Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Proverbs 16:32 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 16, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 16, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Proverbs 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Here is a lesson in personal greatness. How strong are you? What have you achieved? The best test of character is controlling your emotions, especially anger. The biggest achievement you can have is to limit your passions to only those actions that are good.

Every real man wants to be a mighty man of valor. Every real woman wants to be a noble woman worthy of such a man. The Bible records many exploits of mighty men and noble women. But this proverb teaches a greater measure of individual glory – the ability to deny anger and to control your spirit. The man who can resist getting angry or losing control of his spirit is more honorable than men with great military accomplishments.

Consider some mighty men of valor. Gideon defeated a huge army of Midianites with only 300 men, and Jephthah destroyed 20 cities of the Ammonites with a small army. Samson killed 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and Shamgar killed 600 with an ox goad. Joab took the fortress of Jebus, which became Jerusalem. Adino killed 800 at one time with his spear, and Abishai did the same to 300. Caleb begged for a mountain in Canaan where the dreaded giants lived, and he destroyed them and took their cities.

But you can be greater than these men! You do so by being cautious and slow in getting angry and by controlling and ruling your spirit. It takes more courage, discipline, strength, and wisdom to resist passionate emotions like anger than it does to take a city.

Can you control the violent feelings of anger and keep your spirit calm and wise? Will you? This is how a born fool can be wise and glorious (Pr 14:29; Ec 7:9; Jas 1:19-20). If you defer anger and pass over faults and offences of others, you are glorious (Pr 19:11).

But your spirit screams for a strong response! It hates to be restrained. It must exert itself, in full fury, now! Harsh words burn in your tongue and must be spoken. You tell others you cannot help yourself. You may blame God for giving you a spirit too strong to rule.

The world lies that anger is a trait of mighty men, a right of free men, and a tool of strong leaders. They say venting rage brings relief, but this is only to a depraved soul. If a conscience remains, you are soon grieved at the violence that spewed out of your mouth.

Rather than ruling their spirit, most men are ruled by their spirits. Instead of conquering anger, they become captives of their passions. Instead of thinking before speaking, they speak without thinking by their feelings only, which is highly dangerous and foolhardy.

The battle facing you exceeds any military expedition. A city can be taken with a single siege, but you will fight the passion of anger for the rest of your life. Wars are fought by the efforts of many, but you must fight alone. The vigilance, effort, and patience needed to rule anger causes most men to forfeit the battle and become slaves to their own folly.

The world is filled with illustrations of those who could not rule their spirits. You have them in your own family. You likely have several in your own closet. Alexander the Great conquered the known world, but he could not defeat the brutish beast within that ruined him at home and among his friends. Peter the Great is reported to have said, “I can govern my people, but how can I govern myself?” If you can defeat this monster, you will have a victory over a foe that has destroyed conquerors. You will be a mighty man!

Anger marks a loser. Guaranteed! Anger blinds your mind to misread situations, causes you to say and do stupid things, never accomplishes anything good, and drives away your family and friends (Pr 14:17; 15:18; 21:24; 22:24-25; 29:22). If you get angry and do not rule your spirit, you cannot be compared to a military hero; you must be compared to a city with its walls broken down and vulnerable to all kinds of evil (Pr 25:28; Jas 3:14-16).

Not all anger is sin. Do not let misguided Christians tell you otherwise. Jesus condemned unjustified anger (Matt 5:22), and Paul said to be angry and sin not (Eph 4:26). Anger is good, when it is directed against sin for the glory of God. But anger in a traffic jam, or over spilt milk, or about another’s harsh words against you, or because you were slighted, or in retaliation for a wrong, or because things did not turn out as expected, is wrong!

There are more passions than just anger, and you must also rule them. Moodiness is the mark of an immature child, not a mighty man of valor. Such a person needs a beating, not comforting. Murmuring is the complaining of a wicked heart moving a devilish tongue, which ought not to be. Critical or harsh speech is the poison that spews from a selfish heart. Great men have pure hearts that result in gracious speech (Pr 22:11; Col 4:6).

