Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. 

Men have intelligence. They set goals and plan the means to achieve them. Irrational creatures cannot do this; they only react by instincts to stimulus. But the sovereign God manages the details of men’s plans, so that you are dependent upon Him, for He may bless the good man with a favorable outcome and turn the evil man’s plans upside down.

This proverb of Solomon is important. God rules your life. Man proposes; God disposes. Man freely devises; God powerfully directs. Man creatively plans; God masterfully dictates. Man acts as he pleases; God is pleased by how He uses man’s actions. God is the LORD! Your life and its plans are in His hands. Learn how to utilize this knowledge.

Many wander and wonder through life, wishing they knew God’s will for them. But His will is not a mystery, and much of the answer is in this proverb. Commit your works to the LORD (Pr 16:3; Ps 37:4-5); devise a way to achieve your desired godly objectives (Pr 16:1; 15:22; 20:18); believe that He will take care of the details (Ps 37:23; 84:11).

Obedient Christian reader, these words are for you: the LORD gave you a heart, so follow your affections for what you prefer. He gave you a mind, so think of how you might achieve your goals. Once you commit it to God and follow the rules of Scriptural wisdom, go for it! No matter what it is! Simply submit it to God’s will (James 4:13-15).

There is no “perfect” anything, so do not look for it. You live in a sinful world; everything is imperfect. God has not revealed perfect choices. You cannot see even the outcome of the next five minutes. You will waste your life searching, and you will always be frustrated. Most any job will do, if the Lord directs your steps. And this is the same with marriage, house hunting, business deals, family size, and so forth and so on.

Ruth was a poor widow in a foreign land. She devised in her heart to glean fields – pick up scraps after the reapers – a lowly job with little future potential (Ruth 2:2). But the LORD directed her steps to the field of Boaz, a rich, single man who ended up marrying her, and they had David as their great-grandson (Ruth 2:3; 4:17). Give God the glory!

The Jews were condemned by the Persian Empire to genocide! Esther devised in her heart to have King Ahasuerus and Haman to lunch, though she feared for her life to even ask for the meeting (Esth 4:16-17). But the LORD turned the king’s heart toward her with great affection and responsiveness. After she told him of Haman’s evil plans, the King found Haman begging on her bed, and that was that (Esth 7:7-8)! Give God the glory!

Abraham devised a way to find a wife for Isaac, and the servant met Rebekah first. Jacob devised a way to flee from Esau, and the Lord blessed him to become rich with a large family. Joseph chose to be righteous, and the Lord directed his steps to Egypt’s throne. Jesse devised a way to send food to his sons in the army by his youngest son David, not knowing that God was directing David’s steps for a showdown with Goliath.

But look carefully at Esther in reverse. Haman devised a way in his heart to annihilate the Jews, and he manipulated King Ahasuerus into signing the decree (Esth 3:1-15). But the Lord directed him to total humility and ruin by building a gallows, meeting the king at a time that resulted in honoring Mordecai, and falling on Esther’s bed (Esth 5:1 – 7:10)!

Consider Joseph in reverse. His brothers devised a way to get rid of “the dreamer,” who tormented them by his divine revelations, but the Lord directed their steps to sell him into Egypt, where he saved them all from starvation some years later (Gen 45:4-8; 50:19-21). They eventually fulfilled every dream Joseph had about them bowing low before him.

The Jews devised in their hearts to rid themselves of Jesus of Nazareth, but the glorious LORD turned their devices upside down. His crucifixion was God’s choice for the salvation of the very people they hated and hoped to ruin, and He returned in holy revenge to destroy their temple, city, and nation. Every step they took in this most heinous crime was according to God’s eternal purpose (Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28; 15:18).

When hearing about plans of wicked men, do not worry. They can bring nothing to pass that God has not already planned from eternity to overrule for His own glory, purposes, and people. The wicked are His pawns or puppets – His sword and His hand (Ps 17:13-14). Remember, He may even allow prosperity to deceive them (Pr 1:32). Remember, He may allow them to be successful for a while to heap up riches for you (Pr 13:22).

