Archive for the ‘Encourgement’ Category

Proverbs 04:16 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: February 4, 2015 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Evil People, friends, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 04, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command, Wicked Friends
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

Wicked friends will destroy you. If you want to grow in wisdom and godliness, you must avoid foolish companions. Paul wrote, evil communications corrupt good manners (I Cor 15:33). Solomon soberly warned his son to stay far away from evil men (Pr 4:14-15). Their hearts are controlled by sin and their thoughts dedicated to it (Pr 4:16-17).

Good and evil are opposites, and good men and evil men are also opposites. They are perpetual enemies (Pr 29:27). Wise and just men choose to live successful lives, and God blesses them with light (Pr 4:18). Foolish and wicked men live in darkness, stumbling through a dysfunctional life by the blindness of arrogant and ignorant hearts (Pr 4:19).

There are two kinds of people on earth – the righteous and the wicked. While the wicked may perform outward acts that appear good, those acts come from a heart that is only evil in God’s sight (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:9-18). While the righteous may sometimes live foolishly, yet they have a righteous heart that is vexed by sin (Ps 73:16-22; II Pet 2:7-8).

This proverb and the next are Solomon’s warning about the depraved character of wicked men (Pr 4:16-17). Mischief and wickedness are more important to them than sleep. They cannot rest nor be content unless they have corrupted or hurt others. Wickedness and violence are their bread and wine. They must eat them every day to satisfy their hunger!

There are no neutral men. Righteous men are the followers of Jesus Christ and godliness, and wicked men are the captive slaves of Satan and sin. Men either base their lives on the absolute terms of the Bible, or they base them on the world’s lies received from the devil. It is this great antagonism that makes worldly friends impossible for dedicated Christians.

The NEA, ACLU, PTA, NOW, MTV, CNN, FNN, UN, PETA, ECM, AFL-CIO, UAW, USA, DNC, RNC, and organizations of this world are dedicated to the overthrow of Bible Christianity. They work day and night for mischief and to cause men to fall from righteousness and truth. They cannot sleep until they get rid of Jesus Christ, His disciples, and His doctrine from the earth. Take a strong stand on any Bible subject and find out!

You must measure your friends and associates carefully and strictly and reject those that do not meet God’s high standards, like David did (Ps 15:4; 101:3-8; 119:63,79). And Solomon taught the same (Pr 9:6; 13:20; 14:7; 19:27). Some of these sinful threats to your success may be family members, but DNA and earthly blood ties matter very little to God or true disciples (I Sam 23:17; II Chr 15:16; Matt 10:34-37; Luke 14:25-33).

The God of heaven and the wisest of men command you to avoid the world, reject their opinions, despise their lifestyle, and hate their offers (Ps 101:3-8; Rom 12:1-2; II Cor 6:14-18; Eph 5:7-13; Jas 4:4; I John 2:15-17). No matter how subtle the insinuation or seductive the temptation against the absolute authority of the Bible, you must turn away with all your strength to avoid being corrupted (I Cor 15:33; I Tim 6:3-5; II Tim 3:1-5).

Spiritual Training 04 February 2015

Posted: February 4, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Bragging, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

2 Corinthians 10:12-13 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.

Paul criticized the false teachers who were trying to prove their goodness by comparing themselves with others rather than with God’s standards. When we compare ourselves with others, we may feel proud because we think we’re better. But when we measure ourselves against God’s standards, it becomes obvious that we have no basis for pride.

Lets Bring it Home: Don’t worry about other people’s accomplishments. Instead, continually ask yourself: How does my life measure up to what God wants? How does my life compare to that of Jesus Christ?

Proverbs 03:22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: February 3, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 03, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 3:22 They will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 

Here is a prince – crowned with life and decorated with grace. Here is a successful man or woman – living a great life with a glorious reputation. Here is prosperity – saved from painful living and public shame. The man who keeps sound wisdom and discretion will have a wonderful life and a great name. Reader, what hinders you from being a prince?