There are other passions that need to be ruled. Fear is very debilitating, but it has no place in your life, for God has not given you such a spirit (II Tim 1:7), and fearing others will trap you into foolish choices or sin (Pr 29:25). Covetousness, the desire of what others have or what you do not have, is compared to idolatry (Eph 5:5). Contentment, a key to true happiness and a measure of great gain, is your choice (I Tim 6:6; Heb 13:5-6).

What can you do to be great in the sight of God and men? Slow down! Do not ever say or do anything by impulse. Hear things out before you speak. Choose to study every matter before giving your opinion. Wait before reacting, when you hear or experience any negative event. Cut your words in half. Always be gracious in your speech, especially with your family. Let the words of this proverb motivate you to be a mighty man of valor.

But you cannot achieve this victory without help, and that help is in the Lord, His word, and His saints. Paul learned that he could do all things through Christ, Who strengthened him (Phil 4:13). The Holy Spirit, allowed to bear fruit by a holy and submissive life, can fill you with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and so forth (Gal 5:22-23). The Bible can convert your soul by showing the folly of anger and the glory of peace. And brothers and sisters in Christ, when they are doing their duty, can encourage and warn you as needed.

Will the real mighty men of valor please stand up! Will the real noble women of the earth please stand up! You will not have to wait long to face your foe. The Lord Himself will arrange circumstances to test the rule of your spirit. Do not be surprised by anything that happens. Purpose now to be slow and cautious in responding and to rule that unruly fury in your belly and tongue. May the grace of Jesus Christ give you complete victory!

Spiritual Training 16 April 2013

Posted: April 16, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 09:31-33 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursed it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Sometimes we are like these people, trying to get right with God by keeping his laws. We may think that attending church, doing church work, giving offerings, and being nice will be enough. After all, we’ve played by the rules, haven’t we? But Paul’s words sting-this approach never succeeds. Paul explains that God’s plan is not for those who try to earn his favor by being good; it is for those who realize that they can never be good enough and so must depend on Christ.

Lets Bring it home: Only putting our faith in what Jesus Christ has done can save us. If we do that, we will never be “put to shame” or be disappointed.

Proverbs 15:01 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 15, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 15, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 15:1 A gently answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

God loves peacemakers. He blesses them greatly. You can be a peacemaker. You can end fights. This short proverb is one of the best. You can use it every day for God’s blessing.

The wisdom is simple. If someone is angry, use gentle speech to calm them. Do not use defensive or harsh words, for that will increase anger. You can end conflict and fighting by calming words. Reject the foolish and wicked response of fighting fire with fire.

Can a person fight a pillow? Impossible! The pillow will take any blows given to it without hitting back. This is no fight; all punches are absorbed, and the pillow is not hurt; so anger quickly gives up, and the fight is over. Can you be a pillow to others’ anger?

How can there be a fight, if one person turns the other cheek (Matt 5:38-42)? What rare wisdom taught by Solomon’s greatest son, Jesus Christ! Rather than fight personal enemies, love them, bless them, do good to them, and pray for them (Matt 5:39-43)!

Here is one of Solomon’s most valuable proverbs. If you remember this rule, you can handle every angry adversary and any confrontation. If everyone practiced this rule, peace would be increased in every place. What a blessed rule, from the Prince of Peace!

A common phrase from schoolyards to explain fighting declares, “It takes two to fight.” How true! If either party were to stop fighting and show kindness, every fight would end. School teachers and principals know this rule and use it to find both offenders in a fight.

You can have a profound influence for peace by ending fights in your part of the world. Starting in your marriage and family and working all the way out to your business, church, and neighborhood, you should be known by God and men as a great peacemaker.

But provocative and offensive words, the ones you naturally think of when angrily confronted or defending yourself in pride, cause fights to continue and escalate. Sometimes they are rightly called “fighting words.” A fight will get worse and do greater damage, unless you quickly bring the anger and contention to an end (Pr 17:14; 26:21).

