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braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
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Lipstick on the Rim
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1 Amy Schumer & Brianne Howey on the Importance of Female Friendships, Navigating Hollywood's Double Standards, Sharing Their Birth Stories, and MORE 50:05
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This week, in what might be the funniest episode yet, Molly and Emese are joined by co-stars Amy Schumer and Brianne Howey. They get candid about motherhood, career evolution, and their new film, Kinda Pregnant —which unexpectedly led to Amy’s latest health discovery. Amy opens up about how public criticism led her to uncover her Cushing syndrome diagnosis, what it’s like to navigate comedy and Hollywood as a mom, and the importance of sharing birth stories without shame. Brianne shares how becoming a mother has shifted her perspective on work, how Ginny & Georgia ’s Georgia Miller compares to real-life parenting, and the power of female friendships in the industry. We also go behind the scenes of their new Netflix film, Kinda Pregnant —how Molly first got the script, why Amy and Brianne were drawn to the project, and what it means for women today. Plus, they reflect on their early career struggles, the moment they knew they “made it,” and how motherhood has reshaped their ambitions. From career highs to personal challenges, this episode is raw, funny, and packed with insights. Mentioned in the Episode: Kinda Pregnant Ginny & Georgia Meerkat 30 Rock Last Comic Standing Charlie Sheen Roast Inside Amy Schumer Amy Schumer on the Howard Stern Show Trainwreck Life & Beth Expecting Amy 45RPM Clothing Brand A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us at @sonypodcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
Bragging On Jesus
모두 재생(하지 않음)으로 표시
Manage series 1987525
braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
Audio Articles, Scripture Songs, 5 minute Sermons, Tag Team Sermons and more. Full chapters in psalms set to ambient music and song.
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622 에피소드
모두 재생(하지 않음)으로 표시
Manage series 1987525
braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 braggingonjesus.com and Podcast startup by Robin Aylor 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
Audio Articles, Scripture Songs, 5 minute Sermons, Tag Team Sermons and more. Full chapters in psalms set to ambient music and song.
…
continue reading
622 에피소드
모든 에피소드
×How to be blessed and prosper in all our ways the very best sense of those words.
Jesus came to give us joy!
Here's a number of songs we might look at for possible Evening Singing at Blackburn Chapel
A different take on Jesus encounter with the woman at Jacobs Well.
Timeline of the Offspring of the Woman in the Old Testament who would be King of the true Spiritual Israel and how he would offer forgiveness for rejecting him as King and be our King forever.
A Song about a groovy thrift store done with a Deering Americana 12" open back banjo clawhammer style
In Mark 10 the Rich Young Ruler kept what he treasured most but still went away sorrowful. (6 verses)
Song #2 Marigolds Thrift Store - Buy Gold (Marigolds) C @ robin.aylor 2024
"Ode To Marigolds"; song #1 of a series of fun quirky whimsical songs I plan on writing possibly weekly to place on My Sisters and my Thrift Store called Marigold Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/marigoldsresale
The safest place is in the storm with Jesus. Matthew 14
What foundation do you build on? Your love for Jesus or his love for you? Internalize daily that you are the disciple Jesus loves. His love is the Gospel... his mercy and grace through faith and not of ourselves.
Hemmed In by Podcast startup by Robin Aylor
Set List For Practice
Basic Practice Set for Blackburn Chapel May 26, 2024
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1 All Is Well 2nd Kings 4 (The Power Of The Resurrection) RA 23:49
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2nd Kings 4:8-37 is an amazing story from the life of Elisha the Prophet. A true story of grace and joy and heartache with bitter distress for a woman from Shunem who held on to Gods promise and was able to say "all is well", and never quit believing even in the face of death. Gods promise overcame death. Trust his word for every one of the troubles we face... from the small to the great.…
Philippians 3, 4 & More! A message with two points accented by two songs: Boston's "Don't Look Back" and Dylan's "Pressing On". This is a sermon from Mutual Community Church 01/28/2024.
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1 Galatians 6 part 4 (Paul: You are dead to me; World: You are dead to me) 19:02
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Galatians 6:11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.…
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1 Galatians 6 part 3 (Flesh Always Dies, New Man In The Spirit Inherits Life) 10:49
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Galatians 6:6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.…
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1 Galatians 6 part 2 (To Boast Or Not To Boast Or How To Boast That Is The ?) 9:35
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Galatians 6:4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.
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1 Galatians 6 part 1 (Navigating a gentle spirit with not so gentle words) 15:18
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Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.…
Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who doe such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.…
Galatians 5:11 But if I, brothers,b still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.…
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.…
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1 Galatians 5 part 1 (Elvis McFeatherbeak never left the building) 11:02
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Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.…
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1 Galatians 4 part 2 (Troubles are so that many might be saved) 14:21
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Galatians 4:8-20 (ESV) 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. 12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.…
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1 Galatians 4 part 1 (Set Free With New Mission & Inheritance) 13:32
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Galatians 4 part 1 verses 1-7 1I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,a though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principlesb of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.…
Angels involvement in the old and new covenant Galatians 3 part 5
Here's a rough (some out of tune )recording of some songs we might practice :-) (Guitar used: 1/3 Cordoba loose stringed no effects. Recorded onboard Mac mic no effects)
Ukulele rhythm Practice List - some full songs, some partial... songs that to do without picking recorded on iPhone in voice memos with heater coming on from time to time in background at Marigolds thrift store with no instrument / voice mix / most in key of C; one in G. / Robin
5 of us guys get together from time to time and brag on Jesus live on Social Media. This is our Christmas Brag.
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1 Galatians 3 part 4 RA (Previous Covenant Still In Effect Yea!!!) 16:43
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The Law (only when connected to faith) served as a temporary mediator and pointer to the promised offspring (Jesus), until he arrived, lived the perfect life we would not, died the sinners death we deserved and defeated the power our sin held through the law by rising again to give all believers new victorious life in this world and life eternal with him.…
What is that celebration thread that should run through every holiday (even answer your cats questions day) and in every day hour and breath of our life?
It's elementary dear Watson. "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse;…" Galatians 3:10 but ...“The righteous shall live by faith.” Galatians 3:11
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1 Galatians 3 Part 2 (It is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham) 15:10
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Galatians 3 Part 2, Verses 5-9 / Abraham, Noah, the Romans, the Galatians, all, even you & I are counted righteous when we believe Gods word, his promise of guaranteed hope.
Self made man gutteral fortitude to love God verses God loving us. Romans 11: 18 …remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 1st John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. His love is the root. He also quoted Jesus in John 3:16 For God so loved the world... that came first. Here’s another (very insightful). 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.…
The Galatians were being bewitched, enchanted, hypnotized, captivated, charmed, seduced, held spellbound and mesmerized; they were transfixed by satans tricks to get them to forget the biggest and best and loudest news ever to enter the world. Nothing else should ever be allowed to drown out the beauty and awesome glory of Jesus and the Cross.…
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1 Galatians 2 part 2 (When we sin it distorts the view of the Gospel) 30:47
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Does every sin distort the Gospel to ourselves and the world? Paul called out Peter publicly for his sin of partiality in preferring the Jewish circumcision party over the Gentile believers. Paul does damage control reguarding Peters sin by boldly and forcefully preaching the foundational message of the Gospel to believers. The Gospel is for every day. It helps us combat sin and keeps us from distorting the Gospel to ourselves and the onlooking world.…
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1 Galatians 2 Part 1 (Don't dilute, pollute or substitute the Gospel) 20:21
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Galatians 2:1-10 Don't dilute, pollute or substitute the Gospel
This message is Galatians chapter 1... however for some reason I excluded the last three verses which goes along with the text above it showing the developing of Paul's ongoing personal dependence on the Lord after his salvation. Christ is the vine that would supply Paul and all the other the branches(all believers)bringing strength, purpose, unity and community. But the Lord is our source... we look to Jesus; not man and not our-self. The top of the notes on my phone says: "Jesus can fix this" That's a reminder for me to look to Jesus and point others to do the same. This is the end goal of every Christian counselor's session with someone who is struggling... If you know Christ keep developing the personal part of your relationship with him. If you don't know him, Look to Jesus and keep looking. This is mankind's only hope and joy. Here's the omitted verses I also mis-referenced in the message. Paul is speaking: Galatians 1:22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me…
Matthew 28:1 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Philippians 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Ephesians 1:19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead… Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 2 Corinthians 4:17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,…
Mark 10:17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.…
Psalm 139:5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
1st Corinthians 15 - 5 Stingers of Death - They all Hurt and Resurrection is associated with each one. 1 Corinthians 15:54 ...“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Romans 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.…
Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Psalm 116: 12 What shall I render to the LORD, for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, ... 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.…
There Is A Balm In Gilead Arrangement & lyric changes C @ Robin Aylor Nov 2021 Chorus: G C G f# g G/B C G D D7 There is a balm, in Gilead, to make, the wounded whole; G D/F# Em G/B D G The precious blood that Jesus shed, heals the sin-sick soul. Em C G/B D/F# Em C D D7 I hear the Great Physician, whom among you are in need Em Bm C Bm7 C D7 G D From his wounds, came forth, our only remedy Repeat Chorus Em C G/B D/F# Em C D D7 So come ye shattered, broken, to him who was stricken for you Em Bm C Bm7 C D7 G D Jesus was paid, our sins deadly wage and raised to make all things new Repeat Chorus Em C G/B D/F# Em C D D7 You may not preach like Peter, you may not pray like Paul Em Bm C Bm7 C D7 G (D) But you can tell your neigh-bor, how Jesus died for all. Repeat Last Verse Tag there is a balm in Gilead Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, ... Matthew 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.…
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.…
Romans 8:19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.…
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1 Romans 8:16-18 RA Session 3 Family Assurances & Benifits 15:15
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나중에 재생
리스트
좋아요
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Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit Gives Us Assurance: 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Suffering Within the Family Gives Us Assurance: 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Future Glory: 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.…
Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers,e we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”…
Romans 8, ESV, Session 1, No Condemnation Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.…
His Joy Our Strength
For many years I was plagued with this question: Am I a child of God? If you can identify with me, I think this has the potential to be a great help to you for your peace and joy.
Jesus sees us in our wilderness. He seeks us out and shows his glory to all who turn away from hoping in sin and look to him with delight.
1st Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Noble Birth... Shamed! To Seek After Power... Shamed! To Treasure Worldly Pleasure... Shamed! Silver, Gold, Money, Nice Houses and Cars... Shamed! Obsessions with sex, long life, good looks, TV... Shamed! 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;…
2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.…
Seeing Jesus in the life of Joseph from the Old Testament.
Proverbs 25:7 …What your eyes have seen 8 do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? 9 Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, 10 lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end.…
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. 12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. 13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. 14 Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. 15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. In todays text Solomon uses some great metaphors like red apples in a silver setting… this one makes me think of a painting… one that seems fitting and balanced and fits the occasion; I don’t know maybe like lights and a tree and children in their pajamas at Christmas or fall decorations at Thanksgiving with turkey and dressing and 3-4 families trying to scoot up to one table for dinner… Its a picture that is just… right! Let’s see… he says that someone who listens to wise reproof is like a ring or ornament of gold. It’s the perfect accent right! We may not always think so but repentance looks good and right on all of us. Humility is fitting for sinners. Solomon then talks about a faithful messenger being like I would say… a refreshing snow. Of course we don’t use messengers as often as they did in that day. But when the message senders we use like text and email work flawlessly it is just as refreshing to us. These are ways we communicate today right? So, this is one place we should use apt speech. Think about some of the social media formats we use like FB and twit... How many people use words fitly spoken in these things? I tried to post a message on FB just yesterday that I thought was formed very aptly. In the post I explained that every morning I read both liberal and conservative news to help me discern the bias in the media and I found two conservative newsletters had been tagged as spam by google. Still, I was not certain any malignant intent had been done in my case. The post was asking if anyone else had noticed any of their conservative newsletter being sent to spam. However FB would not let me post it because they said it went against community standards. So yes, in this case I thought mine was a word fitly spoken; but unfortunately the metaphor of refreshing snow did not apply because the messenger was not faithful. I think a good spiritual application for what Solomon wrote can be seen in Colossians 4: Paul is speaking in Colossians 4:3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Look, we need clarity as we share the love of Christ; a word fitly spoken… We need to speak aptly… and not only that but we need boldness. These are things Paul desperately wanted in his own life. If we have accepted this new mission in Christ then we need as for the same thing as Paul so we can messengers who deliver the clear message of good news. When we do this… like Solomon said about a faithful messenger refreshing his master I believe our Master smiles as well. Next vs 14 uses some other weather metaphors like clouds and wind making promises of a rain that never comes. So sometimes the words seem fitting and apt but they are lies. We must be true witnesses of Christ. In John 3 Jesus told Nicodemus: Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. Finally verse 15 of todays text says: 15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. ... 1st Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.…
For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. 23 The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. Alright… you know, some may thing that here in verse 21 Solomon is saying that if you’ve always wanted to burn your enemies or get back at them… well, this is the best way to do it without sinning. Hold on to your horses partner... The Apostle Paul gives us some help on this and actually mentions this verse in Romans 12. Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.h Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave iti to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Now Paul’s exposition of Solomons words indicate no evil intent but rather to bless those who are against us and do not curse them. Seek peace, don’t avenge… do not repay evil for evil… don’t be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good. If there is any vengeance deserved, Paul says that’s God’s business; ya see, it’s above our pay grade… leave it in the Lords hand… don’t let vengeance steal your joy… keep loving and doing good to your enemies… It will drive away evil and show them that the Lord is glorious. You know… the truth is that fighting evil with evil only feeds wickedness in both parties. It breaks down the walls of our own hearts to let more evil in. Verse 23 says: The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. So if we fight evil with evil there will be more evil… it is an unending circle until one decides to forgive and love. So what might be the context of doing good is like heaping burning coals on your enemies head. Well, what we know for sure and have verified with Paul is the main call to action from the verse and that is… love your enemies; right? The first thing that comes to my mind about putting coals of fire on someones head is that it’s gonna hurt… This is gonna hurt your enemy. If coals of fire are poured on someones head it is likely to kill them. If this is the context of the metaphor Solomon uses I am wondering what is the spiritual truth of coals of fire… So I keep thinking about this… Now showing the love of God to others who are hurting us defiantly will confuse them. In some countries of the world this kind of forgiveness is very foreign to people. I asked a missionary friend in a Muslim country about this and he indicated that many are taught that offenses are to be met with retribution. So when they are shown this forgiving love it opens their eyes to something they’ve never known or even considered. Love that is given in the name of Jesus has a way of killing sin and death whether physical or possibly in this case spiritually… hurts as though coals of fire are poured on us. This is a purifying fire. The reference Solomon makes with the coals of fire may also connect to Leviticus 16:12 where the high priest brought a censer filled with coals of fire to burn incense on the Day of Atonement. Solomon and Paul both may have been associating this as a symbol for the purifying or driving away of sin. So in conclusion I would say godly love in action is inexpressibly better than trying to defeat evil with evil. Love is better both for ourselves and our enemies as we show it to them.…
Solomon closes out Proverbs 25 with various relationship verses.
Broken World Series Luke 13:20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Matthew 16: ...12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.…
Joy in the Life of David as he lived in a broken world
4 mini messages from HPOC Homeless Shelter Woodward Oklahoma. Elevated sound may be distracting with passing trains and heater. Christmas Theme
How did David persevere through this broken world with purpose and joy and victory?... and how do we?
Countdown to Christmas began before the ages. Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Christmas Reading, Luke 2, about a 5 minute word and lots of songs / with a few silly songs toward the end.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. 26 Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice. 27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. Fear, Love, Trust and Purpose... For a full transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com…
Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21 Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir. 22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. 23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. 24 The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.…
He (G)leadeth me, O (C)blessed thought For (G)good like (Em)Jo-s-eph, in (G)trouble (D)wrought And (G)Is-ra-el through (C)the Red (Cm)Sea Tis (G)God's own (Em)hand that (G)lead(D)eth(G) me Chorus: G D Em C G He lead-eth me, He leadeth me C G Em G D His own, foreknown, we, who believe G D Em C G His grace and calling He guarentees C G Em G D G To share in his glory for ete-rn-ity G C Sometimes mid scenes of deepest woe G Em G D In pain, dis-tress and much sor-row G C Cm Though billows wave ore troubled sea G Em G D G I rest in Him who lead-eth me Chorus: G D Em C G He lead-eth me, He leadeth me C G Em G D His own, foreknown, we, who believe G D Em C G His grace and calling He guarentees C G Em G D G To share in his glory for ete-rn-ity G C Full-ness of joy, waits in store G Em G D At Your right hand pleasures ever-more G C Cm Please show us more of You're glor-y G Em G D G And thank You Lord for lead-ing me Chorus: G D Em C G He lead-eth me, He leadeth me C G Em G D His own, foreknown, we, who believe G D Em C G His grace and calling He guarentees C G Em G D G To share in his glory for ete-rn-ity G C Now when my task on earth is through G Em G D And this brokenness ushers me to You G C Cm My Savior, Raiser, dead though I be G Em G D G In-to Your presence lead-eth me Chorus: G D Em C G He lead-eth me, He leadeth me C G Em G D His own, foreknown, we, who believe G D Em C G His grace and calling He guarentees C G Em G D G To share in his glory for ete-rn-ity…
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,b lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. One song... I'm pressing on... I'm going forward... I will not give up I will not sit down, back down or turn around If I fall down I will not lay down or stay down, I'll get back up and go and not slow down The enemy says: you're a failure, right? Not just once a month or a few times a year... But... Every day... I hear him say: You're worthless, you haven't got a clue, what to do, where to go, how to lead, who to fol-low You're not smart, you don't finish, you don't have heart, you don't even know where to start Your foot's not big enough to stop up your own mouth But your lips still speak, and your heart betrays, All the ways, you're weak You're a fiasco, a disaster, a fouled up screwball dead duck failure. You lag behind, you'll never reach the finish line... You cry out "someone give me my inhaler!" That's what I hear the enemy say. But... in our weakness we're strong. The light, of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Shines through the cracks in the darkest of nights, As we erupt in joyous song... Still, you pray every day, and you wont retreat, or surrender defeat You put on your veil, to the enemies wail, his threats to Impale and doom you to hell You ignore all his lies, for your eminent demise, you welcome the pain Not trusting your eyes, you run not in vain through the wind and the rain So you press on for the prize... You know what lies through the sunrise, Where you'll sing of your king and never more die, to this one who all your needs supply And now, all along the way... You cant help but proclaim, The breadth of his story, in this blood bought domain So onward you strain, to the death for his glory, his promise to obtain Yes... it's his promise I said, which you hold till your dead Its not your word or your work that secures your stead As faithfulness shows faith, running says... you've joined the race Against the old mans skin, the sin within, As you rest in who's best, to the praise of his grace Still, we are not our own... And so... his pledge to obtain, we press to make our own But only since Jesus has already made us his own So then, we are Gods work in progress, and not our own Created in Christ Jesus for good works to his glory and not our own And I am sure that God will finish this work which he has started Before the world, his thoughts, his words, all the plans he chartered So don't be discouraged, press on undismayed, Sing out God's praise all your days We have good reason to sing and dance, Through faith we shall claim our inheritance…
2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. 72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Awesome truth for a broken world!
Bragging on Jesus, Tag Team Preaching... 4 speakers... Gary Babb, Brad Chase, Robin Aylor and Daniel Castor. John chapter 9 Jesus heals a man born blind.
Solomon gives a straightforward simple truth statement; then, like a professor lecturing his students he seems to give a complex problem for his son to think through where that truth is needed for discerning the proper judgment or action.
Todays devotion answers the question: Where do I go or where should I go to satisfy the various kinds of hunger in this life. We will be looking at Proverbs 27:7-10 and... we'll breifly look at one verse at a time and then a consise summery at the end. Proverbs 27:7 One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. Ok, well... first I'm thinking that in this proverb Solomon is counting honey as something that is good... I think he is using it as a metaphor and holding it up as the “prize” you might say... something we can look forward to and delight in... as the best thing. Truth is... honey is delightfully sweet and we know it is full of nourishing minerals... It's a great gift from God and it makes a wonderful dessert.. better than your typical candy bar. But if we're already stuffed full of other stuff... bad greasy food or we might even be stuffed full of good food... The point I think is that if we're already stuffed we miss out... in Solomons example we miss out on the joys of the amazing, sweet, nourishing honey. And the application... I think we could say its easy to fill our life up with all kinds of stuff,... junk or even things that have potential benefit to ourselves and others... we can take in all that but if we do not have room throughout the day for what is the sweetest and most nourishing thing in the Universe... That is delighting in Gods word and prayer... even time in fellowship with our family in the Lord... If we put those things last, then... in a sense they are like the honey to a man thats already stuffed full... they become detestable to us. And it may be that the very thing that brings this on... this filling up our life with junk is because our soul is hungry and we see the world as the answer to sweeten our soul instead of Jesus. 8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. This seems to be speaking of a man who in a way has a hunger sickness as well... and it drives him away from saftey... He goes off into the world looking for satisfaction... away from everything that is good and nourishing... he even leaves the sweetness and goodness of the honey in his home like the man we just read about. So I think this verse syncs nicely with verse 7. Know what is or who is best... Jesus; and fill yourself with his sweetness... Take his mercy and grace. 9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. So... the sweetness of a friend, I think is good right? It's like the sweetness and nourishment of the honey from verse 7 and the saftey close to home in verse 8... I mean, look... don't go to the world looking for not only satisfaction like we talked about but also counsel. Discern what is good... Discern who is a good godly friend that can provide sweetness and sincerety and honesty. Don't fill up on the junk counsil of the world so that you loathe what is good... We all need help and we all need accountability. It's not found in the ways of the world. And like perfume that Solomon talks here about or comparably maybe those sented wax melts change the apmosphere in your home... they can encrourage or lighten your spirit... So will good counsil and nourishment from a godly friend encourage your soul. Here's the last verse in today's passage: 10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. Listen for full transcript CS Lewis said: If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. In John 6:35 Jesus said this: …“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger,… And in John 7:37 he said this: …“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!…
2nd Corinthians overview. Theme and exposition is keep looking to Jesus in faith. Just as in our initial salvation we are to live by grace through faith. We are to count on Gods grace every second with every heartbeat as we walk in faith on our new mission in Christ
Proverbs 13:25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. I have like most people appetites mostly related to food. How many times a day do I replace whatever I was doing or thinking about with thoughts of a meal, a snack, that leftover dessert, drink, or just something sweet or salty. Our appetite for food is a powerful basic need that is never completely satisfied. Like our need for food, we have other appetites including: comfort, safety, power, control, security, relationship, rest, adventure, fun, and love. I find that those appetites are never completely satisfying either. My comfortable chair seems too high or too low. That adventure I really want to do may cause physical injury, wanting more power or control may come at a high price of sacrifice, and loss of control may lead to feelings of insecurity or desperation. Maybe the goal is to live somewhere in the middle of each of these appetites? But even that seems like we might be missing out on something greater that we might obtain or experience. When we focus on fulfilling one of these appetites to complete satisfaction, it seems to always result in sin. Affection for comfort neglects the power of the comforter. Longing for safety places my protector on the the sideline. Seeking power turns my thoughts inward and chips away at my soul leaving no room for true peace. Seeking any of these natural appetites to be filled exclusively always leads to more longing, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. Why can my appetites not be satisfied? And Why does God’s food or provision for an appetite many times seem undesirable? I see one example of appetite in the people of Israel in the desert after being lead out of captivity from Egypt. Numbers 11:4–6 ... Later in this chapter we see how God responded to their dissatisfaction and unthankful hearts. He sent an enormous amount of quail to eat and with it a plaque that made many die because of their “craving.” It is interesting the name they gave that place where these events happened. Numbers 11:34 ... Ecclesiastes 6:7 ... In Proverbs 13:25 it tells us that the righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,.... Matthew 5:6 ... John 6:35 (ESV): 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. “Life”. We find our satisfaction in pursuit of Jesus for he tells us that he is the bread of all our appetites like comfort, adventure,safety, fun, love... Truth: Our satisfaction then proves connected to our efforts in pursuit of knowing Jesus. Proverbs 13:25 ... The second part of this verse addresses what happens to those who are not connected to Jesus or “the bread of life.” They experience a spiritual famine and continue to have a deep need for the “Bread of Life”. They will continue in anger, selfishness, lust, pride, and hunger with appetites that will never be satisfied. We should be content and satisfied with Jesus above all else. Every other appetite unchecked will not satisfy. These appetites leave us longing for more or worse destroy our lives. 1 Timothy 6:6–8 ... 1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. God help us pursue Jesus. Forgive us when we forget the richness that is found in Christ. Thank you for your grace and mercy that we experience every day without a second thought. Your Son, Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies our every appetite when nothing else can. You are good and I pray that we will be content and remember always that we are rich when we are found in Christ no matter our circumstances and that Jesus is the bread of life that can satisfy our every appetite.…
This is a devotion about Jesus in the Old Testament and specifically Proverbs chapter 8. Also a poem about Proverbs chapter 8 by robin aylor. Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, 26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. 32 “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”…
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1 Proverbs 26:6-12 RA Extreme Metaphors That Cant Touch Pride 9:42
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Proverbs 26:6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. 11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. 12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. I like the extreme metaphors he uses in these verses... and just when you think the passage is all about being a fool and maybe the readers are saying... yeah thats right!... and they start thinking of people like those Solomon has referenced... then like a clever hunter he springs the trap that lets us see our own selves and should bring us to our knees... Ok... 6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. A fool will not deliver the message right?... At least not in a timely fashion. You might as well be sending a message by a man who has no feet or maybe one who stops by a pub on the way to his destination and gets into a fight and is thrown in jail... The messenger is not trustworthy. 7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Now Solomon says how all these things that a proverb can show a man are like lame legs... they are just there. 8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. Imagine a fool receiving a reward from a President with great honor before men and then continuing on with his foolish ways... How will people react when they see this honored man living out his life in wickedness? He will still be known as a fool. The true honor intended for him remains tied in the sling. 9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Here's another verse similar to verse 7. Not only is it just there like legs that are lame but its also like a thorn stuck in someones hand. It should bring attention to the fact that something is wrong... A proverb says how Sin needs to be addressed in the life of a man drunk on foolishness but he does not feel the sting of reproof. 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. Now we see how a fool is not trustworthy to use a weapon. No! Dont bring a fool with you hunting. Don't give him a weapon in battle... Dont let him preform surgery on you. 11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Its quite gross to see a dog licking up his vomit.. right? We'll it's repulsive when a fool keeps on wounding people with arrows and is numb to his sin and how it destroys. It's gross to see him elevated to honor only to return to eating his own vomit. Why does he keep letting his legs hang as though they are dead or his feet cut off? These pictures of a fool are disgusting and may even bring a bit of nausea to our stomach. But you know what... After all this talk of a fool Solomon says this: 12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Look, there is hope for both the prideful and the fool... just more hope for the fool... Pride is a killer... it is in us all. If you are a believer God is at work eliminating pride from your heart. If foolishness causes us nausea, pride should bring us too our knees within our heart. In our heart we should be living in sackcloth and ashes, while at the same time going forth with joy and love and confidence in Jesus who humbled himself for us... even dying for us and giving us his righteousness. We should humble ourselves and love others as he did. He will one day raise us up with him in glory with an inheritance we cant even imagine. Pray…
Missions to the moon, 1 - 1st Manned Mission: Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image,... 28 ...And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,... 2 - Man made his own mission sharing the image of his own brokenness: Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 3 - 1st God-Man Mission: *He lived the perfect life Adam and we did not. *He was paid the wages of sin we deserve with his own death. *He was raised from the dead. *Believers receive his righteousness & resurrection power over sin in life and death. *Only believers share this testimony in baptism and then with our life. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 4 - Re-commission - Great Commission, sharing Gods glory in the world. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”…
The 1st manned mission to Earth, the Moon, an Asteroid, Mars... also the first God-man mission, We take a look at Adam and Eve, Neil Armstrong, NASA, Jesus, you and I as well as how Gods first mission for Adam and Eve is the same mission for all believers. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image,... 28 ...And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,... For more go to braggingonjesus.com…
Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? 25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. 27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls. Today's passasge finishes up chapter 27. These few verses have been quite interesting to me for a long time. But before we focus lets think about the placement. Throughout the chapter Solomon speak of vairied matters of the heart of mankind. How the hearts of man can sharpen one another in good discourse... He speaks of how the eyes of man are never satisfied which surly references the state of his heart. He talks of how a mans heart reflects who he is like water reflects his face and Solomon speaks of how praise can purify the hearts of some while crush others which seems to relate humility and pride in the heart. So lets look closer at todays text and see if theres a link to the heart. Well, the first part of the passage talks about how nothing last forever. Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? So take care of what God blesses you with... be responsible... Whether you are a king or a farmer. No matter your station in life use wisdom. James 4: reminds of of this same finite existance: 14 ...What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 1 Peter 1:24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So yes, life is short... and we have numerous kinds of riches God has blessed us with. We are not to squander them on self centered things. We are not to use Gods blessings to promote our own false sense of glory. Theres just no true joy or peace or victory in that and that was our old mission... satisfy ourself with the promises of the world and promote ourselves to others. Spending on self glory causes any riches to be wasted and eventually circles the drain or as the Bible indicates it is burned up as stubble. One of many cool things about the riches of God is that as we spend them on seeing and sharing more of the glory of God instead of self he lavishes us with more riches in him. You know... it seems to me that in Solomon telling us life is short and we should give attention to our herds and then how riches dissapear and a crown does not endure to all generations. He just might be pointing to what he has been throughout the chapter... our heart. Pay attention to your heart. Guard it with wisdom... This is where your greatest riches riches are kept. May the riches God bless you with be so great that you can pass them down to as many generations as possible. That would be our legacy in Christ for his glory. Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Now in closing read 25-27 This is the part of the passage is beautiful in the way its written... I think it flows like poetry. But to what does it refer? I can't say I have all the answers to this but if Solomon is continuing with the theme it seems he is pointing to the blessings of God in a physical sense again and that there is a parallel spiritually for us. The extreme example he gives is with a person who has nothing but what God has given him in creation. If this person has a heart for God and glorifies him with the blessings God has given him instead of squandering them for his own glory... then he and his household are rich... They are fed and clothed and maintained and satisfied wanting nothing.…
Proverbs 25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. 2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. 3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; 5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, 7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble……
Rewards of the Heart Proverbs 27:18-20 18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored. 19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. So, right away when looking at this passage, I find myself asking “What on earth is a fig tree anyways?” Which led me down a rabbit hole of Googling pictures of fig trees that eventually led to threads on how to care for them. As it turns out, fig trees are pretty temperamental. In fact, they need tons of sunlight in order to produce healthy fruit. But why is this verse coupled with something that has to do with protecting one’s master? And then it skips on to talk about water and then these random places that are “never satisfied”. In order to properly how this passage can apply to us, I think it would be best to digest each verse on its own, and then weave them together to help illustrate how these verses can help us best live out our lives as followers of Christ. We’ll start with verse 18: 18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored. For the full article with audio go to braggingonjesus.com and click on the Proverbs tab.…
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” Proverbs 13:24 “Son I’m doing this because I love you”,The father says as he slips off his belt and draws it back as he prepares to swat his child’s rear end. Yeah right the son thinks as his body tenses up and he gets himself ready for the impact. In the next few moments that child is going to feel lots of things. A bit of anger and frustration, a little bit of sadness and sorrow and a whole lot of pain on his backside. But he is not expecting to feel loved in that moment. Was his father lying? Did we just find a typo in the Bible? Maybe his father and the Bible are wrong. Not at all, Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, realizes that discipline done right is motivated by love. When a father sees something ugly, destructive, or damaging coming out of his son he knows that the most loving thing he can do is address it. He must take action. And when the thing is ugly enough and serious enough that action may even need to be physical. The pain that comes with the swat is is a real and tangible reminder of where all sin leads. Sins may promise big pleases but they always bring sharp pains. The father that is diligent with loving discipline teaches his son to flee from all of these destructive and damaging things that lead to certain pain and misery. God is no different when it comes to dealing with his kids. Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV says, My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” There are times when God’s children wonder into sin. Hard hearts and selfish attitudes that linger may demand the fathers attention. And wile our earthly fathers may mishandle the rod from time to time our Heavenly Father never does. When he disciplines he does it with perfect wisdom and care. And if you find yourself under God the fathers discipline consider these two things. #1 Do not take His discipline lightly. God is not careless with His discipline. So if he finds reason to correct you, pay attention and respond with repentance. Chances are that you are headed in a dangerous direction. #2 Count your self blessed - The Lord disciplines those whom He loves. Know that The very thing driving His discipline is the love He has for you as His child.…
Proverbs 27:21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise. 22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. This passage is compelling to me… Of course a crucible is a hopper that metals are placed into and then heated until they melt and then pour into molds in order to form them into useful tools. Alright, what might we gain from these words of Solomon? Well, when the heat is on… impurities are separated from precious metals which makes them worth something when they were of no use before. I think this is the parallel that applies spiritually in our life. Troubles and trials have the potential to make us more pure and holy and in tune with the Lord. We saw this on a National scale with the 911 terrorist attack. The US found itself in a kind of crucible… people were scared and many turned to God… Many churches were packed with people. So brokenness points us to the Lord… Now, as he often does, Solomon adds something to this truth that I would not expect. He says a man is tested by his praise. I would have thought a man is tested by the troubles he faces… as we said… when the heat is on… when he’s in the crucible… So I think there is truth in that… but the test can begin long before the trouble arrives. As gold and silver even before the crucible and furnace… with their impurities… they stir up lust and greed don’t they? Then they are sent to the fire and the impurities can be removed. In a similar way, when a man receives praise the test is on. If he is a man with prideful impurities in his life, he will receive that glory gladly. His lust for popularity will cause him to fail the test. And what does Solomon tell us about pride? Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar?… Daniel 4:28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar... 34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; … 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. So, yes, Solomon is right… a man is tested by his praise. For some the praise and the crucible that follows brings humility and holiness. For others reread today's passage in verse 22. Thankfully, all who look away from their own pride to Jesus receive his purity imputed to them. Ultimately, he took the crucible for us when he was crucified on the Cross… We are made pure by Jesus and practically we are his work in progress while in this body. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.…
Thankful For A Broken Universe (Condensed) by Podcast startup by Robin Aylor
braggingonjesus.com
Preached At Providence Place Assisted Living via video in Woodward Oklahoma November 2020
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1 Proverbs 29:15-19 RA Lawlessness & Casting Off Restraint 10:01
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Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. 16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. 17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. 18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,c but blessed is he who keeps the law. 19 By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond. Today’s verses address reproof and the lack thereof in our children as well as society. Here he says how for the child… a whipping accompanied with a good talking is so they will gain wisdom but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother… Of course this “hands off and no reproof” way of child rearing is quite common in our culture today. So many people say “well I don’t want to influence my children about God or right or wrong or truth but let them make up their own mind.” Look, the devil and the world will be super happy with your way of thinking because while you are leaving your children to themselves they will be teaching and brainwashing and promising them all kinds of treasures which are all lies that will bring them pain and misery and bitterness and an unfulfilled life with little or no good benefit to others. If we raise our children and discipline them properly and point them towards truth it will bring delight to our heart. How so? For a full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com Well, Solomon also tells us how this apathy in standing up for what is right works in a similar way in relation to our country and our world. When a people begin forgetting Gods law; that is, all his promises and all the truths and commands which are actually for our good in his word… When wickedness is rewarded then lawlessness is seen as the answer to society’s problems. That is not the answer in families, businesses or nations. When there is no prophetic vision of the people they cast off restraint and reject Gods law… That makes sense to me. If people do not believe Gods word or the prophecies about Jesus, how he came and lived and died for us and rose again… If the people do not believe the prophecies of how he will return then they have no hope in this broken world full of wickedness. They are not going to believe Gods word or follow his laws… They will cast off restraint like a child left to his own self centered ways of thinking. Theres a day coming when we all stand before God and those who have been given the righteousness of Jesus will like Solomon says, will look on the downfall of the wicked or those who did not accept the righteousness that Jesus lived out in his own life on earth. Solomon says blessed is he who keeps the law and the cool thing is that Jesus lived a perfect live and kept the law for us and applies it to all who believe. You know, the wages is sin is death but Jesus died the death we deserve and for all who delight in him he gives his righteousness and begins doing a work of motivating and quickening good works in our life or causing real and practical righteousness to come out of our life… Its nothing we can brag about but it’s him working in us. Jesus also rose from the dead and he gives us that same resurrection power to have victory over sin in this life as we walk with him. And as Jesus was raised we will one day be raised incorruptible no longer subject to the bondage and entropy related to sin… no more arthritis, Covid-19, no more hate, sorrow, tears… no more death. Thank you Father for this great gift through your Son Jesus Christ.…
This is part three of our series of devotions from Proverbs 17 and today we are looking at the always controversial subject of money. Is it okay for followers of Christ to be rich? Is it okay to have nice things? Is it okay to want to work hard and make more money? These are all questions I have personally wrestled with in my journey with Christ and thankfully, Proverbs 17 provides us with some clear advice regarding our pocket books. In this devotional, I will share five quick observations with you about money and its role in our obedience to God from Proverbs 17.#1 - Hard work is nothing to be ashamed of.A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. -Proverbs 17:2 (CSB)Here we see that the prudent servant will share in the inheritance before the disgraced son. This is one of many verses throughout the Proverbs and scriptures as a whole that encourages us to be people who work. There is no place for retirement (as most Americans would define it) in the Biblical worldview. We must work unto the Lord in all that we do. Work is good as long as we remember that it is not God.#2 - Money is powerful, how will you use it?A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. - Proverbs 17:8 (CSB)We all know that the one with money tends to have the power. As an American I must be aware that I am rich. I may not feel rich when I compare myself with other Americans, but in global terms I am in the top 10% wealthiest on the planet. That is a sobering and wild thought. The question is how will I use it? Will I seek to buy the latest phone and keep up with those around me? Or will I invest my money in important Kingdom work and share with the less fortunate around me and throughout the world? The choice is mine. The choice is yours. Money carries with it power and we all get to decide how and for whom we will use that power.#3 - Wisdom is worth more than money.Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? - Proverbs 17:16 (CSB)We’ve all seen the lottery winner who blows it all. Without wisdom money just makes you a dangerous fool. If you want to improve your quality of life and the impact you make on others, search for wisdom instead of money. The one who has wisdom without money will be far better off than the foolish rich man in the end. #4 - Dave Ramsey would be proud.One without sense enters an agreement and puts up security for his friend. - Proverbs 17:18 (CSB)Long before Financial Peace University, Proverbs 17 told us not to cosign on a loan for our family and friends. It never works out well and as Dave Ramsey says it makes Thanksgiving dinner taste different when the person across the table owes you money. I know you are trying to help by cosigning with someone you love, but the best way to love somebody is to tell them the truth when they can’t afford something. Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford and don’t aid others in buying stuff they can’t afford. Just because the bank will loan you the money doesn’t mean you should take the money.The wise have the self control necessary to live within their means while fools look for shortcuts to get what they can’t afford.#5 - If you must be bought, be bought by Christ.A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. - Proverbs 17:23 (CSB)Money has tainted many good men (and women). Don’t allow your principles and values to be bought. Turn down money that goes against your conscience. Why? Because if you are in Christ you have already been bought and there isn’t room for two masters. For a full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com…
This is the second in our series of devotions from the 17th chapter of Proverbs. I have titled this devotion, “Don’t be a dolt... people are your legacy” and as with the first devotion this comes from a collection of various verses in the chapter.Oh, how we must pity fools or as we are calling them for this series “dolts” based upon a reading of verse 21 in the message paraphrase. In these selected verses today we see perhaps the most relevant of all the devotions in this short series. We rarely think of legacy. This is probably due to the fact that to think of one's legacy is to think of one's death. It seems that for most, legacy or the mark that will be left behind after us isn’t thought of until it's too late. Legacy is not something that is built overnight - legacy comes from a lifetime of action. By the time we are faced with the question, “What will people remember of me when I'm gone?” it is usually too late to change that perception. You maybe thinking this doesn’t really matter does it? But, I would argue that it does! Your family tree can be changed for better or for worse depending upon who you were and the legacy you left.The reason I said this might be the most relevant devotion in the series is because most of us spend our time on work when in reality Proverbs 17 seems to point to the fact that in the end it will be people, not work, that defines our legacy. In fact, I am going to argue that through the way we live we can build the legacies of those who came before us and it is through investing in those who come after us that our own legacies will be established. My encouragement to you is simple: You will leave a legacy, you get to decide whether it is intentional or accidental. Make it intentional friends. An intentional legacy honors God and honors those who come before and after you.#1 - How The Lives We Live Build The Legacies of Others Before starting Ascent Church I spent a year as a church planting intern under one of the most Godly men I’ve ever known - Steven Earp. Of the many lessons I learned from Steven this one stood out tome in a profound way. He said something like, “Blake, my goal is to be a small part in as many big stories as possible.” For Steven, he didn’t necessarily want to be the guy who started the big movement, or wrote the book that led thousands to Christ, or become the next great preacher. No, he wanted to be one of the men who invested in the men that would do great things for Christ’s Kingdom. Steven knew that it was the successes of those whom he had invested in that would ultimately define his legacy. Everyone who has been helped by any of my sermons or maybe even this devotional has Steven to thank in part. His legacy goes on through me and the other men and women who have interested in me also are reflected in my work for Christ. This is a great responsibility for me! Because I know that my actions aren’t just reflective of me, but also of Steven and the many others who have invested in me. This means my sin and foolishness isn’t just a grief tome, but also to those who have a part in making me into who I am. Look at the following verses from Proverbs 17.A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy. - Proverbs 17:21 (CSB)A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. - Proverbs 17:25 (CSB) The message is clear. Don’t be a dolt! Your life will either honor or dishonor those who came before you. #2 - How The Lives We Invest In Become Our Legacy My grandfather in law (Junior Zollinger) is an amazing man and role model. I love going to his house for Christmas and family get-togethers because I get to see the fruit of a man who prioritized investing in his family and leading them with Christ centered values. At his house, I see legacy in action. For a complete transcript go to braggingonjesus.com…
Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. 13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. Verse 12 makes sense right? A wicked ruler does not want some righteous person looking over his shoulder and reporting his misdeeds. Proverbs 29:13 The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. This makes me think of how we all originate from God… He is the one who gives our eyes the ability to take in light and discern images and truths in the wondrous beautiful world around us. But even more so, it is God who opens our spiritual eyes to see Jesus the Messiah as beautiful… as good news… as the greatest treasure in the Universe. Proverbs 29:14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. Ok, so first Solomon spoke about a wicked king and wicked officials and now in this verse he says there is also a faithful king…. so we have two kings. The faithful is one who judges the poor fairly and the wicked king and his officials could care less about justice but seeks his own glory. So these are the two contrasting kings in the passage but I think it’s the middle verse 13 that ties them together in a very insightful and doctrinal way. So God gives light to the eyes of people... but why? He gives light to the eyes of people in all Nations and people groups of the world to so they can see the glory of God in his creation that they might find and delight in him. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. So the heavens for example are not Gods glory but they declare attributes of his character that point us in his direction. His beauty, his power, his blessings in rain, his power in monsoon rains… his holding back of rain… all these things give us glimpses of characteristics of his holiness which includes justice and mercy both. Not that we should watch creation to see if God is angry or pleased with us but rather we can glimpse his ways. For example: Is a hurricane necessarily his judgment for sin? Is a beautiful sunshiny day necessarily a reward for righteousness. I think not, but these do direct us to align ourselves with our Creator and realize that in our sin we should go to him for mercy. But the heavens do declare his glory right? We might think about his wisdom and knowledge as we look up at the stars or a million other things in his creation… We cannot help but know he is amazing and the filthy rags of broken glory in ourselves cannot be compared to his beauty. And the thing is… God has given mankind eyes to see his creation that we might feel our way towards him. Acts 17:26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. So then God gives us eyes to see the beauty of his creation which makes him look good which he is. So what I think links the verses about the wicked king and the faithful king is that they are both given eyes to see Gods Creation so they have no excuse for not seeking him and knowing him. The wicked king sees his own glory but rejects the light of the glory of God in the Messiah. The faithful king sees how amazing God is and seeks to know him better and God opens his eyes to see more and more of his beauty.…
A parallel of the Gospel in the Old Testament that points us to Jesus and the promise of a guaranteed hope for sinners obtained through faith. For more go to braggingonjesus.com
Proverbs 29:5 A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. 6 An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. 7 A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge. 8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath. 9 If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. 10 Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright. 11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. I believe there are a number of things we could gain from today's reading. However; there is a thread that runs through it all which is mentioned in verse 6. This I what I’d like us to consider today. ... So as always there are two paths mentioned here the path of the evil and the path of the righteous. Let’s look at a kind of time line or maybe a heart-line for the wicked person in these verses and then we’ll come back to the righteous man in verse 6. Verse 5 begins with an ungodly man… not singing… not rejoicing but rather something else is coming out of his mouth… It is flattery towards his neighbor… not for their good to build them up… but for his own benefit. Solomon says he is spreading a net for his own feet. Verse 6 says sin catches the evil person in a trap echoing verse 5. Verse 7 talks about how the wicked man lacks understanding of justice for the poor, (I suspect that is because he is consumed in his own self-centeredness) and in verse 8 we see the scoffer (also wicked) is full of wrath setting a city on fire. Next the fool (again also evil) when arguing rages and laughs… apparently in place of making a good case. Verse 10 speaks of bloodthirsty men hating the blameless seeking the life of the upright… Then finally verse 11 says how the fool gives full vent… It seems he lets out his frustrations on the world. Can you see the heart-line of the wicked man? He is not a happy person… not really. He’s looking for happiness in all the wrong places… He’s going about it his way and not Gods way. He’s using some and flattering others. He’s taking advantage of the poor, he’s scoffing and putting down some and burning the city to get peoples attention making his statement by destroying other peoples property. (No, he didn’t burn his own house)… He laughs and rages on and on giving full vent to the discontentment within his heart. That’s his heart-line. I love the second half of verse 6. 6 ...but a righteous man sings and rejoices. While the city is burning and Covid-19 is sweeping the globe the righteous man sings and rejoices. For one thing this one who is rejoicing… Something has radically changed his perspective on life… Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. What on earth can do that? What can cause the righteous to sing when others spread evil, false gossip about him? What can keep him smiling when he is sick or on his death bed or sitting in a prison cell like John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrims Progress or the Apostle Paul who wrote so much of the New Testament? Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, What’s the heart-line that runs through Paul and Silas and so many Believers around the globe who’s homes are being burned… who are being tortured and killed because they rejoice in Jesus? Acts 5:41 speaking of Peter and other Apostles after they were beaten says this: Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. It’s because Jesus is the good news of great joy for the sinful soul. He’s the pearl of great price for the spiritually bankrupt, He is the great treasure worth leaving all for. He is our righteousness, peace, victory, inheritance our guaranteed hope and so much more now and for eternity.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 13:20-21 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. Bill and George (Brad Chase) Gather around little children. I want to tell you a story. Are you ready? Ok. Here we go. Once upon a time there were two little boys. Bill and George. They went to the same school and were in the same class together. They had the same interest and liked to play the same games. They traded lunches like playing cards and even spent the night at each other’s houses. For a time, you might have thought they were brothers. They were inseparable. They were 2 happy boys who enjoyed each other’s friendship. As the boys got older, some things began to change. Bill’s parents fought. A lot. And eventually they split up. George’s mom and dad ( who were already married) began dating each other! How funny is that? Bill’s brothers and sisters were never around and didn’t want to play with Bill. They thought he was a baby. George’s brothers and sisters all made it a point to be together and were sure to show their love for each other. They even told each other they loved each other! After a while, even school changed for the boys. Bill made friends with the “rough” crowd while George hung out with a variety of people. But, Georg’s new friends weren’t trouble makers. See, Bill felt love and acceptance from his new friends. Even though the friends didn’t always do what was right. High school was crazy for the boys. They had drifted apart and hardly knew each other anymore. Bill started doing what his new friends did instead of doing what was right. Half way through Bills sophomore year, he was arrested and ended up in jail. His friends had talked him into doing some really bad things. George was doing well though. He had lots of friends and was doing well in school. He was even going to church and telling people about Jesus. Let’s jump ahead in our story. Where are the boys now 10 years after school. First, George. He has strong family ties. He is rooted in God’s word and has many Godly friends. He has a high school diploma and a career he loves. But Bill. Bill has recently been released from prison for the 3rd time. He has no degree, no family and his so called friends are only there for him when he is doing bad things. Bill made poor decisions for friends. While some of it was personal choice, there is also an element of influenced decision making. Look at the family life of the two boys. A strong, loving and present family produced a well rounded positive adult with direction. A difunctional family where Bill thought no one cared sent him racing into the arms of a rough crowd that ultimately destroyed is life. Up till now... Our passage for the day says... Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. - Proverbs 13:20-21 The reality is that we are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. Disaster peruses each and every one of us. But, God in his love and mercy sent his only son, Jesus, to die on a cross so that through his shed blood, God would be able to look down on us and see us as righteous. So, what does this mean for our friend Bill? Is it too late for him? No! As long as he is alive, he has an opportunity to make new friends. Better friends. To become a friend of Jesus and therefore being seen as righteous in the eyes of God. The same is true for you. If you’re listening to this or reading this, and have not yet done so, you still have an opportunity to accept the friendship God is extending through his son and be declared as righteous. Today’s the day the this is the hour to make new friends.…
Trust / Gerri Aylor C @ 09/28/20 Today I trusted in myself, It didn't work I see I planned the day, just what I'd do, Twas all in vain for me I've learned I cannot trust in man, God's word proved that is true And you can't trust your feelings; Hey, that is nothing new Well, I recalled what must come first In early morning light The worship of my Lord my God, Who makes my day alright The world will always trick you; It's ok, “just have your way” But if you sin, what's coming is A dark and heavy day We'll never have the energy To change our way of life Until we call on Jesus; He'll save us from the strife We often plan our lives so sure; This is what we all do But truly God, it's in Your hands, It's totally up to you! Gerri Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.…
Proverbs 29:1 He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. 2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. 3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. 4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down. Today Solomon takes a look at some commonalities between a wicked person and a wicked Nation. First let’s consider the individual that is prideful… that's what the metaphor of having a stiff neck indicates. He is set in looking at life the way he wants to in his heart and will not turn his head towards the truth. You know when you stiffen your neck or any joint in your body and you hold it tight as heavy stress is placed against it… there is a possibility of injury. And the thing is… truth will not back down. It presses down hard against every lie and every worldly promise of satisfaction. It eventually breaks every person who holds a stiff neck because truth always persevere and is always proved right. We see it individually here on earth in the course of our life as we follow false pursuits and if we keep a stiff neck we will see it on judgment day and on into eternity. So just as wickedness brings pain and brokenness to individuals it also breaks Nations. We see it over and over through recorded history in the Bible with Nations like Egypt and so many of the evil Nations they encountered in their wilderness travels and not only them but all along the way Israel also experienced much neck trouble when they stiffened their neck to the ways of God. Even students of modern history look back and see these same consistencies among nations who have turned away from God and embraced self serving ways. Solomon says how when the wicked are calling the shots for a whole Nation it causes the people to groan. And you know what?… real bodily neck trouble can cause a person to really groan... Am I saying truth? If you’re like me you know the answer to that. Ive had lots of neck problems in my life.; first as a young boy and then again and again many times. You may know how hard it is to find the right spot to hold your head and you have to wear a brace especially when you lay down and you can hardly drive because you have to move your whole body to look to the right or the left. Just as it is with an individual... A nations neck begins to stiffen its a sign that lots of groaning is in their future. In closing lets look at what Solomon goes on to say about an individual and nations both in regards to those without a stiff neck to God: 3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,… 4 By justice a king builds up the land,… So… then there are some who have a neck that is not fixed in cement to go their own way… Instead, they hear God’s word, turn away from wickedness and trust in God… (turning from sin is called repentance and trusting God is faith). That’s cool right? Even in Solomon's day one can see how wickedness and trusting in self brings brokenness beyond healing and looking away from the promises of sin and to God with faith brings salvation. We see the Gospel in the Old Testament over and over. As for the individual... Solomon says how if his son loves this kind of wisdom it makes his father or him... glad… Receiving the Gospel manned our Father in heaven glad as well. As for a nation that trusts God… they give truth its place of honor and therefore justice… Solomon says how this does not break the nation beyond healing but rather builds up the land. Pray…
Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. 31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. 34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.” Alright, remember in the last session Solomon focused on the misuse of alcohol, food and women… We talked about how what we take into our bodies and what we do and our relationships should all be for the glory of God. Today Solomon is quite pointed to what sin he is referring to and spends many words focusing specifically on the misuse of alcoholic beverages. I think this passage can provide us some more touchstones for discernment in all things on our journey through life… Lets look a bit closer… Solomon lists a number of side effects or repercussions of drinking alcohol in excess. He accentuates the pains it can bring with words like sorrow, woe and strife. He asks: “Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?” Then he gives an answer to his own questions and I believe that what he says has applications which we can add to the lists of touchstones for discernment that we looked at in the last devotion. So Solomon has posed questions about who it might be who experiences all the miseries he raised. He says it’s “Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine”. If he was speaking of food as he did in the last session he might have said: It is those who tarry long at the table… those who overindulge in rich, greasy foods and sweet desserts… Solomon's words on drink parallel with an obsession with sex that led to the adulterous woman earlier in the chapter. There is a symbiotic seed that is shared between all sin and Solomon is showing us how to see it before it devours us. Last time we talked about how what leads or motivates a man will determine what he walks towards as he seeks satisfaction. One verse we looked at was Galatians 5:16 which says: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. We talked about how the Spirit of God is good and there is a context in which the flesh is good but one or the other have to lead us and have the final say in what we do through life. Like food, and all the things that appeal to the flesh… drink also promises satisfaction. Every thing the world offers can claim our worship. Tarrying long over anything can be a red flag for us to ponder. Whether its long hours away from family at the office or the golf course or way too many girls night outs… even the physical blessings God gives his people can become something our heart tarries long over… sometimes even before we get them… its called lust and is the dark word we might use for worship. Solomon also mentions mixed wine… This makes me think that for some people simple wine is just not enough. And so they push the envelope of a particular sin. Take pornogrophy for example… after a while a particular type of image may not excite someone like before so they mix other genres of porn in their cup. Because sin does not actually satisfy, all sin that is tarried over long will likely lead to mixed sin. So Solomon goes on and describes a person who does not know where his bruises came from… His own mind and heart plays tricks on him... he’s paranoid. He is blind to his purpose in life. His life is a heavy fog. He’s numb to the joy of true life. He has all of the fallout Solomon spoke of… sorrows, woe and strife… and yet at the end of the day he says: “I must have another drink.”…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For a full transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 23:19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. 20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. 22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. 23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. 25 Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice. 26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a prostitute is a deep pit; an adulteress is a narrow well. 28 She lies in wait like a robber and increases the traitors among mankind.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For a full transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, 2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. 4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. 6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, 7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.c “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words. It seems to me that in these verses Solomon is counseling us against appealing to man for our welfare in life… that is trusting others instead of God. Men make promises for money and good things to those who they can use for pawns and I think Solomon is saying don’t get caught in that trap. Dont succumb to the pressures of others to do things that go against your God given conscious or His word. Don’t get caught up in the rat race of the world searching for treasures like there is any chance that they might satisfy you… they won’t. That extra money you earn driving the get away car is not going to pay your family doctor bills. Gods way is the best way! ... For full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com So in closing, everything Solomon has mentioned here is not only about a man trying to use you… It is about much more. Satan offers us… you and I his delicacies, but they too are deceptive food. He keeps on keeping on as he tempts us to work for him throughout our lifetime. He knows that if we get a taste for sin… we will want more… and we will say “yes sir” and “thank you sir”. He may promise us good times, riches and power but once our eye sets on it… we find we can never get enough to make us happy… then one day we find that all along satan was leading us to our own destruction and we vomit up his delicacies. Satan never wanted good for us… He is the stingy man Solomon spoke of… he sought his own glory and it led to his downfall… and he has tempted mankind with the same even from the days of Adam and Eve and we know how that turned out. But God who is not stingy so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son who lived the perfect life that no one else would and he died the wicked sinners death everyone deserves and defeated the wages of sin which is death that no one could. And whoever delights in him is given Jesus righteousness and power over sin and will be raised up no longer a slave to the entropy of sin… no more sickness, pain, covid-19 or even death and will be with the Lord forever.…
