Posts Tagged ‘spirituality’

Proverbs 2:1-6 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 02, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 2:1-6 – My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and it you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

Wisdom comes in two ways: It is a God-given gift and also the result of an energetic search.  Wisdom’s starting point is God and his revealed Word, the source of “knowledge and understanding” In that sense wisdom is God’s gift to us.  But he gives it only to those who earnestly seek it.  But because God’s wisdom is hidden from the rebellious and foolish, it takes effort to find it and use it.  The pathway to wisdom is strenuous.  When we are on the path, we discover that true wisdom is God’s and that he will guide us and reward our sincere and persistent search.

Spiritual Training 02 January 2013 (Forgiving Others)

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Ephesians, Forgiving Others, Inspiration, Mathew, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Forgiving Others

Matthew 6:14 – For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

Why?  Those who are unwilling to forgive have not become one with Christ who was willing to forgive even those who crucified him Luke 23:34 – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  We are also denying our common ground as sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.  God’s forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but it is based on our realizing what forgiveness means. We cannot live as Children of Light walking around with sin and hate towards others.

Ephesians 4:28-32 – He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need.  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.    

We can grieve the Holy Spirit by the way we live.  Paul warns us against unwholesome language, bitterness, improper use of anger, brawling, slander, and bad attitudes toward others.  Instead of acting that way, we should be forgiving, just as God has forgiven us.  Are you grieving or pleasing God with your attitudes and actions? Act in love toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, just as God acted in love by sending his Son to die for our sins.

Lets Bring it Home:  Is there anything that you are holding against someone right now.  A friend, Mother or Father, Husband or Wife, co-worker or anybody else that you can think of? Now ask yourself this.  What is God holding against me right now that He will not let go because I won’t let it go?   Is it really worth to burn in hell over it for the rest of your life?

 

 

Proverbs 27:15-16 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 27, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 27:15-16 – A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; restraining her is lie restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.       

Quarrelsome nagging, a steady stream of unwanted advice, is a form of torture.  People nag because they think they’re not getting through, but nagging hinders communication more than it helps.  When tempted to engage in this destructive habit, stop and examine your motives.  Are you more concerned about yourself-getting your way, being right-than about the person you are pretending to help?  If you are truly concerned about other people, think of a more effective way to get through to them.  Surprise them with words of patience and love, and see what happens.

Spiritual Training 27 December 2012

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Grace, 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 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.     

We are now at peace with God, which may differ from peaceful feelings such as calmness and tranquility.  Peace with God means that we have been reconciled with him.  There is no more hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with him.  Peace with God is possible only because Jesus paid the price for our sins through his death on the cross.

Lets Bring it home: Are you saved?  Have you given your life to Christ?  Are you Under Gods Command?

Proverbs 26:03 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 26, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 26, Spiritual Training, 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!

Spiritual Training 25 December 2012

Posted: December 25, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Isaiah, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

Lets Bring it Home: Merry Christmas

 

Spiritual Training 18 December 2012

Posted: December 18, 2012 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 4:6-8 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.  “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man shoes sin the Lord will never count against him.”  

What can we do to get rid of guilt? King David was guilty of terrible sins-adultery, murder, lying, and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness.

Lets Bring it Home: We too can have this joy when we

(1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned

(2) admit our guilt to God and ask for his forgiveness, and

(3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us.

This can be difficult when a sin has taken root and grown over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others.  We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin.  In view of the tremendous price he paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that any of our sins are too great for him to cover.  Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us,

God’s Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven.

Proverbs 14:10 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 14, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 14:10  Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

Only you know your own sadness and joy. Others may care for you or profess they know you, but they cannot and do not. For you to sympathize with others and help them, you must slow down and look deeper. Finally, God through Jesus Christ knows you perfectly.

You are a unique individual, just as every snowflake is different. The depths of bitterness and heights of joy that you feel cannot be fully known or appreciated by others. Your heart, soul, mind, and conscience create a private set of feelings and thoughts that are known only by you and your Creator. Others cannot discover or define your true feelings.

Anguish and pain in your soul from circumstances, fear, guilt, or hopelessness are your personal property and cannot be felt or understood by a stranger, anyone outside you. Neither can a stranger, anyone outside your soul, grasp and appreciate the joy of your heart, when you are enraptured by circumstances, hope, love, or success.

No friend fully knows your feelings, regardless of how sympathetic. No psychologist can measure your grief or happiness, or their causes. No pastor can fully explain your doubts or desires. You are alone in the universe with your own soul. The combined factors that form another’s feelings and thoughts are quite different from yours, or anyone else’s.

The proverb is an observation by Solomon about human existence. Paul confirmed it, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit with him?” (I Cor 2:11.) Each person is a unique individual with feelings, both negative and positive, unknown to others. Careful study will reveal three lessons from this general observation.