If a person is angry with you, even if it is your fault, you can end the matter peaceably by responding gently and kindly, rather than with your own anger in defense (Pr 12:16; 15:18; 29:22). Will you crush your pride and end the fight (Pr 13:10; 21:24; 28:25)? The rule works with family members, job situations, the government, or anyone else. Use it.

Measure yourself by this rule of self-discipline and peacemaking. Do you get irritated by others’ provocation? Must you retort to anything said about you? Do you have to get the last word in? Are you prone to self-justification rather than self-deprecation? Do you excuse your tendency to argue by appealing to principle, even though it is clearly pride?

Solomon taught men to fear kings or other civil rulers, for kings in those times had dreadful authority and power (Pr 19:12; 20:2; Eccl 8:2-5). But he also taught that yielding could pacify even their great wrath (Pr 16:14; Eccl 10:4). Soft words are your most powerful weapon against an offended prince, or anyone else (Pr 25:15). Learn the habit!

God loves peacemakers (Matt 5:9), and He taught those who offended others to go and be reconciled to them (Matt 5:23-26). Jesus applied the proverb by teaching you to agree quickly with your adversary to bring peace. His spirit, which every true saint desires to have, is peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, and actively makes peace (Jas 3:17-18).

The sons of Zeruiah, David’s famous nephews known for their military success and great passion, were too hard for him (II Sam 3:39). They could never use soft words, for they did not have soft hearts. Jesus even rebuked the sons of thunder, James and John, for their ungodly spirit toward some ignorant and disrespectful Samaritans (Luke 9:51-56).

To be the peacemaker you should be to please God and be successful with men, you must start on the inside with your spirit toward others (Jas 3:13-18). Gracious and soft words can only come from a pure and gentle heart (Pr 22:11; Luke 6:45). Your gracious speech should only rarely be seasoned with salt like that of Jesus Christ (Col 4:6; II Cor 10:1).

 

Spiritual Training 12 April 2013

Posted: April 12, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 09:15-19 For he says to Moses, “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “ I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he want to harden.

19: One of you will say to me. “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, why did you make me like this?” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purpose and some for common use?

Paul quotes from Exodus 9:16, where God foretold how Pharaoh would be used to declare God’s power. Paul uses this argument to show that salvation was God’s proper work, not man’s. God’s judgment on Pharaoh’s choice to resist God was to confirm that sin harden his heart. The consequences of Pharaoh’s rebellion would be his own punishment.

With this illustration, Paul is not saying that some of us are worth more than others, but simply that the Creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator-its very existence depends on him. Keeping this perspective removes any temptation to have pride in personal achievement.

Lets Bring it Home: What lump of clay did you come from? Are we being use for God purpose, or are we just doing our thing, picking and choosing when we should allow God to use us, not knowing that God uses us anyway, even in our sinful state.

Proverbs 12:19 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 12, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 12, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Lying may work momentarily. But one lie requires more to cover it, and it forms a habit, and then you will be found out as a liar and fraud. But the man who always tells the truth will live securely and be prospered by God and men. Make total honesty your policy.

There are two metonyms here – lip and tongue – which stand for the words they produce. Both serve the same purpose. They are used to represent the speaking ability of a man and the words he utters. The lip of truth describes a man who always uses his lips to speak the truth. A lying tongue describes a man who often uses his tongue to form lies.

Jehovah is God of truth (Deut 32:4). He hates lies and liars (Pr 6:16-19). All liars shall spend eternity in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8,27; 22:15). Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness, because He loved truth and always spoke the truth (Rev 3:14; 19:11). A great man worthy of honor and promotion is a man of truth (Ex 18:21; Jer 5:1; Zech 8:16).

The devil is the father of lies; he told the first lie in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:4-5). Things have not changed since. His whole existence is based on a lie – rebellion against God. He is a deceiver, and so are all his false teachers. They transform themselves to appear as something very different than reality in order to deceive (II Cor 11:3-4,13-15).