For full transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 22:26 Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you? 28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. 29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Today we look at three obvious examples of how men strive to get ahead in life. I want to focus mostly on the first thing Solomon mentions and then we will touch on the other two. Solomon tells us how we should not be one of those kind of people who put up security for loans and then make promises to pay. Is Solomon saying never take out a loan? I don’t believe so because there are times borrowing and loaning is mentioned in the Bible with no seeming implication of wrong doing by either party. However there is a heart behind some borrowing which is obsessive and self centered and can ruin a persons life. Every day in the world people see things and their heart begins pounding for them… not out of necessity but out of lust… Credit Cards hit their limit over and over…. and people become poorer and poorer in money and in their heart towards God. ... And for believers, satan gets what he wants… he ties our hands and keeps us working day in and day out to pay debts and so we have little extra time for our new mission in Christ… ... So we have touched on three things that mess our life up when we become slaves to the loans we have taken out. One is that our worship begins shifting from God to the things of the world. Secondly, our incoming money shifts from our new mission in Christ to paying for things. Thirdly, our time is taken away from us. We spend it not only paying for those things we’ve given our life to… but also spending time with them and taking care of them. that is… dusting, storing, repairing, even using in an effort to find satisfaction because we believed the promises of the world over the promises of God. Solomon also gives us a couple more examples of how people get ahead in life. I’ll read the last two verses again and then briefly touch on them. 28 Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set. 29 Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Some get ahead by reinterpreting truths to suit their own interests. They take advantage of others by making a case based on passion and smooth talk. They take things out of context and manipulate the poor and helpless. Then in closing Solomon tells us a better way. That is dependable and skillful workmanship. This is glorifying to God. Ecclesiastics 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,… Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, When we fervently glorify God by honest and good work, we are emulating him… Actually, if the Lord is our worship then It is Him who is at work in us… and he will not let up or quit… he will not turn back but he, like an artist, a potter… greater than any expert craftsman is making us into an amazing vessel that will mightily glorify himself and in doing he brings great joy to us. Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.…
Proverbs 22:22 Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, 23 for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them. 24 Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, 25 lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Solomon teaches us not to selfishly take advantage of the vulnerable and easy targets in society. ... And then Solomon says not to enjoy friendship with an angry person or a person who takes out their frustrations on others; or else we may become like him. So in these verses we find a few villains. One robs the poor; one subdues the afflicted; another is full of anger and the last mentioned is a wrathful man. These are all brothers… or at the least close relatives in the family of villains. For those who take advantage of the poor and afflicted… Gods word is clear… God will deal with them firmly. Believe it. Small clip of Gods related word to Israel: Exodus 22:22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. So yes, God is serious about taking advantage of others. What about the angry and wrathful man? ... God will deal with the angry and wrathful person. Colossians 3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. So God will deal with the one full of anger and the one who shows his anger practically with wrath. The believer will receive discipline with the love of a Father toward his children while one who rejects the free gift of the love of God in his only Son Jesus… will actually receive the full force of the anger and wrath of God. Romans 2:8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. In closing Solomon tells us how we become like those we love to fellowship with and admire… This is the dark side of the principal of associated glory. Proverbs 13:20 says: Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. And the Apostle Paul agrees in 1st Corinthians 15:33 saying: Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Even as believers we may tend to think that if we do not hang out with the major sins that plague mankind like murder and adultery or theft… if these are not our friends… we are good. WRONG! In the letter to the church in Laodicea John writes this from Jesus: Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. I think a good thing to ponder is this: Who do you make your friendships with? Not only speaking of people but passions… Who did you hang out with last night? What movies did you watch? Where did you go on your smart phone? What sites did you ponder on the internet? Who are you making friendships with? The Bible has clearly shown us that we will become like these. Moses ask of God in Exodus 33:18 ... “Please show me your glory.” Paul connects how God showed Moses his glory in the next chapters to 2nd Corinthians 3:18 which says: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For a full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. 19 That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you. 20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, 21 to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you? ......... Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. We are blind; he is the eye opener. We are deaf to his words; he gives us ears to hear. We have no understanding or awareness until God let’s us know Jesus is the greatest treasure in the Universe. We are dead spiritually like Lazarus was physically until God says come forth. We are without form and void, and darkness is over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovers over our heart. And God says let there be light and we become a new creation in Christ Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The good news is how Jesus is the promised one from Genesis 3 after mankind fell into sin. He would come and do what mankind did not do and that is obey Gods commandments and keep his word perfectly as a man. He gives his righteousness to all who believe God concerning Jesus, looking to him as the promised one for their unrighteousness. Jesus came and lived a perfect life and died the wicked sinners death we deserve. He was paid the wages of our sin. Then, on the third day he defeated the hold sin had in death through the law (the wages of sin is death… the soul that sinners it shall die); and God gives us that same power over the hold sin has in life to have victory over temptation as we walk with him. God will raise us as Jesus was raised no longer subject to the entropy connected with sin to be with him forever. So back to the text… again; the first reason Solomon wrote about the truths he says is “to make you know what is right and true”. He wants our eyes and ears and heart to be awakened to Gods truths. Thats what happens when we see Jesus as good news. 2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2ndly Solomon says he writes these things “that you may give a true answer to those who sent you”. So yes this goes perfectly with the Gospel through all of scripture. #1 see, #2 share. We usually do this automatically even when we are passionate about things of this world. Football and all sports... other hobbies... our favorite food, music.... we see, we hear, we taste and if we like... then we share. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. In today’s passage we find that Solomon wants us to discipline our children. And apparently there is even a time when it is appropriate to use a rod on them. I suspect some have used this verse as an excuse to take out their frustrations on their children… maybe even beat them so that they could hardly move. Please do not read this into the verse!!! It is not there. In fact the very next verse which we read says how we should not to oppress the poor to benefit ourselves. You see… God does not approve of oppressing others not the poor as his word says and certainly not our children. Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. So we cannot provoke to oppress our children and yet at the same time Paul and Solomon both say we must discipline them. In Ephesians Paul helps us even more saying how the discipline we give should point them to the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 says: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So then spankings… I received my share growing up… with a belt, a paddle and a switch come to mind… also the bare hand… …spankings have their place and there is a time when they are the best possible tool. We need to be good at using discernment… not only for the appropriate measures but also in knowing our child’s heart and what type of discipline points them to the ways of the Lord the best. And thats not all… we must check our own heart and if we are responding to them in hot anger simply wait. We must do all things with love for our children good and to the glory of God. As far as verse 16 speaking of oppressing the poor or giving bribes to the rich… all for our own benefit. I believe we have spoken on this in a number of Proverb devotions. But let me say this. Whether it’s our relationship with our children or our spouse or our friends or if its how we relate to the rich or poor. We need to look out for their eternal good. Let them see us living lives of love and always pointing them to the awesomeness of Jesus and how he is good news of great joy and the greatest treasure in the Universe. How he lived a perfect righteous live and died a wicked sinners death… a death meant for us… How when he rose from the dead he defeated the hold that sin had through the law (the wages of sin is death) and God gives us that same power over the hold sin had over us in life so we are not slaves to sin as we walk with Him. And one day God will raise us no longer subject to the entropy associated with sin… no more pain, sickness, arthritis, covid-19… no more death and with him forever. Pray…
Proverbs 22:13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” 14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit; he with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it. It’s interesting to me how these two verses fit together so well… ... For one we human beings rationalize and make excuses when we don’t want to do something claiming it is dangerous or will cause pain or suffering in some way; … While with open arms a man will run towards the arms of a forbidden woman which can ruin his life. The forbidden woman is a thousand times worse than a lion for sure! I believe we can see the spiritual parallel of how the forbidden woman not only represents adultery and fornication but also the forsaking of our Creator and making all kinds of sin into god’s rather than the Lord. So this forbidden woman can lead a man to eternal destruction while a lion can only kill our physical body. Something else… When I come to this verse a “take notice” flag pop up as if to say slow down, something seems different here. Let me read verse 14 again. ... Then I notice what seems off... the verse is written backwards as to how I normally think. I would expect it to say something like whoever falls to a forbidden woman will evoke the LORD to become angry. However, it seems to say here that the LORD is angry before this person ever falls for the sweet sounding words of the forbidden woman. The word that stems from the Hebrew for “angry” is also sometimes translated enraged or abhorred. This shouldn’t be surprising to me… its easy to see how a man will lust and ponder after a woman… even fantasizing in his mind… before he ever approaches the forbidden woman. The LORD is not happy with him for all his evil pondering of sin. I think that is the definition of worship… but it is not the worship of God but of sin. The LORD has good reason to be angry… And this man who may have purposed in his heart not to approach the forbidden woman in the real world… (only in his mind)… he cannot overpower the LORD and how he is angry because of his heart of sin… and what happens? ...the man falls. This senerio plays out so many times every day in the world. As I think of my own life… a related question comes to mind… When the LORD is angry with someone; will that person only fall in the same genera of their sin? …Or will they fall into other pits of sin not directly connected to their sin? Is that possible? Maybe even as a believer you are like me and have committed spiritual adultery in various ways. It seems to me that there are times in my life when I am re-routed off his path by pursuing a sin and then I have found that God has allowed other areas of my life to suffer. Most often the pit that I have fell into that stems from some sin seems to be that I become blinded to areas of focus, the purpose God has for my life… ... Sin causes our reality to be distorted... it did that before we came to Christ keeping us from seeing His beauty and sin still causes spiritual fogginess to the beauty of Jesus! ... When we as Christians prostitute ourselves to the world we seem to begin to make ourselves at home here instead of looking to the kingdom God has prepared for us and we stray from our new mission of seeing more of His glory and sharing his beauty with others. … Sin leads us to more sin… back to our old mission of seeking to glorify self. Thankfully however, in my own sin, the LORD has been merciful to me personally. After sin sets in… God continues to draw his children back to him… hopefully sin does not keep us in the wilderness for 40 years… but after an undisclosed amount of time, repentance comes and the joy for the good gifts of God return. The fog lifts and my awareness, faith and hope returned when I humbled myself to my Savior. This stark realization of how sin takes hold should motivate me to stay far away from the slippery slope of sin, and when I do sin to turn back oh so quickly!…
Proverbs 22:10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. 11 He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. 12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. Today we find some good words for leaders in various organizations… business owners… governments… even close knit type circles of friendship… Drive out a scoffer… First who is a scoffer? That would be a person who’s always ridiculing in a scornfully derisive or mocking way. Some people just hold this way of looking at life and relating to others at their core. Its not that they are not capable of change… it does not mean Jesus does not love them or did not die for them… its just that they will cause all kinds of trouble in your business or organization and your group will struggle to accomplish great things. Typically I think the scoffer buddies up and builds up those he is with at the time but then he puts them down when he is around others. He is one who sows discord and division. Jude 1:18 recounting what the apostles have said puts it like this: …“In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. Look, we all need struggle and we all need our ideals to be challenged… It’s ok to disagree with others and its good to offer constructive criticism. But scoffers seldom meet privately to offer their ideas… They usually tear others down behind their back and if they do so to their face it is usually done in view of others so they will be seen as tough. Dont be that person who is always backbiting and gossiping about someone else. Even a scoffers close friends will likely soon understand that they are being belittled behind their own backs as well. Solomon likely drove out scoffers from his own administration in hopes to prevent an attempted overthrow and secure a godly kingdom. Then verse 11 encourages us in what seems to be the opposite of scoffing. Solomon says how a godly king will count those as his friend whose speech is gracious (rather than scoffing) and those who love purity of heart. Finally in verse 12 we find how that in all these things Solomon has been saying God is calling us to emulate himself… that's what its all about... see 2nd Cor 3:18 Gods glory transforms us taking on his character and fruit of the Spirit. Let me read 12 again: The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor. IF we look at this verse as describing two men with opposite natures… one who has knowledge that Proverbs speaks so highly of for the wise man of God. The Lord keeps watch over him. This is the man who loves purity and whose speech is gracious in verse 11. He is the one who will have the king as his friend which I think points to us who have a heart for God… a heart he has changed… we will have him… the King of Kings as our friend. Solomon then says how the Lord himself will overthrow the traitor. The Lord will drive out the scoffer who claims to be his servant when he is around believers but then like a traitor he sides with darkness and scoffs at godliness. He is a traitor and divider and turns people away from the kingdom. He will be driven out. In Luke 13:28 Jesus said it like this: “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out”. Pray…
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. 8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail. 9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. ... Let’s take a brief look at each one in a physical and spiritual context then look for the link between them. A borrower is slave of the lender right? I mean, we may not think of it like that but the truth is.... if you have a $500 monthly car payment and a $1100 house and you make $100 day... if so then you are really working 16 full 8 hour days every month for your lender... and likely for many years… and if you don’t pay they will take disciplinary actions like someone might do to a slave… Surely not as severe but still the message is clear… borrowers are slaves in some context to lenders. A spiritual application to borrowing money from a lender to obtain something we desire might be thought of like this. Consider all the different kinds of sinful things that tug on our hearts promising to fulfill our deep spiritual desires. And no, their not for free. They all come with a price want us to be paying them off for the rest of our life. We become slaves to the lender and the products we receive don’t even satisfy but rather lead us to destruction. Next Solomon says injustice will not win the day. ... Look, the path of injustice has the same end as every other path. They all end in true justice. So injustice does not have the last say. Even in this life in places where there is at least some kind of justice with laws that protect the vulnerable and those who cannot defend themselves... In these places injustice is short lived. Thats likely how it was in Solomons kingdom. But its not to say that any society does not fall short… we all do. ... But nevertheless, on Judgement Day all injustice will be judged with true justice. Finally Solomon speaks of a bountiful eye being blessed. A bountiful eye is a cool phrase. Bountiful means generous and openhanded… ...You know, I can see that being related to a persons heart or their deeds but its not everyday that we hear of someone with a bountiful eye. Solomon gives us a clue to its meaning though… he says the person with a bountiful eye shares his bread with the poor. So I take that to mean that he has an eye for the needy and he already has made up his mind that he is going to lavish them bountifully in some way that will be a great help to them. Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in our own problems as we walk through this broken world that we cant see the needs of those on every side of us. The person who has an eye for the poor and oppressed stays ... on the look out for those who are overlooked by society that they might show them compassion and bless them in the name of the Lord. Solomon says that these people will be blessed. So all these verses today go hand in hand in pointing us to Jesus. Remember in verse 7 we learned that the borrower is servant of the lender and sin comes with an eternal payment due. In verse 8 we saw how injustice cannot escape judgement day and all sin will face justice. Then finally in verse 9 we looked at how the bountiful eye will be blessed and he shares his bread with the poor. Well, thats a charge for us sure… but you know… thats what the Lord did for us. He had a bountiful eye towards us and blessed us when we were needy. In Mark 2:17 Jesus said: …“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” He showed us our need of Him and his beauty as the greatest treasure in the Universe… We looked to him in faith and were blessed In Christ Jesus. He is the one who sets us free from our debt to the law because of sin. And justice is done in that Jesus is the one who takes the wages due us for our sin… It’s all because of his bountiful eye towards us because of his glorious grace through Christ Jesus. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For transcript go to braggingonjesus.com Click on Proverbs Devotions
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. 2 The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all. 3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. 4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Alright, as we start Proverbs 22, Solomon begins talking about money or wealth. He mentions riches in three of these four verses, but first he tells us there’s something better than great riches even mentioning silver and gold. This is actually very profound… It’s like in one hand Solomon holds out the greatest most valuable things the world treasures… the things that can be used to obtain any physical thing one might desire. Great riches… And he should know a thing or two about them… 1st Kings chapter 10 is one place you can read all about Solomon's wealth. ... (transcript at braggingonjesus.com) Great riches are still important to men right? … silver and gold are still at the top of the worlds list even around 3000 years after Solomon wrote these words. So Solomon holds great wealth in one hand and in the other… two things which he says are greater than these… a good name is a better choice than riches; and favor is better than silver and gold. Solomon also reminds us that the rich and poor all share a common origin. We share the same Maker… the Lord… And he says the rich and poor meet. Somehow this meeting is connected to God making us all. I was just thinking ... (transcript at braggingonjesus.com) Man was made in Gods image for worshiping God and loving our neighbor as our self. Not for being obsessed with riches. ... (transcript at braggingonjesus.com) Next, in verse 3 we see an example of how a prudent person can see danger and removes himself from it. Although this verse does not mention riches this prudent person ... (transcript at braggingonjesus.com) Finally in verse 4 Solomon says: “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life”. And Solomon knows this truth on a deep personal level. Remember when he humbled himself in the fear of the Lord and ask God to be the leader God wanted him to be? 2nd Chronicles 1 tells us what God gave Solomon. 2 Chronicles 1:11 God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” So God gave Solomon the very things he mentions in verse 4… riches and honor and life. In closing today my mind goes back to what Solomon said in verse 2 which we looked at. “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all.” We talked about origins and how God is creator of us all… How the rich and poor both came into this world with nothing. You know, we were created for relationship with God. He wants us to neither be obsessed with poverty or riches but pursue and worship him as the greatest treasure in the Universe that he is. We were created in a fashion so that seeing his glory brings us the greatest joy possible and transforms our life. And the truth is… the rich and poor will meet in some fashion again… even with our Creator on Judgment Day. Once again we will have nothing. We all stand poor before our Maker. If we have turned away from treasuring sin and looked to Christ. If our hope is in him then although we are poor we come before God with the righteousness of Jesus. and we receive life and riches and share in his glory forever. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 28:23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue. 24 Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, “That is no transgression,” is a companion to a man who destroys. 25 A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. 26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. 27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. 28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase. In our last session, we considered a faithful man verses a man who hastens after riches and we looked at how his worship of money caused him to be an unfaithful man. Today Solomon floods us with a blitz of reasons not to be that wicked stingy unfaithful man who is only out for himself… These passages seem to me to serve as a kind of review for the whole chapter in some ways… I don’t know if Solomon wrote these all in one setting or if the Scribes organized the proverbs in this fashion but… hey it works well. So in todays verses, as Solomon talks about the wicked rising to leadership roles and being greedy… having apathy towards the poor, not honoring their parents and trusting their own hearts over God… And even as he gives the positive to the negative telling us about the benefits of trusting the Lord… something else stands out strong. It’s in the first verse of the passage. 23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue. You know... we live in an age where it is politically correct to give a false definition to the term “tolerant”. “Tolerant” does not mean to be a faint hearted paper tiger and hide truth in a sock in your bottom drawer or sweep it under the rug when company comes like it is dirt. Look… all this wickedness Solomon speaks of needs to be addressed and as early as possible before hearts become hardened. But it has to be addressed in love and I think as believers it is imperative that we do this correctly to our brothers and sisters in Christ. As I said, it needs to be done in love. In my life I’ve seen three ways believers respond to wickedness in the Church. * One is by not reaching out in love… not serving with humility the one who is going astray… instead; keeping our mouth shut and doing nothing. And some times the whole church is being led in a way that is unscriptural and believers do not stand up for the Gospel or good theology and we just let the church fall into the lap of satan himself. * If there is a small fire in your house it is not good to ignore it …is it?… and a big fire… do your best and call the fire department. Look, we are to leave no brother or sister behind. We are our brothers keeper. * Another way we respond to a pattern of sin in a believer is to start right out by rebuking him publicly not with humility but with a prideful super Christian I’m better than thou attitude. Really? Is that Christian in any way shape or form? We probably all know someone who has left the church because someone who has rebuked them in an unloving prideful way. This could be the arrogant man in verse 26 who trust in his own mind and is a fool. And it may even be the wicked man in verse 28 who when he comes to power every one hides from. I’ve seen this wrong way of rebuking in the Church and I don’t even want to repeat what I heard or how bad it was. * Thirdly, I’ve seen what Solomon says in verse 23. That is... instead of flattering someone who is walking in sin... rebuking them with a heart of humility. Those who see how sin brings destruction while Jesus brings satisfaction... Those who turn from rejoicing in sin to delighting Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe will look to the one who rebuked them as the one who reminded them of Jesus. They will look to you with favor. Pray…
Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. 21 To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong. 22 A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. In today’s passage Solomon says how a faithful man will be bristling with blessings… overflowing… And then instead of simply giving a one line negative end for the one who is not faithful, he expounds on this truth in more detail than usual. So one man in the text is faithful. Then, interestingly; without using the word “unfaithful”, Solomon uses other words to show us some of the attributes of this unfaithful man. * He is one who hastens to be rich. * He shows partiality towards others. * He is willing to break laws and take advantage of others to get something he wants or needs. Then in verse 22 Solomon repeats the fact that hasting after wealth is a bad thing and he uses a curious word… “stingy”. “A stingy man”. The dictionary on my computer says stingy means: “unwilling to give or spend;” Again, Verse 22 says: ... So Solomon gives us all these things that relate to a man being obsessed with money and getting rich quick and doing whatever it takes to do it… and somehow he seems to be saying this is the opposite of the faithful man who will abound with blessings. To be faithful is to be steadfast in the things of God. ... This faithful man will bristle with blessings. That does not mean money is bad in itself. Like anything else it can be used to bring glory to God. But rather it’s loving money so much that… even though one does not realize it… it has become what they worship and find their delight in.. You know, that is clearly making ourselves other gods that we place before the LORD. 1 Timothy 6:10 says: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. You see, money does not bring delights that rise to even be compared to the joys that come through Jesus. This is where God wants us to find our worship. So… money is not bad and things are not bad… but loving and delighting in them… being so obsessed with them that we run after them hastily… We put all kinds of things on credit cards that we want right now because we think they will bring us joy. God wants us to walk in his joy and worship every second of every day. In Deuteronomy 28 Israel is about to go into the promise land and God will overflow them blessings of all kinds of things meant for their good. But in this chapter God gives them a severe warning of around 100 curses that will come upon them if they do not do this one thing when they come into the promised land. 46 They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, So there is a practical aspect of being faithful and saving without obsessing… for this world. Proverbs 13:11 says: 11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. But at the end of the day it’s all gonna be long gone, right? So even here on earth whether we have much or little God has promised abundant overflowing blessings to those who have faith in him and in whom his faithfulness is working out in their life practically. You know, Jesus is the only one who was ever truly faithful in this world. And his righteousness is applied to all who believe in him. On the cross he took the wages due us for our sin and gives us the wages due him for his righteousness… even fellowship and relationship and acceptance by God. In his resurrection we receive the same power he has over the hold sin has in death and in life as we walk in his joy and worship.…
Proverbs 28:17 If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. From the beginning, intentional premeditated murder is something God has decreed to be an abomination and dealt with severely. We see this first when Adam and Eve’s son Cain killed his brother Abel and then in Gods commandments and the courts of his people and all of mankind. Its even something I believe is imprinted upon our hearts. I suppose one reason this is so important is because Man was made in the image of God. Today I’d like to ponder that for a bit… What does made in God image mean? For one thing It must mean that unlike the rest of Creation we were created to be compatible with God in a more intimate way. I mean… families share lots of physical characteristics right? They might have the same eyes or chin or a similar walk. These things identify us as family and remind us we were meant to have strong unifying family ties in fellowship and relationship. So then does being made in Gods image mean we physically look like him? I do not see that in scripture. The truth is that Jesus himself who is God the Son, came to earth physically resembling the image of man… And yet there is something else… Jesus; quoting from Colossians 1:15 “is the image of the invisible God”. So we were made in Gods image but Jesus is that image. Even as a physical man he had the invisible qualities of God. And so it stands to reason that Adam and Eve had something invisible about them that mirrored God. So as we ponder this… I was just thinking… and this is interesting to me… how that mankind has plenty of invisible qualities at least in some context. …. but animals who where not made in Gods image have these also… so, that being said… I believe none of these things are mirror images of the invisible God which the bible speaks of… rather they seem to point us to their spiritual counterparts which must be awakened by God. It does make sense that God is invisible because he is spirit… right? In John 4:24 Jesus said this: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” And so Gods way of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling is spiritual as well… And when God awakens his Spirit in you and I, all of a sudden our world is…. like full of beautiful colors and music… wonderful smells… We see Jesus as beautiful and savor his word as the best thing we’ve ever tasted. Look, since Adam and Eve believed in satan over God, the relationship… the fellowship of the invisible image of God upon mankind was broken. Man became image bearers of sin and self and satan. But still, God created us in a fashion so that sweet spiritual camaraderie with God could be restored… even for those who never had experienced fellowship with God before. ...Read text again... Please verify all my ponderings yourself by going to Gods Word. Go to braggingonjesus.com for full transcript…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. Rulers Who Lack Understanding R Aylor I love the metaphors Solomon uses in his writings… Proverbs is full of them. Even in this chapter so far we have encountered a few. In verse one he says how the righteous are bold as a lion and then in verse 3 he gives a scenario where oppressing the poor is like a beating rain. Here the picture Solomon paints is a wicked ruler coming for the poor people in his land… and he’s attacking in full assault mode like a roaring lion or a charging bear. Thats a pretty graphic picture… the outcome will not be rated G or PG13 but a lot worse… still its a true and honest representation. The next verse… 16 continues speaking of a ruler who is a cruel oppressor saying he lacks understanding and then Solomon says how one who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. Solomon does this quite often… He starts us with a truth to ponder… say a positive to a negative… something about the wise and righteous and something else about the wicked… Either somehow they are related… or we get to fill in the blanks to the negative or positive truth he is sharing. Many times Solomon seems to want us to finish the thought so we can work it out in our own mind and internalize it for ourself. I think he wants us to know why we believe what we say we believe instead of taking his or anyone else’s word for it. So verse 16 says how a ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor… We might also consider 15 about a wicked ruler charging at the poor… and therefore as we think through this we can figure that a ruler who has understanding will be compassionate and just toward the poor instead of a beating rain that strips them bare. A understanding leader will work to raise the poor from their poverty for their own good and that of the nation. Solomon then says the word “but’… “but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days”. Again this seems to be a positive end for the ruler who has understanding… so what is the negative? Yes, Solomon says how a leader without understanding is a cruel oppressor; Solomon says thats the negative side but he has now added something else for us to ponder. The cruel oppressor must have loved unjust gain… Solomon tells us how this wicked leader oppresses the poor… They unfairly take advantage of those who have no recourse. They unjustly take what they have like the beating rain in verse 3 of this chapter. Solomon also gives us another nugget to backtrack on. A good just leader will prolong his days. Therefore we can surmise that being an oppressive unjust leader will not wind up being a healthy course for his career or his life. How does any of this relate to me? I’m not a king or leader of a nation. We all lead others. Our life, our choices, our faith, our attitude… the way our heart works out into our life actions… even our facial expressions. At the very least even if we stay home and never involve ourselves socially with others there is some kind of butterfly effect that contributes to the heartbeat of the culture. Fathers, be encouraging leaders in your families. Dont be a roaring lion or charging bear dominating them for your own self centeredness. Dont seek to have your family serve you but rather serve them and work to the end that they have joy in serving God and loving their neighbor… Encourage them… Work for peace and truth that your family might grow out of the things they are weak in and your family might become strong in the Lord for his glory. One benefit this will surly bring is that it will prolong your days as one who is looked to in love as the godly leader God has called you to be. Pray…
