Posts Tagged ‘politics’

Proverbs 26:03 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 26, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

Words do not work with some men. They need a beating instead. They are fools, and part of wisdom is learning how to deal with them. Just as some animals need bridles and whips to control or direct them, some men need harsher methods than mere words.

You will meet fools in your life, so you must learn to adapt to their brute mentality. They only respond to force or pain. Though you may love gentleness and peace, you will have to take aggressive measures to protect yourself or to get them to do anything productive.

You think you can talk wisdom into a fool? How would you do it? Fools do not learn by words; they will not. That is why they are fools. Learning by words requires intelligence and humility. Fools have little of the former and none of the latter. They must be controlled by physical constraints and punishments like brute beasts (Pr 10:13; 19:29).

Words are wasted on a fool (Pr 26:4; 23:9). So only talk long enough to rebuke his ignorance, lest he arrogantly assume he is unanswerable (Pr 26:5). A reproof, “a word to the wise,” will work with a wise man more than a hundred blows on the back of a fool (Pr 17:10; 1:5). Be smart; choose only wise persons for your friends (Pr 9:6; 13:20; 14:7).

Socialists suggest better jobs and more money make a difference. But you would never know by watching the fools among today’s actresses and athletes. Multi-million dollar salaries for playing boys’ games have not taught them wisdom. Some are no smarter than the animals mentioned in the proverb, in spite of exorbitant incomes and lavish lifestyles.

Love and affection are not right for a fool, for they will inflame his conceit and justify his perverse lifestyle. Fools should not be given honor or attention, for these two reasons make it wrong (Pr 26:1,8; 19:10; 30:21-23; Eccl 10:5-7). Giving esteem and respect to a fool is also a sure way to discourage the hearts of wise men observing such a disgrace.

It is a shame when so-called Christian authors write books like, “Dare to Discipline.” Considered by some a strong argument for child discipline, it presented the pampering of children and promotion of self-esteem under the guise of Christianity. Humanistic psychology rejects the rod and calls for much gentler forms of punishment. Clearly, the authors never worked with brute beasts, and their methods have proven worthless.

Corporal punishment for fools is good, as necessary and useful as whips and bridles for brute beasts. To the degree it is eliminated in modern discipline-hating and rebellion-pampering societies, those nations will decline. Self-discipline taught by a rod is crucial to good character. This proverb alone should justify the Bible at the top of bestseller lists.

Flogging was once the universal means of keeping family, domestic, military, and academic discipline. The hickory stick was a great way to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now you can hardly even find an accurate encyclopedia entry for this once widely used public punishment for all sorts of fools. Such revisionism is a devilish lie.

They say corporal punishment is not a deterrent, but such an insane notion is the product of academicians who never worked on a farm and hallucinate outside reality. Everyone knows pain is a deterrent. Children learn about fire and heat, weak branches in trees, and stairs by experiencing them! Not by learning about them through verbal instruction!

A whip does not make a horse smart, nor does a bridle help an ass; neither will a rod give wisdom to a fool (Pr 17:10; 27:22). The rod, like the whip and bridle, is merely God’s means to control, motivate, and punish fools. They will always need to be beat, as they will generally not learn wisdom, for they do not have the heart or mind for it (Pr 17:16).

Children are not properly fools in the sense of this proverb, but they are born with foolishness bound in their hearts (Pr 22:15). They must be trained from an early age with reproofs and use of the rod (Pr 13:24; 19:18; 23:13-14; 29:15,17). While fools proper will not learn wisdom, you can train outstanding character into your children with the rod.

Today nations have rejected the Bible and their traditional use of the rod, so you do not have the option of beating the fools you must manage. Within the limits of any particular situation, you must be creative to use the strongest, most direct, most painful measures you have your disposal. This proverb’s wisdom has taught that words will not be enough.

