(Proverbs 7:8 KJV) Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
What “corner” (6438) will I choose to turn today? What “street” (7784) will I decide to go down? Tomorrow in chapter 8, how will my life be different because of decisions I make today?
We have all had times of retrospect when we look back and wonder how life would have been different if we had done things differently. We often focus on how much better things would be, but the sword cuts both ways. I think of times when, if I had been just a little quicker on the accelerator, I would have been broadsided by someone running a red light.
The context of these verses is adultery. You can take it literally or figuratively. I wonder if this implies that he deliberately chose to go in harms way? Too often in life we set ourselves up to be where temptation can have a shot at us. If we had gone a different “way” (1870) we would have been fine. We choose paths of destruction and claim innocence.
So? What decisions are you expecting today? I hope you are laying the groundwork to turn in obedience. That is important. We need to develop the habits of thought and response that are part of being upright because I can guarantee there will be some surprises in your day. You won’t have time to go home and pray about it. Lay the groundwork and trust in your foundation.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
No Cheat Codes Available
(Proverbs 6:21 KJV) Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
Is the Bible to be taken literally or figuratively? Some believers make literal interpretation on a par with belief in the resurrection of Jesus. Verses like this call us to a more rational approach. We see examples of both types of applications.
First you have the figurative suggestion. No one in their right mind would think you could physically “bind” (7194) anything to you “heart” (3820). We are reminded of the Jewish practice of phylacteries. They would tie small passages of scripture on their body as a reminder of the word of God. Handy but not real practical to put a string around the organ pumping blood through your body.
To literally tie something around your “neck” (1621) is possible. This could be done and is done. Are we actually supposed to do it or is it just a way of reminding us to live by the commandments of God?
The real controversy is not between figurative and literal. The divergence comes between those who want to obey and those who are looking for a loophole. If all we need to do is tie a little box containing a Bible verse around our neck or wear a WWJD bracelet then it is not necessary to actually love our neighbor as ourselves or God with all our heart, soul, body and mind. God knows the difference and so do we, even if we won’t admit it.
So? Don’t play games with God. He is not like the video game you bought. With those you learn how to go on line and find the cheat codes that let you win big without going through the learning curve. God doesn’t provide cheat codes. He is not a gamer, He is Lord.
Is the Bible to be taken literally or figuratively? Some believers make literal interpretation on a par with belief in the resurrection of Jesus. Verses like this call us to a more rational approach. We see examples of both types of applications.
First you have the figurative suggestion. No one in their right mind would think you could physically “bind” (7194) anything to you “heart” (3820). We are reminded of the Jewish practice of phylacteries. They would tie small passages of scripture on their body as a reminder of the word of God. Handy but not real practical to put a string around the organ pumping blood through your body.
To literally tie something around your “neck” (1621) is possible. This could be done and is done. Are we actually supposed to do it or is it just a way of reminding us to live by the commandments of God?
The real controversy is not between figurative and literal. The divergence comes between those who want to obey and those who are looking for a loophole. If all we need to do is tie a little box containing a Bible verse around our neck or wear a WWJD bracelet then it is not necessary to actually love our neighbor as ourselves or God with all our heart, soul, body and mind. God knows the difference and so do we, even if we won’t admit it.
So? Don’t play games with God. He is not like the video game you bought. With those you learn how to go on line and find the cheat codes that let you win big without going through the learning curve. God doesn’t provide cheat codes. He is not a gamer, He is Lord.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Dead Battery Anyone?
(Proverbs 5:10 KJV) Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
We are to be stewards of our “wealth” (strength NASB) (3581). Here again I shake my head at translators. This I the only place the KJV translates this as “wealth.” It translates it “strength” 58 times and “power” 47 times. This is not about money, it is about the inner power that we generate as we live our lives. I only have so much energy. As I get older, I my power meters get more sensitive and I find it harder to borrow from tomorrow. By the time I get home from work I am running on fumes. No longer do I frolic the night away and rise to take on a new day. I must shepherd my strength.
I cannot do that if I allow the enemy to drain it away. Have you ever come out to start your car in the morning to find the battery dead? You check and find that a little light was left on and it has very slowly sucked the life out of your transportation. Satan works that way. While Jesus gives us power, Satan is a big sucking sound. Or a small, steady one. But only if we let it happen.
What drains our strength? Worry can do it. Excessive sports can do it. Credit cards can do it. Ambition can do it. It is different for each of us and probably even different every day.
So? Examine your priorities. Keep a time log is necessary. Find out if your energy is going into the kingdom building priorities God would have or if your peer group is deciding what the dance step is. Think, pray, listen, change.