The Gibeonites feared as Israel crossed the Jordan River and began annihilating the cities and nations of Canaan. They lied about their nearby location to save their lives, and they tasted relief and success for a moment, only to end up as perpetual slaves (Josh 9:3-27).

Was Gehazi’s moment worth it? He took two talents of silver and two sets of clothes from Naaman, who liberally gave them to him, but Elisha exposed his lies and left him and his family lepers for life (II Kgs 5:20-27). God will not be mocked. Hate lying!

Was Peter’s moment worth it? He avoided arrest when confronted about his relationship to Jesus Christ. But consider the Lord’s look (Luke 22:60-62), the Lord’s confrontation (Jn 21:15-19), and all men reading about his denial in the gospels even during his life.

Lying may work momentarily. You may escape from punishment or trouble, or you may gain an unfair advantage, by a lie; but you will eventually be discovered, and the net results will prove you a fool. Even if you avoid detection for your entire life, it is only a moment when the weight and duration of eternal punishment are measured against it.

A liar often uses words to cover sins and to pretend to have knowledge greater than he actually has. Once he has told one lie, he usually must tell another one to cover the first, and so his hypocrisy gets worse and worse. When he is finally discovered as a cheat and liar, he is avoided by all men, punished by the magistrate, and judged by Almighty God.

An honest man always tells the truth. He does not exaggerate or embellish facts. He takes pains to make sure his claims can be proven. If he cannot prove a matter, then he does not speak or offers only an opinion. Because his word can be trusted, men put more and more confidence in him, until he is established with an honorable reputation for integrity.

It is your solemn duty to tell the truth regardless of cost to yourself or others. Rather than looking at faces and considering their thoughts to determine if you should tell the truth, look by faith at the face of a holy God and consider His thoughts about telling a lie! What does He offer for telling the truth? You show the evidence of eternal life (Ps 15:1-5).

It is a sacred duty to hate lies, regardless of the advantage or benefit the devil or world tells you might come by them. Do not be gullible like Eve to the lies of others. The consequences of that lie are still horrible to this day. Hate dishonesty, exaggeration, and lying in all their forms. If you lie, you will be discovered and punished soon. Believe it.

Honesty and truth are wonderful. You never need worry about being discovered. You never need lie again to cover an earlier lie. Others will trust and respect you. God will bless you. You will promote the gospel and have evidence of eternal life. For this reason, Paul exhorted Christians to provide things honest before all men (Ro 12:17; II Co 8:21).

Politicians often put a spin on matters, designed to avoid, mislead, or deceive men. But one King always told the truth and defended the truth – Jesus Christ. He explained on trial for His life, “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (Jn 18:37). Pilate, typical of educated men, said to Him, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38). Are you of the truth? Have you heard His voice and believed on Him and all that He taught? Do so today!

Proverbs 1102 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 11, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 11, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Pride distorts decision-making ability. An arrogant, conceited, or haughty person will make costly mistakes, but a humble and modest man will clearly see right and wrong, truth and error, wisdom and folly. Your greatness depends on getting rid of all pride.

God inspired King Solomon to be your personal counselor. The wisest king that ever lived wrote down important advice for your success and prosperity. Pride will cause you to make foolish choices that will shame you; humility will lead you to make wise choices.

The worst thing you can have is pride. It will cost you more than any other character fault. Conceit will deceive you into folly, which will quickly and surely shame you. But humility leads to wisdom, which protects men from foolish mistakes and resulting shame.

Do you grasp the importance of this lesson? You will never hear or read a more important warning for your life. Pride will destroy you, but it will destroy you disgracefully and shamefully before all men. Humility will lift you up before both God and good men.

A fool is a horrible thing, as Solomon often taught. But there is a person worse than a fool – a proud fool! He wrote, “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (Pr 26:12). There is little hope for a fool – he is a loser; but there is no hope for a proud fool. His arrogance will refuse any instruction or correction.