The Lord Jesus Christ was an obedient Son to His parents and Servant to God by verbal instruction (Luke 2:51; Isaiah 50:4-6). There was no need for a rod in His training, for He was the wisest of men. Yet He did know how to make a whip and use it, when driving fools from His Father’s house of prayer (Jn 2:12-18). What a glorious Man and Leader!

Proverbs 25:28 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 25, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 25:28 – Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

Even though city walls restricted the inhabitants’ movements, people were happy to have them.  Without walls, they would have been vulnerable to attack by any passing group of marauders.  Self-control limits us, to be sure, but it is necessary.  An out of control life is open to all sorts of enemy attack.  Think of self-control as a wall for defense and protection.

Your success depends on ruling your spirit. Great men rule their spirits. They resist temptations to react or overreact. They restrain their emotions and manage them for good.

How safe are you from trouble? If you do not rule your spirit, you are vulnerable to say or do things that could cost you dearly. You may already be damaged by such actions.

Your spirit is your inner self, which controls your actions. When you do not rule your spirit, you are exposed and vulnerable to all sorts of folly and trouble. Like a defenseless city without walls in former times of marauding armies, so is the man who does not rule his own spirit and diligently keep it in the way of virtue, truth, and wisdom.

Your spirit includes your affections, appetites, and passions. A wise and noble man rules his spirit by his conscience and mind. He locks it down with chains of self-denial to keep ambition, anger, lust, pride, or revenge from breaking forth. He guides it by a mental commitment to hold fast honor, humility, righteousness, and virtue. He rules his thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them all in disciplined order.

A fool lets his spirit control his actions. He does not resist impulses from his spirit; he lets his spirit direct him; he forfeits the fight for character and godliness. He cannot do what he should; he cannot stop doing what he should not. Such men are often angry, generally foolish, often depressed, or always procrastinating, among other faults and sins. They never grow up, for they are controlled by childish passions of a depraved heart.

In Solomon’s time, a city depended on strong fortifications and gates, with great walls surrounding it, to repel incursions by ravaging bands of guerillas or foreign armies. If the bulwarks, gates, or towers were broken down and the walls taken away, a city was totally exposed to the incursions of any enemy that wished to plunder, pillage, or conquer it. If a city did not invest sufficiently in these means of protection, it could easily be captured.

A man without rule of his spirit is exposed and vulnerable like a defenseless city. His spirit is ready to sin with very little provocation, and he cannot marshal its power for any real good. He is helplessly, hopelessly, perpetually at the mercy of his enemies – foolishness, lust, and sin – which show no quarter, but regularly ravage his life. But the man who rules his spirit is greater than a man taking a city single-handedly (Pr 16:32).

Dear reader, what tempts your spirit? Are you quick to anger, a sure mark of a fool? Must you talk incessantly, another mark of a fool? Regarding money, are you an impulsive spender? Or a hoarding miser? Do you justify imprudent haste as optimism? Or do you call melancholy funks self-reflection? Which spirit do you have? Do you rule it? To the bulwarks! Raise the towers! Close the gates! Build the walls! Rule your spirit!

Do you talk too much? Or are you depressed and silent? Do you make financial choices impulsively? Do you criticize everyone? Do you jest and joke often? Does complaining come easily? Do you eat more than you should? Do you fail to read and pray daily? Do you let being discouraged destroy you? Does fear keep you from your duties?

Do you disrespect authority, especially civil rulers? Are you known for withdrawing and avoiding your family or friends? Do you forgive easily, or is it hard? Can you stop being an overbearing mother by making suggestions for everything your married child does? Do you mock rich men, because you think you know more than them (Eccl 10:20)?

Your life will be plundered and wasted, unless you take control and raise a defense. You will never amount to much. You will be a castaway, for an unruly spirit does not produce good things for God or man. You will plunge into sins of commission and omission. To the bulwarks! Raise the towers! Close the gates! Build the walls! Rule your spirit!