The proverb concludes a sentence, which states, “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion” (Pr 3:21). The plural pronoun “them” refers to wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in the context (Pr 3:13-20). Life for your soul and grace for your neck are based on steadily following sound wisdom and discretion.

What is sound wisdom? It is real wisdom, true wisdom, the wisdom of God. The wisdom of this world – abortion, divorce, evolution, fornication, labor unions, rap, sodomy – is foolishness. The wise men of this world – Darwin, Einstein, Marx, Sagan, Spock – are fools (Is 8:20; I Cor 1:20; 2:6; 3:19). Sound wisdom comes only from God and the Bible (Pr 2:7; 8:14; I Tim 1:10; II Tim 4:3-4). It is the only wisdom you should want or keep.

What is discretion? It knows what words or actions are best for any occasion. It knows what, when, where, and how to do anything. It is the reservation that holds a person back from foolish impulsiveness. It is discipline and self-denial to not speak the first words you think or not do the first thing that comes to mind. It is discerning and discriminating judgment to know the best approach and response to any situation.

What is “life unto thy soul”? Depressed, dysfunctional, or destructive living is like death. True wisdom and discretion give a happy and successful life rather than this death. They keep you from making fatal mistakes, and they increase and extend a good life. Solomon had already given a great description of the good life in the context (Pr 3:13-18).

What is “grace to thy neck”? Ornamentation or jewelry is often put around a person’s neck to show glory, honor, or reward. Consider the neck chains Pharaoh gave Joseph and Belshazzar gave Daniel (Gen 41:42; Dan 5:29). Wisdom and discretion enhance and exalt a man’s reputation, as if he had been awarded a gold chain by a great king (Pr 1:9).

Living a happy life and having a great reputation require godly wisdom and discretion (Pr 4:5-13; Ps 34:12-15). This is the lesson of the proverb. The Lord God of heaven will teach wisdom and discretion to any man who will despise his own thoughts, repent of his sins, and follow the teaching of the Bible. The purpose of the Bible, especially Proverbs, is to teach wisdom and discretion for a successful life (Pr 1:1-6; Ps 1:1-3; 19:7-14).

Spiritual Training 03 February 2015

Posted: February 3, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2 Corinthians 10:7-10 You are judging by appearances. l If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 9I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” 11Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Those who opposed Paul portrayed him as weak and powerless, but Paul reminded the Corinthians that he had been given authority by the Lord. False teachers were encouraging the believers to ignore Paul, but Paul explained that the words in his letters were to be taken seriously. Paul had authority because he and his companions had been the first to bring the gospel to Corinth (10:14). Everyone knew that because of this service, their faith had been built up. 10:10

Some said that Paul’s speaking amounted to nothing. Greece was known for its eloquent and persuasive orators. Evidently, some were judging Paul by comparing him to other speakers they had heard, and Paul was perhaps not the most powerful preacher (although he was an excellent debater). But Paul responded obediently to God’s call and thus introduced Christianity to the Roman Empire. Moses and Jeremiah also had problems with speaking (see Exodus 4:10-12; Jeremiah 1:6).

Lets Bring it Home: Preaching ability is not the first prerequisite of a great leader!

Proverbs 30:7 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 30, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 30, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 30:07 Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die 

Do you pray wisely? Do you pray fervently? You reveal your heart by your prayers. Life is short, and pleasing God should be your greatest ambition. Only a few men use their lives well in pursuing this noblest goal. Agur expressed himself strongly to God for two crucial factors in living a life to honor God. Admitting the brevity of life, and confessing his great need, he prayed aggressively for these two important things.

His prayer was not long, for content and fervency are more valuable than length. God rejects the vain repetitions and pagan nature of the Rosary (Matt 6:7-8). Though Agur had other needs, he knew the supreme priority of spiritual blessings. His first request was directly spiritual, and his second was to submit his carnal needs to it. If you always seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, he will take care of the rest (Matt 6:33).