Proverbs 28:18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. 19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. Lets start with the second phrase… of vs 18... it says how the crooked “will suddenly fall”. This seems to indicate that there may be at least a season before that when the crooked might appear to be successful. I think we do see the wicked appearing successful often times in life. And that seems to trip up some people in their faith… It plants a seed of doubt. In Psalm 73, the writer Asaph saw this and it bothered him. Verse 3 says: For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ... Psalm 37 is a psalm of David and it’s likely just what you need if you don’t understand why God has not stepped in yet. It starts out like this: 1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! Solomon also says how those who walk in integrity will be delivered. We’ll look more at that in a minute. Next in verse 19 he plays off the word “plenty”. It says: “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” So these are surly the same men he has been telling us about throughout Proverbs. There are various attributes and characteristics of a “righteous” man who has a heart for God . Gods righteousness works out of his life as he grows practically in that righteousness. And then there is the wicked man with his characteristics. Verse 19 speaks of this one who has a heart for God and righteousness… He is the man of integrity in verse 18… not lazy… he diligently works hard; has plenty of bread. This same righteousness from God also works in him to love his neighbor promotes a ton of other godly traits. But the man without a heart for God… who in this sub genre of wickedness is lazy to the things of God that have to do with working for a living and providing for his family… Solomon says that they too will have plenty… plenty of poverty. So in these two verses we see two examples of a wicked man. One seems to be successful for a time so he is likely not lazy… and he will suddenly fall… It may be here on earth… it may be not come until death… But one thing is for sure… even if God waits until judgment day for the ultimate fall… it will happen. The other wicked man was different in that he was lazy. It is logical to assume that he too may have seemed to have it good for a while as he lived off of those around him. A righteous government surly does not enable the lazy to remain as unproductive citizens. I suppose in Solomons kingdom it was like this… the lazy had plenty of poverty. The physical and spirirtual application of todays verses are clear I think. Walk in integrity and not crookedness; be diligent in work and not lazy… there are consequences now and for eternity. In eternity because truly good works which are motivate by the Holy Spirit in our life are evidence that God has worked his righteousness out through our life. Spiritually I think our passage speaks loudest in the first phrase. 18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,… Integrity is a heart thing. It has to do with good character and righteousness but it is foreign to fallen mankind. It can only be received as a gift from the only one who is righteous… that is God and it comes through his son Jesus; the righteous God man. If you delight in Jesus… the only one who came and lived a righteous life; who died a wicked sinners death… the death we deserve… If you believe in this one who then defeated the hold sin had through the law’s sentence of death… by rising from the grave… If your hope is in him… God will give you 100% of Jesus righteousness and begin working out righteousness and integrity through your life practically… and raise you up for eternity to be with him… all because of Jesus.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 28:11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. 12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. 13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. In verse 11 Solomon starts us out today with what appears to be a comparison taking two examples to their reasonable extreme in order to highlight the point he is making. Here we see a rich man and a poor man. But in keeping with the way chapter 28 is written I believe the implication is that these are also a wicked and a righteous man. So using the extreme vastness of the example we see that whether a man is rich or middle class or poor or anywhere in between… If he is wise in his own eyes… if he is prideful… he will be found out by a man of understanding whether he is poor, middle classed or rich or anywhere in between. An extreme example like this shows us the rock solid reliability of this truth across the board. 12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. 13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. So here we can see the person who is found out in verse 11. This man who was wise in his own eyes and concealed his wickedness and true intentions… His ways has come to light and he will not prosper. A man of understanding has found him. Who is this man of understanding? This one who triumphs and participates in great glory. This is who I want to be. Verse 13 says he is one who confesses and forsakes his transgressions. Thats called repentance. Then in Verse 14 it says: 14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. I think these are the same two people Solomon has been talking about through the chapter. So this man of understanding is also one who fears the Lord always and does not harden his heart against God or his word. By the way, this is a good kind of fearing. A child should not harden their heart against a loving parent… No! They should fear the thought of doing so! If they received no correction from their parents it would indicate their parents don’t love them as they should… they don’t care what path they follow or what kind of person they will grow up to be. So this kind of fear is good for the soul and it lets us know we are truly a child who has God as our Father. Hebrews 12:5-6 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” So these righteous who triumph… are those who repent and confess and look to God as Father… Our righteousness comes from Gods Son Jesus… our self righteousness… (todays text indicated this as being wise in our own eyes) The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags. Jesus did not come to earth to pay us for our sins but rather to take the payment for our sins. He lived a perfect righteous life and died a wicked sinners death… He took the wages of sin we deserve. He gives all who delight in him and his words… all who believe… all who have faith in him… his own righteousness that we might be accepted by God and have fellowship and relationship with him. He defeated the hold sin had through the law by rising from the grave and God gives us that same resurrection power to have victory over sins hold in life as we walk with him. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 28:10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. Solomon does a great job painting a picture of an evil person leading someone in a bad way. It could be this wicked person is simply exalting himself and trying to set himself up as a mentor to a righteous person. Some people thrive on having people like them and think they are cool… It makes them feel good when people see them as a leader… even a rebel who gets what they want and don't take no lip from anyone… and they want approval and acceptance for who they are. So many times they would likely be trying to lead someone down a road they were familiar with… their own territory if you will.. one they have traveled on many times. Evil men tend to exalt their own wickedness as a kind of exalted glory toward others. It could be that kind of leading. But it also could be that he is leading this righteous person astray into a snare with evil intentions. He could be actually setting a trap and trying to trip up the righteous person. This happens often as well. I think satan himself combines both of these tactics of leading mankind. Remember, he was the one who fell from Gods favor when he wanted glory equal to God.. and what did he do? He led Adam and Eve down that same path. They were righteous before they sinned… Satan told Eve that God was a liar and if she disobeyed God she would not die but would be like Him. The path for self glory would be an alluring temptation and it would serve two purposes… It would lead Adam and Eve to be like satan instead of God… And that would bring some kind of a feeling of glory to satan. They and their descendants would be his kindred spirits in a sense. But not only that… It would become their demise… you see… All mankind would would be one day cast into a pit for eternity because they believed satan and his promises for satisfaction instead of believing God. And the thing is… this trap satan set for these first two righteous ones will one day hold him as well. The devil will be thrown into a pit which God created for him and all the angels who followed him… Well, after Solomon says how this one who misleads the righteous will fall into his own pit he says “but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” So the truth is that we are all wicked, bent towards sin… so, not blameless… we are all bent toward seeking our own glory in some fashion. But although we are not a righteous race, God has made a way for us to obtain a foreign righteousness and then what Solomon says will ring true for us… “the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” After Adam and Eve sinned, God said in Genesis 3 how through the offspring of Eve one would come who would bruise or crush the head of the serpent… that is… the devil. So for generations there were men and women who believed God once again and waited for this Messiah to come and do what no one has or ever would do… live a perfect life so he might give his righteousness to all of fallen mankind who believe God with hope and delight. Gods only Son Jesus, the offspring of Mary did this very thing. And he also took the wages of our sin (which is death) by dying on the Cross. Then on the third day he broke the hold sin had through the law and was raised up from the dead. God will one day raise all who joyfully believe in him never to suffer the entropy that is associated with sin again… no pain, no arthritis, no covid-19, no death. And while here in this broken world God gives all who believe the power of the resurrection to have victory over sins power in life as we walk with him. This is good news to believe in and share with others… I hope you have a great day in the Lord…
Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them. 5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely. 6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. 7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father. 8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. 9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. ... ... Well, Verse 4 starts us out by saying how those who disobey God are not praising him… they are not worshipers of God… ... Thats a heart issue. We’ve talked a lot about that… ... When from the heart we forsake Gods word, our praise or… our worship goes to those who are wicked. ...and most of the time to his own self… ... Of course, that was satans sin which caused his fall and that was the temptation he brought to Eve which led to Adam and Eve’s fall and ours as well. Nest Solomon says how evil men dont understand justice but seekers of God do so completely… then it seems there is an example of this very thing in verse 6. 6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity... I believe it’s pretty clear that this evil man who praises the wicked is the same one who does not understand justice. He has decided in his heart that it is just plain better to be dishonest than honest and poor. For him, wickedness seems better than integrity… for him money trumps honesty and good relationships, loving your neighbor as yourself. He looks out for himself and rationalizes his choices. Even when he knows he is in the wrong he thinks it is ok as long as no one else knows of his wrong doing and he can become overly defensive and judgmental against those who question his actions. ... ... another example ... 7 The one who keeps the law ... The son who is a keeper of the law understands… in keeping with verse 5, he understands justice; while the companion of gluttons brings shame to his father… and according to verse 4 he praises the wicked. ... 8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by... We actually covered this verse in a Proverbs 13:22-23 devotion called Wealth, Poverty, Injustice and Giving. (https://soundcloud.com/obinylor/proverbs-1322-23-ra-wealth-poverty-injustice) But this is definitely another example of praising wickedness or praising God and obedience to his word. 9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. This fits nicely with the rest of the passage. I mean if a person forsakes Gods law and praises the wicked… how can he sincerely pray to God if he is praising someone else? He worships something else… wickedness. He does not understand being just and he does not understand the justice of God. In Romans 3 Paul talks about Gods justice and how he can show mercy and still be just. In Romans 3:23-24 he says: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, So Gods justice for those who believe comes by grace through Jesus redeeming us. Paul goes on to explain how God has reserved his final judgment with 100% justice until after a time when his only Son came to do what no man has ever done… that is to live a perfect righteous life… then to take the wages of sin we deserve in his death… Finally in verse 26 we can see how Gods righteous justice comes to those who have faith in his Son who was just on our behalf. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. That’s the justice of God that the wicked persons eyes are closed to… and in so being they are unable to grasp the fullness of how to live a life full of justice practically towards their neighbor and instead are bent on praising the wicked.…
For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 28:3 A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food. So here is a verse which can also be translated a couple different ways. Listen to the audio for more on this. (out of space) If this is referring to a leader…. think of this: You know that a good rain is good for growing crops. If a leader as a beating rain… its’ a bad thing; he should be one who brings nourishment and things needed for prospering and growth to the poor and not be as one who takes advantage of them as easy prey. On the other hand, a poor man who oppresses the poor reminds me of the parable Jesus gave in Matthew 18. A servant owed the king 10,000 talents… that was a ton of money which he could not pay. The king ordered that his wife and children and all that he had be sold and applied to his debt. The servant begged the king for mercy and the king forgave him the debt in full. This was a poor man right? Here’s what he did next: Matthew 18:28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So look, whether rich or poor… we are all like the rain to others around us; either beating or nourishing. Instead of nourishing and helping the poor we are tempted to take advantage of their need… we offer them less than market value for their houses… We might even go to their garage sales and counter offer an item they have marked at 25 cents… “Will you take a nickel for that?”. It seems to be ingrained into our culture… We are a brainwashed people to be all out for ourselves… There are plenty of books teaching it…. our culture boldly says it… “You are Number 1” “To look out for yourself is your primary purpose”… However, if you are a good nourishing rain… then you will come softly upon the weak plants. Your touch will be tender. Your gentleness will nourish them and bring them healthy growth. How do we do that? If you have ever cared for a garden then you know it means you will have to get dirty. Your hands and knees… well, your whole body. You see, relationships are messy and a simple hand out will not nourish them out of their poverty… If we give money and then with clean hands step away we are enabling them to depend on that very thing and so stay in their poverty. So helping the poor has always been something Jesus did and charged us to do hand in hand with our primary mission of seeing more of his glory and sharing his beauty with others… But I want to close with another thing that seems to parallel todays verse. In Ephesians 3:8 the Apostle Paul considered it a privilege… He was humbled to be given the grace to (quote) “preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”. Look, we are to go into all nations and make disciples… That does not mean we tell them about Jesus and leave them to be washed away by the acid rain of the world. It means getting involved with tenderness and love… getting our hands and knees dirty. If you are a leader in your church… this is for you… do not keep your congregation poor in the Lord. This goes for leaders in families as well. Encourage them in the Lord; lead them in Bible study, teach them to rightly divide the word of truth and how to dig for the never ending riches of Gods glory in his Word so that they may grow up full of joy to worship him better and share his beauty with the world.…
Proverbs 28:2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. “When a land transgresses” I think this might be paraphrased as: when the people of a land sin… Solomon says they will have many rulers. That does make sense in my mind because though sin makes a lot of promises, it never satisfies the people of the land. So many times I think that the leadership reflected the sinfulness of the people… and Solomon seems to make that connection because he begins talking about the sin of the people being reflected in the number of rulers and he ends the verse speaking of a man of understanding… i suspect that would be a good ruler… he brings long periods of stability so theres a connection there also. Anyway, as for the people… since sin does not bring true satisfaction its typical that they might wind up blaming the leadership for all their discontentment instead of their sin. So in times of monarchs oftentimes there would be assassinations or overthrows of the government and new rulers would take their place. This blaming of our leadership still happens today I believe… when really it’s a sin problem. And the thing is… when those who love wickedness blame discontentment on leadership instead of their sin, they think more wickedness will satisfy them and so we have this bent towards voting with a bent towards a candidate who promises to implement laws that fulfill our lusts like less lawfulness and more free stuff… even saying things like the economy and military strength is more important than righteousness and character. We see wickedness on all sides of the political isle… and so we progressively become more of an evil society with more and more rulers increasing in wickedness. As for the kings of Israel and Judah… there were times when evil kings reigned long because God decreed it… Manasseh was one and he reigned 55 years. But 4 bad kings only reigned a few months while good kings like David reigned 40 years and Solomon 40, Asa 41, Joash 40, Uzziah 52… Still Solomon did say “When a land transgresses, it has many rulers”, and thats the way it played out overall. If I counted correctly, over the 439 years of kings altogether between Israel and Judah There were 32 wicked kings and only 10 godly kings. All this being said… Of course much has been my thoughts and trying to wrap my mind around the verse… Let me read it again: Proverbs 28:2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. Again I think we can see a correlation between ourselves and God here. A wicked man (one without Jesus righteousness applied and working out in his life) is ruled over by sin. He goes from one thing to another in this world seeking to find satisfaction. Like Solomon says about a wicked people… this person also has many rulers. We are slaves to sin… Our free will is restricted to the things this world promises for satisfaction. But as CS Lewis indicated… we were not created for this world. So when the time comes that God opens our eyes to see Jesus as beautiful… when we see his glory… when we see him as the greatest treasure in the Universe, more so than anything the world could ever offer… Then with delight we look to him as our ruler and we become children of his kingdom with peace and satisfaction and eternal stability with him. I’ll close with Psalm 16:11 Pray…
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Here’s a verse that throws in the face of what the wicked person portrays about himself. The wicked man is the one who roars right?. He is the bully at school that picks on the smaller kids. He is the one who pursues others in dark alleys with knives and guns. These may even have admiring followers in school or in gangs or even on the job who back them up and give a sense of credibility… these paint themselves as the king of the jungle, bold and unafraid. But Solomon teaches us that underneath their facade they are not fierce lions at all but scaredy cats. You see, their lifestyle of wickedness carries with it a long list of bullying and taking from and taking advantage of and using others. Yes, in school and daily life including at work. They are deceivers and manipulators who have learned that by building and puffing themselves up... by being aggressive and domineering their pretense becomes a defensive tool as well as an offensive instrument for intimidation. So why would they flee even when no one pursues? For one I think it just might be because they always have reason to be looking over their shoulder. They are paranoid and it may be with good reason. Another thing… as we looked at… they use their facade to actually avoid honest confrontation. In other words they cannot make a good case for truth. They hold to the view that no one will argue with them if they carry a big stick and so they run away from honest discourse because it scares them to death. They are scaredy cats with good reason for sure. You know, before we see Jesus as beautiful we are the same way toward God. We cannot make a good case for our sin… still, we act bold as a lion towards God and continue to sin and we keep on avoiding coming to him in humility and honesty. In John 3 Jesus explained this to Nicodemus: John 3:19 …the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But thankfully the true Lion of the tribe of Judah who judges the living and the dead doesn’t wait on us in our wickedness to come to him... it would never happen. Instead, He is the one who peruses us. You know, the wicked man keeps looking over his shoulder even when no one is after him... because he has done so many people wrong. But Jesus peruses is even as he knows we abide in wickedness... Jesus pursues us not to destroy us or pay us for our sins but to save us from the end of wickedness and show us he is the treasure greater than any wicked sin we might search out. He wants us to find fullness of joy in him. Romans 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If Jesus has sought you out and shown you he is the greatest treasure worth following after for the rest of your life. Thank him joyfully and share this good news of great joy with others. You can even let me know at braggingonjesus.com@gmail.com I would love to hear from you!…
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. I was just thinking… you know, poverty may come to a person for a number of different reasons… Sickness may be the catalyst that brings it on. ... but not necessarily with disgrace attached to it like todays passage mentions. Poverty may overtake someone because they were taken advantage of by another; right? Sometimes people are born into a poor country with few opportunities or they are born blind or deaf which keeps them lacking… So I suppose there are lots of reasons poverty overtakes someone. Still, I think a case could be made that at least some of these other reasons for poverty are somehow linked with ignoring good instructions around them. Covid-10 might come from ignoring social distancing guidelines… Going broke in business comes quite often to those who ignore good business rules… Even laziness that leads to poverty comes when we ignore instruction that tells us to work. So today Solomon is telling us this rock solid truth about a genre of Poverty and disgrace which comes upon people for ignoring good instruction and reproof… Good instruction would include things like: don’t gamble your paycheck on the horses… don’t be a slave to alcohol, food, work, play or shopping. Solomon says those who ignore instruction brings disgrace and poverty while heeding reproof brings honor. The problem seems to lie in the fact that man’s heart is bent to go our own way instead of listening to God… We are bent to sin. We come out of the womb and right away we begin learning how to get our way. If I cry Mom will hold me… We keep learning more life hacks for our own advantage as we gain awareness of right and wrong and then into adulthood always being drawn to ignore Gods instruction. Verse 19: 'to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.' That’s how bent we are at our core. And then amid all these things Solomon has spoken of today there is this one little phrase that though true seems so out of place. “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul” then… it seems to me must indicate that this relates to the person who will receive instruction and does heed reproof… that is… the wise person… the one Solomon says is honored. Now Solomon may have been talking about truths he saw in the physical world; and to have our desires met is sweet for sure! Things like… for example paying off a debt. So to accomplish all kinds of good goals in life brings a sweetness to our soul right? But at our core… or soul, is a hunger that cant be filled by anything in the world. It’s a desire that longs to be fulfilled and when it is… truly, like Solomon says it is sweet to our soul… it is sweeter than anything else. I mean heeding the instruction God has given us in his word leads to sharing in the glory of God for eternity. That is an honor we don’t deserve by any means but one that will be filled with unsearchable riches and a full inheritance from God…. even to be forgiven and accepted by God… and to… Wow!… to see him in his glory. Thats going to be a desire fulfilled and sweet to our soul… While those who ignore Gods word… his gift of Jesus… his good news of great joy… for them repentance from evil is abomination to their soul while those who accept Gods grace through Jesus receive sweet delight and joy… even peace to our soul for not only now but eternity. Pray…
Proverbs 16:21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. 22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly. Solomon tells us about two good traits that a wise person might learn or gain in life. The passage begins with these 4 words: “The wise of heart”. Everything we do in life flows from our heart in some sort or fashion. “The wise of heart is called discerning” Discernment is using good tools that help us make good decisions and form trustworthy opinions and beliefs. ... For example we use our 5 senses to make many decisions in life right? These are good tools God has given us. With our eyes we see a fire on the stove and with our hand we feel heat resonating from it so we use discernment and decide not to put our hand into the flames… On the other hand, bad discernment would be… That blue flame is pretty! I wonder what it feels like… ... Good discernment is needed in every area of our life. Every day from the moment we wake up and walk out the door we begin discerning things… Like what are we going to eat… a doughnut or an old fashion breakfast. And our discernment goes deeper… We have to decide what kind of habit or routine or commitment we will make as we eat breakfast on a daily basis. These are physical examples but discernment is most important when it comes to spiritual matters discerning between good and evil. And as we touched on, the heart is connected to all we do… and going deeper to the root of the heart… it is connected to the world of the spirit… 1st Corinthians 2:12 says: Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. So the wise heart overflows out and into all that we do… Like the wind the invisible Holy Spirit moves things in the physical world like our hands and our feet and He changes peoples hearts. So good and bad discernment alike… starts in the heart. Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, … and so these would be people without discerning hearts. ... 2nd Timothy 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. So in todays two verses Solomon tells us how the wise of heart are discerning so they make good judgments about what is right and wrong and they make a good case about truth with their words so they are sharers of the truth. If we are wise we have good tools that help us discern… In the previous devotion we learned that the wise person ponders the word of God so that is a foundational tool. Also the Holy Spirit guides us. Just as our 5 senses work together to verify whether what we might smell and feel and taste is an accurate representation of what we see.. The Holy Spirit verifies what we read and feel. The Historical accounts in Gods word and the Prophets… written over a large span of time by different authors, in different languages and from different cultures and locations… they also verify one another so we can trust their words about what is good and what is evil. Even when our conscious is distorted by the world these things can bring us back in sync with Gods standards. Verse 22 seems to be a short summary of the wise in heart in comparison to the foolish in heart: A wise heart gains good godly sense with discernment, sweetness of speech and persuasiveness. But then he bluntly sums up what a fool absorbs… that is all the instruction he has gained and Solomon simply calls it folly. Let me read it again and then I’ll pray:…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Alright… well, pride goes before destruction… Maybe you’re like me and have heard this quoted many times. Solomon talks about a proud person in both verses 18 and 19. First verse 18 speaks of pride going before destruction but also how a haughty spirit goes before a fall. To be haughty is defined as being arrogantly superior and disdainful in your ways and I’m pretty sure that sums up what it means to be prideful. Also haughty is listed as a synonym for pride. So… from verse 18 it seems pride is like… a precursor to both disasters through life but also destruction… And then in verse 19 Solomon speaks of this person who is apparently also proud but also a companion with others who are proud… and they divide the spoil together. I take that to mean at least all the spoil gained by injustice done in taking advantage of others that Solomon has already spoken of in this chapter. I mean, even today if we look around in life and see haughty, disdainful, arrogant people seeming to succeed and gain riches and lands and great positions of power… these are people obsessed with a kind of greed that obscures the ability to love others… And we can see them dividing the spoil with others who are proud. So where is their fall and where is their destruction in verse 19? Well, I think there is a hint of the coming destruction waiting for them in the phrase (quote) “It is better” “It is better to be of a lowly spirit”. So it is better to be humble and meek than to be rich and proud. And Solomon even adds an extra multiplying factor to highlight how much better it is. He basically says it’s better to be humble even when you live with the poor than rich and companions of the proud. That does not mean that all people of lowly heart are poor… but it does show dramatically how much better Solomon indicates that it is to be humble than prideful. Still, this does not expound on why it is better to be humble than rich and prideful dividing the spoil. So we turn to verse 20 which says: Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. So in these few verses Solomon does not give us all the details of how the prideful and haughty who we see all around us dividing the spoil will come to an end… But he has said it is better to be humble and now he says how it is better if these who are humble meditate on Gods word and trust in the Lord… they will be blessed and discover good. It takes humility to say we have failed… and in actuality the prideful have already experienced some of their falling. By not finding their hope in the Messiah all they have to keep them from a bad end on Judgment day is their own righteousness to hope in and that will lead them to destruction. In that sense its the same today as it was in Solomons day. They were to believe and be joyful in the coming of the Messiah and we believe and find our delight in Jesus who came, lived a righteous life, was paid the wages of my sin with his death on the Cross and rose again giving us power and victory over sins hold in life and death. Thank You Father for this amazing gift of grace for all who look in delight to Your Son Jesus Christ.…
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1 Proverbs 16:16-17 RA The Real Rock Is The Greatest Treasure 7:09
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Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. The Real Rock Is The Greatest Treasure Today Solomon begins comparing wisdom with gold and understanding with silver. He is not using these as metaphors but as actual comparisons. It’s kind of like comparing fake cookies with real cookies. A few days ago my mother, my two sisters and a friend got together for rock painting. They are quite silly especially when they’re all together. On this day they painted pictures and saying on common rocks and one of my sisters and her friend were going to place them in rural out of the way places in the mountains of Colorado where they are on vacation today. One here, one there… etc. They talked about making a website where people could register the rock they found and the date. My friend Laura found a rock that looked like someone took a bite out of it and she painted it to look like a cookie. Thats similar to what Solomon is saying. How much better is a real cookie than a rock cookie! A chocolate chip cookie loaded with pecans is to be chosen rather than a painted rock cookie. Verse 17 in todays passage says: The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Look… wisdom is better than gold!… understanding is better than silver! Dont be obsessed with seeking out the promises that the wicked world makes for satisfaction. It will cause you to ignore wisdom and understanding… you will begin using and taking advantage of others to gain your treasure. You will travel the path of evil to satisfy your lusts and die with clenched fists of whatever treasure you gained if any. In Mathew 13:44 Jesus does use treasure as a metaphor. He said: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. I have a new hobby… I’m a few months into it. It’s metal detecting. A couple brothers and I go out on Saturdays to hunt for treasure… mostly silver and gold. Oh, I don’t see myself making enough to even pay for my detector… at least for a good while… But its fun to search and the best part is to fellowship with other brothers in Christ. Thats where the real treasure lies. It’s the kingdom of heaven that Jesus spoke of… it’s traveling on a journey with a real family of believers… a journey through a broken world where we look out for one another on the way to a new homeland where a full inheritance awaits us. And the thing is… We have been given a earnest down payment of that inheritance while we’re just a passing through this place. And as the song says: “our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue and I just can’t feel at home in this world anymore!”. Father, thank you for giving us eyes to see Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe. Turn our eyes away from seeking worthless things… obsessed with silver, gold, … seeking wicked treasures on the internet like porn… taking advantage of other to satisfy our lusts… Lord you opened our eyes to the beauty and good news of your Son Jesus and in joy we unclench our fists and receive him who with his death on the Cross was paid the wages of our sin and now all who delight in him are given his righteousness making peace with God… And as he was raised up from the hold sin had in death we are given that same power over sins hold in life as we walk with him and he will one day raise us up no longer subject to the entropy connected to sin. Father thank you for this gift of grace and faith through your Son for your glory.…
Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right. 14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it. 15 In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. Solomon has been talking a lot lately about the connection between our heart and our actions and has been honing in on our words. Today he tells us what a king loves and what a king hates. He says a king loves righteous lips… but he reserves wrath for others, right? … that is apparently those with a wicked heart and words who do not delight in his ways and ignore his words. This is a truth Solomon has known personally. It likely does not apply to every king on earth. Some leaders back then and still today want people close to them who hide truths from the people and so are allies with him in deceit. So in the context of what Solomon is saying about how a king loves him who speaks what is right. He says how a wise person keeps himself in a good relationship with the king. That is, I think… by his speech, his actions… his heart. When your king loves righteousness… and he is a king who loves his people, stands for justice… he wants good things for the nation. And then he invites you into his presence and looks on you with favor… verse 15 says there is life in the light of his face. Its as though his countenance strengthens and gives you encouragement and life. Solomon says his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. Have you noticed how everyone seems happier when a spring rain comes and green grass sprouts and trees bud... you notice birds singing which you didn’t before? Everything has a life giving glow to our eyes… and it gives us joy. That's the way a good leader should relate to their employees who do what is good and right… Their countenance and words should bring life giving encouragement. You know there’s a parable Jesus gave about the kingdom of God where a man who was going on a journey entrusted his servants with his property according to their ability. The one given 5 talents made 5 more and in Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ These are the words that I think everyone desires to hear from their Creator. I’m reminded of a Star Trek The Next Generation episode where the Android Data wanted to meet his maker Dr. Noonien Soong in who’s image he was made. Data wanted to know if he was fulfilling the purpose he was created for. Essentially, he wanted Dr. Soong to say “Well done”. I think most of us want to hear that, but we want to accomplish it in our own way and not in the way or with the character and instruction of the true King. Men seek riches for personal satisfaction and then give money in hopes to somehow earn hearing these words. Some rationalize their wicked heart with all its lusts and desires telling themselves God made me this way… They say doing things the way they want is not evil while not admitting we are all broken because of sin and need the righteousness of Jesus applied to and working out of our hearts. In closing remember that verse 15 in todays text says: In the light of a king’s face there is life, … When I hear that my mind goes to 2nd Corinthians 4:6 which says that God (quote) “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. We may not have seen the face of Jesus physically like his disciples did… but Spiritually God shows us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in his face… Its in Jesus that we find true life. And its only because of his righteousness applied to and working out of our life that he will smile and say …‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:21)…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. 9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11 A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. When Injustice Receives Justice R Aylor Verse 8 is interesting to me… It starts out: Better is a little with righteousness than… and then I would expect it to say something like… great riches with wickedness… but instead Solomon says: Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. And so he highlights one of the attributes of wickedness which he seems to want us to focus in on… that is injustice. Injustice takes advantage of and uses others… many times its those who cannot stand up or defend themselves. Its those who don’t have a legal course of action to pursue through the courts… The laws are stacked against them. Those who are treated unjustly many times throughout history have endured great and horrific troubles… But here Solomon is saying… these people who treat others unjustly for their own gain are worse off than those who practice righteousness and have little… I wonder why that might be… Lets continue with verse 9 of the text… 9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. In chapter 15 how the heart is linked to the actions we take in the body… But here Solomon says the heart plans but it is the Lord who establishes his steps. Can both be right? Yes! A wicked unjust mans heart plans and as we just read he can receive great revenues with his injustice… But lets think about this mans heart that motivated his injustice to take advantage of others? What was the root of his hearts desire? He wanted happiness and satisfaction from his gain. Did the Lord establish desires for fulfillment? No. But the Lord did establish his steps didn’t he?… He made sure his wicked steps did not bring him satisfaction. The man planed for his own exaltation but the Lord established his steps for his own glory to prove that his wickedness would not bring him true joy. We finish up today's devotion with verse 10 and 11: 10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11 A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. Of course God had made Solomon king and he had the last word from the standpoint of the people. They had to abide by his judgments. This points us to the King of every king… the one who always judges family with righteousness and justice… and that is Jesus. He created all the weights in the bag… he makes the rules… Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. So think back to the man who practices injustice in today's text. Although he was unjust to others he will be judged justly by God. This is not something for him to look forward to. I think we can learn this from today's passage: Even if we have very little, it truly is better to have the righteousness of Christ working in our life... being full of joy and loving others and sharing the good news of his forgiveness and peace… That is much better than great revenues with injustice… not only in the present, but in eternity.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For a transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. 6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Ok, lets touch on each proverbs here and see how they compliment one another. Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Alright well, this verse reminds me of the last four words in chapter 15: “humility comes before honor”. As we talked about in that devotion, humility is needed to gain wisdom… If we are going to have an ear for this kind of reproof from the Lord which is given with great love and if we will acknowledge when we are in the wrong it’s going to take humility on our part for sure. Solomon speaks of the arrogant in heart as being an abomination to the Lord. You may remember that throughout chapter 15 we learned about the connection between the heart and all of our actions… they are synced together. Our heart always finds a way to betray itself in our body. That goes for the wicked person who’s heart has not been transformed (Solomon says they will not go unpunished). 6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. Of course there is only one who has and who could have atoned for our sin. It would take a sinless person to do that… they would have to willingly take the wages of our sin… That is Jesus, and his atonement is applied to all who believe in him. Verse 6 speaks of steadfast love and faithfulness as a way to atone for our sin… Again, only Jesus has a perfect unfailing love; only he is 100% faithful… the world lies, we fail… everyone fall short of the glory of God… And the sinless righteousness of Jesus is given to all who delight in him. Solomon speaks of turning away from evil. This is called repentance. In Mark 1:15 Jesus himself said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The atonement for our sins was provided by Jesus with his death on the Cross and as he defeated the hold sin had over all people… its penalty, its wages due, its sentence. he gives all who believe this same power over sins hold in death for victory over sins power in life. This is the Gospel Jesus commands us to find our delight in and share with others. (read vs 7) What pleases the Lord? Letting God have mercy on us so our heart is changed. In this way it is Gods love and his faithfulness and his goodness… all these things in this verse applied to us and also at work in us and thats how we please the Lord. Its his work in us so he gets the glory. ...he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. This verse may seem a little difficult… But it is likely something Solomon witnessed and even experienced in his life so there is a hidden truth in it. Speaking of Solomon 1st Kings 4:24 says: …And he had peace on all sides around him. On the other side of that, things come to mind like how Jesus enemies killed him… and so many of the disciples were martyrs and early Christians tortured and killed by Nero and even today Christian persecution is harsh and widespread. It seems to direct my thoughts to two powerful enemies. Before we come to Christ, death was our enemy right? I mean people dont want to think about it and dread it… That’s one enemy; but before we came to Christ we had another enemy and that is the Lord. Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. As believers we are no longer Gods enemies… and no longer do we fear death… ... ... ... ...…
Proverbs 15:31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. 32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. 33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. What Type Of Ears Do You Have? You know there’s different kinds of ears right? In the fantasy world there are elf and dwarf and human ears and what… fairy and troll ears... In the real world our ears may be very similar physically but they can be dissimilar in other ways. Some people have an ear for music… they can sit down at a piano for the first time and pick out a beautiful melody. I would say that the amazing guitarist Jimi Hendrex had an ear for music… it has been said that the guitar was like an extension of who he was. it was as though he could hear it in his mind, and then it just happened… He had a heart and an ear for music and somehow this passion was connected to the tips of his fingers. In chapter 15 Solomon has been showing us something similar on a spiritual level. How things that comes out of a person are an extension of the spiritual condition of our heart. In previous devotions we talked about how the mouth is an extension of the heart but today Solomon mentions another body part that is motivated by the heart… the ear; and I think it is actually a precursor to the mouth… it comes first… The action of the ear may just be the first sign of a person who has been given a heart for God. ... You know, we’re all drawn to various kinds of information throughout that life. Some turn their heads when they hear someone mention fishing or hunting, lifting weights, or a author you love to read… Whatever it is, your heart has tagged these things as important to you and whenever your ear picks up a hint of those things it zones in on them and you turn and listen and spark up in conversation with that person to share experiences and learn more about this thing you love. As a Believer, these new things we now love, these things about the awesomeness of God… they are tagged and our ears are on the look out for more and more of the treasures that can be found in Jesus… Those with ears like this will dwell among the wise. Solomon mentions this as one who “listens to life-giving reproof”… What does that mean? It is not saying God is always mad at us or an evil dictator over us…. But God is always directing us in his way for our joy… and when we have an ear for what he is telling us, it is going to be for our good and his glory. Solomon says those who don't have an ear for him actually despise their own selves. As Believers, our heart is not only synced to our ears but to our legs and our feet and hands… Our heart no longer longs to fellowship with people who want to exalt themselves instead of God… We now love to hang with those who are wise in the Lord… Those who love the Lord. Solomon indicates that it is the humble who receive instruction… It is the humble who admit their sinfulness and call to the Lord with a heart of faith in him and his word. These are the wise people with a beautiful approachable engaging gift of humility. And if we have an ear like todays passages speaks of, we will want to be around these kind of people. We are so thankful that God gave us Spiritual ears to hear how Jesus is the best news we could ever know. How he willingly took our place fulfilling our sentence by penalty of the death we deserve when he died on the Cross. Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And 2nd Corinthians 5:21 says: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Then on the third day he rose from the dead and conquered the wages of sin… with victory over the hold it had… the spiritual death or separation from God and the physical death because God will give us a new body like he has with his resurrection.…
Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. 30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. In chapter 15 Solomon has been giving us some great insight into the connection between our mouth and our heart. It’s true, the mouth bone is connected to the heart bone. And we talked about how God is the heart changer… not us. A wicked person will not change his wicked heart. His wickedness prevents him from doing so. But when God opens our eyes to see Jesus as the greatest treasure worth leaving all for… we realize there is something better than all the options the world has shown us all our life and we when turn from sin and delight in Jesus with faith, he gives us a new heart… and since our mouth bone is still connected to our heart bone the words we speak begin to change as God does a work in us practically. Now Solomon is diving deeper into the root issues of the heart. Look, positionally we are given Jesus righteousness when God gives us a new heart… but practically we are a work in progress as God does a life long work in our heart. ... Todays passage begins by saying: The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. I suppose if God was finished working on our heart and we were practically perfect we would not need to ponder much before answering others. But as long as we are in this broken world and in these broken bodies, we still have brokenness tugging at our heart… wanting to mold it back to the old form. So when we are tempted to gossip... we ponder. When there is a pull to seek our own glory or exalt ourselves… we ponder. And to ponder means to give thought to something before committing to it. It means running something by a set of foundational truths that you know are unmovable. We all need trustworthy checks and balances to discern between all the lies being shared in the world. If something sounds good from only one angle or way of looking at it… thats not criteria worth committing to as truth. If something feels good or right it holds no real evidence for a unmovable truth. What is our go to for truth? It is Gods word. It is the Holy Spirit at work in us connecting the dots in his word and opening our eyes to truth in amazing and undeniable ways. So even though you may be a righteous person, Solomon says to ponder before you answer. And so even though the mouth bone is connected to the heart bone… the heart bone is connected is also connected to the brain. Solomon goes on to say how the mouth of the wicked pour out evil things and the Lord is far from them. Then todays passage finishes with some good news. Solomon says: he hears the prayer of the righteous. So God is not far from the righteous… I suppose we might say he is working in our lives practically because he actually lives in us… But God hears our prayers… I hope I don’t ever take that for granted… It is amazing that the Creator of the Universe hears my individual and specific prayers to him… all of them! And so prayer is another gift God has given us that is actually included in our pondering. I am sure there have been plenty of times I should have prayed to the Lord before giving an answer to others. Verse 30 says: The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones. For the heart that has been changed… the heart that is walking in the Holy Spirit… the heart that ponders its thoughts and runs them by the word of God… I believe the Lord quickens all our bones for joy and his mission. Our mission is no longer to let everyone else see how great we think we are… but we want to see more of the glory of God and share him. So the light of the glory of God living in us as we walk with Christ will be seen in our eyes and heard in the good news which we bring to others.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath. 25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries. 26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure. 27 Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. Todays passage begins with a promise of life for the prudent... that is, one who is thoughtful about the future and follows the path of wisdom. Solomon then points out some attributes of the person on the other path that leads to death. It is pretty clear that these three fit that category; the proud, the wicked and the one who is greedy for unjust gain. Clearly we all die, right? But for these who do not turn away from this path… a death awaits at which point there will be no turning back… no rescue… no resurrection to a spiritual incorruptible body as did Jesus and all who find their hope in his righteousness. We can see from the text that wickedness cannot change the outcome of that end no matter how hard they try or how much they spend… Actually a wicked heart is what insures that kind of death. And only God is the heart changer. And God rules in life and in death… He is the Judge. He tears down the house of the proud but protects the widow’s boundaries. One day the widow who has a heart that loves the Lord… she will have a mansion with a full inheritance in Heaven. God will protect her boundaries. But the mansion of the proud will be turned to rubble. For the prideful and greedy… Instead of blessings he brings trouble on their household… we see this clearly in this live. Solomon says even their thoughts are an abomination to the Lord. On the other hand those who hate bribes will live… That brings us full circle to the path of life todays passage began with which God promises for the prudent. This is a path that is accompanied with words that glorify God… And as we looked at in the last devotion these words are synced to a heart that has been changed by God. Look, all these wicked things todays passage mentions is all about making this world our home… But there is a better path that leads to a better home with a full inheritance and life. All the promises of satan and the world are all broken promises… they are broken and cracked and they are not all their cracked up to be… They do not bring the satisfaction, peace or confidence which they promise… no real power, no real glory. It’s all a scam and it ends in a spiritual death from which there is no going back. There’s an old spiritual song that says this world is not my home, I’m only passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. Do you think of this world as your home with all the brokenness… things like arthritis and covid-19 and think “Ahh its great to be home!”? Do you watch the news where the world is full of hypocrisy, greed, hate and riots and say “Ah, I love this place… It’s my heaven?” Do you come home after a hard day at work and turn on the tv and watch shows that glorify sin and you say “Yes, this is what I have been looking for?” Does a relaxing evening watching porn on your desktop or phone make your house a home? Does gossip feed your soul like food? Do you walk a path filled with wickedness, greed and pride along with impure words like today's text indicates? I hope this is not the ideal home you have pictured in your mind. It has stayed like this for many since Adam and Eve and Noah and the flood and so on. Its been home sweet home to so many throughout all generations. Or have you been given an earnest down payment of the Holy Spirit and await the inheritance God has waiting for you?…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! You know, that's something I truly long for. To have a fitting response and be a better communicator… a better relationship type person. Sometimes I say the right thing but it is in the wrong season. Do you know what I mean? Like, “I feel sorry for you in this difficulty you’re going through… and here’s what you need to do”. Or if I try to cheer someone up in too chipper of a way when they really need to morn… maybe after the loss of a loved one. Or how about Proverbs 27:14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing. My mother used to wake us kids up in the morning with singing or something like “hurry kids and get up… it’s snowing outside” or “hurry or you’ll miss it… there’s a jackalope in the back yard”. Oh, for me, I would have preferred to be awakened from sleep in a more apt manner… I had to fight against begrudging her words even though they were intended for good and I knew it. But yes, I want this ability to say the right and best thing at the right time. Solomon seems to really think this thing about words and speaking is a big deal and I agree. In Proverbs 25:11 he says: A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Saying the right thing at the right time is like an amazing painting that mesmerizes you and settles you… something that is beautiful and all you can say is “Yes, Yes” “Thanks for that”. In Proverbs 24:26 Solomon says this: Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. We desperately need honesty in our world today… and I think with covid-19 and social distancing these days honesty with love when given aptly in season is better than a kiss any day of the week. James chapter 3 gives us some troubling words about the tongue. Heres a part of that: James 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James says how all kinds of animals have been tamed… sure it may be difficult for some and take many years… It is a scary thought to try and tame some wild animals… bears or lions… Even the more gentle animals are difficult to train. Have you ever tried to housebreak a pig or wild raccoon… but he says the tongue is untamable by man. It makes messes everywhere it goes… and they are very difficult to clean up! So although it is impossible for man to tame the tongue there is good news… God can do it… and we can actually speak these apt and timely good words Solomon tells us about. You see, the tongue is synced up with the heart and the Lord is the heart changer. He gives those who look to him in faith the righteousness of his only Son Jesus and and he gives them a heart for God… the tongue simply follows suit. Again Luke 6:45 is apt and timely for todays text. Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. 10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man! Acceptable Sacrifice R Aylor Today Solomon names some things that the Lord detests and some things the Lord loves. He just told us in verse 5 how we should heed our fathers instructions and now Solomon tells us what awaits those who hate reproof. Today's passage concludes by saying how the abode of the dead as well as Hell itself cannot hide itself from the Lord… therefore why should any man think they might hide the intentions or the true desires of their heart from him? So what is it that is an abomination the the Lord? Verse 8 says it is the sacrifice of the wicked. So, that was Cain in Genesis 4 who brought an offering to the Lord that was not accepted by him right? This was the Cain who would kill his brother and responded to God “Am I my brothers keeper?”. Hebrews 11:4 tells us “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous,”. In the Old Testament it was those who brought sacrifices from a heart that trusted and delighted in God who would be accepted. These pointed to the coming Messiah… the perfect sacrifice for their and our sin. Whenever the wicked brought sacrifices it was a horrible taste to the Lord… It was rottenness… a detestable abomination to him. Today many still bring gifts to God by giving to organizations or churches in hopes that God will accept them. They may do good works or try not to do bad works so the good might possibly weigh out heavier than their sins and they might be accepted. The problem with that is that same wicked heart that has not been changed by God. It poisons all the works they do because none of the works are motivated or quickened by the Holy Spirit but by their own broken efforts. Only the works of Jesus are pure… We need his righteousness applied to us in order to be accepted by God. Our text says the Lord loves him who pursues righteousness… it takes a heart for that very thing… and it begins with pursuing not our own self righteousness but the righteousness of Jesus. The Lord will hear the prayer of this person and he will impute his righteousness to him and begin a work of righteousness in him practically. Our text says how death awaits the wicked and that was all of us… the good news is that Jesus died for us… and he gives his righteousness to all who turn away from delighting in sin and delight in him and his death or his sacrifice for us and his resurrection. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. 6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. So Solomon cares about his own sons… much of Proverbs is addressed to them. He seems to be telling them “Don’t despise my words… Don’t be a fool! Be discerning with the things you hear in the world… where you go, who you hang out with… what you are drawn to… He shows them the outcome of the two paths they have to discern between… One results in much treasure and the other speaks of income as well but with much trouble. Then finally verse 7… let me read that one again. 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. Did you notice that Solomon speaks of the wise spreading knowledge with their lips but when talking about the fools he emphasizes not the lips but says not so the hearts of fools… This seems to equate lips and the heart as being interchangeable or at the very least they are linked somehow. I believe not only our mouth but actually all of our body are synced and linked to our heart… Its just that the words that we speak are many times the first and quickest view to the true estate of our heart. In Matthew 12 Jesus addressed this very thing. In verse 34 he said: …For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Thats the way it works… we can try to hide our heart but it always finds a way to surface through our lips… Many times our heart is clearly implicated even in the inflection or emphasis of our words. Solomon says how it is the wise who spreads knowledge and not the fool… Look we are all spreaders of some sort. It may be gossip or it may be good news… The Pharisees of Jesus day were spreaders of burdens to the people… calling them to legalism to keep the letter of the law not motivated out of a heart for the ways of God; but we are called to spread the freedom from that burden and the ability to keep the law of God with great joy. The treasures of the Pharisees were found in the praise of men… like our text indicates, it was accompanied by trouble… a strict, burdened, bitter, prideful, ungrateful heart not happy in the Lord. But those who love their fathers instruction… and for us our Father in heavens word… a house laid up with much good Spiritual treasure in Christ which we spread and share with others as we go. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The Truth About Truth R Aylor Today Solomon is talking about the way we speak to one another and how God knows about every good and bad thing we say. He mentions a soft answer and a gentle tongue…This comes out from a person of wisdom. Solomon says the tongue of the wise commends knowledge. To commend is to praise something or recommend something for approval. So truth is to be held up high in our own life and to others. You know… truth cannot be toyed with or manipulated to our own liking… it cannot be juggled about to give us a false sense of justifucation on a particular day. Somehow… somewhere truth is set, unmovable forever. Truth is resolute and uncompromising and we should encourage others to walk its path with us… Why is truth so commendable? Well, let me tell you the truth about truth… Here it is: Truth brings freedom from true bondage. and truth brings true life. That likely sounds pretty vague right? Let’s look at it. In John 8:32 Jesus said this: …you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So first off, how can the realization of truth bring freedom?… And freedom from what? Well, all our life we seek out things that might make us happy. Thats what we do. These are things which claim that they will bring us some measure of happiness or satisfaction to our soul. They commend themselves as being truth. The problem is… In all our seeking, these things of the physical world are all we have to choose from and so we try many things as we search out for the greatest treasure the world has to offer. And another thing… there is a long line of historical documented case studies that indicate no amount of wealth or lands or popularity has ever brought a person true contentment or lasting fulfillment. But at that time when God reveals the truth of his only Son to you…. When you see him as the greatest treasure in the Universe… When he gives us eyes to see him for who he is… as beautiful… the good news of great joy… only hope for sinful man… promised one to set things right even from when our ancient parents Adam and Eve first sinned… When we see he is the true satisfier… the true way maker… the true sin bearer and sin slayer… When we see the truth of his resurrection over sins long time leverage through death and how God gives us his resurrection power over sin in life and will raise us up incorruptible… When we see the truth of Jesus as this great treasure.. All of a sudden, we are no longer bound to the options of the world for truth and our will is set free… we choose him. The truth sets us free! And the thing is… He is the truth. In John 14:6 Jesus said it like this: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. We live in a world where so many believe that truth is relative and everyone can have their own... We see it in the news and in our lives every day. In todays passage Solomon talks about these as people who speak with tongues of anger and their mouths poor out folly. They go about spreading perverseness and not truth. Are knowledge and truth things you promote and encourage? If so they should naturally point others to the knowledge and truth that brings freedom from sin and true life… That is the promised offspring of the woman… the Son Of Man.. Jesus Christ. Pray…
Don't Be A Dolt Blake Farley This is part one of a 5 part series on Proverbs chapter 17. For a full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com. Click on PROVERBS and you will see it there.
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. 35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. Solomon gives us three situations to examine. Let’s take a look at them briefly and then consider their similarities and application. In the first Solomon says Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding… that makes sense right? But the question that comes to my mind is how did it get there in the first place? At some point this person was not a man of understanding... So then... wisdom must have been somewhere close enough for him to have found her. Wisdom has a way of getting her point across even in the midst of fools. I think we see over and over when we act foolishly and don’t listen to her words… and our foolish choices causes much misery to us and those around us. You may remember back in Proverbs chapter 1... Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? In fact, that was each one of us... when we were entangled in our own sin Wisdom was close by calling out to us. We heard and responded in repentance with faith. That's how we come to be people of understanding. Next Solomon says: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. So righteousness is wisdom in the previous verse right? And sin is for the foolish. So as we considered... the wise person at one time was foolish... he had to humble himself and admit his folly in order to respond to wisdom's call and turn to righteousness. Solomon says how righteousness exalts a nation, and so we can see how humbling ones self to wisdom exalts a person as well as a nation. Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 29:23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Finally in verse 35 Solomon says: 35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. As the wisest of kings Solomon was likely speaking from experience. He favored those in his kingdom who dealt wisely and those who dealt with others with evil intent received his wrath. All of these observations that Solomon made as he looked into the world and received wisdom… He did not exclude looking into his own heart and ways… and observing. That seems to be what is going on in this verse. And as all of his other observations in life… so it is with this one… This pointed to the one who is the truth. Jesus… the way, truth and life. All these verses in fact point to Jesus. As wisdom called out to the foolish, so Jesus calls to us. If we humble ourselves and turn to him he gives us understanding and righteousness like verses 33 and 34 in todays passage speak of… and he gives us the power to live righteous lives in this broken world as we walk with him. And then in verse 34 we see how he gives us his favor instead of his wrath which we all deserve. Father God, thank you for sending your only Son Jesus, who lived a perfect life, died a sinners death and gives his righteousness to all who delight in him. Thank you for raising him from the dead and giving us that same power to live righteous lives practically as we walk in your Holy Spirit. Thank You for raising us up one day no longer subject to sin with all its lusts of the flesh… no more plagued by disease and death. Thank you for this great gift for all who joyfully turn away from sin and find their only hope in the promised Messiah Jesus Christ. In his name amen.…
Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. 32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. What if you crafted a unique magnificat guitar. You spent a lot of thought into it before you ever began making it. And then you crafted it with great precision and supreme workmanship and there was never ever another quite like this guitar. Being a one of a kind and different than all the others, it was stolen. Over a period of time it was sold to many and given away to others… Because it was different than other guitars people began making fun of it… they strummed it harshly… they never put it back into its case… Once it spent a summer in a traveling carnival act where a clown juggled it along with 3 balls and strummed the guitar every time he caught it. It made its way to others… it was the guitar one took with them on the canoe ride down the river and another in their backpack to the mountains while keeping their favorite guitars under the perfect temperature and humidity safe at home. It was used and taken advantage of time and time again. And something else… although no one ever knew, the creator had placed a small pinhole camera and tracking device in the headstock and so online he followed its journey. Do you think the master craftsman was insulted by what was done to his masterpiece that he created for good? Solomon tells us: Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. Look, God made the rich and poor alike… He made the red, yellow, black and white and they are precious in his sight. We are each one unique creations of God made to be fruitful and fill the world with his image in which mankind was created. Although that image was corrupted by sin, that gives us no right to engage in wickedness and oppress others whom God created. In so doing we insult God himself. God has a different plan. Verse 32 in todays passage says: The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. You see, God made a way for man to be righteous… a way for the image of God to be restored… a way for man to have fellowship with God as we were created to do. 2nd Corinthians 4:6 says: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This new creation comes to us when our eyes are opened to see Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe… worth leaving all for. Jesus takes our sin gives us a heart infused with His righteousness… one that no longer wants to oppress the poor, no longer using people that our culture or standing gives us influence over for our own advantage. As God works in our life that positional righteousness becomes a practical righteousness throughout our life. And because of Jesus righteousness upon our life as todays text says: “but the righteous finds refuge in his death. Father thank you for the righteousness of Jesus upon all who delight in him. For him living a perfect life, dying a sinners death and raising from the grave giving us that same power to love others, be generous to the poor and share with the world the glory of God in Jesus Christ.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. 28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Good Fear Brings Confidence R Aylor What is the context that surrounds this kind of fear we should have toward the Lord? Should we fear him like people fear a ruthless dictator? No. God is not like that. Like an abused child fears their father? No. What about the child who has a good loving father? Do they fear their father in any way? Sure they do. As a child grows and their character changes there is potential for them to mature and take on attributes of their good loving father. Throughout that journey they are going to have times of disobedience, right? But when they are thinking about doing wrong, the fear a spanking from their father sometimes motivates them to choose obedience instead. Solomon says that the children of a man who fears the LORD will have a refuge. I think that fear is building a safe perimeter in the middle of a dangerous jungle. This good kind of fear towards their father is drawing a map that highlights the traps and danger areas in this broken world. So what is the difference in fearing a evil dictator and a good loving father? It may be that a child who knows their father loves them so much helps awaken them to the fact that his discipline is to turn them away from the pitfalls of troubled world. The LORD loves us much more than any earthly father ever could. And being all knowing, he knows exactly what is best for us more than any person has the ability to know. When he speaks, it is in love and for our good. So I think that Gods commands in being for our good and given out of love… That is one of the big differences in fearing the LORD over fearing a ruthless dictator or a father who abuses his child. Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Solomon says in the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence. Confidence comes from God’s word backing us up. So that does not include us turning back to walk in disobedience… We have no confidence in our old default mission in life… seeking our own glory… looking for freedom and happiness by rebelling against God like a child that has contempt toward their earthly father. Our new mission is seeing and sharing the glory of our Father in heaven. That gives us joy… Solomon says fearing God in the right way is a fountain of life and thats where our confidence soars. 2nd Timothy 1:7 talks about this confidence and our new mission: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Verse 8: Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord,… Then he goes on to talk about this good news we are to share. Finally, verse 28 says: In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Look, every ruthless dictator that rules out of a heart of disobedience towards God does not have a multitude of people who truly support him from the heart. He does not love them and they do not love their leader. Pray 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,…