The greatest battle you will ever fight is the one against your own spirit. Your worst enemy is the depraved and selfish man inside you. It causes the most damage and keeps you from success in life. The most shameful loss is to live and die the victim of your own unruly spirit. And the most noble and rewarding victory is the one over your own spirit.

King Saul did not rule his jealous spirit, which even tried to kill his own son (I Sam 20:27-34). David did not bridle his lustful spirit, which boldly led him to adultery and murder (II Sam 11:1-27). And Samson, the strongest man ever, was helpless before his unruled passion for beautiful Delilah (Judges 16:4-21). Dear reader, do not let these heinous crimes make you confident in your life, for many lesser sins can also ruin a life.

Identify your spirit weaknesses – every man has them. What sins tempt you most? What causes you to fall quickest into folly? Confess your faults to the Lord. Confess to your family or friends. Ask them to tell you when they see a breach in a wall. Take charge of your spirit, and crush whatever folly it seeks, and do whatever wisdom it avoids. Now!

At the first sign of a bulwark or tower crumbling, pray for the mighty strength of your Prince Jesus. Do not trust your own strength; you need His. You cannot relax, for it will take control unless you rule it. By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ you can rule it. Why wait one minute longer? Go to Him now! Raise the walls of a well-ruled and holy city!

Teach your children self-discipline, called temperance in the Bible. This will do them more good before God and men than academic training. This will make them as great as a man singlehandedly taking a city (Pr 16:32). You can start when they are very young by slowly denying them small things they want. The present world sees no need for it, since they believe in instant gratification with food, purchases, sex, speech, anger, sleep, etc.

Jesus Christ ruled His spirit and submitted to God’s will, in spite of being very amazed and intimidated by His coming crucifixion (Mark 14:33). Though tempted by the devil at various times, He never considered the devil’s suggestions (Matt 4:1-11). But not only that, He will provide grace and strength for those who ask (II Cor 12:9-10; Phil 4:13).

Proverbs 24:21 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 24, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

 You think outside the box? Make sure it is not the box of the government God picked for you! God chose your government and each person in its offices. He will change it when it pleases Him, but you do not have the ability, duty, or right to even consider it (Dan 2:21).

 The most valuable proverbs for you are the ones you compromise or violate. It is human nature to love the proverbs that condemn others, especially your competitors or enemies. But real wisdom, had only by a few rare men, loves the proverbs that hit nerves and point up a problem with you. Are you humble enough and wise enough to fully trust God here?

God commands you to honor and obey civil rulers. This includes presidents, governors, mayors, sheriffs, clerks, and all public offices. God ordained these offices and chose the persons in them, so He connects your reverence of them with your reverence of Him! Here is basic wisdom for the glory of God and the peace of nations.

He further commands you to avoid those with revolutionary rhetoric, ideas, or plans. They are guilty of sedition and treason against men and rebellion against God, and they deserve damnation (Rom 13:1-2). As you do not want a spouse, children, or employees fomenting rebellion against you, it is your duty to set the same standard for civil rulers.

If you want a peaceful, prosperous, God-blessed life, submit to this proverb and its strict wisdom. God hates free thinkers and talkers, and those who read them or listen to them. He says, “Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (II Pet 2:10). You have opened God’s word for wisdom. Here it is. Take it, and prosper!

Are there times when we should not submit to the government?  We should never allow government to force us to disobey God.  Jesus and his apostles never disobeyed the government for personal reason; when they disobeyed, it was in order to follow their higher loyalty to God.  Their disobedience was not cheap: they were threatened, beaten, thrown into jail, tortured, or executed for their convictions.  Like them, if we are compelled to disobey, we must be ready to accept the consequences.

Willingly or unwittingly, people in authority are God’s servants.  They are allowed their positions in order to do good.  When authorities are unjust, however, upright people are afraid.  When authorities are just, people who are doing right have nothing to fear.  This provides our principal motivation to pray for our leaders, Praying for those in authority over us will also mean that we will watch them closely.  If we pray diligently for our leaders, we will be functioning as God’s sentinels.