When facing a decision and not knowing what to do, here is wisdom. Submit your life and works to the LORD, choose that course that pleases you best within the limits of godly wisdom, obtain the approval of many wise counselors, and move ahead trusting the Lord to take care of the details out of your control. Do not fret about perfect goals or strategies, for you are not capable of picking them. Your Heavenly Father cares for you, and He can more than compensate for any “mistake” you make with an inferior choice.

Learn the additional wisdom of Psalm 127:1-2, where David explained that your best efforts are vain without God’s blessing. Though God expects you to apply yourself diligently to achieve your goals, the outcome truly depends on His favor, not your ability or genius in planning or executing your desire. He wants you to back off unreasonable worries or effort and go to sleep, because He loves you and will provide what you need.


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 3:08-09 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth-men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concern, are rejected.  But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. 

According to tradition, Jannes and Jambres were two of the magicians who had counterfeited Moses’ miracles before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11,12).  Paul explained that just as Moses had exposed and defeated them (Exodus 8:18,19).  God would overthrow the false teachers who were plaguing the Ephesian church.

We can hide our sin for a while, but eventually the truth will be revealed.  Sooner, or later, distraction, opposition, anger, or fatigue will wear us down, and our true hearts will be exposed.  The trials of life will conspire against our efforts to maintain a religious front. We can’t pick when and where we will be tested by adversity.  Build your character carefully because it will come out under stress.

Lets Bring it Home: Live each day as if everyone will one day know your actions.  It is useless, in the middle of a test, to acknowledge that you should have prepared.  Now is the time to change anything you wouldn’t want revealed later.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 

You can say the wrong thing, and you can say the right thing the wrong way, or at the wrong time, or to the wrong person. Wisdom learns what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and to whom to say it. Truth is not enough. Do you know how, when, and to whom to speak the truth? Fools babble without regard to these four factors of godly speech.

Solomon taught often that speech is one of the most obvious signs of wisdom or folly (Pr 10:18-19; 15:28; 17:27-28; 18:6-7; 29:11; Eccl 10:11-14). A wise man or a fool can be easily discerned by his speech, which is measured by content, manner, timing, and audience. The key to this proverb is the qualifying adverb “aright.” A wise man speaks knowledge acceptably, but a fool prates on and on without knowing what he is saying.

This proverb is for your success. Fools destroy relationships and aggravate situations by talking far too much about far too little. They love the sound of their voice expressing their feelings and opinions, but no one else does, so they eventually lose all friends and opportunities for advancement. Those around them finally get tired of cringing every time they open their mouths and/or having to do damage control after they have spoken.

Wise men wait until they have something valuable to contribute, and they say only what is necessary, in the right way, at the right time, to the right audience. Others quickly learn to stop speaking and to listen when such wise men begin to speak. Because all their words are profitable and acceptable, others want them around, so they are promoted to positions of authority and influence due to their wise speech habits (Pr 16:13; 22:11).

What is godly content? The proverb says wise men speak knowledge. They do not give vain opinions, which fools love to do. They study before they speak (Pr 15:28). They crave the certain words of truth (Pr 22:17-21). They know speech contrary to Scripture is worthless (Is 8:20). They want to edify (Eph 4:29). Speak only if you have truth (Pr 16:23), when important to the hearers (Pr 29:11); cut your words in half (Pr 17:27-28).

What is godly manner? The proverb says wise men speak aright, which means rightly, correctly, properly. Gracious speech is acceptable speech (Pr 22:11; Eccl 10:12). The Lord Jesus spoke this way (Ps 45:2; Luke 4:22), and it is a commandment (Col 4:6). Gracious speech is agreeable, charming, courteous, gentle, kind, pleasing, polite, merciful, and thankful. Seek the love of others with each word (Pr 22:1; 24:26; 25:11).

What is godly timing? A wise man listens before speaking (Jas 1:19). He makes sure he knows a situation before talking (Pr 15:23; 18:13; John 7:24). He alters his speech for his audience (Pr 25:20; I Cor 9:19-23). He lets the more knowledgeable speak first (Job 32:4-7). He knows that haste in speech makes him worse than a fool (Pr 29:20), especially in the house of God (Eccl 5:1-7). Slow down! Listen first, think second, and speak last!

