Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Proverbs 04:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: November 4, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 04, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 

Wise men do not let life happen to them. They act with careful thought and sober reflection. They plan and manage their lives. They choose wise goals and the means to achieve them, and they compare their progress to them. Other than rare acts of God they cannot avoid, they control and direct their circumstances to serve them, not vice versa.

Rather than bouncing from one goal or direction to another, prudent men fix their lives in one steady course. They discipline all aspects of their lives toward their chosen goals. They carefully consider every part of life. They question, evaluate, and muse upon each choice they make to keep their overall objective before them and steady progress to it.

Reader, where are you going? Ponder the path of your feet. Is getting older all you are doing? Is life happening to you, rather than you directing it? Your daily and weekly routines should have a solid purpose and noble objective. Or are you on a treadmill – in a rut – not making any progress? Step back. Ponder the path of your feet. Examine yourself (II Cor 13:5). Consider your ways (Hag 1:5). Commune with your own heart (Ps 4:4).

What does it mean to ponder? It means to weigh a matter mentally, to consider it carefully, to think about it, to muse over it, and to meditate upon it. Most are too busy with too much noise and activity to stop and think soberly about their lives. Instead of musing, they seek amusements – activities designed to stop all thinking. Instead of self- and life-examination, they chase more entertainment. Instead of thinking, they drown out internal conversation with television, movies, music, drinking, or drugs. What folly!

Instead of quiet time to reflect on their lives, they have radios in their cars, televisions in their homes, and cell phones in their pockets. “God is not in all his thoughts” (Ps 10:4). They do not know where they are going, why they are going in a certain direction, or the consequences of it. They are victims of circumstances rather than managers of them. They are foolish and will be punished as surely as gravity causes things to fall downward.

But wisdom cries, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah” (Ps 4:4). “I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search” (Ps 77:6). “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab 2:20). These are the activities of wise and holy men.

It is the fool who lives without thinking, walks without meditating, and chooses his path without pondering. Christians are called to walk circumspectly – examining their path from all angles! Only by this discipline can they understand and apply God’s will to their lives (Eph 5:15-17). It is your duty to make straight paths for your feet (Heb 12:13).

Another error keeps men from pondering their lives – most of their pondering is about others! It is the wicked, self-righteous hypocrite that ponders the lives of others instead of his own. He comforts himself in his sins by trying to identify as many as possible in others (Luke 18:9-14). Jesus condemned worrying about the mote in another person’s eye while you have barn beams in your own. This activity is the opposite of self-examination, and it proves a person to be the opposite of the righteous and wise – it proves him a fool.

What should you ponder? Are you walking with God and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? Are you bearing much spiritual fruit? Are you forgiving, loving, and serving all others to keep the second commandment? Is your marriage what it should be? Do you have activities in your life that create temptation and lead to sin? Are you single minded for the kingdom of God? Do you live with eternity in view? If you were to die today, would Jesus Christ find you in the way of righteousness?

Is your life leading toward the holy objective of pleasing Jesus Christ? Does your path on Sundays include a faithful church where all doctrine and practice matches the Scriptures? Are your priorities consistent with those Solomon lists in this book? Do you read, meditate, pray, and sing in private on a regular basis? Ponder the path of your feet.

Father, have you pondered the path your wife and children are taking? It is your duty before God to lead, guide, and correct them into the right way of the fear of the Lord (Ps 34:11). The true measure of your duty and love is to prepare and perfect them to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you helping them keep their feet in the pathway of righteousness?

What keeps you from pondering the path of your feet? Whatever it is, it is not worth the danger of wandering out of the way of understanding and ending up in the congregation of the dead (Pr 21:16). “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Pr 14:12; 16:25). And reader, if you do not ponder your ways, the LORD is pondering them, especially your sexual ways (Pr 5:21). Do not neglect or forget this sacred duty to ponder your feet!

God Jehovah of the Bible calls you like He did Abraham. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Gen 17:1). Will you answer the call?

If you answer this call, the LORD will send you visible and invisible teachers. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Is 30:21). Do you obey your teachers?

The psalmist said, “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies” (Ps 119:59). Reader, will you join the psalmist in this frequent duty of pondering your life? “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD” (Lam 3:40). Make it a part of your daily exercise in prayer (Ps 139:23-24).

