus where he begins by praising God for His blessings. He goes on to talk about our being chosen by God before the foundation of the world. Does anyone else find it awesome that God knew about each one of us before the world was formed? If God were human, I can imagine an outline detailing creation and salvation that would literally stretch around the earth hundreds of times–perhaps thousands of times. Instead, God spoke the world into existence, gave us free choice so that our worship of Him would be free and then sealed us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul then goes on to give God praise for the Ephesians and prays that God would give them wisdom and revelation which leads to what? Paul says it leads to a greater knowledge of who Christ is. Isn’t that the goal of every intentional disciple? Isn’t that your goal?
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming
It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming
By Carol Grace
It is in the darkest of the
midnight that we truly need
the light, something
that we can use to find our
way, to lead us forward into
a day where we are free of trouble, free
of woes, after we are dealt yet
another of life’s blows, what
can we do, where can we turn
when we have no choice
in the events that churn
about us, leaving us heartsick
and dejected, what can be done
after we have objected to
life spinning out of control,
leaving only chaos and despair,
to whom can we go?
When the free will God gave us
is no longer free, but bends
to the will of others, where does
that leave you and me?
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming is
the simple refrain, that keeps rolling
over and over in my brain, so I grasp
tightly this hope, that tomorrow will be
brighter and happier if we only believe,
that God is the Author and Finisher of our
faith, that this, too, shall pass, this
heartache will eventually abate.
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming.
Seeking Holiness 