What did Agur request? He first asked God to save him from vanity and lies (Pr 30:8). He begged for deliverance from the foolish and profitless ideas of men and the empty and worthless life this world offers. He asked the Lord to keep him from believing the deceitful lies of men. He knew that worldly opinions and activities were vain and vexing (Ps 119:113; Ecc 1:1-3; 12:8; Matt 6:24; I Tim 4:8; II Tim 3:1-5; Jas 4:4; I John 2:15-17).

What did Agur request? He then asked God to give him only convenient and modest success (Pr 30:8). He wanted to avoid both poverty and wealth, knowing that each brought its own set of temptations and trials (Pr 30:9). He did not pray against both for the carnal difficulties each could bring, but rather for their effect on His love of God. Riches could puff up his mind and turn him away from God (Pr 18:11; 28:11; I Tim 6:6-10), and poverty could lead him to steal and disgrace God’s name (Pr 1:10-19; 6:30-31).

These two requests were very wise and noble. Agur did not use prayer to satisfy his lusts, as most men do when they pray (Jas 4:3). He sought the glory of God, the truth, and the spiritual good of his soul, even if it meant sacrificing some success. As in Solomon’s case, obtaining wisdom to please God was more important than riches (I Kgs 3:5-13). As with Moses, reproach with God’s people was better than sinful pleasures (Heb 11:24-26).

Consider Agur’s aggressive prayer. First, he requested the things of the Lord. He did not merely suggest an idea or propose a thought; he demanded the blessing, like Jacob long before him (Gen 32:24-28). He was intensely serious about these requests, for he knew they were holy petitions. He then confessed his definite mortality, appealing to the immortal God for a speedy answer before his short life would be over (Ps 90:10-12). His prayer surely worked, for it was fervent in application and righteous in content (Jas 5:16).

Do you pray more for carnal things or spiritual things? When did you last pray for wisdom (Jas 1:5), a single heart to fear God (Ps 86:11), the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), God to make you keep His precepts (Ps 119:35-37), or the Lord to expose your errors (Ps 139:23-24)? If loving and pleasing God is your highest priority, you will have spiritual prayer requests. If you put spiritual requests first, God in heaven will take care of the rest.

When did you last wrestle with God for these things, refusing to take no for an answer? Importunate and persistent prayers get answers; comfortable and quick prayers of convenience do not (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8; Rom 12:12; Eph 6:18). May the Holy Spirit of prayer convict you to greater praying and assist your efforts to do it (Rom 8:26-27).

Spiritual Training 30 January 2015

Posted: January 30, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Lord fighting for you, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, trust in theL ord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2 Corinthians 10:1-6  1By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, I and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Paul’s opponents questioned his authority. From 7:8-16 we know that the majority of Corinthian believers sided with Paul. However, a minority continued to slander him, saying that he was bold in his letters but had no authority in person. Chapters 10–13 are Paul’s response to this charge.

We, like Paul, are merely weak humans, but we don’t need to use human plans and methods to win our battles. God’s mighty weapons are available to us as we fight against Satan’s “strongholds.” The Christian must choose whose methods to use—God’s or the world’s. Paul assures us that God’s mighty weapons—prayer, faith, hope, love, God’s Word, the Holy Spirit—are powerful and effective (see Ephesians 6:13-18)! These weapons can break down the proud human arguments against God and the walls that Satan builds to keep people from finding God.

Lets Bring it Home: When dealing with people’s proud arguments that keep them from a relationship with Christ, we may be tempted to use our own methods. But nothing can break down these barriers like God’s weapons.

Spiritual Training 29 January 2015

Posted: January 29, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, generosity, Giving, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2 Corinthians 9:10-15 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

God gives us resources to use and invest for him. Paul uses the illustration of seed to explain that the resources God gives us are not to be hidden, foolishly devoured, or thrown away. Instead, they should be cultivated in order to produce more crops. When we invest what God has given us in his work, he will provide us with even more to give in his service.