Your flesh, the world, and Satan will daily lay snares in the way. You will face many even today. They will try to tempt and trap you in your thoughts, in your speech, in your relationships, in your job, and everywhere else. It is your duty to consider your ways carefully and avoid those snares. It is your duty to turn away, quickly, from every tempting and threatening situation (Pr 4:14-15; Rom 13:14; II Tim 2:22).

After pondering the path of your feet, it is your duty to fix and secure all your ways in the fear of the Lord. How do you identify the fear of the Lord for your life? By the Holy Scriptures! They are the lamp for your feet and the light for your path (Ps 119:105). The sure rock of Christ’s sayings must be the foundation of your house (Matt 7:24-27; II Pet 1:19-21). Establish – fix and settle permanently – all your ways in the Lord. And the grace of God is able to bless you toward this glorious life (I Pet 5:10; I Thess 3:12-13).

True disciples, the true children of God, continue in the word of Christ (John 8:31). They are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, but rather continue in the faith grounded and settled (Col 1:23). And it is by this confident and established perseverance in the truth that you show you are the true brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 3:6,14).

Spiritual Training 04 November 2014

Posted: November 4, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: ,
0

Under Gods Command (LOVE)

1 Corinthians 13:04-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of worngs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always preservers.

Paul says that love “is patient.” Sometimes we’re irritated or angered by others, and we don’t know why. Not all irritability stems from sinful or selfish motives, although the irritable treatment of others surely is wrong. Much irritability comes from a love of perfection, a deep desire that programs, meetings, and structures be run perfectly. A desire to run things perfectly can erupt into anger at events or people who get in the way of ruin that desire. Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exists only in God. We need to love him and our fellow Christians, not the visions we have for perfection here on earth.

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is possible to practice this love only if God helps us set aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love while expecting nothing in return.

Lets Bring it Home: Thus the more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others.

Proverbs 3:9 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: November 3, 2014 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 03, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth with the first fruits of all your crops

How important is God to you? Can you improve your finances? This proverb answers both questions! You can honor Him with your mouth, but talk is cheap. You should put your money where your mouth is to show true honor. Solomon promised, “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Pr 3:10).

Success requires giving some of your assets, and the first part of any increase, to God. Giving Him leftovers, whether large or small, is not honor, and it does not fulfill the proverb. Solomon gave a financial secret – firstfruits giving to honor God. Giving money away is how to get ahead (Pr 11:24). Are you poor? You cannot afford not to give!

Firstfruits giving pays God off the top. Fruit is return on investment or labor. First is paying God before anyone else, including you. Many violate this rule by giving a few bits of all they make. This is not honor. Others violate it by giving from what is left after expenses. This is not honor. This is not firstfruits. Many give a percentage of take home pay, though they always quote their salary in terms of gross pay. This is not firstfruits.

The tithe is not taught directly in the New Testament. It was taught in the Law of Moses.  The Israelites gave 23 1/3 % with two annual tithes and a triennial tithe (Num 18:20-32; Deut 14:22-29). Plus they gave special vows and freewill offerings (Deut 12:6). How did Abraham and Jacob know about tithing before the Law of Moses (Gen 14:20; 28:22)? Because it is a general rule of godly giving, which New Testament saints should use as a guide or  minimum for the far greater blessings they enjoy (Luke 12:48; Heb 8:6).

God dares His people to test how much He can bless them (Mal 3:8-12). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were financially blessed, because they knew how to give (Gen 14:20; 28:22). God made David rich (I Chron 29:18), but David loved to give (I Chron 21:24; 22:1-16). If you give liberally, the Lord promises to reward you liberally (Pr 11:25; Luke 6:38).

A Christian businessman, R.G. LeTourneau, grasped the concept of honoring God and giving – he gave 90% and kept 10% for himself, no matter his financial situation! He became one of America’s great industrialists. “The question” he said, “is not how much of my money I give to God, but rather how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”

How you give counts more with the blessed God than how much you give. The Lord loves a cheerful giver (II Cor 8:12; 9:7). Giving should be your favorite financial activity. The Lord Jesus Christ took note of a widow woman giving just two mites (Luke 21:1-4). If you combine cheerful giving with liberal giving, God will bless you greatly.