You should follow the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, though being the King of kings, submitted to Caesar’s de facto government’s taxing authority over Israel and avoided all unnecessary political offence (Matt 17:24-27; 22:15-22). Later, exercising His sovereign rule of the world, He ended the nation of Israel in 70 A.D. and the Roman Empire in 476. He rules heaven and earth with a rod of iron, and no earthly ruler causes Him any grief.

Proverbs 20:23 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 20, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

 Proverbs 20:23 – The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. 

Differing weights refers to the loaded scales a merchant might use in order to cheat the customers.  Dishonesty is a difficult sin to avoid.  It is easy to cheat if we think no one else is looking.  But dishonesty affects the very core of a person.  It makes him untrustworthy and untrusting.  It eventually makes him unable to know himself to relate to others.  Don’t take dishonesty lightly.  Even the smallest portion of dishonesty contains enough of the poison of deceit to kill your spiritual life.  If there is any dishonesty in your life, tell God about it now.

 

Proverbs 17:26 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 17, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 17:26 It is not good to punish an innocent man, or to flog officials for their integrity. 

Wisdom knows right and wrong. Here are two political errors of civil government that should be known by men of understanding. Though the world corrupts right and wrong, it is your duty and privilege to know the difference and never compromise true justice.

Child rebellion is terrible, ruining the parent-child relationship, as the previous proverb declared (Pr 17:25: A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him). But there are two related evils involving civil government that are also terrible. It is an error when a nation’s rulers punish just and righteous citizens. And it is wrong for citizens to rise up against leaders for doing their rightful job of enforcing justice and righteousness – equity. Both rulers and ruled are obligated to God.

The opening adverb “also” indicates a comparison to the preceding proverb (Pr 17:25). As disobedient children disrupt the home and destroy parents, so a breakdown in civil authority disrupts and destroys cities and nations. The adverb teaches wisdom. The first authority met in life is that of parents. If they are disregarded or their God-given power is not enforced, children enter into life with perverted values and rebellion in their hearts.

It is not good to punish the just. When a government legislates or executes laws that hurt upright citizens, it is not good. The expression “not good” is the figure of speech meiosis, a deliberate understatement that is clearly understood by the context and/or the nature of the matter (Pr 16:29; 18:5; 20:23; Ps 51:17; Ezek 36:31). Rulers punishing just citizens is far worse than merely “not good”; it is an abomination to the LORD (Pr 17:15).

What is equity? It is fair, just, and righteous judgment (Pr 1:3; 2:9; Ps 98:9; 99:4). But when rulers make equitable judgments, one party to a controversy is commended and the other is condemned. It is an abomination for those under authority to strike back at their rulers for doing the job God gave them to do. The proverb condemns two perversions of authority – rulers punishing good citizens, and the ruled rebelling against good rulers.

God made rulers a terror to evil men, not good men (Rom 13:1-6; I Pet 2:13-17). Abraham appealed to this virtue of God (Gen 18:25). Rulers abuse their authority and will be punished by God, when they are a terror to good men (Pr 17:15; 24:23-26; Ex 23:7; Deut 27:25). He took Egypt’s wealth, for their violent abuse of the Israelites. He sent dogs to eat Queen Jezebel, because she had Naboth killed for his vineyard. What will He do to America for murdering unborn children for the convenience of whore mothers?

God ordained civil government. It has nothing to do with any conspiracy anywhere. If you speak or fight against political rulers without a divine mandate, you are opposing God Himself (Rom 13:1-6; I Pet 2:13-17; Job 34:16-19). The Lord considers you a brute beast needing to be destroyed (II Pet 2:10-12; Jude 1:8-10). If you even associate with such men, your calamitous ruin is coming soon (Pr 24:21-22). Jesus and Paul showed honor to rulers abusing their authority (Matt 26:62-64; John 18:22-23; Acts 23:1-5).