What is a godly audience? Not all deserve words of truth spoken graciously at the right time. Ignore fools after an initial rebuke (Pr 26:4-5). Avoid scorners altogether (Pr 9:7-8). The Lord Jesus taught this wise rule (Matt 7:6). Warn the unruly, exhort saints, comfort the feebleminded, rebuke sinners, and train children (Lev 19:17; I Thes 5:14; Heb 10:25).

Knowledge and truth do not allow speaking any way you wish. There are rules of wisdom and godliness for how you handle knowledge and truth God gives. Everything, including speech, must be done without offence in Jesus’ name (I Cor 10:31-33; Eph 4:15).


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 3:01-07

(1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 

(2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

(3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

(4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –

(5) having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them.

(6) They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,

 Because of the cultural background, women in the Ephesian church had received no formal religious training.  They enjoyed their new freedom to study Christian truths, but their eagerness to learn made them a target for false teachers.  Paul warned Timothy to watch out for men who would take advantage of these women.

(7) always learning but never able  to acknowledge the truth. 

This verse is not opposing study and learning; it is warning about ineffective learning.  It is possible to be a perpetual student and never graduate to putting theory into practice. But honest seekers and true students look for answers.  Remember this as you study God’s word.

Lets Bring it Home: New believers need to grow in their knowledge of the Word, because ignorance can make them vulnerable to deception. Seek to find God’s truth and will for you life.  Then do as he says.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked shall be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.

How successful is your family? How long will it last? What impact will it have for truth and wisdom? God and men will overthrow the house of the wicked, but they will bless and favor the estate of the righteous. Solomon watched families of wicked men come and go, but he saw the godly seed of the righteous continuing in prosperity for generations (Ps 37:34-40). Here is a proverb that condemns the wicked and encourages the upright.

The wicked build houses – solid, substantial, and permanent dwelling places – to get themselves a name (Ps 49:6-14). They trust their wealth, their intelligence, their strength, and their reputations to deliver them. The upright may begin with only a tabernacle – a fragile, temporary tent. But God will tear down the former and bless the latter. The great reversal of fortune is by the decree of the watchers, or angels – God favors the upright!

Sin is the ruin of families. If you want your family to endure and prosper, you need to pursue godliness and holiness like the upright man. You need to set the Lord first in each life in your house (Ps 101:3-8; 128:1-6; 144:11-15). But the wicked will not think about God at all; they want to do their own thing; they cannot sin enough (Ps 10:4; 58:3). The Lord has guaranteed by this proverb that He will overthrow such a man and his house.

Consider the house of Eli, priest of Israel. God had promised that his house would last forever as His chosen priests, but Eli would not stop his sons from sinning. So God overthrew his family in one day (I Sam 2:12-36; 3:1-18). His two foolish sons were killed in battle; Eli fell backward and broke his neck when he heard the news, and his daughter-in-law died in childbirth (I Sam 4:1-22)! The Lord overthrew the house of the wicked.

Consider Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery at seventeen; he was falsely accused of attempted rape of his master’s wife, and he was thrown into prison. Surely his life and estate had reached rock bottom. But he had resisted his master’s wife’s advances. God raised him out of prison, put him on the throne of Egypt, and made each of his two sons a tribe in Israel – a double inheritance! The tabernacle of the upright flourished!

Other examples of houses being overthrown and tabernacles flourishing could be given, but there are greater reckonings that most ignore – death and Judgment Day. The beggar Lazarus had no house in this world, but he flourished in heaven, while the rich man that lived luxuriously in this world was overthrown and tormented in hell (Luke 16:19-31).

What can you do? Teach your children and grandchildren the Bible so they will fear God and keep His commandments, for His rules are the life, wisdom, and righteousness of your family tree (Deut 4:5-8; 6:4-9; 32:46-47; Ps 34:11; 78:1-8; Joel 1:1-3; Eph 6:4). Keep their priorities on Jesus Christ and heaven, lest they be belly worshippers that mind earthly things (Phil 3:18-19; Col 3:1-4; Heb 11:8-10,13-16). Pray for them every day.