 

 

Spiritual Training 03 November 2014

Posted: November 3, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

 JESUS DROPPED THE CHARGES

John 8:3-11 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such woman. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is a significant statement about judging others. Because Jesus upheld the legal penalty for adultery, stoning, he could not be accused of being against the law. But by saying that only a sinless person could throw the first stone, he highlighted the importance of compassion and forgiveness. When others are caught in sin, are you quick to pass judgment? To do so is to act as through you have never sinned. It is God’s role to judge, not ours. Our role is to show forgiveness and compassion. Take an honest look at your life. Recognize your sinful nature, and look for ways to help others rather than hurt them.

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery, but neither did he ignore or condone her sin. He told her to leave her life of sin. Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart. With God’s help we can accept Christ’s forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

 

 

Spiritual Training 29 October 2014

Posted: October 29, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

1 Corinthians 12: 27-31 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the great gifts.

The greater gifts are those that are more beneficial to the body of Christ, Paul has already made it clear that one gift is not superior to another, but he urges the believers to discover how they can serve Christ’s body with the gifts God has given them.

Lets Bring it Home: Your spiritual gifts are not for your own self-advancement. They were given to you for serving God and enhancing the spiritual growth of the body of believers.

Proverbs 23:30 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: October 23, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 23, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 23:30 Those who linger over wine who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

Drunkenness is sin. Drinking wine or mixed wine is not sin. Tarrying long at the wine, or drinking to excess, is the sin. Solomon gave his son a sober warning against drunkenness (Pr 23:29-35), which he had just identified by its numerous physical symptoms (Pr 23:29). Wine does not cause the problems of this context; abuse of wine causes them.

God created wine, and He made it to cheer the heart of man (Ps 104:14-15). If you doubt wine’s ability to cheer the heart, read the Bible (Judges 9:13; Zech 10:7; Eccl 10:19). The holy God of heaven endorsed it clearly (Pr 31:6-7; Deut 14:26; Luke 7:33-34; John 2:1-11). But man, in his perpetual abuse of God’s creation and revelation, generally makes one of two errors. He either makes it a sin to drink wine, or he drinks to drunkenness.

Drunkenness is sin. Drinking wine to excess, which is the only way to get drunk, is sin (Eph 5:18). Some have been drunkards before conversion, but Christians no longer do such things (I Pet 4:3-4). Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:19-21; I Cor 6:10). And Christian brothers that get drunk publicly are to be excluded (I Cor 5:11).

Young men, because foolishness is bound in their hearts, are very vulnerable to excessive drinking (Pr 22:15; Eccl 11:10). A simple tour through a college town, even without visiting a frat house, reveals a large number of bars and other watering holes. Filled with the invincibility of youth and egging each other on, they chug themselves to folly and sin.

The context is clearly drunkenness (Pr 23:29,33-35), which occurs by tarrying long at the wine, or staying and drinking too much (Is 5:11). The second clause is to be understood in light of the first clause, going to seek mixed wine beyond wise judgment (Pr 9:2). See Job 31:1, where thinking upon a maid is to be understood in a specific context of sin, and Matthew 6:34, where taking no thought for the morrow is to be understood as well of sin.

Wine is a mocker, for drunkenness can cause a person to do foolish and shameful things (Pr 20:1). Remember Noah and Lot (Gen 9:18-27; 19:30-38)! Only fools ignore warnings about wine and excessive drinking; wise men know it is dangerous and must be ruled strictly. You should know how much you will drink before you start, lest you tarry too long and end up drunk. Wise men do not even associate with drunkards (Pr 23:20; 28:7).

But wine is hardly more dangerous than bread and today’s processed carbohydrates, for they lead to gluttony, the fraternal twin of drunkenness (23:21; Deut 21:20; Luke 21:34). It is a shame when a 300-pound woman working on her third piece of cake condemns a man drinking a glass of wine with a meal. She is one more untaught, self-righteous Pharisee. God sees no moral difference in the two sins – both are despicable to Him.

Solomon knew more about success than you can know – success in the sight of God and men. He knew that alcohol had helpful properties in modest amounts but could render a man senseless and stupid without restraint (Pr 31:6-7,4-5; 23:29-35). He knew that drunkenness and gluttony would ruin a man’s professional ability (Pr 23:20-21).

Jesus drank wine often, unlike John the Baptist (Luke 7:33-34). Though called a winebibber and glutton by enemies, He never drank or ate to excess and was promoted to the throne of heaven. Let His moderation and temperance be goals for your life.

Spiritual Training 09 October 2014

Posted: October 9, 2014 in 1 Corinthians, Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: ,
0

Under Gods Command

1 Corinthians 12:3-6 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Anyone can claim to speak for God, and the world is full of false teachers. Paul gives us a test to help us discern whether or not a messenger is really from God: does he or she confess Christ as Lord? Don’t naively accept the words of all who claim to speak for God; test their credentials by finding out what they teach about Christ.

God is completely involved in the giving, using, and empowering of gifts. Specific gifts, places of service, and activities vary, but they all have their best effects when they build up the body of Christ—the church. God creates a unique place in the body for every believer. Gifts and ministries may overlap, but each believer has a specialized, God-designed role. Part of the exciting adventure of following Christ involves discovering one’s service contribution and then making it available to God.

Lets Bring it Home: Make serving God and his people your motive as you utilize your gifts.

Proverbs 9:4 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: October 9, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 09, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 9:4”Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment.

Simple men have two options. They can accept Lady Wisdom’s sincere invitation for wisdom and a blessed life, or they can fall for a whore’s lying seduction for death and hell. With a very powerful comparison, King Solomon set out the choice of life and death for his children, nation, and you. Listen carefully! Every man shall bear his own burden!

Consider carefully to see the precious comparison. Two women are after your soul. Both are beautiful. The beauty of one is timeless; that of the other very short. One speaks the truth; the other lies from beginning to end. Both are pleasant, but the pleasure of one is for a very short season, and the pleasure of the other is for eternity. Two women call you.

“Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding,” one says to you, “Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding” (Pr 9:4-6). This is the beautiful and noble Lady Wisdom, who has been described and speaking since Proverbs 8:1.

“Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding,” another woman says to you, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Pr 9:16-17). This is the lustful and fatally dangerous whore, Lady Folly, who is described and speaking in Proverbs 9:13-18. Do not let this wicked woman seduce you.

This foolish woman, this strange woman, this whore, is also beautiful, and she also calls you. She wants simple men and those that lack understanding to destroy them, for they know “not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell” (Pr 9:18). A wise man is too difficult for her to seduce, for he knows her wiles cover bitter pain.

At her table you are looking at the rapidly decaying features of a malicious liar, who is planning to take advantage of your simplicity for her own gain. Her flattering words are the anesthesia for your soul; her kisses are the kiss of death. Hell is where you are headed in this world and in the world to come if you stay with her one more minute. Run away!

Lady Wisdom is much more beautiful and has prepared a beautiful house, fully furnished, for your perpetual prosperity and comfort (Pr 9:1-5). Her guests are luxuriously entertained and provided for to the eternal benefit of their souls. See the comments on Pr 9:1 and Pr 9:2. Your simplicity does not offend her; she wants to help you gain wisdom!

She has prepared a feast for you, if you will simply take her gracious invitation. She offers you life, and that an abundant life, if you will let her feed you the feast of knowledge and understanding. At this table the simple can become wise and successful. The only thing necessary for admittance is your simplicity. If you lack wisdom and want to gain it, she will be your most willing host. Do not reject her offer. Accept it at once!

These are not merely two literal women here, but a personification of the choices every man or woman must make in life. Will you seek and learn heavenly wisdom to avoid the foolishness of this world that will painfully destroy you? Or will you weakly let a whorish world take you down the seductive path to dysfunctional living, death, and hell?

Simple men can learn wisdom and understanding with Lady Wisdom, who wants to serve and help men needing knowledge. They can become wise by filling their lives with God’s precious Word, sound Bible preaching, godly music, and the Lord’s people. To learn from Lady Wisdom, they must shun this world’s ideas, music, entertainment, and friends.

But simple men can also be destroyed by the strange woman, who will take advantage of their ignorance for her selfish ends. The simple are too ignorant to know her friendship is the way to death and hell. But the attentive reader is now informed and should ponder what house he has entered. Do not be deceived, her pleasure is only for a moment.

All men by nature are simple and lacking understanding. All men face this choice. Will you be wise or foolish? Will you remain faithful to your wife or choose another? Will you seek to correct your foolishness or allow it to take you down to hell? Do you desire wisdom and prudence, or folly and pleasure, to be your companions through life?