Every ruler and government had better examine their laws and practices as to how they affect the righteous, because the blessed God of heaven will not countenance any unjust treatment of them. He will aggressively defend the poor, helpless, and godly (Eccl 5:8; Ps 2:10-12; 12:5; 68:5; 82:1; 105:13-15; Is 10:5-19). Though others may tremble before your presence and power, there is a God in heaven that is not moved in the slightest by any king! Just ask Sennacherib, Belshazzar, Alexander, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, or others!

Every citizen in every nation should humble himself under the authorities God has appointed. No matter how much you may dislike them, God put them in their office over you. You expect your children to obey and honor you, even when you are a bad example or do a poor job of parenting; and God expects you to obey your princes, even if they are privately wicked or enact and enforce laws that make little sense and cost you. God even condemns the cursing of a king in your private and personal thoughts (Eccl 10:20)!

Disobedience to parents is a mark of a reprobate society and of carnal Christianity (Rom 1:30; II Tim 3:2). Ben Spock and Jim Dobson helped corrupt child training in America, but godly parents still follow the only inspired child training manual (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20; I Tim 6:3-5,20-21). Parents must vigorously enforce the authority God has given them, lest their children rise up in rebellion against God’s other appointed spheres of authority and overthrow the foundations of society (Pr 22:15; 29:15; Ps 82:1-8).

There is no perfect authority among men. But imperfect authority in the five spheres God ordained can lead to happy and prosperous homes, marriages, businesses, churches, and nations. The only perfect authority is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Blessed and Only Potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is coming soon to destroy in flaming fire all those who have rebelled against Him (II Thess 1:7-11; I Tim 6:13-16).

Proverbs 12:22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 12:22 The LORD detest lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful

You can be a delight to God today. What a precious proverb! If God delights in you, your future has no bounds. How can you easily obtain God’s favor? By honesty and truth in your dealings! Simply speak the truth and be a man of your word. You will have opportunities today to choose between lying and truth. Embrace honesty and integrity!

God hates liars (Pr 6:16-19). Do not ever think otherwise. All liars shall have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). There are no liars in heaven (Rev 22:15). Liars are an abomination to the LORD. He will destroy liars (Ps 5:6). He loves men of truth, and He delights in them. God will judge all liars, but He will bless men who deal truly.

The LORD Jehovah, the only living and true God, is a God of truth. Moses wrote of Him, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deut 32:4). While nothing is too hard for the LORD, He cannot lie; it is impossible for Him to lie (Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18).

Lying originated with Satan, the devil himself. God made him a rational creature – a very high-ranking angel. He chose to rebel in pride against the Most High God. For this profane and rebellious sin, he was thrown out of his office in heaven. He came and lied to our first parents, deceiving Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. He is a liar and the father of lying; when you tell a lie, you submit to him and honor him as your father (John 8:44).

When something is an abomination, it is disgusting and hateful. When you abominate something, you abhor, detest, and loathe it. God abominates lying – He finds it abhorrent, detestable, and loathsome. He considers lying disgusting, and He hates it with holy hatred. He loves truth, honesty, integrity, sincerity, and the men who love these things.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira were members in the church at Jerusalem. They sold some property and gave a large offering to the apostles. But they lied in keeping back some for themselves. What did the blessed God do about this fudging of the facts? He killed them both in the church (Acts 5:1-11). Do not even think about compromising truth!

God expects more than just telling the truth; He demands your dealings to be in truth. This is honesty in speech and action. All conduct should be governed by integrity and sincerity. You should say exactly what is right and true, and you should do it completely. Reject exaggerating or modifying facts at anytime, and then perform exactly what you said. You can and should be known as a person of perfect integrity in word and deed.

God’s blessing, which makes huge differences among men, is promised to those who are honest and true. David wrote, “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile” (Ps 34:12-13). Peter then quoted it, “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile” (I Pet 3:10).