The first lesson is to accept that others cannot fully grasp your grief or happiness, which may cause confusion or neglect. Forgive them. And the opposite is also true: you cannot truly know or sympathize with others. Forgive them as well for their intense feelings that alter their appearance or conduct. Wisdom makes allowances due to this individuality.

Therefore, there needs to be a great deal of sensitivity and tolerance in dealing with others, for you do not the cause, nature, or depth of feelings that may be affecting them. Thus, Biblical charity is essential (I Cor 13:4-7), the golden rule is indispensable (Luke 6:31), and sympathetic empathy must be practiced (Rom 12:15; Heb 10:24; 13:3).

Consider examples. Eli missed Hannah’s bitter soul (I Sam 1:10-16). Gehazi could not see the Shunamite’s vexation (II Kgs 4:27). Job’s three friends were miserable comforters (Job 13:4; 16:2). The Lord’s three chosen disciples neglected the Man of Sorrows in His deepest grief (Mark 14:32-42). And Paul had to defend himself to Corinth (II Cor 12:15).

Michal despised David for his uninhibited worship, because her carnal and shallow soul could not grasp his joy and love for God (II Sam 6:16,20). She loved the military hero (I Sam 18:20), but despised his religious zeal (I Sam 13:14). She lost her husband and position by her insensitivity (II Sam 6:21-23). She should have valued his intense praise.

Think about others and be sensitive to their feelings and thoughts, negative or positive. There is more than what meets the eye. Look closer! Woe to the man whose wife sheds tears outwardly or inwardly for marital pain (Mal 2:10-16; Col 3:19; I Pet 3:7)! Woe to the woman whose husband is denied the love and intimacy his body craves (I Cor 7:1-5)!

Woe to critical and overbearing parents (Pr 4:3; 31:2; Col 3:21)! Woe to insensitive employers (Pr 29:21; Deut 24:14-15; Eph 6:9)! Woe to pastors that roughly treat church members (I Thess 2:7; I Pet 5:3)! Woe to a man ignoring the poor (Pr 21:13; 29:7; Job 31:13-22)! Woe to a man failing to think about offences and correct them (Matt 5:21-26)!

There is a better lesson! Though no other person can relate to your spirit, there is a Counselor and Friend that can. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, feels all your infirmities, and He has experienced all the temptations you face (Heb 4:12-15). He can help you in your darkest hour (Heb 2:18), and He can give peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7).

The only true joy man can experience is God’s gift by His Spirit (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 15:13; Eccl 5:20). There is no foolish grinning or foaming froth with this joy, for it is God speaking directly to your soul at a level no one else can detect. This seal of His adoption of you as His child includes filling your soul with His love (Rom 5:5; 8:15-16).

Men walking with God can dance in economic disaster (Hab 3:17-19), and they can sing in an inner prison, after being stripped and beaten (Acts 16:22-25). They can find internal encouragement, even when friends want to stone them (I Sam 30:6). God’s presence and communion with the human heart can overcome anything (Ps 27:1-6; 46:1-5; 73:23-28).

Consider Hebrews 4:12 about the Word of God. Most falsely assume this speaks of the written word, the Bible. But nothing in the verse is true about the Bible, and the context proves it is speaking about Jesus Christ (Heb 4:13-14). He can divide between your soul and spirit! He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart! Go to Him (Heb 4:15-16)!

Do you have cares? The proverb teaches that others cannot know them. But if you cast your cares on Him, He cares for you like no other (I Pet 5:7). Are you laboring? Others cannot help carry much. But He can give rest for your soul (Matt 11:28-30). He can be your exceeding joy and your exceeding great reward (Gen 15:1; Ps 43:4). You can talk to Him at any hour of the day or night, and He will always listen and help (Ps 62:8; 142:2).

When you are overwhelmed, then God Himself will be your Friend (Ps 61:2; 142:3). He has all your tears in a bottle: He does not miss one of them, either inside or outside (Ps 56:8). You can pour out your heart to Him (Ps 62:8). Since He can help in the bitterness of your soul, and He can provide heavenly joy, whom else do you need (Ps 73:25-26)? Do not trust in others for your comfort or joy, for only He truly knows and loves you.

Spiritual Training 14 December 2012

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Romans 3:27-31 Where, then, is boasting?  It is excluded.  On what principle? On that of observing the law?  No, but on that of faith.  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.  Is God the God of Jews only?  Is he not the God of Gentiles too?  Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.  Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. 

Most religions prescribe specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to a god.  Christianity is unique in teaching that the good deeds we do will not make us right with God.  No amount of human achievement or progress in personal development will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance.  Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life.  We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us.

(Ephesians 2:8-10).  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 Lets Bring It Home: Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do.  (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what people do. (3) Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards-we need help.  (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.

Proverbs 12:22 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 12, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

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!

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