Christian reader, to which woman do you turn for religion? Do you seek a simple church of Jesus Christ where a banquet of grace, truth, and fellowship is spread for sinners? Or do you fall for the seductive advances of the harlot church with her gaudy appeal, false doctrine, worldly popularity, and entertaining fables? Remember, her pleasure lasts only a short season, and then comes the death and hell she hides behind her sensual pretenses.

Look instead for that chaste virgin of a pure church meeting in apostolic simplicity and preaching the hard, unvarnished truth of God’s inspired and preserved words. If you are not being convicted on a regular basis and growing in wisdom and understanding, it is likely that you have missed the apostolic church and are in a carnal and compromising church of these perilous times. Let every reader take heed. Life or death is the result.

Proverbs 08:13 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: October 8, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 08, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. 

The more a person fears and respects God, the more he or she will hate evil. Love for God and love for sin cannot coexist. Harboring secrets sins means that you are tolerating evil within yourself. Make a clean break with sin and commit yourself completely to God.

Fear and hate are good! They are essential to success with God and men. Fearing God is hating sin. The fear of the LORD, a reverential desire to please Him, is measured by your hatred of the things He hates. Four sins are listed here for you to hate, if you really want to please God and be wise. Lady Wisdom also states her hatred for these four sins.

The fear of the LORD is the greatest duty and goal of life. Solomon made this inspired conclusion after testing every possible reason for living with extensive experiments (Eccl 5:7; 8:12; 12:13). It is the first and greatest pursuit of godly men. You cannot love God rightly until you fear Him, for loving Him is His commandment (Deut 6:1-5; 10:12).

No man fears God by nature (Ps 36:1; Rom 3:18). It is the gift of God in a regenerated heart, but it is your duty to stir it up and put it into practice. It is the great prerequisite for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (Pr 1:7; 9:10; Ps 111:10), and it brings the great blessings of God (Ps 112:1; 115:13; 128:1; 145:19; 147:11; Luke 1:50).

This effeminate and perverse generation condemns fear and hate. Yet they fear Bible preaching and truth, for it proves their guilt; and they hate those who preach and live it, for they would limit their wicked activities. But their opinions do not matter compared to the wisdom of the Creator God and His inspired Scriptures. Fear and hate are still good.

The fear of the LORD is a reverent desire to please God Jehovah, the Creator God of the Bible, which includes hating the things that He hates. The living and true God of the Bible hates sin (Pr 6:16-19; Jer 44:4; Zech 8:17), and His followers are to hate sin as well. Fear and hate are good. So hate evil with God (Ps 97:10; Amos 5:15; Rom 12:9)!

Lady Wisdom hates pride, which is exalted thinking about yourself, leading to an attitude of superiority and contempt for others. It is the inordinate self-esteem adored by this generation. God cast Satan out of heaven for pride (I Tim 3:6), and He will crush any man with a proud spirit, for you are nothing before Him and without Him (Ps 39:5; 62:9).

Lady Wisdom hates arrogance, which is aggressive pride in dealing with others. Pride is your attitude about yourself and others; arrogance is a haughty, condescending, conceited, and presumptuous treatment of others. It is the difference between being puffed up and vaunting yourself in Paul’s definition of love (I Cor 13:5; Rom 12:16).

Lady Wisdom hates an evil lifestyle, which is sinful living with wicked habits. You are to avoid ungodly men and their deeds (Ps 1:1; 5:4-5; 101:3-8; I John 2:16). You are to love God’s directions for each area of your life and hate every other idea (Ps 119:128; Jer 6:16). The blessed King Jesus was honored greatly for hating evil (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9).

Lady Wisdom hates a froward mouth, which is perverse, obnoxious, and wicked speech. Your words should feed and help others (Pr 10:21; 15:4; 16:24). God hates a froward and lying tongue (Pr 4:24; 6:12,17; 10:31; 12:19; 21:6). Solomon dedicated many proverbs to sound speech, as it is a common area of sin (Pr 10:19; 12:18; 15:1-2,28; 17:27-28).

Reader, do you hate these four things? Are all four of them out of your life? You cannot and will not be wise, as long as you hold on to any of these specified sins. The true fear of the LORD will cause you to hate these things and tear every aspect of them out of your life (Ps 101:2-3). Do not claim to fear the LORD, if you hold on to even a single sin. To continue in your sins is to despise the LORD (Pr 14:2), and the holy God will punish you.