Paul wanted his readers to be generous on every occasion. As he appealed to the Corinthians to give sacrificially to aid the Jerusalem congregation, he reminded them that God is the source of everything good (9:10). Believers are called to be generous because of the example of the Lord of life. A stingy Christian should be an extinct species. Generosity proves that a person’s heart has been cleansed of self-interest and filled with the servant spirit of Jesus himself. That is why acts of generosity result in God being praised.

Lets Bring it Home: Do neighbors see generosity in your actions?

Proverbs 29:23 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 29, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, honor, humility, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Pride, Proverbs 29, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride brings him low. But a man of lowly spirit gains honor. 

Are you going up or down in life? A simple factor will either lift you up or press you down – your pride. Arrogance will bring you low, but humility will get you honor. It is your choice what you decide today, but you cannot stop the certain punishment for pride.

Are you more a prince or a prisoner? Are you honored or hardly known? Every person wants a successful life, and this simple proverb tells you how. One of the greatest influences in your progress is your attitude about yourself. If you are haughty and proud, you are going down. If you are meek, modest, and reserved, you are going up.

King Solomon warned often against pride, though he had reasons to be proud. He had the most wisdom, wealth, and power, and he was attractive. But he blasted pride as an evil that destroys men’s lives. He warned his son and his citizens. The many repetitions in his book of wisdom declare loudly – this subject is important and tends to be overlooked.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr 16:18). “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (Pr 11:2). “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility” (Pr 18:12). “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (Pr 26:12).

How will pride take you down and humility bring you honor? Men hate arrogance, and they love graciousness (Pr 9:6-9; 11:2; 14:3; 21:24; 22:10-11). If you are conceited and haughty, you will not grow in favor with men; they will do what they can to cut you off from friendships and opportunities. If you are meek, modest, and submissive, men will appreciate and enjoy your spirit and do what they can to include and promote you.

How will pride take you down and humility bring you honor? Conceit and haughtiness lead to bad decisions, because you are too arrogant to hear others, and you are too confident to criticize your ideas (Pr 11:2; 12:15; 14:16; 16:25; 22:3; 26:12,16; 29:20). You are doomed! A humble man, who trusts the Lord, doubts his opinions and is eager to hear the views of others (Pr 3:5-7; 6:6; 11:14; 12:15; 15:32; 19:20). He will prosper!

How will pride take you down and humility bring you honor? If the first two results do not bring you down (they will eventually), the final result most surely will. God hates the proud, and it does not matter how much effort they make to protect themselves – He will destroy them (Pr 3:34; 6:16-17; 15:25; 16:2,5; 21:2; Job 40:9-14; Dan 4:37; Acts 12:21-23). But God will bless and exalt the humble in spirit (Pr 3:34; Is 57:15; 66:2).

Contrary to Solomon’s inspired wisdom, the world considers pride a virtue and defends conceit. From athletes to actresses to politicians, bloated egos and haughty words are the norm. Children are taught self-esteem and self-love until they are convinced the universe revolves around them. All ages now boldly announce, “I am proud of what I have accomplished,” though anything they are or have is a gift from God (I Cor 4:7).

All men should be taught to love and serve others, for that is the second commandment of only two that summarize the whole Christian religion (Mark 12:28-33). The heresy of loving and esteeming self is a symptom of perilous times (II Tim 3:1-2). Wisdom learns that making others more important than you is a rule for true godliness (Phil 2:3-5).

Every person has an internal enemy that promotes pride – called the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). The devil seeks to tempt your human default to pride. He told Eve she could be like God for eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:4-6). He dared Jesus Christ to prove He was God’s Son, trying to draw forth pride, but He found nothing in Him (Matt 4:5-7).