A family can only be blessed when lying and liars are rejected (Ps 101:1-8). A church can only be blessed when hypocrites and liars are exposed and eliminated (Ps 144:11-15). But when God delights in either a truthful family or church, He will bless them graciously and generously. This is one of the simplest means for obtaining God’s blessing and favor in your life. Choose to make honesty and integrity very important at home and at church.

Children must learn to hate lying, so parents must teach them. The Bible says they are born liars (Ps 58:3). Honest and observant parents know this to be true. Children must be taught the importance of truth and punished severely for lying. Conversations must be checked for confirmed truth without exaggeration. Do not allow your children to speak without verifying facts to be certain and provable and to limit their words accordingly.

Lying and truth are significantly different to God, and He will make a tremendous variation in how He treats men based on their degree of honesty. What an opportunity for God to delight in you! What an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself before God and men! Starting now, replace all deception and exaggeration with total truthfulness. Who knows what God will do when He delights in you for your honesty and integrity!

Spiritual Training 07 December 2012

Posted: December 7, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefor no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 

 The last time someone accused you of wrongdoing, what was your reaction? Denial, argument, and defensiveness? The Bible tells us the world stands silent and accountable before Almighty God.  No excuses or arguments are left.

Lets Bring It Home: Have you reached the point with God where you are ready to hang up your defenses and await his decision?  If you haven’t, stop now and admit your sin to him.  If you have, the following verses are truly good news for you!

Proverbs 06:09 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 6, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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 Proverbs 6:9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

Sleep can be a dangerous thing, if you get too much of it, or if you like it too much. It is especially hazardous for young men, whom Solomon emphasized in writing Proverbs.

When do you get up? How do you get up? The time and manner in which you rise in the morning affects your success or failure in life. Great men get a head start on the day.

They attack every day as an opportunity, rather than dreading it as a punishment. There are other factors also, but love of your bed in the morning will squander your potential.

What a practical book! Those who think the Bible is irrelevant and an old theological dust collector have never read it. Solomon, the wisest and most successful king ever, knew the folly of youth and humanity, so he warned his son and you against loving sleep and sleeping too long (Pr 6:6-11; 10:5; 19:15; 20:13; 21:17; 23:21; 24:30-34).

Young men play hard and sleep hard. Since they have not had the weight of responsibility and burden of producing for a family, they will take every minute they can get under the covers before falling out and stumbling into a day. But they are not the only ones. Some older men think they deserve extra sleep because they have already worked hard in life.

Some women think they can make the day go away by staying in bed under warm covers. Cuddling with blankets helps them procrastinate and fantasize about not working. Instead they have fewer hours, less energy, and more to do when they get up. Young women, who play much of the day in today’s world, cannot imagine why they should ever get up.

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” is credited to Benjamin Franklin, though it was a saying before he was born. Mark Twain, who thought that rising before 9:30 was a terrible evil, ridiculed Ben’s proverb. But God and Solomon had given the inspired rules 3000 years before. An early approach does lead to wisdom (Pr 8:17). And an early approach does lead to wealth (Pr 6:9-11; 20:13; 24:33-34).

Are you tired in the morning? Then go to bed earlier. Sleeping during prime time will not only help you rise in the morning, but it will also save you from the worst that Hollywood offers. Do you not sleep well at night? Then get on a schedule and allow yourself less sleep. All other things being equal, a laboring man will sleep very peacefully (Eccl 5:12).

Is it hard to get up in the morning? Build a habit and routine that is good for you. A strict schedule and routine help most people. Do not use a snooze button on your alarm clock. When it is time to get up, then get up, right then. Immediately take a shower or apply water to your face in some other way. Wake up! Get up! Get dressed! Get going! Life is short, why waste it in bed!  You need a sense of time urgency to attack days (Eccl 9:10)!

The world has conspired against the wisdom here. Daylight saving time provides more time for playing in the evenings and less sunshine for rising in the mornings. If saving daylight is important, why not save it in the morning by moving the clocks back an hour? Men could get a day’s work done before lunch. But men would much rather play late.