Pride blinds men. They will not accept wisdom to avoid trouble and shame. They resent being taught or corrected by others. They are overconfident. They arrogantly rush on in their high opinion of their thoughts and ideas. Pride brings folly, which brings shame.

Hate pride and arrogance! Listen to your counselor. He wrote, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Pr 8:13). Fearing God, the key to God’s blessing, requires you to hate pride and arrogance!

Pride is a heinous evil. It began with the devil. It caused Satan’s downfall. Lucifer was not content as God’s anointed cherub; he wanted to be like the most High God (Ezek 28:14; Is 14:14). God threw him out of heaven to his everlasting shame (Jn 12:31; Rev 12:9,12). The smoke of his torment will be heaven’s incense (Matt 25:41; Rev 14:11).

Do you hate pride and arrogance? Pride is the devil’s sin. Pride ruined the glorious life of the universe’s highest creature. Pride caused his everlasting shame and torment. Pride is the worst thing you can have in your life. It will cost you more than any other sin.

Due to pride, Pharaoh, the greatest king of that time, destroyed himself, his family, his nation, and his army (Ex 5:2). Men have laughed at his destruction and shame for the last 3500 years (Ex 15:1-21; I Sam 4:8; 6:6; Neh 9:10; Ps 136:9,15; Rom 9:17). Even children rejoice and laugh at the frogs in Pharaoh’s bed and bread for his pride (Ex 8:3)!

Due to pride, the Philistines fought against Israel, in spite of remembering what God had done to Egypt 500 years earlier (I Sam 4:7-9). After capturing the Ark of God, they put it before their idol Dagon, which fell down and worshipped it (I Sam 5:1-5). God then gave the whole nation an epidemic of hemorrhoids, and the only way they could find relief was to return the Ark with five golden hemorrhoids as a peace offering (I Sam 6:1-5)!

Consider their shame! The whole nation scratched their secret parts (I Sam 5:9), and there was no Preparation H. Their only relief was to mold five golden hemorrhoids. God laughed at their shame! He inspired Psalm 78:66 for this event, which rejoices, “And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.” Indeed! They were put to perpetual shame for pride. What a peace offering! Who modeled for them!

Due to pride, Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest and most glorious king of all time, spent seven years crawling around a field on his hands and knees. He ate grass like an ox; his hairs grew out like eagle feathers; and his nails grew out like bird claws (Dan 4:33). And he wrote the whole story down and sent it to his entire empire in their languages (Dan 4:1-3)! What trouble! What shame! And it was all because of pride (Dan 4:30-31)!

Due to pride, Herod Agrippa I, the King of Judea from 37-44 AD, who killed the apostle James and tried to kill the apostle Peter, was struck by the angel of God and eaten of worms, for proudly receiving excessive praise from the citizens of Tyre and Sidon (Acts 12:1-4,20-23). Josephus confirms his death in his history (Antiquities; Book 19; 8:2).

Do not forget the Tower of Babel, Miriam, Korah, Balaam, Uzziah, Haman, Absalom, and Belshazzar. These are other examples of shameful consequences for pride. But now, celebrating the shame of others, which is truly an act of holy worship to God, is over. It is your turn. Where is pride in your life? Look closely. Look carefully. Do you ever feel pride puffing you up? Does it cause you to bristle or burn with envy at success of others?

What is pride? It is a high or conceited opinion of your own qualities, accomplishments, or assets, which leads to feelings and an attitude of superiority over and contempt for others; it is inordinate self-esteem. What is conceit? It is an overweening opinion of yourself, overestimation of your own qualities, and personal vanity or pride.

Pride thinks you are important. Pride enjoys conversations and events about you. Pride believes your thoughts and opinions are right. Pride resents correction and instruction. Pride envies the advantages, abilities, or honors of others. Pride ignores asking others for advice. Pride looks down on others. Read this description again, dear reader.

God is jealous. His name is Jealous (Ex 34:14). He is able, and He will, abase those who walk in pride (Dan 4:37; Job 40:11-12). He sees and knows the very thoughts and intents of your heart (Heb 4:12). You must examine yourself closely, find the seeds of pride in your life, and root them out quickly and completely. He will help you, if you will ask.