How can you check if you are proud? How cheerfully do you take correction? Can you quickly admit you are wrong and apologize? How easily do you forgive others? Do you criticize others verbally, for proud words come from a proud heart? Is it easy to serve others, especially those lower than you? Do you question whether you are right or not?

What is in your heart? Sinful thoughts of ambition and pride that condemned the devil (I Tim 3:6)? Or the childlike humility that led to Solomon’s greatness (I Kgs 3:6-9)? The greatest kingdom is Jesus Christ’s, but the greatest in it are the servants (Matt 23:10-12). If you humble yourself under God’s mighty hand, He will exalt you soon (I Pet 5:6-7).

If you want to pursue this subject further, and you should, review sermons an honest man of God has preached from the Bible against pride. Scripture has much to say against it, so faithful preachers must preach against it periodically. Remember, your future depends on you learning this lesson. Pride will bring you low, but humility will bring you honor.

The Man and King with the most right to pride was Jesus Christ, but He was known for incredible humility and meekness instead (Matt 11:29; Phil 2:5-8; II Cor 10:1). He never promoted Himself, though He had the most reasons to do so (Is 42:1-2; Mat 12:18-20). Of course, He is now honored above all in heaven, confirming Solomon’s proverb!

Proverbs 28:19 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 28, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 28, Proverbs 30, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 28:19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. 

Do you want financial success? Then do a basic job well, day after day, obeying the economic wisdom in Proverbs. It will work! God and Solomon guarantee it! Stop going to promotional meetings, hating to work for others, listening to too-good-to-be-true investment ideas, or daydreaming about a better life. Make pleasure and rest your last thoughts (Pr 21:17,20). Consistent hard work at a needed job will work. Following the lying promises of promoters will not work. Learn wisdom: love work: hate distractions!

Men by nature are greedy and lazy. They want more of the good things of life than others have, but they want to exert themselves less than others to get them. Therefore they are tempted by two economic sins – to resent their basic jobs and/or listen to pipe dreams. Learn wisdom: love work: hate greed! Because Solomon had observed these temptations destroying men’s financial lives, he repeated this proverb in similar language (Pr 12:11).

Who in the world wants to be a farmer, when he could be a real estate tycoon driving a sports car and making deals on his cell phone of houses purchased with no money down? Who would choose to be a nurse, when she could be an international photographer for an Internet news magazine? Why be a factory slave, when you could use multilevel marketing of a mineral substitute for Viagra made from sea salt to live on a yacht by 30?

Farming was not the only job in Solomon’s day. But it best illustrated the lesson of this proverb. Farming required hard work, planning, patience, and repetition. It was the most basic of jobs – using the earth to produce food and/or to use the food to raise cattle or other animals for various products. But tilling a field behind oxen became boring and stupid when you heard fantastic rumors of network marketing riches in clothes soap!

The tortoise beats the hare financially. While the tortoise plods forward an inch at a time toward his economic goals, the hare runs at full speed from distraction to distraction, some costing him precious capital, and all costing him valuable time. When they come to the day of reckoning, the faithful labors, sound investments, and patience of the tortoise have given him a comfortable estate. The hare is exhausted, frustrated, and broke!

Solomon despised get-rich-quick schemes. He saw poor men make good income, but foolish ideas wasted it (Pr 13:23). Diligent labor in a basic job brings success (Pr 27:18). Talking about financial fantasies makes men poor (Pr 14:23). Getting distracted from the job at hand is terrible (Pr 27:23-27). Increase is by strength and leverage, not scheming (Pr 14:4). He saw financial exceptions destroying fools looking for a free lunch (Pr 1:32).

Vain persons are everywhere, especially with radio, television, telephones, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and email. They promote the rich and famous, though they are only 1 out of 10,000. They offer impossible returns to steal your savings for themselves. Governments offer lotteries that are nothing but a tax on the poor and stupid. And liars flaunt the extravagant lifestyle of multilevel marketing “successes,” while ignoring the 98% that bought the overpriced product to pay for the “success.” The net result of these and all other financial “shortcuts” is always negative – you lose! Going down?