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 3:01-05

(1) But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 

Paul’s reference to the “last days” reveals his sense of urgency.  The last days began after Jesus’ resurrection when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers at Pentecost.   The “last days” will continue until Christ’s second coming.  This means that we are living in the last days.

(2) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

(4) treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God –

Why is it so tempting to love pleasure rather than God?  Pleasure is something we can control; God cannot be controlled.  Most pleasures can be obtained easily; love for God requires effort and sometimes sacrifice.  Pleasures benefit us now; the benefits of loving God are often in the future.   Pleasure has a narcotic effect; it takes our minds off ourselves and our problems, Love for God reminds us of our needs and our responsibilities.  Pleasure cooperates with pride.  It makes us feel good when we look good in the eyes of others.  The love God we must lay aside our pride and our accomplishments.

 (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them. 

The “form” or appearance of godliness includes going to church knowing Christian doctrine, using Christian clichés, and following a community’s Christian traditions.  Such practices can make a person look good, but if the inner attitudes of belief, love and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless.  Paul warns us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians. It may be difficult to distinguish them from true Christians at first, but their daily behavior will give them away.  The characteristics described in 3:2-4 are unmistakable.

In many parts of the world today, being a Christian is not especially difficult-people aren’t jailed for reading the Bible or executed for preaching Christ. (However, this kind of persecution is very real for many believers.) Paul’s descriptive list of behavior in the last days describes our society-even, unfortunately, the behavior of many Christians.

Lets Bring it Home: Have you chosen to love pleasure, or to love God? How do you know? Check your life against Paul’s list.  Don’t give in to society’s pressures.  Don’t settle for comfort without commitment.  Stand up against evil by living as God would have his people live.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 13:18 He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. 

Failure or success? Poverty or riches? Shame or honor? Which do you prefer? Of course, you want success, riches, and honor! But it is far easier to desire them than to get them. There is a basic requirement to get them, and the vast majority of men will not meet this condition. They must humble themselves to regard criticism and accept instruction.

You are making a decision right now about your future. Some will presume they know the lesson, so they stop reading and go back to their little games. Others will read a little further and stop when the author implies they are likely a fool or scorner. Only a few will be thrilled to see an offer of honor and devour each word to gain the prize.

Most men are too proud, rebellious, and stubborn to take reproofs or accept instruction. They want to do things their way. They do not like to be told they are wrong. They love their own opinions.

There is a simple technique for success in a world doomed to failure. Find teachers that have the truth and wisdom of God and submit to their reproofs and instruction. It is that simple. God has revealed the wisdom of heaven to men. If you will find them and accept their correction and teaching, you can deliver yourself from failure, poverty, and shame.

Once you have a teacher, there is another obstacle in the way of success – your own thoughts, imaginations, and opinions. A man that arrogantly presumes he is right is worse than a fool. He is a scorner, and God will blind and punish that man. A fool is too lazy and distracted to learn, but a scorner refuses to be taught.

Learning requires change: either you must correct errors you have learned, or you must add new knowledge to your inventory. The first requires accepting reproofs, and the second requires accepting new ideas through instruction. Pride, rebellion, and stubbornness will not allow a man to do either of these two things. He is a certain loser!

A true teacher is an enemy of your thoughts and imaginations. He must destroy and pull down the strongholds of your mind, where you are holding false ideas and concepts. He must replace them with truth and wisdom, which you have not heard or accepted before. While the relationship is affectionate, the process is definitely conflict.

What keeps you from listening to your teachers – your parents and pastor? Are you too proud to accept correction? Too stubborn to admit you are wrong? Too rebellious to change by another’s order? These are marks of a scorner! You are doomed to poverty and shame, unless you repent immediately and humble yourself before God’s word.

Do you sleep in church? Do you resent being taught by a man younger than you? Do you attend the fastest-growing church in town to avoid preaching? These are marks of a fool! You are doomed to poverty and shame, unless you repent immediately and humble yourself before God’s word.

