Don’t Be Mary Poppins

(Pro 14:14 KJV) The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.

Here we have an insight into the nature of sin or, in this case, Original Sin.  It is someone who is a “backslider” (5472) in “heart” (3820) [leb].  Notice that the backslider is “have his fill” (7646) of his “own ways” (1870).  He is self centered.  He believes that the world should conform to his desires.  He is quite self-righteous about it.

Part of the message of the gospel is that once you are right with God it changes the way you relate to your fellow man.  It means that you begin to see others as more important than yourself.  It is the kind of attitude that has made Christians the leading founders of hospitals, orphanages and colleges over the years.

So?  You may have seen Mary Poppins pull out her measuring tape that says something like “absolutely perfect in every way”.  In case you missed the point, Mary Poppins was a witch.  Our calling is drastically different. 

The Morality of Farming

(Pro 13:23 KJV) Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

Farming is a skill.  It has a very real learning curve.  Last year when my daughter was staying with us she decided to become a farmer.  She planted tomatoes.  The general impression I get about tomatoes and zucchini is that they will flourish anywhere.  That does not seem to apply by our front porch in Texas.  I have the feeling that a real farmer would have produced a bumper crop.  

I don’t even have a good guess at the skills a farmer develops.  One of the techniques of good farming is letting the land lie fallow.  It is known by farmers around the world, and some of us non-farmers.  Good management means conforming to the laws of nature that God established.  You might not think that moral judgements would have anything to do with farming, but it does.  When you get a greedy farmer, he wears out the soil.  If he is a sharecropper, the owner may demand that he do things he knows are wrong.

So?  God’s justice is rooted in His holiness.  It demands moral behavior.  That means treating the land properly.  Now go mow the lawn. 

Pick Your Heart

(Pro 12:20 KJV) Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

You can pick the kind of heart you have.  You don’t need to settle for the one that was issued.  Eternity will be different based on your choice.  Because we are born with original sin residing in our hearts we start in a losing position.  It is like you are entered in the Olympics but they don’t tell you your race has started until after the gun goes off.  You can’t win.  

The promise that is clear from other scripture is that God has made provision for your sin through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Because God intervenes, you have a choice.  If you are happy with the evil you have then, as the internet notice says, you need do nothing.  

So?  Pick your heart.  Do you want the evil one in door one or the joyful one in door two?  Both are offered.

Divine Pay-Off

(Pro 11:31 KJV) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

This is about the character of God.  While it is a glorious truth of the Gospel, that we cannot earn our salvation, God is just and holy.  He rewards those who follow the rules.  

(Heb 11:6 KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

This specifically refers to living by faith but speaks to the dependability of God.  

If you pay any attention to all the gods of literature, the pagan gods, they tend to be cruel for no reason but to be cruel.  While God can punish, He does not do it for the jollies.  He does it to pay for sin or to teach a lesson.

So?  We can trust God.  He does not play games.  He is true to His character. 

Two by Two

(Pro 10:32 KJV) The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

“The ‘mouth’ (6310) of the ‘wicked’ (7563)” can only know what is “frowardness” (perverted NASB) (8419).  This is true even when they seem to be speaking truth.  I think the central idea behind this Hebrew word is crooked or twisted.  That means you can have someone making a statement of fact and yet doing so with the intent to endorse evil.  My definition of a lie is “a communication with the intent to deceive.”  It doesn’t matter if you give a speech on “Two Plus Two” and concede the answer is four if the question was, “What is two divided by two.”  

We are surrounded by people and organizations that are experts at deceiving us while telling us what are technically facts.  I have this snack food called Crunchy Rice Rolls.  On the label it proudly tells me it is “gluten free”.  It is also low fat, low sodium and has no cholesterol.  If you are diabetic it is still a bad deal because it has plenty of sugar.  

So?  Know the motive of your source of information.  I trust my Bible because it was prepared to save my soul and prepare me for eternity.  Bible commentaries, not so much.  They all have a slant they are pushing. 

Scoffer ID

(Pro 9:8 KJV) Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

How do you identify a “scorner” (scoffer NASB) (3917b)?  In looking at the many times this word is used I noticed that one characteristic is that they look down on righteousness and righteous people.  It would be easy to simply say that anyone who is negative is a scoffer or anyone who is critical.  No.  Some things need to be criticized, but not the things of virtue.  

The church is missing the boat here.  We are so into being nice that we herd the wolves in with the sheep and call them part of the flock.  Although Jesus was welcoming to the genuine seeker, He was hostile to the hypocrites and self-seekers.  Keep in mind that people who endorse the works of Satan are not going to listen to you.

So?  Learn that all white powders are not sugar.  Be careful what you put on the Cheerios of life. 

Baby Steps to Perdition

(Pro 8:36 KJV) But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

When we are talking about potato chips we can tell ourselves that just one won’t make any difference.  When we say that we are lying.  The effect may be minuscule.  We may not notice it, but every calorie counts.  At one point in my weight loss I noticed that one Life Saver was 10 calories.  To someone my size that isn’t anything to worry about.  It is only 10 calories.  But do a little math.  If everything else stays the same, and I know it never does, over a year that is 3,650 calories if you just eat one a day.  Over a year, one Life Saver a day makes a pound difference.  They add up.

Rejecting wisdom has the same effect.  The little sins add up.  Over time it makes a big difference.  It is also true that, like Life Savers, no one stops with one.  Rejecting the small points of wisdom leads to rejecting the major points.  

So?  Baby steps may be small but they still get the baby across the porch to the place where he will fall off.