Proverbs 14:2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. Today's passage talks about walking and talking and overall ways of people. Solomon speaks of one who walks in uprightness. Now, I know that means being holy and righteous… loving our neighbor as ourselves and God supremely… However in my mind I see this picture of a man standing upright along side of a man crawling on all fours like an animal. I think there might be a correlation between this picture of a man crawling on all fours… debase, feeding the desires of the flesh, following after his senses… not contemplating his life and purpose… one with a degraded sense of morality who has a corrupted discernment between right and wrong… no capacity for love… the kind that shares experiences, goals, dreams, hopes or aspirations. This man is not walking upright and does not fear the Lord but despises him and rejects the purposes God had for man in creating him. On the other hand, the one who is walking upright as a man the way God created… made in his image… is able to worship and fellowship with God… and not because of his own uprightness, but because of the righteousness of Gods Son who walked upright and lived a perfect life that he might impute his righteousness to all who delight in him… Yes God has created in him a new heart… one that has a desire to walk in uprightness in the image of God, mirroring his character. And of course, he still sins but now his new heart turns back to the Lord in repentance and grows in his practical uprightness from day to day. Finally Solomon says: 3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. The truth is that our actions come out from the type of heart we have… one that walks and talks from the perspective of the flesh broken by sin or one that is motivated by the Spirit of God. Justice comes to both. The analogy here indicates that the fool will receive a rod to his back and the upright heart will be preserved. Look, God created man in his image not only for his glory but for our good. He created us in a fashion so that we would have great joy in seeing his glory in Jesus and walking in his ways. Jesus is good news for those who do not walk upright. He calls you to look to him in faith… in delight… He will give you a new heart that will have victory over sin as you walk with him. Father God, thank you for sending your only Son to live a perfect life, then to die for unperfected people. Thank you for giving all who look to you with faith a new heart with the righteousness of Jesus… Thank you for raising Jesus from the grave incorruptible and giving us a new heart that can have victory over sin in this broken world with that same power that raised your Son up… And thank you that you will raise us up one day incorruptible no longer subjects to sin, pain, depression, sickness, disease, hate or death… forever with You, In Jesus name amen.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. The Witness We Breathe Out R Aylor It is quite unusual to see a guilty person who takes the witness stand begin by being truthful and making a confession. Most seem to lie and deceive and manufacture stories and tell half truths that point the finger of guilt at others instead of themselves. But deceit doesn’t wait to get on the witness stand before it winds up destroying other people’s lives… The thing is... this deceit in the hearts of man... it usually begins like a cancer eating away in the very families of the one who spirts out lies. This cancer doesn’t pause or go into remission. Although sometimes the lies seem harmless and benign they are in fact malignant. They hurt a lot of people… including our loved ones and close friends… and wind up destroying our own selves in the worst way possible for eternity away from all that is good. But on the other hand, Solomon says a truthful witness saves lives. Of course, if we look back a ways to the garden of Eden… it was satan who first lied… right? ...and it is he who did the opposite of saving lives… He is a destroyer of lives for sure. Genesis 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. And yet it was that lie that led to Adam and Eve’s sin and the physical and spiritual death of every person. And speaking of satan, Jesus said this in John 8:44 …He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. So Jesus says satan was a murderer from the beginning… satan did not come to man as a trustworthy witness proclaiming truth… He did not come to save lives like our text in Proverbs speaks about a truthful witness, but satan came to murder. Jesus speaking again but this time he contrast’s what satan came to do with what he came to do. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. What application for action does that bring for us today? You know, there’s a lot of truth proclaimers in the world today. The left, the right and many in the middle vocalize their opinions of what is right and wrong as though it is gospel. In John 14:6 Jesus said: …“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. He is the life changer! He is the way maker! He is the heart transformer! God is the one who gives us eyes to see the truth in Jesus. Let’s ask the Lord to make us true witnesses of Him. In order to do that we will need to know him… and after that… if we do… then to know him better and better for the rest of our lives that we might be transformed ourselves to be more like him… and that we might be a true witness of his glory to others of all that we have seen and heard. Pray…
Today's reading is a sermon from the Anglican Preacher George Whitefield (1714-1770) He was blessed with some unique talents in communication and vocalization as well as spiritual insights which he used for the glory of God. He was surly not a perfect man... Whitefield publicly renounced slavery early on. However, he participated in this horrible practice after he won plantation owners to the Lord and they entrusted him slaves. He advocated for legalization of slavery in Georgia possibly that they might help him maintain and operate his orphanage. He vocalized the good treatment of slaves and evangelized them. Beware reader... the end does not justify the means and we all have to give account to the Lord for how we rationalize the morals that come out of our brokenness. Whitefield's connection to slavery stands out as possibly being his most grievous sin . With that being said, history is a difficult thing to judge generally much less and yet more dangerously the intents of a heart individually... with the limited information we have and hundreds of years after the fact... And ultimately, that is one thing I cannot do to Whitefield or any other of our forefathers with good conscious. Only God knows the core of each of our hearts with its motives. I have enough trouble discerning my own heart in the present. God is judge. And knowing this... All sin is appalling and horrific and though some like slavery may seem much worse than others all sin hurts not only ourselves but others and probably more than we will ever know. In relation to God, sin puts each one of us on common ground, does it not? Like the song says: "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?". Jesus is the answer you yours and my brokenness. He is the good news... He is where I want to focus and find my delight in... He is the one I want to share with others. I do believe it is good to know and learn about both the good and the bad things in those who went before us. We cannot throw out the baby with the bath water or we would never gain good from those who went before us nor would others listen to us. That is one of the things about the Bible... it does not hide the mistakes of Abraham, Issac, Jacob... on and on in the Old Testament as well as Christ's disciples in the New Testament we see their faults along with Gods mercy and grace upon them as a work in progress. You see its all about the Lord and his glory in his mercy and grace and his working in our life for our good! So learn more about George Whitefield... and all of our forefathers in the faith with all their faults and all the amazing grace that God bestowed upon them for his glory... It will surly amaze and encourage you to read a biography about George Whitefield or listen to a sermon John Piper preached about him at desiringgod.org/ R Aylor The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent This is an amazing sermon that gets better and better the more he dives deep into the text. The focal passage is: Genesis 3:15 -- "And I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman, and between thy Seed and her Seed, it shall bruise thy Head, and thou shalt bruise his Heel."…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. 30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. What's Your Go To? R Aylor Do you have a “go to” in any area of life? I think most people do. Even when someone is asked a soft question like “How are you?” or “Whats been going on?”… or a something about the weather we usually choose from a few basic quips in our bag to respond with like:”I’m doing well, how are you?” or “Not much”, “same old same old”. If it’s been windy I usually comment how today I’ve had a bad hair day… (even though I am bald)… LOL. When I ask my brother what he’s been up to… I don’t know how many times… a lot!… he has answered me “about 5 10 1/2”. We have “go to’s” for clothes we wear… where and what we eat… who we seek counsel with… even things like were we go to first on line to get answers for various questions. The thing is… we also have “go to’s” when we are agitated. Unfortunately our “go to’s” in this area are more like “jump to’s”… And what jumps out from our text today is that at the first sign of agitation we should not jump to anger... we should not to have a hasty temper but rather quickly jump to a tranquil heart. You know, there’s a time and place, a reason and a way to be angry in a good context but there are like a million ways to do it wrongly. The problem is… (being descendants of Adam and Eve); we are all born hard wired with “go to’s” that are contrary to the plans for joy that God has for us. Yes God does want us to have great joy; and yet we jump to crossness, crankiness and crabbiness… with huffiness, hate and hissy fits filled full of anger. Our default “jump to’s” used to be things like judging the hearts and intentions of others towards us… As believers it doesn’t have to be that way any more. The Lord is our defense… with a tranquil heart resting in Christ we are to show others his love and how Jesus is good news for their brokenness. Even if our heart gets it right our jumping to make judgments as a way to exalt ourselves makes it all wrong. Verse 30 says “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot”. I suppose we all know the horrible feeling that not forgiving someone brings back on us. That and other evils that go along with relationships like envy and hate… they bring a tightness to the heart… This takes away our zeal for life and is definitely not good for our health. But not everyone knows the sweet peace that comes from resting in Christ… and not everyone knows the ability which he gives us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Pray Father please keep working on us to remake our default to rest in you and love our neighbor as ourselves. And for those who don’t know how to rest in you or love with that kind of love… please open their eyes to see your son Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe over and above anything the world can offer and worth leaving all for. He who lived a perfect life, was paid the wages of our sins with his death on the Cross and on the third day rose from the grave… and all that means for us who believe… us who delight and rest in him as our only hope. Father I will close with words from your Son Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. At first glance it may seem a bit discouraging that Solomon says the wicked get to live in a house while the upright only live in a tent. Well, that doesn’t seem fair… but hey… the thing is… the possessions of the upright consist of a little bit more than a tent. See, those who have been given the righteousness of Christ and so are upright… they don’t really live here… Maybe we could put a bumper sticker on our tent that says “my other house is a mansion” because we’re just passing through and will soon come to the place that Jesus went to prepare for us. Its the Spiritual Kingdom of God…Thats our homeland now. If you know Christ there is a sense in which you were actually born in that kingdom… It is your birthplace and homeland. Look, there is a full inheritance waiting for us there and most importantly we will be with the Lord. So we are not called to get comfortable here as though we have arrived in the land our hearts have longed for. We are not to seek peace or solitude in what this place has to offer. Dont settle down and grab up everything as though this is to be desired above all… Sometimes we use the phrase “to die for” as something extremely desirable… But thats exactly what happens for those who make this world their home… Solomon says: “The house of the wicked will be destroyed” Verse 12 goes right along with it: 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. What seems right is different from what is actually right and is relative to each persons own rationalization to have whatever they desire… The end of that wickedness ends in death… And its a horrible death not only separated from their body but from the Spirit of God and everything good. But the second part of verse 11 is encouraging for believers. “the tent of the upright will flourish” That goes along with the rest of the Bible for sure; and its not the kind of flourishing that goes with making this world our home or success by their standards… We flourish on the mission which we are here for… as we are passing through… living in tents… not making this our home. We’ve talked about 2nd Corinthians 8 and 9 before which is very clear how even those believers who are poor and oppressed will flourish in every good work and overflow with joy. 2 Corinthians 9:11 says: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Old mission: This world is our home… We seek and proclaim our own glory and get bitterness and death. New mission: We seek to see and share more of Gods glory and get loads of joy. Thats how it works… God created us that way. Do you want to flourish while living in a tent or do you want to make this world your home and never find satisfaction or joy? I really love Psalm chapter 1… it tells the same truth as todays verses. I’d like to read it as an outro and in so doing let God have the last word in todays devotion. Psalm 1 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. In todays verse I think we see another truth Solomon has witnessed in his… well, study of human behavior… and likely experienced in his own life. As usual, the obvious truth he sees carries underlying principals that can be used for application in other areas of life. First, he mentions the personal bitterness unique to each persons heart. Of course physical trials can be bitter in the way a cold wind is bitter upon the face. An accident that one never fully recovers from is a difficult ordeal. A long bout with cancer that ends in death can be a strenuous hardship on the one who is sick as well as many family members. Each one of us has their own unique experience of bitter troubles in the body that can be as distinct as a fingerprint. However; I really don’t think Solomon is referring to these kinds of physical things... at least not detached from another kind… And the reason I say that is because he says how its a bitterness in heart… and he contrasts it to joy in the heart. These resonate with the spirit of man and are spiritual in nature… still they are connected with the brokenness of the physical world we live in. So then… a dissatisfied heart could be aggravated into bitterness by bad life choices… right? It could be associated with the accident or cancer we spoke of. It might be awakened when one becomes a victim of domestic violence or racial injustice… or maybe you’re one who has been making yourself out as a victim… Someone looked at you wrong or maybe didn’t look at you at all. The mind has a way of conjuring imaginary assailants which can cause our hearts to go sour. But still, sometimes the mind gets it right… Either way… what Solomon says is true… it’s a personal pain… because our sin is personal and it’s the culprit. Our heart is broken and open to bitterness from the start… you see, no one can know it like we do because sin is so connected to who we are at the core of our being. However, at the opposite extreme of the spectrum is joy, and its different than happiness that comes from the hap-pen-ings which touch us in the physical world. Actually “happenings” are the same things that cause bitter things in our body… they stir up the bitterness in our soul which we have been talking about. But joy comes to us when… not sin but righteousness comes in our heart. Speaking of the heart, Solomon ends todays verse with: “and no stranger shares its joy.“ If today your faith in in Jesus, then you know joy came to you when Jesus gave you his righteousness. He was the only one who ever lived a righteous life. He willingly took the payment for what was due you for your sin with his death on the Cross. (The wages of sin is death… Romans 6:23) He imputes his righteousness to all who believe him and look to him in faith. Three days afterJesus died he defeated death and God gives that same power to all who believe that we might live victorious lives over sin as we walk with him… And one day he will raise us up incorruptible, no more subject to the entropy and death associated with sin. Father God thank you for your word and these obvious truths which are so profound when you open our eyes to them. How the heart knows its own bitterness and spiritual bitterness of heart is from our sin… and how no stranger shares its joy… Lord as believers in your family and not strangers we do share joy that comes from you because of the righteousness of Jesus upon our life… and still it is a personal relationship. Thank you for sending your Son who lived a perfect life, took the wages of our sin, and defeated death on the third day and all that means… Please continue to show us more of your glory, in Jesus name amen.…
Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. 7 Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. 9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. These verses give a number of insights about two different kinds of people… two different hearts. Solomon shows us the contrasts between the knowledge that comes from God and the arrogance of the foolish person… 6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, ... Why can’t the scoffer find wisdom? I suppose it is because he never admits he’s wrong about anything.... Then the last part of this verse; for a man of understanding… a man who knows he is broken and lacking. ... it’s an easy thing to seek godly knowledge... he hungers for it... 7 Leave the presence of a fool,... This one is pretty clear… the understanding person sees how a foolish person doesn't have good council to give and neither are they open to it. You know we become like those that we choose to and enjoy fellowship with. So we leave off from their companionship. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, ... The prudent person is wise in that he discerns his own way... he sees his brokenness and need... he does not seek out fellowship with the foolish. 9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The guilt offering that the Jewish people gave to the Lord in Solomon’s day was a lamb without blemishes. It pointed to the promised Messiah... Leviticus 5:17 “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. 18 They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord.” When God opened the eyes of people to realize they were sinners… for example they now see how years before they had treated someone without love and were to offer an unblemished lamb as a guilt offering to the Lord. John the Baptist said this: John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Some people thought this the guilt offering was a foolish practice... but it pointed to the one who offered the only hope for the sins of mankind… We see a lot of people today that mock believers saying believing in Jesus has always been for weak people. They are right! We are utter weaklings in that we are pushovers for sin. ... Well, the father of lies, satan himself who first tempted Eve… he has made us slaves to sin. We are weaklings to the furthest extent. The good news is that as Romans 5:6 says: For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why is that awesome? The guilt offering has been paid!!! Jesus the Lamb Of God who never sinned and is without spot or blemish freely laid down his life on the Cross and was paid the wages of our sin. God imputes his righteousness to all who look to him in faith… to all who with joy turn away from delight in sin to delight in him. Thats our initial repentance. We, who once treasured various promises of sin as we sought after the next possibility for satisfaction… Now God has given us eyes to see Jesus as the greatest treasure worth leaving all to follow the rest of our life. As believers, God gives us the same power that raised up Jesus from the grave to live victorious lives over sin. And so we live lives in circles of repentance as we grow in Christ the rest of our lives. When we fall we humbly look back to the offering of Jesus on the Cross who has already paid the wages of our sin. In joy we take up our cross and follow him.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:5 A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. People bear some kind of witness with their life. They proclaim something about who they are to others. We could even think about satan himself. He proclaims his own glory… He says his way is best for us. He says sin satisfies. In the Garden of Eden he told Eve God was a liar… and that the fruit of the tree God said would bring death would actually make her like God. But satan is a false witness. Solomon says that a false witness breathes out lies. In John 8:44, speaking of satan Jesus said this: …When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. That’s who satan is… even when he tried his hand at quoting scripture when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness his intent was deceit and he came to Jesus as a liar. What about us? Are we a faithful witness or a false witness? Of course a witness is someone who has actually saw something. They were there and can testify because they experienced something. But as broken people in a broken world… and speaking practically that includes Christians because although we are 100% righteous positionally… practically we are still a work in progress as the Lord is conforming us to his image… As broken people then… we have to fight against the temptation to say we are more than we are. I mean, no one wants to be thought of as less than others… not smart, not clever… We rather want to be looked up to and sought out for council… We even want to look good while we stand in the spotlight. But we have to fight against that because it is a false witness of who we really are. Even in the church there are so many I fear that claim to walk close to the Lord and want to be seen as leaders or role models… The Apostle John talks about this very thing: 1st John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. So if we stray from walking close to the Lord, (which we all do in some fashion from time to time) we are tempted to put on a self righteous front instead of humbling ourselves to the Lord in repentance. Not only are we tempted to bear a false witness to others but we can lie to ourselves also. 1st John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. All this lying is something we should flee from… If we truly know the Lord… and we do not call our sin what it is… rebellion against our Creator and Lord… our hearts can be seared hard like a stone so that our sweet fellowship with the Lord disappears… And that is a scary place to be… It is a red flag as to whether we have ever turned away from sin towards Jesus in the first place. But for those who will turn… there is some amazing good news. John continues: 1st John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So in closing… #1; don’t trust the lies of satan. Dont believe the promises for satisfaction and life he spurts out of his mouth. And #2; don’t live your life bearing a false witness of who your are. Even as believers we must humble ourselves instead of seeking our own false exaltation. James 5:16 says: …confess your sins to one another… #3; don’t rationalize your own sin… call it what it is. #4 Always keep returning to the Lord… Confess your sin to him and trust him for 100% forgiveness because of Jesus. Finally #5; get up and walk in the sweet joy of the Lord as a faithful witness on the mission of sharing not our own glory; but the glory of God in Jesus to a broken world.…
For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. This has been a fascinating verse to me for many years. Maybe because it seems that Solomon is just stating the obvious and somehow he must have believed that with every truth he observed in life no matter how apparent there must be something in it for him to learn… a foundational principal that he could carry with him into other areas of life for application. As for this verse, I think we’ve all seen some form of what Solomon is describing here. Right? I mean... if there are no tools in your workshop, it is likely clean and without clutter, but many engines can be repaired by the use of tools, and with that there is going to be a lot of grease and grime… theres just no getting around it. It’s proof that you have been working to accomplish something. Whether your desk is clean or dirty… your house… your clothes… they all tell a story. And to achieve something great in life means that whatever the normal order of your life is for you, it’s going to have to change… the old order is going to be disrupted. If you’re a farmer harvesting a crop, a worker putting up a fence, a carpenter building a house… an oilfield worker… a geologist or an archeologist… something’s going to have to get dirty or at least out of its normal order to realize anything worthwhile. The world is usually not changed for the better from a recliner. Many people do like to keep a clean house though… and thats cool! I get it. It’s a good thing. But if you’re not ever letting your family live in your home then you have made up your mind it’s for something besides living… Its for sitting there and looking nice and clean. So live in it and then clean it and then live in it again and again. In todays verse Solomon shares how a clean manger with no oxen does not have the power to accomplish the purpose of a manger. The oxen are not eating to maintain strength to plow the fields… neither are they being birthed in the manger area… nor are they pooping and stinking up the place. The owners have no need to hire workers to maintain all the workings of the manger… Sure it’s clean and comfortable there… It would make a great play house for the kids… But no oxen may mean no crops and no food on the table… poverty for the family or worse. As for us… as for me… Not getting my hands dirty… always trying to be comfortable will not accomplish anything great. It will not fulfill my purpose in life. Sure I will be clean and well rested but whats the good of a clean healthy life for the soul purpose of existing? A tool with no purpose is not really a tool. It is just a stick or a piece of metal. God created us with a purpose. That is to see more and more of his glory and come to mirror the image of his character We were created to worship him for who he is and find extreme joy in doing so… and then go forth and share his glory with others. Man was made in Gods image and was commanded to multiply and fill the earth. That would be us multiplying images of God. But Gods image in man was corrupted by sin. However, the good news is that God shows us his glory in his only Son Jesus. He lived a perfect life, was paid the wages for our sin with his death… He gives his righteousness to all who find their hope in him. Jesus rose from the grave and God gives us the same power that raised him to be victorious over sin as we walk with him. And he will raise us up one day no longer corrupted by sin and death. Now, because we have seen the glory of God and have been changed, we can fulfill Gods command… multiply and fill the earth sharing how the image of God in Jesus changes hearts. And so we are called to get up off the couch… to tend the oxen… to plow and plant seeds of the good news of Jesus… and to help gather the fields that are ready for harvest… to be willing to get dirty and be about the mission God has for us. Pray…
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. For the full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com and click on Proverbs in 365 Devotions. Thanks!…
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1 Proverbs 13:22-23 RA Wealth, Poverty, Injustice & Giving 11:08
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Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. It looks like both of these verses speak of some kind of increase or the lack thereof in a mans life. It seems Solomon is mentioning some of the insights he gained about people as he observed their everyday life in his kingdom. Maybe when he looked out his window or when he sat in judgment before individuals and heard their stories… You know… underlying every observation we make in life there is a truth where we can gain insight. But like Solomon, we must make our deductions with discernment. We need the Lords help with that. So let’s think about what Solomon has said… He tells us how a good man leaves some kind of inheritance to his children’s children… Inheritances usually consist of things like houses, money and land. He likely witnessed men who did this very thing. They were honest men who were not lazy… they worked hard and treated their neighbor justly… He watched how they didn’t spend their paychecks on wine and women or the home shopping network of their day (traveling merchant caravans).... but rather they worshiped the true God of Israel. They provided for their family, they helped those in need, they invested wisely and saved for their children… These were good men (not perfect) but they made good choices with their life and with their income. Solomon saw a truth… a principal we can adopt for our good in the lives of these kinds of men. But then in the same verse Solomon shares something which at first glance is kind of strange to me… He says that the wealth of sinners makes its way to them who are righteous. How might this happen? Proverbs 28:8 says: Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. This goes along with the point Solomon is making in todays verse but it extends the benefits that come to the good man beyond his children’s children to the poor. Somehow the hard working wise righteous man is always blessed enough to provide for his family and to help the needy. Solomon probably witnessed these men giving freely to the poor and yet by some miracle God always refilled their life with blessings so they could keep giving. Gods math works differently than mans. 2nd Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Is this the health and wealth gospel we sometimes hear preached? No, that is a false gospel… this is different. It’s something different… It’s real and amazing and for the glory of God. In 2nd Corinthians Paul is of course writing to the church in Corinth but he has been presenting the churches of Macedonia to them as an example of how God wants to work in their lives which goes along with our Proverbs passage. In chapter 8 Paul writes this: 1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. These were poor people… poor but good people because of the righteousness of Jesus upon their life. God uses his miracle math to keep blessing them enough to give to help the believers who were hurting in Jerusalem. Did God make them rich physically? No, there is no indication of that. He just kept blessing them over and over in whatever way he decides so they could abound in every good work. ... To see the full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com 2nd Corinthians 9:11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 13:1 A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. You know… there are two kinds of listening. And today it seems that Solomon really wants his sons to listen to his words of wisdom with the right kind of hearing. One kind is not sincere… This person may listen for a number of reasons but it is not genuine. If you have children then you surly know it’s possible for your instructions or scoldings to go on deaf ears… maybe hearing your words ever so faintly as background noise. A child may only listen to make a case against the rebuker and defend their own position either openly or as a way to rationalize in their heart. They’re really not interested in understanding why their father wants them to do this or that. They only care about justifying the argument for what they want in their heart. This is the scoffer whom Solomon says does not listen to rebuke. It makes since that the person who does not actually hear truth will not obey it but will go on seeking to do their own will. The second kind of listener is sincere. They want to understand why their father instructs them in this way and how it is that his words are right. They want what is true to make sense to them. Now in this case the listeners ears not only hear the words their father speaks but their heart makes a connection to the truth in his words and it is internalized within them. Then they can be joyfully obedient to their fathers words from the heart. When our Father in heaven speaks in his word, again there are two kinds of listeners. One kind listens but does not hear. In Matthew 13 Jesus said this: 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” As for the other kind of listeners… God opens their ears: David said this in Psalm 40:6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” You may be aware that Jesus read from this very passage in the Temple and it is speaking of himself. David said how God gave him an open ear to listen to his truth about giving sacrifices. This passage pointed directly to Jesus the perfect sacrifice. He willingly gave himself that we might be given his righteousness and be accepted by God. Maybe today God is opening your ears to hear how Jesus is the good news of Great joy the angel spoke of to the shepherds. Maybe he is giving you eyes to see why Jesus is beautiful and how he is the greatest treasure in the Universe worth leaving all for. He was paid the wages of your sin on the Cross and he will give his righteousness to all who believe in him. To all who delight in him… call on him, draw nigh to him, look to him in faith, rejoice in him.. to all who turn their face away from the promised treasures of the world and come to him. Can you hear the Spirit call you? Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Pray…
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1 Proverbs 20:30 RA Broken For Our Brokenness / Racial Brokenness 8:28
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Proverbs 20:30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts. What could Solomon be trying to tell us today? Well, I think we see Solomon giving an example of how discipline is to be used for the good in a person who is caught up in crime or and evil heart… sinful actions. We’ve touched on how one of the qualities of a good king should be mercy… but here the most merciful thing is discipline. We can see how this works when a child gets in a pattern of disobeying their parents. They don’t come to their parents and confess when they’ve messed up but they wait until they get caught to apologize... and then they disobey again and instead of repenting and confessing they hide their sin again until once again they are caught. These times clearly call for a spanking… but it’s a spanking for their good. Solomon may be alluding to criminals in Israel... thieves and murderers who break laws of the land… but this principle of discipline extends to others… for example we looked at how children need a firm hand at times… and likely it will be various discerning measures of discipline that can work for their good… But what about the people who don’t live under the authority of parents any longer… and they don’t actually break the laws of the land… Of course laws can’t regulate all the actions that flow from the heart… things like of not loving our neighbor or going about lying and cheating and gossiping... And these people are actually us sometimes… right? We can easily become cold and blind and dull of hearing… And we too need help and correction… an attitude adjustment if you will, for our good… our growth… But who will give us this discipline we need? Well, first off it’s interesting to ponder how kings and parents and others may use the same tools used by broken people like strokes (which might include spankings)… and they use them to cure brokenness. But the thing is… physical brokenness can be for our spiritual good. After Adam and Eve sinned and thus were broken spiritually God broke the world in that sickness and disease and depression and pain… so much more… all kinds of entropy and even death… God could have made things easy and removed all sickness and disease… He could have made a way for all to be rich and want for nothing physically… But of course that would not have helped the brokenness that our sin caused between man and God. But the brokenness of the world… every trouble we might face reminds us of our spiritual brokenness. Mans sin which brought about our separation from the fellowship of our Creator. And so yes, although we have the righteousness of Christ positionally, a broken world still works for our good practically… He is doing a work in us and so the brokenness still works for our good. And not only that but because he loves us personally, he corrects us individually… He knows what strokes and prods of love we need and even the blows that wound and leave scars that will be for our good. Hebrews 12:5 …“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” You know… although physical brokenness like pain and difficulty can point us to the cure for our spiritual brokenness in the promised Messiah, (this is important) one cannot fight spiritual brokenness with spiritual brokenness. For example when racial crimes as horrible as they can be are committed it does no good to fight hate with hate. Proclaiming truth with free speech is good but rioting and beating and destroying property… plundering and stealing… That is hate speech in action. This is not the discipline we’ve been speaking of today that is given out of a heart of love but bitterness. Though they may not know it, those who have hearts for these kinds of things have kindred spirits with those who’s hearts are racially charged with prejudice. Pray…
Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. Glory is something that defines us… it tells a story about not only people but also things. Paul tells us that the sun, moon and stars have glory. 1st Corinthians 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. Jesus said Solomon had glory when he compared him with the lilies of the field. Matthew 6:29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. In todays proverb we see how the glory of young mens strength sets them apart from old men who get grey hair. These differences tell a story that gives us clues that go into the make up of who these are. Solomon speaks generally about certain aspects that are common in both groups of individuals. These are only small parts of knowing a young or an old man. For us to know them better we would need to look at their glories close up, one one one at on an individual level… Solomon ends todays proverb by saying “but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” You know, this is what becomes of the young men who were once known for their strength… they are now known for something else. This time he uses a different word besides glory to describe it… Splendor. But this is like glory…in fact its sometimes translated as glory instead of splendor. But splendor in the Hebrew seems to me to carriy with it the ideal of wearing that glory… It shines out from your life. In some way this God given glory exceeds the strength which you had as a young man. Of course every grey head tells a story of a life of experience, but I expect Solomon is thinking of a man who has grown in wisdom and knowledge and prudence and discernment, peace and joy… His heart is steady and anchored in the Lord. Instead of using his physical strength to build a fence or help a neighbor he now moves whole mountains in peoples lives by counseling them with love and wisdom. Earlier we looked at how we get to know someone better by reading the stories that their glories tell close up and one on one. That’s the same way we get to really know the Lord. As we see more and more of his glory we know him better and better. In Exodus 33:18 Moses ask God for this very thing: Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And the next day Moses went upon the Mountain and God began doing that very thing. Check it out in Exodus 33 and 34. God began showing Moses who he was. He told him about his character and the different attributes that set him apart from everything and everyone else. It changed Moses... I think for the benefit of the Children of Israel and us… From then on when Moses removed his veil and went before God the skin of his face would glow after being in the presence of Gods glory. But I think the biggest change was his heart. Looking back to this very event the Apostle Paul tells us how God does this very thing for us spiritually. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 1st Chronicles 16:29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. "Two Wells" Robin Aylor There once were two wells flowing out waters. To nourish the souls of sons and daughters. One was alive, purified,The other looked clean, to the naked eye. But toxins like arsenic, venom and bane, Longed to flow through the children’s veins. Covered in Aspartame and Formaldehyde sweet, In hopes that the people would drink and eat. Lurking and hiding the poison it carried, Knowing partakers would soon be buried. Both wells cried out “I satisfy!”. But one shared the truth, the other a lie. I thought, how shall one know, which to partake? Then I looked all about, upon the landscape. Around one fountain, vegetation was dead. The people were crying, I heard what they said. Woe to us! They yelled out in pride. The waters they drank made them bitter inside. It had rotted their eyes and made them blind. It closed up their ears and hardened their mind. It changed how they think, it made their life stink. Yet their greatest desire was to take another drink. From the other fountain, Oh yes! I was sure. Sprung the water of life, unpolluted and pure. The grass was green, the flowers in bloom. The people were singing a joyous tune. They loved one another, all could see. That the water of life flowed abundant and free. They carried that life wherever they'd go. The water they drank was the word that was spoke. They spoke in the deserts, the valley and plains. Knowing Gods living Word, never waters in vain.…
John 4:13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Two Wells R Aylor There once were two wells flowing out waters To nourish the souls of sons and daughters One was alive, purified The other looked clean, to the naked eye But it carried toxins like venom and bane Which longed to flow through the children’s veins Enveloped with Aspartame and Formaldehyde sweet In hopes that the people would drink and eat Lurking and hiding the poison it carried Knowing partakers would soon be buried Both wells cried out “I satisfy!” But one shared the truth, the other a lie I thought, how shall one know, which to partake? Then I looked all about, upon the landscape Around one fountain, the vegetation was dead The people were crying, I heard what they said Woe to us! They yelled out in pride The waters they drank made them bitter inside It had rotted their eyes and made them blind It closed up their ears and hardened their mind It changed how they think, it made their life stink Yet their greatest desire was to take another drink From the other fountain, Oh yes! I was sure Sprung the water of life, unpolluted and pure The grass was green, the flowers in bloom The people were singing a joyous tune They loved one another, all could see That the water of life flowed abundant and free The water they drank was God's Word which they spoke They carried this water wherever they'd go They shouted His praises in the valleys and plains Knowing Gods living Word, never waters in vain…
Proverbs 20:26 A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them. 27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts. 28 Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. ... The first; verse 26 tells us first how a wise king deals with the wicked. He winnows them and drives the wheel over them. A winnowing fan would blows the chaff off of the wheat… separating it from the edible grain. The grain is put into storehouses or sold in the market while the chaff may be disposed of by burning.Speaking of Jesus and judgment John the Baptist uses this same metaphor In Matthew 3:12: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Solomon says the wise king also drives the wheel over them. From what I gathered, driving the wheel over them refers to the threshing wheel which was a wooden frame with three or four rollers armed with iron teeth. It was drawn by two oxen… It crushed out the grain and cut up the straw into fodder. Both are examples of Justice in making judgments by a wise king concerning evil… which point us to the justice of the Lord. Solomon talks about how God gives man an inner conscience which works to shine a light on his motives. Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Man truly has no excuse for why he does not seek God and live righteously and love his neighbor. God gives us enough light to follow that light and find him. Verse 27 points us back to Judgment Day in 26 when God will separate the chaff from the wheat. God has given us this conscience concerning what is true concerning Himself… whenever we look at his Creation… will we follow the light and seek our Creator? Will we see his sovereignty and care giving rain and fruit and grain and fish and all these good things while at the same time it is a broken world because of sin which should point us to our own sin? Will our conscience follow the light to that point and continue to follow it to his word which promised a Savior the Messiah who would set things right… or will we forget this light of conscience and say its a broken world and there is not God? In verse 28 Solomon seems to be saying how it is Gods steadfast love and faithfulness in keeping his own word that preserves the king. So as Solomon obeys God from the heart and loves those in his kingdom… he shows mercy to those who repent and judges righteously and is faithful to his word he is emulating the Lord. Because the kings heart is obedient and because God always keeps his word, the king is preserved and his throne is upheld. Thank You Father that you have given us light to look to you and see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Light from your Creation, light from our conscience, and light from your word. Psalm 119:130... Thank You Lord for bringing us into your presence at Judgment when you separate the chaff from the wheat because your Son Jesus took the payment due for our sins and you have applied his perfect righteousness to our life. Thank you for raising him up and for one day raising us. Thank you for giving us your same power that raised him to winnow sin from our own life and live lives of love and mercy towards others. Thank you for your steadfast love that never fails and for preserving us with you for eternity. In Jesus name Amen.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows. What does holy mean? Strongs concordance says this word translated from means apartness or sacredness. As a believer God calls us to be set apart to the Lord. That includes our words. We are to keep our word both to God and man. James 5:12 says: But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. So when we give our word to another we are accountable to God for our pledge. If you are a believer you are an Ambassador for Christ and so our words reflect upon the Lord. In that context our words are holy. We are not to give our word or make a promise flippantly to others. We say things like I will be praying for you… but what becomes of our words? We say I will be there or I will call you tomorrow morning… or I will commit to this or that… As the Hebrew indicates; Holy carries with it the idea of being set apart. That’s why we we say God is holy... His character and all of his attributes are so far set apart from sin... To an eternal extreme he is 100% Holy in all his ways. But we live in a culture where people are holy unto themselves... they are set apart from loving others and loving God and to them sin and selfishness are sacred. That was us… We hoping that the promises of the world like money and nice things and seeking our own glory would bring us joy. But since we have seen the glory of God in Jesus, our words are to be holy... set apart for the Lord for his glory. 1st Peter 4:11 says: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Another great verse along the same line is: 2nd Corinthians 3:3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. In that sense which Paul is describing, Gods word is to be applied and internalized in to our life making us holy and set apart that our life might be matching up with who we are in Christ. As believers we have the righteousness of Jesus... but practically we are a work in progress. We made a sacred declaration that Jesus is our Lord and we are now on his mission… no longer on our own and we must not be stagnant or fall back and with a wishy washy heart reflect now on our profession of faith after we have made it and say… no… I think I will go back to believing the promises of sin… but rather be holy and set apart more and more. In closing let me read today’s proverbs again: Proverbs 20:25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows. Pray…
Proverbs 20:24 A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way? Something about this verse makes me want to smile. I think part of it is acknowledging the sovereignty of God. It just does something for my heart knowing the Creator of all things loves me so much and cares to be involved in each step I take. And another reason I like this verse is because there’s a mystery here… Today's devotion is my pondering a small part of the journey. Please double check my musings. Why does God intervene in the oh so small steps that man takes from day to day? Actually, I think that if we acquaint ourselves with Gods word we can know what he’s doing our life… at least generally; but specifically well, not so much… It seems to me that Solomon is saying… The reason our plans in this world don’t always go the way we hope is because God channels our steps. I mean… at the time of trouble does anyone know the real reason why we experience hardships like a loss of job or 1001 other trials? And so we fight against the brokenness that has touched our life… We may plan to take college courses to begin a specific job… but that falls through because of money or time constraints… or sickness or 100 different reasons… ... We ask “Is God for me or against me?” One path just closes off and we have to go a different way time and time again. Yet all these things… not only those we consider bad… but those at the time we count as good… somehow work towards the same end. The details and complexity and vastness of the answer may last throughout our life… I believe one of the reasons for the why is that God is educating us in the ways that he knows is best. He may transport us where we were not planning on going… other times he may let us go the way our wayward heart wants to go, and then other times he may carry us exactly where we want to go as we love following him. In all these things God is directing… pushing, prodding and channeling our steps… even when we follow our wayward heart it may be that we need to hit the end of our rope before we call out to the Lord. I think Romans 11:36 is a key to understanding today's proverb and the course of our lives. Romans 11:36 says: For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. So in today's proverb it is not our steps that are in question… Solomon is clear that they are from the Lord… but it is our way that we do not understand. In other words why does God order troubles, trials and even physical blessings in our life? We might even ask why did God break the world and the Universe in the first place. I believe all this brokenness is to remind us that we are broken because of sin… we are not glorious no one is good and we all need a glorious savior… the promised one from Genesis 3. You see, everything is for the glory of God… and as we see his glory… it becomes for our good. You know, even when God planned our first step as he placed us in the families we were born into and in the nations he chose… even in the time period of history which we live he did so for our good and his glory. Speaking of God Acts 17:26-27 says: 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. … I think it’s impossible for us to fully and specifically understand how all of the ways in which the Lord orders our steps can be seen as being for our good and for Gods glory. As Isaiah 55:9 ... But you know it’s really a good thing to be able to trust God for the directing of our steps because left to ones self we would blindly follow the devil off a cliff into the pit of hell. Right before Jeremiah ask the Lord for correction he says this in Jeremiah 10:23: I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:21 An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. Bad Love R Aylor The desire to have what we deserve and not have to wait seems to be the desire of all men... but it’s a false premise. This example Solomon gives concerning an inheritance is a great example. There's this hunger inside of men… this seed of greed that only needs a sprinkle of hope to feed it and the next thing you know it becomes an overwhelming obsession that controls us. 1st Timothy 6:10 acmes to mind: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. Notice the object of the verse is not money but the kind of love that is associated with it. This is a powerful self serving kind of love that excludes love for others… Its a kind of love that is greedy for the inheritance and breeds distrust among siblings and causes family rifts that last a lifetime. This kind of evil love does not think his brother or sister deserve much of the inheritance at all because they were not the kinds of children to their parents they should have been. This lends nicely to the truth in the next verse Proverbs 20:22 which says: Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you. An inheritance gained quickly is not waiting on the Lord. We may be tempted to rationalize the inheritance as deserving to us by saying it would be justice. God teaches us to leave justice to him. Don’t be vengeful. That can put your heart in a bad bitter place out of fellowship with God. And the thing is… Justice the way we are thinking would not be in our best interest. As I mentioned… we rationalize things out of balance… so that things appear in our favor. That leads us to the next verse in todays passage. Proverbs 20:23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good. Look, none of us have been the children to our parents we should have been. Leave the earthly inheritance in the hands of the Lord. Dont be obsessed with money and things… rather yearn for the spiritual riches which are found in Christ. For those who hope in Christ… He has promised us an inheritance that is an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison full of immeasurable treasures beyond our comprehension… And he gives us a sample of whats to come in the joys we experience in seeing more and more of his glory until that day. Pray…
Proverbs 20:19 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. 20 If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness. ...To slander would include things like digging up dirt on others and making a character assignation against them with malicious gossip. It may even be something way back in the persons past… This slander may be a total misrepresentation of who the person is today… They spew out their words like a mad person kills and destroys with seemingly no guilt and unconcerned about the lives they destroy. Solomon calls this person a simple babbler… Simple, I suspect because they lack the things that Proverbs tells us over and over to pursue… Things like wisdom, knowledge, prudence, discretion… attributes like fearing the Lord, helping the poor, looking out for the good of others and accountability with money and in relationships… the list goes on and on. And this babbler is someone who just rattles on and on with nothing worthwhile to say… Its a strange thing that this person can jjibber-jabber on and on almost without breathing and yet never touch on any of the many things that Solomon says are important. And the thing is… he actually does reveals secrets… But they’re not for helping others or building them up or mending relationships… These secrets are weapons that ruins peoples lives and strains relationships and promotes divorce and splits churches and causes children to never speak to their parents for years… This babbler causes pain and feeds distrust and envy and bitterness and encourages others to hold grudges. Solomon says not to associate with them. Being drawn to them… enjoying their fellowship and admiring their ways… has surly led those who do down the very same path. Now the person in verse 20 who curses his father or his mother is a similar type of individual. The curses he speaks are also slanderous and much of the time he too reveals secrets about his parents. There could be various underling reasons for this… It may be because he has never come to the point of forgiving them for the wrong that they did to him or to his siblings. It could be their hypocrisy or that they weren’t there when they needed them… Nevertheless, the secrets this person reveals about his parents in their cursing are not for their good. It is not so they might be prayed for or that relationships might be restored. This person is blind to the extent of his own brokenness. When Solomon says his lamp will be put out in utter darkness. He may have been thinking about the many references to this in the Old Testament. * Exodus 21:17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death. * Deuteronomy 27:16“‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ And in the New: * Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Of course the implication is that not honoring your parents… even cursing and not wanting good for these who’s family God chose to place you into… will be to your demise. And the sad thing is in cursing them you are in some way blaming God himself. In closing the thoughts that come to mind are… I should not be a babbler… If I am going to put others down let me put them down on my prayer list and not reveal their secrets in slander. Gossip can consumes us. I know, I have been there. But the truth is that slander is part of the mission satan wants you and I to be on… That is… sharing bad news. Gods mission is sharing the good news… the best news ever, how Jesus took what was due us because of our sin with his death on the Cross and in exchange gives his righteousness to all who delight in him through faith, and as he was raised God will raise us up no longer under the entropy associated with sin. Father God thank You for this great gift, In Jesus name amen.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. 21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. 22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. Treasure In The Glory Of God R Aylor Only a few verses earlier in this chapter, 16-18; we saw how a wicked person peruses worldly pleasures but the end result is their own destruction. I wonder... why might the wise person in today’s verses have many of the very same treasures the wicked person seeks and devours... the very things that leads to their demise? But for the wise they are not evil or poison to their soul... why is that? I think the reason is not in the things that come their way but in the seeking of them first and foremost. The physical things in life are not that important to the wise at heart… they are not obsessed with them… not controlled by them... The pursuit of things do not devour them... Verse 21 tells us that the wise person is going hard after something totally different... they are seeking not physical things but certain traits. 21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. These are characteristics of righteousness and goodness and truth. These are attributes of God and the kinds of things God showed Moses when he ask to see his glory. And seeing more and more of Gods glory will transform our life. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 says: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Finally verse 22 says: 22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. You know in today’s culture many have tried to redefine tolerant to mean that a tolerant person will not confront evil and wickedness. They will not disagree or make a case for righteousness. A tolerant person will not publicly differentiate between right and wrong… they will let wickedness proclaim its own biased self righteous ideas for the most part indoctrinating our lives, the lives of our children and our culture. But Solomon says those wise in the Lord are to take a stand for truth and that not only when wickedness crosses our path… but to be proactive and intentional scaling the city that is overrun by wickedness, breaking down the foundations of every lie and then making a case and proclaiming the truth for the glory of God in Jesus. Pray …
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Check out the devotion on Proverbs 21:9 for more help in staying together in marriage for Gods glory and your good... Its a verse similar to todays passage. Something Else Is Even Better R Aylor It is better to live in a desert, than with a woman full of fret She will complain, contend, allege and defend; always inclined to upset The desert nights freeze and the day shines down warm It’s a land full of sand, snakes, lizards and thorns And just because its better does not mean its best To leave and go there will not cure your stress Whether desert, or attic, dog house or the street What is best is to never give up on truth and peace Work to that end, promote one and the same Be patient, forgive, don’t condemn or cast blame You may save your family, your children and wife From a fragmented, bitter, delusioned life And in all this, more than ever before You will grow and draw closer to Gods word and the Lord Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com They Call Me The Wanderer R Aylor Proverbs 21:16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead. 17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. 18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright. Our text begins talking about how wandering from good sense will get you killed. This reminds me of how easy to get disoriented in a mountainous wilderness; wouldn’t you know… Ive gotten lost in an area like that and believe me its a horrible feeling. Once I realized I was lost with mountains on each side of me and not knowing north from south it was not good sense for me to keep walking… Thankfully a friend found me early on. Up in that same area of the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado… one evening as dusk was turning to night a lady walked into our camp. She had gotten lost earlier that morning and I was told she had walked about 20 miles across the mountain… When she came over one of the mountains she had saw our campfire in the distance and made her way to us. She was weary from the long walk and anxiety of being lost for so long. My buddy and I took our motorcycles to a Ranger Station maybe around 10 miles from camp to try and call her husband but all they had were radios and we could not reach them. I had actually brought an extra sleeping bag and so she spent the night in it at our camp site. The next day some who were with us took her to her husband which by road was about 100 miles. When a person gets lost like this and keeps wandering I suspect it usually does not end this well. Our text today says: One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead. This is relevant in relationship to things spiritual in nature and our walk with God. The passage goes on to give examples of loving pleasure and wine and oil. When we walk towards earthly pleasures instead of the ultimate pleasures that come from God we are walking towards disaster. If thats where you are today, quit wandering further into sin. Call to the Lord for mercy and he will give it. Pray for a friend to help you walk the right path like my friend who led me to safety when I was lost in the mountains. It may be a difficult prayer to ask God to give you accountability in your life to walk the good path in life… It will be difficult to pray a “whatever it takes” prayer but you will do it if you are desperate for the Lord. Finally todays passage says: 18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright. This passage is a little more difficult for me… I have been thinking about it and cross referencing scriptures… I even looked at some commentaries… Still, I’m not real sure of its intention by Solomon. The commentaries I read mostly referred to this verse as saying how when the wicked plan evil it returns to them… like the saying what goes around comes around… One example was given in the book of Esther, how Haman who had planned the execution of Mordecai became a ransom for him in that he was hung on the same gallows he had built for Mordecai. Another I though of along the same line comes from Proverbs 26:27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. Still I’m not real sure about this verse… I only know that I keep coming back to Jesus and so I will tell you what this makes me think of. It was Jesus; who, although he was perfect he became as wicked in that he was paid the wages of our sin on the Cross that we might be ransomed from the curses and the slavery that comes with sin. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 speaking of Jesus says: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1st Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all… Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath. 15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. The Gift That Averts Anger R Aylor Today we will begin with verse 14 and focus most of our time on it. Then tie in verse 15 at the end. Now the giving of gifts may remind us of other verses in Proverbs but it is actually quite distinct. You can check out the devotions from Proverbs 17:8, 18:16 and 19:6 if you like but todays angle on gift giving is different. I’ll read it again. Proverbs 21:14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath. Notice in this verse Solomon gives two examples of giving and in both cases they are given one on one and not publicly. These gifts are not for buying friendship… they are not to get you in the doors to see a king or president… Again both of these example share another commonality… they are to stave off or turn away anger and wrath. And this gift giver in both cases is not making a publicity stunt… The gift is private… Something has likely gone wrong within their personal relationship… Its not about gain, its about restoration. It’s a gift of repentance… It accompanies words like: “I’m sorry, I have offended you personally and our relationship has suffered… I bear the blame and ask for forgiveness.”. Men have brought this truth to action for hundreds of years… When the relationship between them and their spouse has suffered they bring a gift like chocolates or flowers which accompany their humility and words of love. This verse makes me think of mankind relationship with God… how Adam and Eve turned away from him and were put out of his fellowship… And how we all take on these same rebellious traits as our ancestors and must be brought into a good association with God being accepted and rejoiced over by him. And although we are the rebels and although he is the one who has been angered with good cause… and in his justice we are the ones who will face his wrath…in all that, still he has so loved us that he has given us a great gift that will avert his anger and wrath for all who accept his offering. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thats where our Proverbs 21:15 verse comes in… 15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. He is paid for our sin on the Cross that we may rejoice in his justice in salvation and judgment. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered. Who Listens To The Poor? R Aylor Would you say that you hear the cry of the poor? I don’t know about you but I hear a lot of stuff... a lot of grumbling about the daily troubles of life... sometimes it’s my own voice... griping about the government and the economy and relational problems and a million different things. The question might be do we let all these other cry’s in our ears from ourselves and the world drown out the cry of the poor? Peter and John counseled Paul and Barnabas about sharing the gospel with the Gentiles: Galatians 2:10 ...they would that we should remember the poor; which very thing I was also zealous to do. You know, helping others physically goes hand in hand with sharing the gospel. Jesus lived like this. He healed so many... he had compassion and fed the 5000 plus women and children... and then the 4000. Their are a lot of needy people in the world. And the truth is that everyone is poor in some way. So once again let me change the question: Do we drown out all the other cry’s in the world that come to our ears… all the grumbling about the daily troubles of life that people around us have? Do we close our ears to our next door neighbor who may be rich in money but is poor in relationships. They are lonely… Do not close your ears to their needs. Get involved... show the love of Christ practically in the area of their need. Another neighbor may be poor in the sense that they have a need for someone to help them move a refrigerator or build a fence... an elderly person may be poor in strength and stamina and need help with yard work or house cleaning. The great thing about helping those who are poor in various areas of life is that it gives us opportunity to share the love of God in Jesus to those who are bankrupt spiritually. In Matthew 5:3 Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If we close our ears to the poor our text says we will call out ourselves and not be answered. Not loving others is a red flag… it may be an indication that we have never experienced the love of God and have no idea of the joy in sharing it with others. And on the day of judgment it will be too late… At that point call out for mercy from the Lord we will not be answered. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. 11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin. Mercy In His Eyes R Aylor We covered verse 11 in Proverbs 19:25 and will again in Proverbs 24:23-26 We learned how discernment plays an important role in our relationship with scoffers. In reproving them our hope is not to drive them away from Christ ... but for their sake to discern when to wait until they seem more open to the Lord, then speak that they might believe. However there are other times we may rebuke them publicly that those who might learn wisdom will see their lifestyle and learn the truth of sin and how pride does not end well. However verse 10 will be the central focus of todays devotion. 10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. Let’s think about this thing called mercy. Mercy is a part of relationships. If you want to be better in social situations… and learn to love your neighbor as yourself… you will need it. It is no secret we are all broken sinful people. But if you have looked away from sin to Christ and have delighted in him you have received his mercy. We are 100% righteous positionally because Jesus has taken our sin and given us his righteousness. Still in this body we are functionally a work in progress. So we walk in circles of repentance as we grow in him practically, coming to him daily for mercy as he is at work in us. That is our relationship with God as we live in this broken world. Back to our relationship with man… we need mercy from one another as well to live peaceful and fruitful lives. In our homes, with our spouse, with our children… we must give out mercy and receive mercy every day… all this mixed with accountability motivated by love. Thats how God works on us in relationship to him as well. Verse 10 of Proverbs 21 says how the neighbor of a wicked person does not see any mercy in him. If your dog poohs on his yard he wants you to clean it up… If you apologize he doesn’t seem to be satisfied. He would be only moderately content if you kneel at his feet when you ask for forgiveness. Even if you apologize he wants you to keep your dog chained up from now on. He doesn’t want to ever hear him bark again… Mute that dogs mouth! I don’t want to be reminded of his transgression! Get rid of it! This neighbor has no mercy in his eyes towards you and may hold a grudge forever. Look, we all need mercy in order to have peace. We need it at home with family, with neighbors, at work… everywhere… we need to hand it out and accept it graciously. Thankfully, when anyone looks to the Lord they will always find mercy in his eyes. No matter what you have done and for all you have done… even for a heart bent on sinning which is what we all come into this world with. But now in repentance, in looking away from sin towards Christ he gives us his righteousness positionally and begins a work in progress for righteousness in our life practically. Father, thank you for your mercy through Jesus your Son who took the wages of our sin on the Cross and defeated death that we might have that same power for victory over sin in our life… and as he was raised we too will be raised incorruptible no longer subject to sin along with all the fear and pain and death it brings. Help us to come to you daily for mercy as we grow practically in your righteousness and may we be merciful to others as we share your glory with them and tell them of Jesus.…
Proverbs 21:9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. Best Is Better Than Better... What is Solomon saying is best? For transcript and more go to braggingonjesus.com Click 365 devotions in Proverbs
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. 7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. 8 The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright. The Plans Of The Diligent We all have plans, objectives and goals That flow from a core down deep in our soul It feeds our dreams and fosters our visions It shapes our schemes and contrives our decisions For whom and for what dose one diligently seek? Some change their plans when the way turns bleak For many there’s a shaky foundation in place For others the bedrock of Gods glorious grace Still, many seem diligent but wrongly I’d say Their lying and cheating will sweep them away Like a fleeting vapor or a fading breath Their perseverance like a snare will lead them to death But the diligent for righteousness, virtue and truth Who stand for the poor, broken down, destitute Never ease from the goal or turn back from the light But gaze ever forward on our Lord Jesus Christ We press on for the prize of what lies ahead In joy we strain forward to the rising of the dead This upward call resolute we pursue Because He who began a good work will see us through…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin. You know we can do a lot of things in this body. Solomon mentions sacrifice as being one thing we might do. In his day Jewish people would bring Sacrifices to the temple that were supposed to show their obedience to God from their heart. It was supposed to show how they trusted God and his word and somehow God was going to make everything right and they would be accepted by God and their sins would all be forgiven. Of course these sacrifices pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Gods own Son even though they only saw this promise dimly through a veil. Oh the promise was sure enough alright. God spoke about it after mans fall in Genesis 3… The prophets spoke of it time and time again… still it was in the foggy shadows… However they accessed this promise and we’re given confidence and guaranteed hope through faith in Gods word. Now, much of Israel though began to offer sacrifices to God in a legalistic manner and not from a heart that hoped in the coming Messiah but in their own works. They dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s in their keeping of Gods Law including offering the sacrifices. They set themselves up as teachers of others and became proud and haughty as todays verses say. I think this is a great lesson for me today, even a s a believer in Christ. At times I wake up and find I have been drifting from shore. I have been doing the deeds… I have been in Gods word… I have been sharing and teaching and serving others in my body… However my own heart has been slacking in loving Jesus as I should. How did I get here? What went wrong? Where did I start going astray? Then I begin to think back… last week or last month or whenever it was I am thinking… that is when my heart began to stray. Instead of finding my joy in the grace of God through Jesus… Instead of being satisfied in his word… Instead of resting in the peace that passes understanding… Maybe I decided then to began flipping the TV channels more as though I might find just the right thing to satisfy me… Could be that I clicked on a few moderately safe links in my social media secretly hoping they would take me somewhere else… Oh I still read Gods word every day… I still shared him… I even found myself rejoicing in what I seemed to have accomplished for God. But my rejoicing was not in Jesus my righteousness… During those times it may be that many of my sacrifices were not being done out a heart for God… Todays text talks about people who are walking in sin yet they are doing some of the same deeds that those walking close to the Lord are doing. But the wicked person does them on the outside only and not from a heart that abides in the Lord. Only when we our heart walks in the love of God can we truly teach others in humility, do righteous deeds and show justice. Pray…
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For text and audio: 1 - Go to braggingonjesus.com 2 - Click on 365 Devotions from Proverbs 3 - Go to Proverbs 21:1-2 This is not an exhaustive look at the doctrine of election and accountability but a work in progress until we see him face to face.