Jesus made the lesson very plain as He concluded the Sermon on the Mount. He said that hearing His doctrine and not doing it was like building your life on sand. The storms of time and eternity will wash you away! But a wise man will hear His sayings and build his life upon them. He will stand sure in both time and eternity!

Examine yourself in the light of this proverb. If you hear instruction and forget it before applying it to your life, you are a fool. You are heading for certain poverty and shame. If you hear correction and resent it, you are a scorner. You are heading for certain poverty and shame even faster. Wisdom is submitting to reproofs and accepting instruction, for that is the means of learning and growth. God and all good men will honor such a man.


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 2:23-26 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful, Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to acknowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

As a teacher, Timothy helped those who were confused about the truth.  Paul’s advice to Timothy, and to all who teach God’s truth, is to be kind and gentle, patiently and courteously explaining the truth.  Good teaching never promotes quarrels or foolish arguments. 

Lets Bring It Home: Whether you are teaching Sunday school, leading a Bible study, or preaching in church, remember to listen to people’s questions and treat them respectfully, while avoiding foolish debates.  If you do this, those who oppose you will be more willing to hear what you have to say and perhaps turn from their error. 

 



Under Gods Command

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. 

When God blesses a man to be rich, He also gives contentment, happiness, and peace, which amounts to a double blessing. Ordinarily, riches bring a measure of fear, greed, guilt, hoarding, labor, pride, vanity, or worry. Wealth can be more trouble than good. But the blessed God of heaven is able to give riches without their attendant sorrows.

Only fools think riches have no sorrow. Solomon wrote more than the book of Proverbs. He also wrote an inspired philosophy of life called Ecclesiastes, in which he documented the pain and trouble of wealth (Ec 2:17-23; 4:4-8; 5:10-17; 6:1-2). He called the troubles of the rich a sickness and evil disease, and he said this sorrowful condition was common.

Read this rich king’s comparisons. “Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith” (Pr 15:16). “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith” (Pr 15:17). “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit” (Eccl 4:6). Poverty can be better!

Rich men fear losing their riches: there are competitors to worry about; the propensity to consume takes their profits; they know death ends the good life; they dread the tax man more than a thief; and the thought of a foolish heir wasting their estate is horrifying. Similar factors apply to greed, guilt, hoarding, labor, pride, vanity, and worry.

Some men get rich as a result of time and chance – not from diligence, skill, strength, or wisdom (Ec 9:11). Of course, God rules all time and chance (Pr 16:33; Eccl 7:14). Some men are cursed with riches. Pharaoh is a great example (Ex 9:16). And it is called the prosperity of fools, when God blesses a fool with riches to deceive other fools (Pr 1:32). In both cases God arranged riches to increase, but He did not provide lasting joy or peace.

Promotion comes from the Lord (Ps 75:6-7). When God promotes a man to be rich as a blessing, He is kind enough to also give that man the spiritual gifts to be content, happy, generous, and secure in his wealth (Eccl 2:24,26; 3:13; 5:18-19). Such men are not dependent on their wealth, and they would be just as happy if it all went away from them. In fact, these men happily scatter their wealth by giving it to the poor (I Tim 6:17-19).

What are the lessons? Ambition without God’s blessing will fail (Ps 127:1). Riches bring trouble, so it is dangerous to desire them (Pr 23:4-5; I Tim 6:6-10). The only wealth you want is by God’s blessing, for He gives contentment and peace with it (Ec 5:19; Ps 4:7). A happy and successful life requires more than riches (Pr 16:16; 17:1; 28:6). While the wicked eat the bread of sorrows, the righteous man sleeps sweetly (Ps 127:2; Ec 5:12).


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out a pure heart. 

Running away is sometimes considered cowardly.  But wise people realize that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take.  Timothy, a young man, was warned to flee anything that produced evil thoughts.

 (Don’t forget 1 Timothy 6:11: But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness)

Lets Bring it Home: Do you have a recurring temptation that you find difficult to resist? Remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin.  Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight.