(Proverbs 7:24 KJV) Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
I can almost feel Solomon’s frustration here. The context is a young man who is being led astray by sexual temptation. His hormones are screaming at him. I can see his father grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him, getting in his face and saying, “pay attention” (7181) or as Shakespeare’s father would have said, “Hearken”. I can see the boy turning his head to watch the babe sashay down the street.
It doesn’t seem to be working.
What are you watching at this point? What are you focusing on instead of the wisdom your Father has to offer? Your neighbor’s wife? Your co-worker? TV? Music? You Tube?
So pay attention. God is speaking to you in different ways than He is speaking to me but I can guarantee He is speaking. Don’t make Him grab you by the shoulders and give you a good shaking.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
5/7
(Proverbs 6:18 KJV) An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
We are about half way through a list of seven. You might remember the movie “The Magnificent Seven.” This is more like the list of “Seven Deadly Sins” because they are labeled as abominations. One abomination is the way in which people are attracted to “wicked” (evil NASB) (7463a).
It is a human tendency to “run” (7323) toward “evil” (7463a). I see this every time there is a fight on campus. I can tell if it is a real fight. I ignore kids who walk around yelling, “Fight.” If I see half the student body stampeding joyfully in one direction I know fists are flying. I see it when there is an accident on the freeway. People want to see the pain of others.
We often let this come to the surface in our entertainment or conversations. God hates this tendency.
So? Do a heart check. What have you been watching, reading, listening to? Is it a response of a heart full of God or a heart full of the flesh? Is it time to repent? You and God know your heart. God and I know mine.
We are about half way through a list of seven. You might remember the movie “The Magnificent Seven.” This is more like the list of “Seven Deadly Sins” because they are labeled as abominations. One abomination is the way in which people are attracted to “wicked” (evil NASB) (7463a).
It is a human tendency to “run” (7323) toward “evil” (7463a). I see this every time there is a fight on campus. I can tell if it is a real fight. I ignore kids who walk around yelling, “Fight.” If I see half the student body stampeding joyfully in one direction I know fists are flying. I see it when there is an accident on the freeway. People want to see the pain of others.
We often let this come to the surface in our entertainment or conversations. God hates this tendency.
So? Do a heart check. What have you been watching, reading, listening to? Is it a response of a heart full of God or a heart full of the flesh? Is it time to repent? You and God know your heart. God and I know mine.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Pretty Faces and Ugly Words
(Proverbs 5:3 KJV) For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
Consider your sources. How reliable is your information? A good place to start is the “facts” you get from the internet. It is an electronic double edged sword. On one edge you have a vast array of data, ready to be harvested. On the other edge you face detail overload. By now you should know that you can’t believe the spin of the headlines.
In the opening verses of this chapter, Solomon is trying to tell us to be careful in our listening. In verse one he reminds his son to listen to him, his father. In this verse he is warning the boy about the “strange woman” (adulteress NASB) (2114a). We often accept the advice of strangers instead of people we know. Some people are impressed by titles, degrees and position and give extra weight to opinions linked to them. Some listen to a pretty face before a grey head.
So? Consider your sources. Give extra attention to those who have earned your trust. Know what the Word says so you can evaluate words. Accept that what you need to hear may not be what you want to hear.
Consider your sources. How reliable is your information? A good place to start is the “facts” you get from the internet. It is an electronic double edged sword. On one edge you have a vast array of data, ready to be harvested. On the other edge you face detail overload. By now you should know that you can’t believe the spin of the headlines.
In the opening verses of this chapter, Solomon is trying to tell us to be careful in our listening. In verse one he reminds his son to listen to him, his father. In this verse he is warning the boy about the “strange woman” (adulteress NASB) (2114a). We often accept the advice of strangers instead of people we know. Some people are impressed by titles, degrees and position and give extra weight to opinions linked to them. Some listen to a pretty face before a grey head.
So? Consider your sources. Give extra attention to those who have earned your trust. Know what the Word says so you can evaluate words. Accept that what you need to hear may not be what you want to hear.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Molehills Out of Mountains
(Proverbs 4:25 KJV) Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Thirty years ago we had a prayer seminar at our church led by a man named Elton Gillum. I have not seen him since those sessions but his teaching still comes back to me. One of the problems we have with prayer, and life, was what he called the gaze/glance principle. I think that is what this verse points towards.
Gillum said that we get in trouble when we focus our attention on the current problem. We “gaze” (6079) at our failure or the obstacles facing us. We become fixated on them. When we do that the problem becomes bigger and God is pushed to the background. We glance at Him. Thus our problem seems to become bigger and God becomes smaller.
Instead we are to “gaze” (6079) at Jesus. Our attention is to be “straight” (fixed straight NASB) (3474) on Him. When we set Him as our priority then the disaster we thought we were facing becomes a blip. The mountain becomes a molehill.
So? How you start your day makes a difference. What, or should I say Who, you put in the center makes everything else line up behind. You walk different. Get started right.
Thirty years ago we had a prayer seminar at our church led by a man named Elton Gillum. I have not seen him since those sessions but his teaching still comes back to me. One of the problems we have with prayer, and life, was what he called the gaze/glance principle. I think that is what this verse points towards.
Gillum said that we get in trouble when we focus our attention on the current problem. We “gaze” (6079) at our failure or the obstacles facing us. We become fixated on them. When we do that the problem becomes bigger and God is pushed to the background. We glance at Him. Thus our problem seems to become bigger and God becomes smaller.
Instead we are to “gaze” (6079) at Jesus. Our attention is to be “straight” (fixed straight NASB) (3474) on Him. When we set Him as our priority then the disaster we thought we were facing becomes a blip. The mountain becomes a molehill.
So? How you start your day makes a difference. What, or should I say Who, you put in the center makes everything else line up behind. You walk different. Get started right.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Your Spiritual Portfolio
(Proverbs 3:14 KJV) For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
How do you measure value? When do you know if you are getting ahead or falling behind? Did you “gain” (8393) or lose? I remember reading a science fiction story in which two star empires were fighting a war that was going on forever. No one could figure out why the other side kept fighting when they were obviously losing. The point of the story was that they both though they were winning because they were using different measurements of success. One was measuring total tonnage destroyed, the other was measuring the number of ships destroyed.
Have you picked a real measure of success. The point of Proverbs is that a life without wisdom is pointless no matter how much “gold” (2742d) and “silver” (3701) you accumulate. The reason Solomon keeps reminding us of this is that we tend to get distracted by what we can touch.
So? Don’t just balance your checking account. Take a look at your spiritual portfolio and see if you life is invested wisely. Invest for eternity.
How do you measure value? When do you know if you are getting ahead or falling behind? Did you “gain” (8393) or lose? I remember reading a science fiction story in which two star empires were fighting a war that was going on forever. No one could figure out why the other side kept fighting when they were obviously losing. The point of the story was that they both though they were winning because they were using different measurements of success. One was measuring total tonnage destroyed, the other was measuring the number of ships destroyed.
Have you picked a real measure of success. The point of Proverbs is that a life without wisdom is pointless no matter how much “gold” (2742d) and “silver” (3701) you accumulate. The reason Solomon keeps reminding us of this is that we tend to get distracted by what we can touch.
So? Don’t just balance your checking account. Take a look at your spiritual portfolio and see if you life is invested wisely. Invest for eternity.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Happy Thinking
(Proverbs 2:3 KJV) Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
It is not obvious in English but in the Hebrew both “knowledge” (discernment NASB) (998) and “understanding” (8394) come from the same root. In this passage we see a series of couplets. They are given this way for emphasis. Repetition is a tool of learning and an indication of importance.
God does not prefer to be served by empty headed fools. The pagan intellectuals of our world like to act like believers are uneducated, rustic simpletons. They want to declare that our concept of faith has a kill switch for our minds. God seems to disagree with that. Just look at these verses and the call to engage our brain.
So? Wake up and think about the roses. Don’t just smell them. God gave you a mind that is capable of thought. It is part of being created in the image of God. Please God. Frustrate those who hate Him. Happy thinking.
It is not obvious in English but in the Hebrew both “knowledge” (discernment NASB) (998) and “understanding” (8394) come from the same root. In this passage we see a series of couplets. They are given this way for emphasis. Repetition is a tool of learning and an indication of importance.
God does not prefer to be served by empty headed fools. The pagan intellectuals of our world like to act like believers are uneducated, rustic simpletons. They want to declare that our concept of faith has a kill switch for our minds. God seems to disagree with that. Just look at these verses and the call to engage our brain.
So? Wake up and think about the roses. Don’t just smell them. God gave you a mind that is capable of thought. It is part of being created in the image of God. Please God. Frustrate those who hate Him. Happy thinking.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Sorry Isn’t Enough
(Proverbs 1:23 KJV) Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
What is the benefit of having and knowing, if we don’t do? Here again we have the promise of the indwelling Spirit of God. Here again we have the promise of knowing what God is saying to us. Here again we have the frustration God must feel when we do not respond, and believe me, you do not want the Almighty God of the universe frustrated.
It all seems to hang on that first word, on whether we “turn” (7725). This word is sometimes translated “repent” but there is at least one other word translated that way. It is important to understand the root of changing direction. The other word means to feel sorrow. This one means to change direction. If we want to know God and His ways, we must be willing to change.
So? It is great to be sorry, but it isn’t enough. God expects us to do a U-turn. Turn on your blinker, check traffic and crank the wheel.
What is the benefit of having and knowing, if we don’t do? Here again we have the promise of the indwelling Spirit of God. Here again we have the promise of knowing what God is saying to us. Here again we have the frustration God must feel when we do not respond, and believe me, you do not want the Almighty God of the universe frustrated.
It all seems to hang on that first word, on whether we “turn” (7725). This word is sometimes translated “repent” but there is at least one other word translated that way. It is important to understand the root of changing direction. The other word means to feel sorrow. This one means to change direction. If we want to know God and His ways, we must be willing to change.
So? It is great to be sorry, but it isn’t enough. God expects us to do a U-turn. Turn on your blinker, check traffic and crank the wheel.
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