In God’s sight, you are nothing, and less than nothing (Ps 39:5; 62:9; 113:6; Is 40:17). You are a worm before Him (Job 25:6). You are a mere creature whose breath is in your nostrils (Is 2:22). Therefore, He hates the proud, and He will crush them like a moth and melt them like wax (Pr 6:16-17; Ps 39:11; 68:2). Wisdom learns to love this truth.

Pride is a temptation for every man, and one of Satan’s favorite devices (I Jn 2:16). He tempted Eve to be like God, and he tempted Jesus Christ with the kingdoms of the world. Your depraved heart is filled with it by nature. You are already a proud fool, if you think you do not have a problem or temptation with it. Only those who know they are proud are learning humility. To think you have beaten pride is to prove your arrogant conceit!

Today pride is exalted and promoted by calling it self-esteem or self-confidence, and then it is taught as the cure for many of man’s problems. Books are sold about looking out for number one, and songs are sung about self-love as the greatest love of all. Social media is considered nearly necessary for life, though it is little more than narcissistic conceit.

You must start at home. You must root pride out of your own soul, and then you must root it out of your family. Parents must make it the highest priority to teach humility and eliminate visible pride from their children. Pastors must root it out of their churches.

Ministers cannot have pride or self-will (I Tim 3:6; Tit 1:7), for it will cause them to run amok in the work of God. They cannot be self-promoters. Teachers and rulers must first be humble enough to examine themselves critically and to learn from others, before they should be put in a position to teach and examine others (I Tim 4:16; II Tim 2:15).

Pride causes folly, which brings shame. It blinds men, because they presume they are always right (Pr 12:15; 14:16; 26:12; 28:26). So they reject and resent counsel and correction that could help them (Pr 21:24; 22:3). They disrespect those in authority. They make hasty decisions, for they cannot possibly be wrong (Pr 14:29; 19:2; 28:22; 29:20).

Pride causes strife, for proud men will fight to defend their ideas or position (Pr 13:10; 21:24; 28:25). They cannot stoop to serve others, unless it serves them best. And they will not admit mistakes to God or men. Such a course will lead a man to foolish decisions and stubborn rebellion and their horrible consequences – destruction and shame!

Lowliness is wisdom. The humble man does not trust his knowledge or motives, trembles before God’s word, appreciates and esteems the advice of others, takes correction cheerfully, quickly confesses mistakes, and alters his life accordingly. He will be blessed.

Humility is the sure road to wisdom, which saves a man from trouble and shame, but only the lowly ever find it. The proud are blinded from true wisdom by their conceit, and the jealous God of heaven will keep them blinded, so He can bless His humble and modest children with wisdom (Matt 11:25-27). Can you see the importance of getting down?

God will never bless a man with a proud spirit (Pr 16:5). He draws near to the man with a humble spirit (Is 57:15; 66:2; I Pet 5:5-6). If you choose pride, God will resist you and humble you painfully (Pr 16:18; 18:12). If you choose humility cheerfully, God will raise you up gloriously (Luke 14:11). It is far better to be a poor humble man than to be a rich proud man, for God will soon make a great reversal of fortune (Pr 16:19). Look for it!

Jesus Christ showed the greatest humility and wisdom, when He came from heaven’s glory to live in poverty and die in obscurity and pain (Phil 2:5-8). He despised the shame of His humility (Heb 12:2). But God has now highly exalted Him far above all principalities and powers, yea, even far above the devil and all his angels (Phil 2:9-11; Eph 1:20-23). There is no more humility in the Blessed and Only Potentate, for He is worthy of all your praise and adoration. Let Him be your glory and worship, not yourself.