The proverb has a definite limit. Night and sleep are part of God’s plan for men. In fact, He does not want you going without pleasant sleep, thinking that success depends mainly on your efforts (Ps 127:1). He expects you to only apply this proverb within reason, for any efforts beyond that are vain and worthless; He wants you to sleep (Ps 127:2)!

Getting up early and not sleeping too long are only part of life. Once you get up, what will you do? God commands you to have a good job and be diligent at it (Rom 12:11; Eph 4:28; I Thess 4:11-12). This is the main intent here so you can follow the example of the industrious ant (Pr 6:6-8)! After work you have your other duties – marriage, children, parents, church, finances, house, neighbors, nation, exercise, and so forth.

There is a better reason to rise early. You can seek the Lord and wisdom then. You are sharper (once fully awake!). There are fewer outside or mental distractions. You will be interrupted less. It puts the priority on God and wisdom. It prepares your soul for the day. And it is Scriptural (Ps 5:3; 55:17; 119:147). Reading your Bible, praying, and meditating before anything else is the way to a successful life (Job 23:12; Ps 19:7-11; 119:103,127).

Spiritual Training 29 November 2012

Posted: November 29, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans 2:12-15 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.  For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

People are condemned not for what they don’t know, but for what they do with what they know.  Those who know God’s written Word and his law will be judged by them.  Those who have never seen a bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they did not keep even those standards that their own consciences dictated. Our modern-day sense of fair play and the rights of the individual often balks at God’s judgment.  But keep in mind that people violate the very standards they created for themselves.

Lets Bring it Home: We know what’s right, but we insist on doing what’s wrong.  It is not enough to know what’s right; we must also do it.  Admit to yourself and to God that you fit the human pattern and frequently fail to live up to your own standards (much more to God’s standards).  That’s the first step to forgiveness and healing.

Proverbs 26:4-5 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: November 29, 2012 in Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 26:4-5

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.

It is wrong to debate with fools. They do not deserve knowledge or truth. Wisdom is too precious to waste on them. Wise men have better uses of their time. And arguing is a fleshly lust. For these reasons, it is a sin to debate with men who do not clearly display godly wisdom and righteousness. By doing so, you descend to their profane level.

You should say enough to shut their mouths, but anything more is folly and sin (Proverbs 26:5)). They deserve no honor (26:1) and only a beating will truly help them (26:3). To keep them from thinking they are right, it is proper to briefly refute their idiotic notions. Truth does not back down from any, but it has no obligation to waste its time on any, either!

Jesus plainly confirmed Solomon by teaching, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matt 7:6). Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, lawyers, and scribes of His day, but He avoided any foolish wrangling with them.

If you debate truth with a fool, he will first despise the wisdom of your words and ridicule the precious things you tell him (23:9)). You will degrade the truth by letting him mock and reproach it. He will then twist your words and use them against you, because his heart is black with hate and violence (Ish 29 20:21) Leave him alone, and let him rot!

Too harsh, you say? Jesus called them dogs and pigs – vile animals and perpetual examples of beastly cruelty and selfish greed, among other despicable traits. When told He had offended the Pharisees, He said to His apostles, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Mat 15:14).

How do you spot a fool? Easy. Listen to him talk (14:7) and measure his walk (20:11). A fool talks a lot, likes his own ideas, gets angry easily, always excuses his conduct, belittles others, prefers teaching to being taught, wants to debate most everything, resents authority, disdains convention, or talks profanely. A fool also does not live according to the Bible and has no spiritual fruit, which are the absolute and final measures of wisdom.

Your flesh wants to get in the last word, or believes you can persuade him by reasoning, or thinks love will win the day, and sees no risk to your own soul (11 Tim 2:24-26); (1Cor 15:33). There is danger here, so Paul warned against the foolish questions or vain babblings of foolish men

 

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