We are to be stewards of our “wealth” (strength NASB) (3581). Here again I shake my head at translators. This I the only place the KJV translates this as “wealth.” It translates it “strength” 58 times and “power” 47 times. This is not about money, it is about the inner power that we generate as we live our lives. I only have so much energy. As I get older, I my power meters get more sensitive and I find it harder to borrow from tomorrow. By the time I get home from work I am running on fumes. No longer do I frolic the night away and rise to take on a new day. I must shepherd my strength.
I cannot do that if I allow the enemy to drain it away. Have you ever come out to start your car in the morning to find the battery dead? You check and find that a little light was left on and it has very slowly sucked the life out of your transportation. Satan works that way. While Jesus gives us power, Satan is a big sucking sound. Or a small, steady one. But only if we let it happen.
What drains our strength? Worry can do it. Excessive sports can do it. Credit cards can do it. Ambition can do it. It is different for each of us and probably even different every day.
So? Examine your priorities. Keep a time log is necessary. Find out if your energy is going into the kingdom building priorities God would have or if your peer group is deciding what the dance step is. Think, pray, listen, change.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Afraid of the Dark? Good
(Proverbs 4:19 KJV) The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Darkness effects our sensitivity and it always seems to work against us. My wife never comes to me in the middle of the day and says, “I heard a noise.” She saves that for 3:00 A.M. At times the refrigerator humming at the other end of the house will wake me up in the middle of the night. I never hear it during the day time.
I get more irritable in the dark. That is why the dog barking next door keeps me awake. If I could just love that dog and my neighbor I would relax, tune it out and go back to sleep. Instead I focus on all the things I would like to do to the dog. I get so up-tight that sleep won’t come back in the front door.
In other ways we are less sensitive. We cannot see color nuances in the dark. We can only see black and white, if that.
If the physical darkness effects us that way, just transfer that over to allowing spiritual darkness to get a toehold in our lives. We become touchy when we shouldn’t and obtuse when we should be sensitive.
So? Walk in the light, as He is in the light. Does it sound familiar? It should. Seek His face. Read His word. Listen to His voice. And enjoy the Light, because for the believer the Son never goes below the horizon.
Darkness effects our sensitivity and it always seems to work against us. My wife never comes to me in the middle of the day and says, “I heard a noise.” She saves that for 3:00 A.M. At times the refrigerator humming at the other end of the house will wake me up in the middle of the night. I never hear it during the day time.
I get more irritable in the dark. That is why the dog barking next door keeps me awake. If I could just love that dog and my neighbor I would relax, tune it out and go back to sleep. Instead I focus on all the things I would like to do to the dog. I get so up-tight that sleep won’t come back in the front door.
In other ways we are less sensitive. We cannot see color nuances in the dark. We can only see black and white, if that.
If the physical darkness effects us that way, just transfer that over to allowing spiritual darkness to get a toehold in our lives. We become touchy when we shouldn’t and obtuse when we should be sensitive.
So? Walk in the light, as He is in the light. Does it sound familiar? It should. Seek His face. Read His word. Listen to His voice. And enjoy the Light, because for the believer the Son never goes below the horizon.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Rough Drafts Need Correction
(Proverbs 3:12 KJV) For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Do you ever get tired of the way the Bible makes it difficult to fit into your world? Good. That means you are listening to the Holy Spirit. We are supposed to be salt, not tofu. Here again we go against modern, pop-psychology. In modern thinking, “loveth” (157) cannot go along with “correcteth” (reproves NASB) (3198). I sit in on parent conferences that would be great for sitcom plots if they were not such a part of our culture. I had one woman who claimed she could not get her son to cut his hair. Inside I was screaming, “What? He’s only in seventh grade!” She was under the assumption that love would not force him to do something so demeaning.
God loves us so He reproves us. If He did not care He would not get involved. How many times have you stopped your car when you saw a kid on the street when he should be in school. If it was yours you would get involved.
How does God reprove you? In situations. In words of friends and enemies. In a sermon. In the reading of the Word. In ways I can’t imagine. He corrects in ways you are not aware of because you might not be listening.
So? If you are God’s child He is working to get you on track and keep you that way. Listen, think, pray, change, rejoice. He delights in you.
Do you ever get tired of the way the Bible makes it difficult to fit into your world? Good. That means you are listening to the Holy Spirit. We are supposed to be salt, not tofu. Here again we go against modern, pop-psychology. In modern thinking, “loveth” (157) cannot go along with “correcteth” (reproves NASB) (3198). I sit in on parent conferences that would be great for sitcom plots if they were not such a part of our culture. I had one woman who claimed she could not get her son to cut his hair. Inside I was screaming, “What? He’s only in seventh grade!” She was under the assumption that love would not force him to do something so demeaning.
God loves us so He reproves us. If He did not care He would not get involved. How many times have you stopped your car when you saw a kid on the street when he should be in school. If it was yours you would get involved.