Spiritual Training 11 April 2013

Posted: April 11, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Romans 09:15-16 For he says to Moses, “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

The fallacy of gaining salvation by human effort remains as strong as ever-people still think good intentions are the key to unlock the door to eternal life. By the time they get to try the lock, they will find that their key does not fit. Others imagine that their efforts are building an invisible ladder to heaven made up of service, family, position, reputation, good work, and desire, although none of these rungs will support a feather. People are so busy trying to reach God that they completely miss the truth that God has already reached down to them. We cannot earn God’s mercy-if we could, it would not be mercy.

Lets Bring it Home: Are we as Christians living a lie? Are some Churches trying to reach God by the things mention above? When it is all said and done, the physical Church can’t save you, no matter how hard you work there or the things you do for the Church. You can be at Church all week and think your doing the right thing, but your family is being neglected due to you being there. What is more important? You can bless God my spending time with the family and the ones you love. Salivation is up to you my brother and sisters. If God has already reached down, back up and find his hand and grab on to it and learn to have a relationship with God’s son Jesus. By Faith!

Proverbs 10:12 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: April 10, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 10, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs,

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Carrying around hatred will just make you hate more, and add to issues. The next time someone close to you does something to angry you. Starts focusing on the love you have for that person, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. After a while, you should start forgetting about the sin that was done, and on the love you have for that person.

Are you a peacemaker? God loves peacemakers. Good men love peacemakers. Do you do all you can to end fights, overlook offences, forgive sinners, reunite enemies, and live peaceably with all men? God blesses peacemakers, and it is a large part of godly wisdom.

Where there is fighting, there is hatred. Conflict cannot exist without hatred. Unless love wins, the strife will get worse. Love does not fight – it covers offences and sins. It seeks peace and pursues it. It cannot tolerate strife; it tries to end fights as soon as possible.

Strife, a word not used as much today, means antagonism, enmity, discord, contention, or dispute. It is fighting and conflict. While it is godly to contend for truth against sin and error, here is personal strife caused by the hatred of those who do not practice love.

Where there is envy, strife, enmity, conflict, or tension, all you need do is look a little deeper to find one or both parties guilty of hatred. Fighting and antagonism do not and cannot exist where each person is practicing Christian charity, or the love of the Bible.

But there are wicked persons, with hearts full of malice and hatred, which all men have by nature (Tit 3:3), who delight in stirring up contentions and quarrels by talebearing, whispering, evil surmising, and cursing. These profane persons have no conscience or compassion, like Ham and Shimei, and they will receive a similar fate from the holy and just God and from noble men (Gen 9:20-27; II Sam 16:5-14; I Kgs 2:8-9; Is 29:20-21).

Charity forgives sins and forgets sins, just as God forgives and forgets them. Love hides and conceals sins under the same forgiving cover that Jesus Christ provides every saint. This is covering sin, and it is a rule of life for saints of the most High (Pr 17:9; Jas 5:20; I Pet 4:8). But hatred, growing from anger and pride, loves to dig up evil, spread evil reports, and create strife and trouble (Pr 15:18; 16:27-28; 26:21; 28:25; 29:22; Jas 4:1).

Can you cover sins like Joseph, whose brothers could not believe his forgiveness, even after many gifts, favors, and passage of time (Gen 45:1-15; 50:15-21)? He put the best perspective on their horrible crime and wept over all of them. How did the Lord reward this one son of Jacob? He gave him a double blessing of two tribes in Israel (Josh 14:4)!

Here is a golden opportunity for child training by good parents. Children must be trained and corrected strictly in this matter of hatred and love, strife and peace, covering sins or exposing them. The natural antagonism and competitiveness of children creates a perfect setting for teaching godly traits of love, graciousness, forgiveness, and peacemaking.

Love has many facets (I Cor 13:4-7), but this proverb emphasizes one of them – covering sins. Love overlooks offences against it; hatred gets offended, holds bitterness, or plots revenge. Love forgets and hides the sins of the repentant; hatred remembers them or spreads them to others. Love hears rumors, or even factual news of others’ sins, but never repeats them; hatred craves private information and spreads it to any listeners.