The great men and women in the earth are those who fear the LORD. They are His favorites, and they live happy and successful lives. He is their God, and He blesses them abundantly (Ps 25:12-15; 128:1-6). Jesus Christ feared God, and His prayers were heard, and He rules over the universe (Heb 5:7-9; 1:3,13). Follow His holy and perfect example.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.  

Proverbs 7:01 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: October 8, 2014 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 07, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
Tags: ,
0

Under Gods Command

Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and store up my commands and you will live.

Sons often neglect their father’s instructions and warnings. If they forget them, they will not be ready, when temptation is in their eyes, ears, heart, and loins. And the temptation here is dangerous and powerful – a beautiful and skilled adulteress (Pr 7:5-27). The same lesson applies to young women, when they are infatuated with a handsome man. Solomon begins and ends his warning with appeals to remember his advice (Pr 7:1-4,24).

Solomon knew the folly and vanity of youth (Pr 22:15; Eccl 11:10). He knew the great vulnerability that young men and women have to sexual lusts and temptations (Ps 25:7; Eccl 12:5; Ezek 23:3,8,19,21; II Tim 2:22). Their freedom, folly, naiveté, sexual desire, and youthful bodies create a dangerous combination. He also knew the haughty spirit in most of their hearts. Therefore, he repeatedly begged his children to listen and remember his instruction (Pr 1:8; 2:1-5; 3:1-4; 4:1-5,13; 5:1-2,7; 6:20-21; 7:1-4,24; 8:32-33).

The dangers of not remembering are great. How will a young man resist, when his eyes are full of her beauty, his ears full of her flattery, his heart full of her offered love and submission, and his loins full of desire (Pr 5:3; 6:24-25; 7:13-21)? How will a young woman resist, when her eyes are full of his manliness, her ears full of his flattery, her heart full of his attention and affection, and her body craves his embrace (Gen 34:1-3)?

The consequences of not remembering are great. Solomon warned his children very carefully about the bitter pain that would wrack their consciences and bodies after sinning sexually (Pr 5:7-14). They would lose their reputations, years of their lives, and their labor and money. They would grieve about their hypocrisy, but it would be too late. They would remember the many warnings they had been given, but it would also be too late.

Why is it hard for youth to remember instruction? They have undisciplined and wanderings minds; they easily forget what was said in their rush to explore new things; they get enraptured in the vanity of youthful activities and lusts; they think their teachers are too conservative and missing the great pleasures of life; they fall into temptation naively and unawares without recollection of warnings. Youth is folly and vanity!

Consider Joseph in Egypt. He worked for Potiphar in his late teens and twenties, the years of a man’s most powerful sexual drive (Gen 37:2; 41:46). He was far from home; no one knew him; Egypt’s morality was low; and a beautiful woman begged him to sleep with her (Gen 39:7-12). He did not have a Bible, and there were none for sale at the local pyramid! How did he resist this woman in these circumstances? How did he give such a sober answer to her? He remembered the instructions of his father from his youth. Glory!

But consider Samson with Philistine women. Though he had good parents, who had been given careful instructions about his life, he chose early on to reject their advice about women (Judges 13:1-25; 14:1-3). By forgetting the warnings of his parents, Samson was in no condition to resist the lying words, hired body, and short-term pleasure of Delilah; and he was utterly ruined (Judges 16:1-21). If only he had remembered his parents’ advice and married a beautiful woman of Israel and had children with her (Pr 5:15-23).

Solomon had been taught well by both of his parents – David and Bathsheba (Pr 4:1-4; I Chron 28:9). And he had witnessed the horrible evils of sexual sins in his own father and family (II Sam 11:1-27; 12:1-25; 13:1-39). But he forgot his father’s instruction and ruined his life with 1000 ungodly women (I Kgs 11:1-8; Neh 13:23-27). If even this wise man could forget the instruction he had been given, the danger is much greater for you.

How well do you hear and remember what you are taught by your parents and pastors? Jesus Christ taught that careful hearing is very important, for He knew the three enemies of retention and application (Luke 8:11-18). Do you crave hearing and learning to grow in knowledge (I Pet 2:1-3; II Pet 3:18)? Do you review what you are taught and practice applying it (Heb 5:12-14)? Can you teach others, or do you still need to be taught?

Older Entries
Newer Entries