Why do any listen to such nonsense? Why would anyone consider lies from a person trying to fleece them of their hard earned money? There are only a few reasons. All of them are sins. Two have been given – discontentment with your job and covetousness for a different life. In addition, some do not like submitting to other men, which is simply pride and rebellion. And last, some through willful ignorance do not examine things with a critical and pessimistic eye to avoid lying snakes (Pr 14:15; 15:22; 27:12; I Thess 5:21).

This generation is obsessed with ease and pleasure – amusement, games, recreation, sports, and relaxation – but these things ruin men financially. If you love pleasure, you are going to be poor (Pr 21:17). If you love sleep, you are going to be poor (Pr 20:4,13). You will learn to despise work, because it is not as much fun to you as riotous living and sleeping in (Pr 19:15). You will waste your money on foolish amusements (Pr 21:20; Luke 15:13). And this childish lifestyle will take you down (Pr 23:21).

Your safety is in God’s word. Hard work works (Pr 10:4; 13:4; 22:29).  Haste makes financial waste (Pr 19:2; 28:20,22). Believe nothing without proof, especially testimonials or “results” above market rates (Pr 13:11; 14:15; 22:3). Taking the easy road will ruin you economically (Pr 6:9-11; 24:30-34). Only one document in the world is totally true – the Bible. Everyone and everything else are liars (Rom 3:4). Obey this proverb; love your job; do it well each day; thank God for success. If you scoff at or neglect this proverb, you will wake up poor with a hardworking neighbor ruling over you.

The proverb’s lesson applies to religious pursuits as well. There is no get-spiritual-quick seminar or television offering that can compete with daily prayer and Bible reading and listening carefully to the preaching of God’s word (II Tim 3:6-7; 4:1-4). Do not follow the vain religious personalities that offer their seductive road to God and heaven. They are liars just like the financial hucksters. There is only one door and Shepherd of the sheep, and the abundant life is obtained by obeying Him and His words (John 10:1-18).

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Training 28 January 2015

Posted: January 28, 2015 in 2 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Giving, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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2 Corinthians 9:1-9 There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. 2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

By describing how their own “enthusiasm” had incited the Macedonians to give, Paul was, in effect, prodding the Corinthians to rekindle their initial enthusiasm for giving. Paul wasn’t naive about human behavior. The start and end of a marathon are much more thrilling than the miles in between. It takes stubborn determination to keep going. Paul also knew that it took a community to persevere. Just as teammates will cheer their runner on in a race, so Paul was sending Titus and two other believers to the Corinthians to cheer them on.

Paul reminded the Corinthians to fulfill the commitment that they had already made (see also 8:10-12). They had said that they would collect a financial gift to send to the church in Jerusalem. Paul was sending a few men ahead of him to make sure their gift was ready, so it would be a real gift and not look like people had to give under pressure at the last minute (“ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given”). He was holding them accountable to keep their promise, so that neither Paul nor the Corinthians would be embarrassed.

People may hesitate to give generously to God because they worry about having enough money left over to meet their own needs. Paul assured the Corinthians that God was able to meet their needs. The person who gives only a little will receive only a little in return. Don’t let a lack of faith keep you from giving cheerfully and generously.

A giving attitude is more important than the amount given. The person who can give only a small gift shouldn’t be embarrassed. God is concerned about how a person gives from his or her resources (see Mark 12:41-44). According to that standard, the giving of the Macedonian churches would be difficult to match (8:3). God himself is a cheerful giver. Consider all he has done for us. He is pleased when we who are created in his image give generously and joyfully. Do you have a difficult time letting go of your money? It may reflect ungratefulness to God.
Lets Bring it Home: Do you have a difficult time letting go of your money? It may reflect ungratefulness to God. Also, don’t let a lack of faith keep you from giving cheerfully and generously.

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