Can you cover all sins, as the Preacher taught here? Peter once sought a limit of seven offences for covering sins, but the Lord Jesus pressed him to seventy times seven (Matt 18:21-22)! How can you fight others over a few pence, when Almighty God has forgiven you ten thousand talents (Mat 18:23-35)! These things should never occur among those who are Christians, and the sure judgment of the wicked servant is just and appropriate.

Covering sins is not compromise. It is not withholding Scriptural judgment, whether in the family, church, business, or nation. The rightful authority should speedily execute judgment, where God has ordained it. But covering sins should occur when the offences are against you, where there is repentance, or you are not in direct authority.

Hatred of sin is holy and good (Pr 6:16-19; Ps 45:7). But hatred of others, shown by anger at personal offences, ignoring repentance, whispering about sins, and talebearing is murder in God’s judgment (Matt 5:21-26). It proves a person to be without eternal life and living for the devil with a spirit from hell (John 8:44; James 3:14-16; I John 3:15).

What if a person says, “Oh, how I love Jesus,” but they stir up trouble, do not forgive personal offences, ignore repentance by sinners, and reveal sins to others? They are lying hypocrites, for the Bible says they are murdering descendants of Cain (I John 3:10-15).

Look at the character of Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners. He had no respect for the self-loving “righteous,” for He knew the blackness of their hearts (Mark 2:15-17). Choose today to forgive and cover sins in love, so that you might easily and honestly pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” (Matt 6:12).

The lesson here is the basis for true peace – love. Where there is strife, contention, and tension, there is hatred behind the false handshakes and lying words of murderers. It is your wisdom to live this lesson yourself, avoid wicked persons that hate, and train such evil out of your children. Be the greatest peacemaker in the world by practicing the wisdom of this proverb. May the Lord Jesus grant you the grace and wisdom for the task.

The lesson here is also the great gulf between the wise and foolish, between the righteous and wicked, between the sons of God and the sons of Belial. When Jesus met repentant sinners, He freely forgave them; when self-righteous Pharisees observe sinners, they despise them and hate God’s free and full forgiveness of them (Luke 7:36-50; 15:25-32).

Love is the greatest evidence of eternal life. Do you live peaceably with all men, especially other Christians (Rom 12:18; Gal 6:10)? If you believe God loves you, prove it by loving others; if you claim to love God, prove it also by loving others. Since God is love, those that are truly Gods will love others (Jn 13:34-35; I Jn 3:10-24; 4:7-21; 5:1-2).

Spiritual Training 10 April 2013

Posted: April 10, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Romans 09:11-14 Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls-she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Was it right for God to choose Jacob, the younger to be over Esau? In Malachi 1:2,3. The statement “Jacob I love, but Esau I hated” refers to the nations of Israel and Edom rather then to the individual brothers. God chose Jacob to continue the family line of the faithful because he knew his heart was for God. But he did not exclude Esau from knowing and loving him.

Lets Bring it Home: Keep in mind the kind of God we worship: he is sovereign; he is not arbitrary; in all things he works for our good; he is trustworthy; he will save all who believe in him. When we understand these qualities of God, we know that his choices are good even if we don’t understand all the reasons.

 

Spiritual Training 09 April 2013

Posted: April 9, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Romans, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Romans 09:06-11 It is not though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned” In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated. “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.” Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand:

The Jews were proud of the fact that their lineage came from Isaac, whose mother was Sarah (Abraham’s legitimate wife) rather than Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar (Sarah’s maid servant). Paul asserts that no one can claim to be chosen by God because of his or her heritage or good deeds. God freely chooses to save whomever he wills. The doctrine of election teaches that it is God’s sovereign choice to save us by his goodness and mercy, and not by our own merit.

Lets Bring it Home: How many people think that God has saved them by their own merit, or by their good deeds? How many times do we hear people say he is a good guy, or I don’t cheat on my wife, I don’t curse or drink, don’t use drugs, and I visit the poor and the sick. You can do all these things, but if you don’t confess that Jesus is Lord, you still have a one-way ticket to hell. Not by deeds!

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