How does God reprove you? In situations. In words of friends and enemies. In a sermon. In the reading of the Word. In ways I can’t imagine. He corrects in ways you are not aware of because you might not be listening.
So? If you are God’s child He is working to get you on track and keep you that way. Listen, think, pray, change, rejoice. He delights in you.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Developing Good Reflexes
(Proverbs 2:11 KJV) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
This verse needs to be understood in the context of a series of if/then statements. This is a promise of results “if” the right conditions are allowed to develop. What are the right conditions? The first four verses lay out the need to take in what God is trying to teach us. The next few verses talk about God giving. In verse 9 we have the “then” promise. This verse promises “discretion” (4209) and that it will “guard” (8104) us.
What is “discretion” (4209)? It has to do with making wise choices. I think of it as an ability that is useful on the fly, kind of a drive-through decisiveness, not a menu planning thought process. If we have stored the right values and principles away then we will make the right decisions when it is necessary to act quickly.
Perhaps a good example would be the reflexes of an experienced driver. Once years ago my wife and I were in snow country on the open road. The roads had been plowed and we were moving along at a good clip. Suddenly, for no reason that I could detect, the car began to spin. I did not need to stop and think, “Now which way to I turn the wheel when I start to spin?” If I had needed to think I would have been in a ditch. My hands and arms started turning into the spin before my mind understood what was going on. We need to develop that ability in our spiritual lives.
So? Get to know the word of God until it takes a pre-thought place in our minds. Many situations are things we should not need to think about if we are practicing. And when we do need to contemplate and think things through, I imagine it will help then, too.
This verse needs to be understood in the context of a series of if/then statements. This is a promise of results “if” the right conditions are allowed to develop. What are the right conditions? The first four verses lay out the need to take in what God is trying to teach us. The next few verses talk about God giving. In verse 9 we have the “then” promise. This verse promises “discretion” (4209) and that it will “guard” (8104) us.
What is “discretion” (4209)? It has to do with making wise choices. I think of it as an ability that is useful on the fly, kind of a drive-through decisiveness, not a menu planning thought process. If we have stored the right values and principles away then we will make the right decisions when it is necessary to act quickly.
Perhaps a good example would be the reflexes of an experienced driver. Once years ago my wife and I were in snow country on the open road. The roads had been plowed and we were moving along at a good clip. Suddenly, for no reason that I could detect, the car began to spin. I did not need to stop and think, “Now which way to I turn the wheel when I start to spin?” If I had needed to think I would have been in a ditch. My hands and arms started turning into the spin before my mind understood what was going on. We need to develop that ability in our spiritual lives.
So? Get to know the word of God until it takes a pre-thought place in our minds. Many situations are things we should not need to think about if we are practicing. And when we do need to contemplate and think things through, I imagine it will help then, too.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Fear, the Elixir
(Proverbs 1:7 KJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Beginnings are important. We always hear about how a good breakfast is key to a good day. Think of the parable of the two men, one building on sand, the other on the rock. Always be aware of the direction your muzzle is pointed when shooting a gun. Healthy “fear” (3374) is a good place to start. I fell off a church steeple once. It was a glorious experience, until I hit the bottom. When I am on bridges or gazing from a cliff at a panorama I sometimes have this urge to jump. It was fun. Only a healthy fear of the landing keeps me anchored.
I am at a time in life where I am concerned about how I finish. I want to go out still headed for the victory lap, not in the stands watching others experience spiritual sweat. I often say “good morning” by mistake in the afternoon. When called on it I will sometimes pull out an observation from my reading that for the believer it is always morning because life is always new. Although that is just a cover up, the concept is true.
So? Begin each day well and you will finish life well. A good place to begin is Proverbs. A good place to begin is being reminded about the foundation of the fear of the Lord. A proper fear can bring an eternal peace.
Beginnings are important. We always hear about how a good breakfast is key to a good day. Think of the parable of the two men, one building on sand, the other on the rock. Always be aware of the direction your muzzle is pointed when shooting a gun. Healthy “fear” (3374) is a good place to start. I fell off a church steeple once. It was a glorious experience, until I hit the bottom. When I am on bridges or gazing from a cliff at a panorama I sometimes have this urge to jump. It was fun. Only a healthy fear of the landing keeps me anchored.
I am at a time in life where I am concerned about how I finish. I want to go out still headed for the victory lap, not in the stands watching others experience spiritual sweat. I often say “good morning” by mistake in the afternoon. When called on it I will sometimes pull out an observation from my reading that for the believer it is always morning because life is always new. Although that is just a cover up, the concept is true.
So? Begin each day well and you will finish life well. A good place to begin is Proverbs. A good place to begin is being reminded about the foundation of the fear of the Lord. A proper fear can bring an eternal peace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)