Watch Out for Black Helicopters

(Pro 16:14 KJV) The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

I find conspiracy nuts are either a lot of fun or a total bore.  It depends on the subject and my mood.  So I ask you, “Is the deep state out to get you?”  As a general rule do you drive around worried about the black helicopters descending on you and the Department of Agriculture SWAT team taking you into custody at gun point?  Do you at least have a concern about the local cop sitting in a speed trap?  You are not necessarily paranoid.  They may be out to get you.

According to this verse the government, the “king” (4428) really is out to get you.  God sends the word to Samuel when they demanded a king.  It starts with this verse,

(1Sa 8:9 KJV) Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

It goes down hill from there.  You can read that on your own.

According to Paul the government is instituted by God and has a purpose.  That does not mean that it will always be your friend.

So?  Be a good citizen but don’t fall into the nonsense of Big Government being you daddy.

Hard to Believe

(Pro 15:9 KJV) The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

And they don’t care.  Really.  It is hard for believing Christians to wrap their heads around but the world as a whole is quite happy being in their handbasket playing their “wicked” (7563) games.  They are quite content telling you that marriage does not matter if you are really in love.  Sin is fun and holy living is boring to them.  So they really don’t care.

It isn’t the sin that generates God’s wrath as much as the insistence on rejecting the blessings of the kind of life He has for them.  He sees the destruction of fornication, abortion, indulgence and self centeredness.  He knows how it will warp the mind and deaden the soul or warp the soul and deaden the mind, same difference.  But His love is rejected.  That is abominable.

So?  Witness by words when you can.  Witness by action all the time.  Pray and hope that some of the people you care about will come to the point of repentance in time to make the final cut.  The Good News is that God is patient.  The bad news is that He does not play games. 

Not Good Enough

(Pro 14:31 KJV) He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

I wonder about the choices here.  We have “oppresses” (6231) and “mercy" (gracious NASB) (2603) [chesed].  I don’t know about you but I feel like I am somewhere in between.  Is that good enough? 

That is a dangerous question for followers of the one who told us to deny ourselves, take our cross and follow Him.  I don’t want to get to the judgement day and hear Jesus say, “I guess that was good enough, thou flaky servant.” 

I don’t need to worry about oppressing the poor.  I don’t have enough power or influence to make a negative difference in their lives and I don’t accept the current mantras of the social justice warriors.  I could do better at being gracious.

I don’t think this needs to be an obsession.  I don’t need to get up in the morning mumbling about finding a poor person.  I don’t need to stop at every fast food joint looking for a panhandler.  It does need to be a greater awareness.

So?  That gives me enough to worry about for the day.  I will let the economy run itself and pray for world peace.  At the same time I need to be more gracious.

Era of Rationalization

(Pro 13:5 KJV) A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.

In our era of rationalization we keep looking for words that soften the blow of sin.  We water it down to the point where we think we don’t need to be concerned any more.  One way of watering it down is the NASB use of “falsehood” (8267) as opposed to the “lying” of the KJV.  We tend to move toward the part of the definition that says “deception” and put that in the category of what a woman looks like when she gets her make-up on.  Lying sounds so negative.

It is.  We may want to say we were just exaggerating.  Maybe we were but if the stretch was to deceive people and not just to tell a humorous story then we are standing on the bank of the lake of fire, getting ready to jump in.

So?  A lie is a lie is a lie.  You may be able to get away with it with your friends but God is not amused.  Walk in righteousness.

Two Roads Diverged...

(Pro 12:28 KJV) In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

The phrase “way (734) of righteousness (6666)” made me think of this verse from the NASB,

(Isa 35:8 NAS77) And a highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.

In the KJV it is,

(Isa 35:8 KJV) And an highway (4547) shall be there, and a way (1870), and it shall be called The way (1870) of holiness (6944); the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

In spite of the similarities in English the words are different in the Hebrew but I have always liked the phrase “highway of holiness” and the ideas are parallel.  God has laid out a path for us to follow.  It deals with attitudes and action and through the law, the blood, grace and the work of the Holy Spirit He has made it possible to walk that way.

So?  Don’t kid yourself about sin and sloth.  There is a way to live so that we can live and a way to live so we will die.  Choose wisely.

Love Despiseth Not

(Pro 11:12 KJV) He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.

This verse gives us an insight into the meaning of love.  Granted it comes from the negative but even that will help us understand love a little better.  When asked about the greatest commandment Jesus said,

(Mat 22:39 KJV) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Both Jesus and Solomon are talking about neighbors.  One says to love, the other says to not “despise” (936).  What that tells us is we really need to watch the negative attitudes.

So?  Got a neighbor you can’t stand?  You don’t need to invite him over for Thanksgiving dinner but you do need to examine your attitude.  Maybe one way to do that is to invite him over for Thanksgiving dinner. 

No and Yes

(Pro 10:13 KJV) In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

As I said before, “Discernment is one of the gifts of the Spirit”.  Some people have it at a level that the rest of us can only guess at.  But, like all gifts, there is an level of discernment that is expected of all of us.  As all don’t have the gift of evangelism, all are to witness.  It is the same with discernment.  We are expected to go about in our lives in such a way as to develop this ability.  That requires focus and discipline.

Focus means making it a priority.  Certain things will not happen unless we are determined.  I will not lose weight wishing.  I will not play better golf by sitting in my chair.  I must make the choices that move me in the direction I theoretically want to go.  I must study.  I must prioritize.  I must learn to say “No”.  I must learn to say, “Yes”.  In other words, I must be disciplined.

So?  Unfortunately discipline is not a fruit of the Spirit either but with the help of the Spirit it can be developed.  Will it happen?  It depends on when we use the “yes” and when we use the “no”.