Today we will close out Proverbs 24 with a great passage: verses 30-34. Proverbs 24:30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. ... Ok, let’s ponder this a bit and find how it relates to us. For example, there is good possibility that we have things unkept in our own life right? We may have been putting off touching up some calking around the house and painting it. We might need to clean out that… or those closets and junk rooms that have served over the years as holding areas when cleaning up the house. We may have intended to take items to the homeless shelter or Salvation Army or thrift store… We might have been planning a garage sale for 20 years and the stuff has kept piling up and is now unmanageable. How far out of control is our life really? Years ago I managed a fast food drive-in... ...When I knew he would be coming, all of a sudden I saw dirt everywhere.. So we would do things like clean… and scrub and paint… inside and outside… what ever was needed. ...Our senses get comfortable with the brokenness around us and we become blind to how far out of step our life has become. The writer of todays passage gives us an amazing insight… It’s a BIG BIG help with only a single small word which he repeats three times in verse 33. Listen for it. Heres what he says: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. If there is anything we might get out of this passage today I think it would be that we do not want to be that person who lets everything in life get out of control and go to pot. That person who was lazy toward ...the responsibility God had given him with the things in life… When he first planted his vineyard he likely did not set out to become a sluggard lacking sense… He did not plan on poverty swallowing up his life… It was the little things that brought his downfall… just a little extra sleeping in… a little extra slumbering in the recliner… a little extra folding of the hands… a little extra time playing video games… being on social media… watching tv… eating… fishing… just a little extra time seeking ye first that same old mission in life before we came to Christ. Yes, this is a real life in the physical world problem but it is connected to and points to how our life might be spiritually. The truth is… If you are a believer satan wants your life to be broken down and unkept even more so spiritually. If he can keep you so far behind on spiritual responsibilities and accountability and so far in spiritual poverty so you have stopped growing in Christ… your new mission in Christ will look like a dead overgrown grove. So here’s the question: Is your spiritual vineyard unkept? Is it even bearing fruit? If it is… have the grapes become sour because the vines have not been pruned back every fall? Little by little have you lost interest in the vineyard? You quit pruning and grafting and weeding… what the birds don’t take away the worms eat and disease infests. The writer ends with verse 34: and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. I hope that is incentive for you to stop all the little advances toward sin… the occasional pulls from TV and the internet towards lust have moved from little to a lot… Gossip and grumbling have increased from sometimes to often… Mind fantasies have become more frequent… Maybe you were introduced to marijuana or something else and you rationalized until now your want for it is like an armed man that is destroying your life. It could be a million different things. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 24:28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” So there is some good instruction to us here for relationships. First, “Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause”. Are there times we should be a witness against our neighbor? Sure murder, abuse, theft… and other things… We are called to take a stand against wickedness in a million different ways… However not all of them need be us being a witness to the authorities against our neighbor… Most of the time we are called to be a witness to our neighbor about things true and good for their peace one on one in personal conversation. Most importantly how Jesus is the good new of great joy for them… That is being a witness directly to them with cause. But I really think the writer is simply saying don’t make accusations against your neighbor unless it is for good. Dont go stirring up trouble unless it is going to be for good and for Gods glory. Next the writer says: “and do not deceive with your lips”. So don’t make up things about your neighbor… Dont put them down or slight them to others… Dont be a complainer about them or a gossiper… Finally it says: 29 “Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.” In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us the same thing not in the negative saying what we should not do but in the positive… Heres the way he says it. Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. If your neighbor has harmed you in some way… don’t do to them as they have done to you… rather show forgiveness and love the way the Lord has done for you. Actually in Matthew 7 before Jesus said how we should love others he tells how God wants to do us good and not evil. He is our example. Matthew 7:9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! … Then in verse 13 Jesus tells us about the best and greatest good thing that the Father gives those who have been given eyes to see what we should seek and ask for. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. What is this narrow gate and how narrow is it really? It is only Jesus… It is not ourselves with all our effort to do good works… It is not buddha or mohammed or any way of thinking or doing… Its the one promised to bruise the head of the serpent when Adam and Eve believed him over God… Its the one who lived a perfect sinless life and did not have to pay the wages of sin which is death… Its the one who chose to die anyway not for his sin but ours. He is the one who imputes his righteousness to all who will delight in him, giving us fellowship with God. He is the one who defeated death on the third day and gives us the same power that raised him from the dead to have victory over sin as we walk with him. And as in his resurrection we will be raised up incorruptible forever with him no more submissive to sin with the death and sorrow and pain it brings. So who is and how narrow is this gate: Jesus answers that question in: John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Pray…
Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. We all have things we want in life… And today's culture is one where people don’t want to wait for anything. We order our hearts desire on line… wild and crazy things… unique things no one would have imagined a few years ago… and much of the time it can be delivered to our door the very next day. And we don’t even have to have money to pay for it right now… on our person or even in the bank… we just put it on a credit card… We still might even have to work for the money at our job to pay for it… and to pay our house payment and our car payment and everything else… much of America lives not from paycheck to paycheck but a few months out in front of their next paycheck. Today's text teaches us not to be obsessed with what we want or let it consume us so that we ignore accountability and responsibility. It talks about a person who has a desire to build a house… Maybe he is getting married and wants a home for his bride to be. It is not wise to be driven by passion for your bride to cause you to ignore plowing the field and planting the crops… The house may never get finished… the siding will remain half done and the insulation will show through and the trim will never be completely done and the house will age and get run down and your family will live in poverty because you ignored the wisdom associated with work and your accountability. Our text talks about building a house but it could be about buying a car or even physical things related to sex or drugs or whatever… It could be anything that causes us to set wisdom aside and follow our earthly passions. So what is it for you? What wants to be the treasure that you will be so passionate about that is worth giving all your attention to? Now… we have been talking about physical things but what we do in our body; good or bad, is always connected some way to spiritual things… Mankind has one of two goals… Before one looks to Christ their passion is to exalt themselves… Thats our self made mission.. we set goals to that end for self… we do what we want… to make us happy… work to that end… we want to be boss of our own life… We want to be seen as beautiful or good looking… smart… wise… cool… have lots of money… be healthy… live long and enjoy life to its fullest and finally have lots of people come to our funeral… All that for ourselves. As a believer our passion… or overwhelming desire is to see more of Gods glory and no longer to exalt ourselves but him… We want to share his glory with others… All these things give us amazing joy. God has given us eyes to see his beauty instead of our own false beauty… He owns everything and has made us his children and given us an inheritance so we are richer than the richest person on earth could imagine being. He gives us joy and a peace that passes understanding. Its not about whether we are remembered when we die but it’s about whether we pointed others to see and know Jesus. So, again, what is it for you? What is the treasure that is worth giving your attention to in life? In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said this: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Pray…
Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. 24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. 26 Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. Honesty is the best policy… Benjamin Franklin… You know, mans heart has not gotten better over the past few thousand years has it. Today many people still publicly agree with and support those who they want to benefit from even when they don’t actually agree with them in their heart. We do it when we are obsessed with getting ahead at work. Politicians do it do it with their constituents and vice versa even when they know they are wrong. Solomon is telling us not crumble before the wicked. Don't tell them they are right when they are wrong… but rather be a man… not a brown nose man… not a yes man… but a man who does not let wickedness get the last say… well be a man if you are a man that is… If you are a woman… still take a stand for truth! Wickedness is all around us, making claims of truth to our children at school… trying to be the teacher to all of us on TV… and so called political correctness is being enforced in the workplace. Wickedness pushes a morality as being supreme over the Bible… And in order to be accepted in a wicked world we are tempted to not stand up for truth. Unfortunately much of the time we don’t stand for truth because we do not know truth as we ought. We need to be a people who are tethered to Gods word… We must love it so much that we meditate on it day and night that and see its treasures and beauty of how it is supreme over the morality of the world so we don’t bow to their values. I do think we need to get a lot better at honestly rebuking wickedness in love instead of being honest as a kind of self-righteous judgmental executor of judgment. But even as we state truth in love we should ask the Lord for discernment in how to do it. Actually I think the book of Jude gives us some help on how to discern the best way to rebuke in love when wickedness is trying to get the last word in our lives. Jude 1:17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Did you notice the discernment in the varying ways Jude deals with sin… he uses words like hate… towards sin… mercy towards others, to snatch out of the fire as though we need to hurry… So no, we are not called to be casual comfort zone Christians… time is short… our lives are short and I myself feel like I have wasted way too much of it on the things of the world. And Jude also mentions fear… I think fear to be careful ourselves not to fall… Because we are all still works in progress. I think that is why he said we should build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit… Now instead of a prayer I think I will close by reading the last two verses in the book of Jude to see who this is all about… who is it for and who gives us such a great blessing in standing up against evil as our text in Proverbs says… ok, verses 24 and 25. 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.…
Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, 22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? So far in chapter 24... Now Solomon is saying not to join with the wicked and more specifically not to join with those who do not fear the Lord and the king but rather to fear them both. Alright, the thing Solomon puts first is that he says to fear the Lord… why should we fear God? Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Now I have heard it said before that the kind of fear we should have toward God is something more like a reverent fear. While that is true… we cannot exclude the most extreme fear one can imagine. We should not belittle or downplay the holiness of God. Our unholiness in that we seek to take the glory that belongs to God for ourselves and we rebel and are disobedient and we have been believing the promises of the world over him…. Our brokenness should bring us to our knees before God in his perfection of love and justice; his righteousness in character and attributes. Ok, now here is something interesting I think… and amazing… When we fear the Lord there is an aspect of fear that is removed… When we fear God and bow before him in trust… the fear of everything else disappears. So we just read in Matthew 10:28 how we should fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. But the next two verses tells how God removes other fears. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?i And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Pretty amazing right? We don’t fear man even when he makes threats, we don’t fear not having our needs met, and we don’t even fear the wrath of God as we did before because Jesus took the wages of our sin on the Cross and he imputed his righteousness into us so thats how God sees us. 1st John 4:17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Finally why should we fear the king? Well I think Solomon was sure that God was the one who set him up as king. … But I think this truth goes beyond Solomon. The Bible tells us that God is the one who sets up authority in the whole world; not only in governments but in homes and organizations. Accountability to authority is much better than if every person were for themselves in the world. Who doesn’t agree that this is a must in sports and business… ... 1st Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. However to understand the context of that… for example what if the Emperor goes against the Lord? Who should we be subject to? I think common sense is clear but Paul gives us more clarity in responding to authority when he tells children how they should honor their parents… Ephesians 6:1 says: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. So we should not fear or honor others to the point of going against the Lord……
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 24:19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, 20 for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. Will I Walk In Sight Or Reality? R Aylor We might at times at least, be tempted to look at the wicked man with a sense of longing… or jealousy if you will… not all the wicked of course and not at all times… but on a given day when we are feeling sorry for ourselves... when down and blue or ill or tired or cant buy what we would like… at some time when satan tempts us with the promises of the flesh… we might get an unrealistic glimpse of his life that appeals to us. Solomon knew that at those times… things are not what they seem. It’s then that we may think we see a wicked person who is basking in the light of success. Maybe a deceitful business man who is rich or we may see a selfish man who has found love with a beautiful woman or a wicked woman who has found a handsome self confident romantic man who gives her all her desire… We may see reality tv shows where self centered people are well liked or those with big egos on social media get thousands of likes. When our faith is small… and by that I mean we are trusting in our sight instead of Gods word… When our faith is small we think what if… as if those promises of the world brought real delight and satisfaction… peace… even at their best they do not bring good feelings to our senses that last. Solomon doesn’t want us to waste a second out of our short life being jealous for those who believe the world and satan’s promises. Their future is despair and hopelessness… He says the lamp of the wicked will be put out. They will be seperated from everything that is good in darkness forever. So let us take courage and gird up our loins… stand up and smile… rejoice in Gods word our guaranteed hope. Faith is not a one time thing we exercise at salvation… It is a daily thing. Jesus said this in… Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. What are we dying to every day? We die to faith in the world and satan’s promises for satisfaction. We joyfully take up our cross to die daily to those things and walk in the resurrection of trusting Gods word for the rest of our life… and we do that every single day.…
Proverbs 24:17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18 lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him. Solomon seems to want us to take note of where our joy has moved to… where it is now focused. Did you catch that in the text? What are we rejoicing in? What makes our heart glad? Has someone hurt or wounded you… Have you been treated wrongly? We all have of course… In fact we’ve been on both sides of the equation… even the one dishing it out. But how does our heart respond when those who have offended us experience pain or hardship themselves? Our initial response may be to be happy about it… right? Maybe you’ve been treated poorly in some way recently or even 30-40 years ago… Dose it ever haunt you? Do you ever replay the tape of wrongs done to you? And do you rejoice at that persons downfall when it comes and think they got what they deserved? As believers who have the righteousness of Jesus we are glad for the justice of God on Judgment day… But while in this life, it is a great evil for us who have been shown mercy to wish evil on others knowing that even to this day we ourselves are still sinners. ... In the old testament we see many times when God postpones judgment on evil nations and instead he brings his own people into bondage to that very nation until their affections turn back to the Lord. And as we learn in the old and new testament, those who refuse to take joy in God and his mercy… will have to be judged according to their own righteousness in relation to Gods law and all of mankind would winds up guilty under this trek. You may remember the analogy Jesus gave in Matthew 18. Here’s what he said beginning in verse 23 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. Thats a nice story… right? If you are now a child of God with a promised inheritance full of riches then this is a picture of you… God forgave you of all your sins and rescued you from prison and slavery to sin through faith in Jesus. But in this telling by Jesus… the story turns sour. The servant did not have a truly repentant heart. He did not see the glory of God in the mercy that was shown him. He did not learn mercy or truly understand it because it had no transforming effect on his own life. His heart had not been changed. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” No matter how we look at it there is only one hope for us. In Matthew 9:13 Jesus said this: Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 24:15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; 16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. Responding To A Fall R Aylor It seems a man with wickedness in his heart is a man prone to lash out against those who walk in righteousness. They might be jealous for any number of reasons… They may manufacture and rationalize reasons to dislike godly people in their own mind saying things like their pleasantries are fake or self-righteous… If the godly person is well off and respected in the community, this wicked person may hope for their downfall and they may even rejoice when they sin and their holier than thou image is brought down. But there is a big difference in how a godly and a wicked person deal with failure. First let’s think about the wicked man Solomon speaks of. If he is reprimanded at work for tardiness or some other infringement… Thats a failure of sorts right? How does he respond? He defends himself and talks trash about his boss or others involved… Instead of getting back up he stumbles in his bitterness. Let’s say he looses his job… Instead of humbling himself and owning up… Instead of learning from his mistakes he badmouths the company. With his gossip he is does violence to those who have acted righteously like our text indicates. His continual stumbling in grumbling and bitterness poisons his heart toward the righteous. The worst part of this mans failure is not so much in his misconduct at work… we all stumble at work and home and in all of life… and yes it is a real failure… but in their heart this person becomes crippled for life as long as they remain bitter towards others. Solomon says: “16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” Look, maybe you have lost your job or been publicly humiliated… Guess what, even if it was not your fault and others have truly mistreated you… don’t stumble in bitterness toward them. Even if you were in the right… when our heart dwells on wrongs it becomes tainted with the same kind of bitterness that the unrepentant man experienced and we stumble until we forgive and love those who have done us wrong. Only then do we become the person Solomon spoke of saying: for the righteous falls seven times and rises again… I love what Joseph said to his brothers years after they sold him into slavery: Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Pray Father Im reminded of Jesus call to Peter on the Sea of Galilee saying follow me and then the last words Jesus spoke in the book of John which were to Peter again… after he had just found out he would be a martyr for the Lord and Peter looked at John and asked Jesus: “what about this man”… John 21:22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So Lord please help us keep our eyes on you whether we have been done wrong or not… help us not to manufacture or dwell on wrongs… but no matter what comes to get up and walk in the righteousness of Jesus and be motivated by him to love others and live for the Lord.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions Proverbs 24:13 My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. It's Not About The Honey R Aylor In today's passage we find Solomon giving a kind of mini parable about honey. The reason I think of it as parable is because a parables purpose is to get across a truth by association of something in the world… in this case honey. But everything in a parable is not necessarily eligible for analyzing as the lesson… We have to discern what truth the writer is focusing on. For example Solomon is not saying we should make honey our diet 24/7. I expect that would give us diabetes. That would not be good. Solomon actually gives us another mini parable about not eating too much honey. Proverbs 25:27 says “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory”. So actually neither of these mini parables are about honey.. This last one is focusing on not seeking our own glory… and our verse for today is focusing on how wisdom is good… not like honey in that you shouldn’t eat too much… but the characteristic of honey in the way it taste. That is the thrust of the application Solomon is making. When we savor sweet taste of Wisdom it should light up our eyes and bring a smile to our lips… Wisdom is found in Gods word. Yes, we may hear it from a friend or at church or in a million different places… but if its real wisdom it is in agreement with Gods word. And that's where we should go to verify all the so called wisdom we hear in the world and that's where we should do our spiritual dining every day. … But really… Solomon is saying it is important that we have a taste for it. It should be good to our palate.. Our spiritual taste buds should come alive when we go to Gods word. Ill close today with a few verses about savoring Gods word. Daily Spiritual Diet: Breakfast - Psalm 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust… Mid-morning - Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Heat of Day - John 7:37 …“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Lunch - John 6:35 …“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger,… Afternoon Boost - Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! Supper - Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Bedtime - Psalm 63:5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; Midnight Snack - Psalm 119:62 At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules. When I awake - Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. Savoring that first Bite - Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! … True Satisfaction - Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Eat Continually - Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Pray …
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? *Some removed... out of room. Now, let’s think about the primary action Solomon is promoting in this passage… I think we can see an exhortation here for good in both the physical and spiritual. For example... We see children aborted in the womb by those who impose their rationalizations about life as though they know what is right and true above Gods word. Sure… all these are experiencing adversity… However, Solomon address his words it seems to us who have taken up the charge of God… his mission… and those of us who are able to rescue those from varying oppressions… This is a daunting task for us. Solomon says if we faint our strength is small… And we know that in our self we are weaklings for sure. Only with the strength that God supplies can we rescue those who are being swallowed up in a broken world. But the spiritual side of this is much more significant and consequential. The world, satan, the brokenness of mans own sinful heart… all of darkness is leading people all around us to slaughter and death that never ends. Our heart for others who face physical suffering syncs up in our heart for those in spiritual anguish. In our text today verse 12 reminds us of our accountability to God. 12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work? It’s true that good works carry a reward. Matthew 6 speaks a lot about that.. 1st Corinthians chapter 3 breaks it down very clearly… I want to read a passaged in: 1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (Paul explains it in detail then)… 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. But look… only the good works motivated out of a heart for his glory actually count for good works. And we cant claim bragging rights for doing them because Gods mercy and grace brought it about in our life… He even gives us extreme joy in doing them to boot. But sure, anyone can do good legalistic type works… I mean… if we gave money to the poor or worked at the homeless shelter or in the food kitchen… If we gave everything we had but did not do it from a changed heart with Godly Agape Love then it profits us nothing. So rewards will be handed out in Heaven and it will bring glory back to God and his work in us. But the Bible is also very clear that we will be not only rewarded but judged by our works… that is… the works motivated by him. In other words, We become a believer by faith in Jesus without any works whatsoever… but on judgment day our works which were motivated and quickened by God will be the verification of our our salvation in Christ. Romans 2:6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Self seeking works bring wrath and fury.) This last verse might actually explain it best… Ill read it then pray: Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.…
Proverbs 24:8 Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind. ... The planning of evil… That might be the person who lays on their bed and thinks about those who they think have offended or hurt them and they imagine ways they can put them in their place. Then Solomon mentions the devising of folly which might be that after you have decided on the details of how you can execute revenge, you now begin putting everything in place for this foolish thing you want to accomplish. Then finally, possibly after the trap is set, this person wears the prideful, smug, arrogant aura of the scoffer. Now in a way our text might catch us a little bit off guard. Usually in Proverbs we are hearing what is an abomination to God. In Proverbs alone we are told many things that are abominations to God: Here's some examples out of Proverbs… A false balance... ETC. Proverbs 11:1, 3:32, 28:9, 16:5, 21:27, 15:9, 12:22, 17:17, 6:16, 17, 18, 19, 15:26, 11:20 But in our verses today Solomon talks about what is an abomination to mankind. He says it is the scoffer… and as we noticed this scoffer can be the same person as the planner of evil and deviser of folly… And from the references we looked it seems clear to me that these same things are an abomination to God. Why might wickedness be an abomination to mankind? First let’s look at why wickedness is an abominations to a believer. Proverbs 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,… It’s not that believers don’t love the unjust… in fact we are to follow the example of Jesus and be willing to give our life for the unjust as Jesus did for us. But for the believer, sin is an abomination… not only in the lives of others but in our own life as well. Proverbs 8:7 for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. But Solomon goes further than making this claim for only worshipers of God… And though he specifically ends with “the scoffer” as being an abomination to mankind… it seems to me that the scoffer might just be the end of this prideful person who plans and devises wickedness and then sits around with an arrogant smirk on his lips knowing the trap he has set. If these two verses are about the same person then he is called a schemer, a scoffer and an abomination. Why might all of mankind call him these things? Well, right now I can think of a couple reasons… First off, a wicked person is not all that particular about who he hurts… especially if he feels they have hurt him. Whether he is a believer or not it does not matter. He will plan and scheme and execute his ploy and then laugh. Therefore he is not admired by the whole of mankind. The fullness of his disgrace may not be seen entirely until his plans are in motion and he stands in his conceit. But it seems to me that and arrogant person is most likely to be called abominable to mankind. Number Two: I think that when it’s all said and done sin will be an abomination to all of of mankind. I’m going to read a passage and then pray. You may remember the story of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man in Luke 16. They both died. The rich man went to Hades. He called out to Abraham and ask him to send Lazarus to his five brothers to warn them. Luke 16:27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Pray…
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1 Proverbs 24:3-7 RA Spiritual Wisdom Brings Spiritual Riches 7:40
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Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 24:3 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. 7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth. Spiritual Wisdom Brings Spiritual Riches R Aylor Solomon here, talks about Wisdom… and being the wisest man on earth he is most qualified to speak on this. Wisdom is a broad and extensive subject. What is the definition? The one I like from the dictionary on my computer is: “the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment”. So I think gaining knowledge in itself is not necessarily wisdom… but Wisdom is our plans to use and then actually putting that knowledge into action… Solomon talks about how wisdom works with understanding and knowledge to build a house and fill it with riches… Solomon is speaking about Wisdom relating to things of the world. It’s a vast subject. Mankind studies physical things … Worldly wisdom is something we need in our daily life and it includes things like working and saving and investing… not stealing… not walking out in front of a moving truck… I think this is God given wisdom we all have access to... James 3:17 says: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. So if there is a wisdom from above I suppose there is wisdom from below. For example, Hitler used knowledge and understanding to brainwash a Nation. He used information gained from scientists and studies for torture and murder and war. We also can use wisdom for self centered purposes… seeking to gain power and influence, money and possessions… not to use them for the glory of God but for our own glory. That's how Hitler lived his life… for his own glory. So there is a worldly wisdom but there is also spiritual wisdom… wisdom that is more than just willing to work and save and invest and someone who tries not to lie and steal… These things are good common sense wisdom. When we were talking about the wisdom of the world you probably noticed how spiritual wisdom intersects with the physical world and moves men and women to seek the glory of God or a dark glory like Hitler. Even satan himself has knowledge and understanding; and in his own wisdom he acts out a plan for evil . 1st Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Thank You Father for wisdom… wisdom as a common grace available to all whether they hope in Jesus or not… a for living life… but mostly Father for this secret wisdom of God in Christ Jesus that Paul of… The one spoken of in Genesis after the fall of man… and throughout the Old Testament… the coming Messiah who would set right what Adam and Eve and all their descendants failed in… Where they sinned he would be perfect that he might give away his righteousness to all who delight in him. In his death He would take the payment for all our sin… The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In his resurrection we see how we are given the same power that raised him from the dead to have victory over sin in this life as we walk with him… and also he will raise us up incorruptible to be with him forever. Thank You Father for the wisdom of God in Christ Jesus. …
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 24:1 Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, 2 for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble. Desire R Aylor I was thinking about why a person might want to be around evil people? There may be a number of reasons. But this verse is clearly not referring to visiting a wicked person in the hopes of showing them the love of God. That would be something totally different… That would not include fellowship… and that would include much caution especially for those who are weak in an area and are trying to minister to a person without Christ. A whole different study. But this is different. Here Solomon mentions envying them and uses the word desire which carries with it a heart that is passionate to some extent to be with an evil person. So why? Acceptance maybe? At least that might be one reason. Wickedness shows acceptance to someone who is agreeable, even tolerant of their views. Someone may also look to an evil person as a mentor who is rich and powerful… They may aspire to learn from them so they may become like them. For broken sinful people… which is what we are, sin makes its appeals to us with this kind of fame or celebrity status associated with the darkness… It draws us… it tugs on our heart strings and as we enjoy its company, it transforms us. Thats why who we choose to hang around with… or in so doing, who we like to fellowship with; tells us who we are and who we are becoming. Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 talks about this type of thing in relation to Gods glory instead of the so called glory of sin. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Thats the person I want to be… One who is becoming more like Christ… Loving his word, not veiling out his truths… picking up his attributes and character becoming more like Christ… bearing the fruit of the Spirit… things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Thats what I want. The last part of todays verse says: “and their lips talk of trouble”. I know trouble is a big topic… but also remember what we say is an indication of whats in our heart. If we are talking trouble there is trouble in our heart. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. In closing I’ll read a couple of verses about what wants us to think about in our heart and then speak about… Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 19:26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach. These are some pretty serious and negative offenses a person might do with their life. Committing violence, driving away mother… bringing shame and reproach… Solomon had likely seen this in his own family. Disciplined With Scorpions R Aylor One of Solomons stepbrother’s was Amnon. Another stepbrother was Absalom. Amnon raped Absolems sister Tamar and and so Absolem killed Amnon. Absalom was later killed by Joab after he mounted a rebellion against his aging father David. Another stepbrother of Solomons was Adonijah. He attempted to usurp the throne during the life of David. Solomon would later have him executed. So there you have it. Solomon likely learned much of the wisdom from this proverb from pondering his own life. Even his own son Rehoboam strayed from his fathers teachings. After Solomons death he took the advice of his younger friends over the elders and increased control over the people. Heres what he told the people of Israel: 1st Kings 12:11 “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” After the people saw how Rehoboam had responded 11 of the tribes of Israel separated themselves from Rehoboam and the tribe of Judah and so there became two kingdoms… Israel in the north and Judah in the south. As for Rehoboam, 2nd Chronicles 12:14 says: And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. There did appear as though Rehoboam had a time of repentance when Judah was overcome in war but whether it was a real heart change toward God I am not sure. As for Solomon… the kingdoms were torn apart because of his sin in turning after other gods. 1st Kings 11:4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. …9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” And so just as many of Davids sons brought shame to their parents… so Solomon fulfilled his own proverb by bringing reproach to his own father David and his mother Bathsheba. And Solomons own son Rehoboam did the same to him. So what can we learn? Not keeping the fifth commandment to honor our father and mother made a ruin out of their lives. Ephesians 6:1 says: 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Look, we may or may not have had good directives or good examples from our parents but if we have delighted in Christ as good news and have been made Gods children… then we have his word as instruction for our good in every way and for his glory. Pray…
Jesus told this parable in Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Paul said it like this: Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ "You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) Mark 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Do you think this young mans wealth bought him great joy and satisfaction. No, verse 22 says: 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Jesus is infinitely greater than all the treasures of the earth combined. And look, we don’t get to have two great treasures in our life… only one. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. So if the world is your Carnival, Drug, Buffet… if you seek to find joy in wealth or possession… I pray today you see Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe… Delight, Joy, Happiness, Peace… Up against Jesus everything else is rubbish. Christian Hedonism There are many “-ism’s” in the prism of schisms, Like egotism, feminism, legalism and criticism, But today, won’t you listen, to my optimism, And the wisdom of Christian Hedonism. Take the best endeavors of the human life, There’s something far better than all their delights, A treasure past measure like what day is to night,. A pleasure fully suited for mans appetite. Wikipedia has officially registered Christian Hedonism, Compared now, all else might be called Dung-ism, People locked in prison by things that glisten, Rubbish-ism, Lust-ism, smut-ism, the whole world is in derision. Because Jesus lived, died and now has risen, He is my precious, my riches, my vision, My fortune, my mission, for now I’m forgiven, My treasure, my pleasure, my true Hedonism.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 19:27 Cease to hear instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge. 28 A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity. 29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools. Mock Justice Or Delight In Jesus Alright, so today we take a look at this individual who refuses to hear words of knowledge and instead believes the so called knowledge from the darkness of the world… Solomon says they devour iniquity… Selfishness, lust, sinful obsessions… This is his daily food… this is where he gets his nourishment… this fuels his life. Sin is quite the motivator isn’t it. It’s so easy to become obsessed with it. It can easily become the last thing we think about at night and the thing that gets us out of bed in the morning… So this person Solomon speaks of has set their heart fast after sin and nothing will stop them… What if trouble comes their way? Will it cause them to quit seeking their own glory and realize they need God? No. What if they loose their job? No. What if they are in a car wreck and are laid up in the hospital for a month? No. Solomon says they mock justice. You see, their heart is set on sin for the long haul. I suspect this person in our text will want to defend himself on judgment day. Like the serial killer who defends himself in court and laughs at the Judge and all his accusers. In verse 29 our text in Proverbs says: Condemnation is ready for scoffers, and beating for the backs of fools. You see we will not have the last word… God will. He is Judge and he is just. 1st Peter 4:3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. But for those who delight in Jesus, the promised one who would provide righteousness for all who hope in him from the time of Adam and Eve and their sin to ours today… He took the wages for our sin in his death on the Cross and he defeated death on the third day… His righteousness is applied to all who joyfully look to him with the rest of our life… and God gives us the same power that raised him from the dead to be victorious over sin in this world as we walk with him… and by his power will raise us up incorruptible to be with him forever. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Dealing With The Scoffer R Aylor Proverbs 19:25 Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain knowledge. This verse has been a puzzle for me to some extent… not so much standing alone but in parallel with other verses in Proverbs. Well let’s take a closer look. For starters the word scoff carries with it the idea of mocking someone with ridicule. There are some people who just enjoy putting others down… In public they try to make them look foolish and ignorant and thereby hoping to look superior to them. In this verse striking a scoffer is put in parallel and contrast to reproving a man of understanding. Doing both can be beneficial. It does not indicate that the scoffer will gain instruction… I assume this is a hardened habitual scoffer and in him being stricken is instruction for those who have been watching him belittle some other person publicly. There are surly times we should stand up for the defenseless… and there are even systems within our laws that do this kind of protecting for the vulnerable and helpless. We should never stand by when someone is being abused… And the type of striking we administer should not begin with our hands but we must be discerning and when we correct others it should be done towards them in love. All things should be done in love and lawfully to the glory of God. So then our correcting is at least mainly for the benefit of those in the world who are watching that they might learn righteousness and truth. Now though a scoffer may not admit their wrong… though they may refuse to humble themselves and learn what is right… the man of understanding… when reproved will gain knowledge… He humbles himself in repentance and learns truth and righteousness and justice. Proverbs 21:11 goes along nicely with todays verse. It also seems to say how punishing a scoffer is good because it makes the simple onlookers wise: When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. But there is another passage that on first glance may seem to counteract todays verse… but lets look a little closer and see if it actually supports it: Proverbs 9:7-8… Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. 8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. So which should you do? Correct and reprove a scoffer or not. I think the answer can be found in asking a couple of discerning questions: 1 - Is the scoffer in question is a hardened proud mocker or does he still think he does not know it all? Can he learn wisdom? If so he still may benefit from reproof. But if he is proud to the core… Jesus words in Matthew 7:6 come to mind: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. In this case we should not instruct a scoffer with correction. 2 - However if others have been watching and learning from a scoffer as he belittles others… there are times he should be rebuked publicly. Not for his instruction but for those who may have been watching and learning bad habits from the scoffer.…
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. 26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Everyone surly agrees there is anxiety in the world… all the time no doubt but today as the corona virus tops 315,000 infected it’s clear as day. People are worried about getting sick… and for loved ones… and what will be the impact on their job and paycheck… if you have stocks… Do I have enough food, water, toilet paper? We are tempted to dwell on all the possible outcomes of the coronavirus. But in truth it’s just another day in the life of a broken world. People all over the world live our their lives in different kinds of suffering. Many live in unsanitary areas that are slums. For example you might google photos of the slums in India. There is just so much brokenness in this world. So many are diseased with things from leprosy to cancer to the coronavirus. Probably millions suffer with depression that is biological in nature… and likely billions suffer from depression related to brokenness in relationships and we all suffer in relation to sin in our lives. The point is that there is anxiety in a mans heart and it weighs us down. But Solomon says a good word makes him glad. “Good word” sends my thoughts to “Good News”. If you don’t know the Lord it’s still a good thing to listen to the gospel again… You see, many of us had heard the gospel lots and lots of times before God opened up our eyes to actually see Jesus as beautiful and good news. He is the good word that makes a person glad… one who is weighed down with the anxiety of a broken world… The original man and woman that God created; Adam and Eve, were tempted by satan who said God was a liar. They believed satan over God and followed satan’s advice. Adam and Eve fell out of fellowship with God who is perfect and has nothing in common with sin. All Adam and Eves descendants were born out of fellowship with God. God did not leave mankind without hope. After Adam and Eves sin God promised one of the offspring of the woman would come who would succeed where they failed. God kept reminding them of this promise down through the ages by Prophets and by direct revelation. He made this promise to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, has a Hezekiah and king Ahaz to name a few. Before this Messiah’s coming people could be accepted by God again by believing the words and prophecies concerning him and his coming… by placing their hope in him. Then God sent his only Son as a man born of a virgin. He lived a perfect life so where Adam and Eve and you and I failed, he succeeded. He imputes his righteousness to all who delight in him. He went further than that… he bore our sin in his body… He was paid the wages of our sin… Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. But he was not done yet… he went further. He defeated death itself to give us power over the temptations of sin in our daily life as we walk with him. And there is more… he will one day raise us up as he was raised up, incorruptible to be with him and never experience death or any of the anxieties of brokenness brought on by sin again. So this is the gospel… If you are an unbeliever I hope you will whisper a prayer that if there is truth in these words God will open your eyes to see Jesus as good news… the greatest treasure in the Universe… worth turning away from seeking after the promises sin to delighting in Jesus the rest of your life. Lets close with the second verse in todays text: 26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Todays verses point us to the two fold mission of every believer. To keep seeing more of Gods glory in Jesus and his word… In so doing he takes away all our hearts anxieties… and secondly to share his awesomeness with our neighbor.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 12:27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth. Slothful is not defined as slow It does not mean one doesn’t know It’s not another word for fun Slothfulness never hit a home run Like the man who doesn’t roast his game Or fix his roof that leaks in rain Its like he just does not care When wet he’ll simply move the chair This lazy dude will hardly move Grumbling he microwaves his food With a “what’s it to you” attitude He lives his life in such a dreadful mood But the diligent man will get precious wealth He cooks what he hunts, he paints both sides of the shelf He exercises, eats right and takes care of his health He loves his neighbor as his self So herein my friend, take the slothfulness test: Have you lost your zest? Except to rest? Have you lost the desire to do your best? Does your house stay a mess? Do you think: why should I dress? Are your mind and body both in digress? How many questions did you answer yes? The slothful seed sprouts a sweet smelling weed Its taste is sweet but its thorns make you bleed Its leaves make you slumber, you hear sounds of a lute But waken a zombie, you have become this seeds fruit Now what are these riches of the diligent man? In the flesh he’ll find gold if he persistently pans But spiritually, Ahh there are treasures galore As we see Gods glory in Jesus more and more…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. We Are All Fruit Trees R Aylor We are all fruit trees…. or like them… Did you know that? Today let’s think about what kind of fruit our life produces. Hmmm… why don’t we start by going through our daily routines and see if there are any opportunities for fruit built in to our routines. Your basic day might begin with an alarm clock dinging or singing some silly song… or you may usually get up without an alarm… Even when I set an alarm many times I get up before it goes off. Question: Do you begin your day with a prayer before you rise from your bed? If so then the first fruits of your day is to rejoice in Gods mercy, ask him for help in his mission… The fruit of him brings you life in the morning… thats what our text says right? “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life”. And the fruit shines out with worship, praise and joy even before you rise to meet the day. Thats pretty awesome! On the other hand to lay in bed and think about those who have hurt your or other ungodly things and rising with a “woe is me” and full of grumpiness are the first fruits of many. And so you get up… maybe you get a cup of coffee and a cracker and begin coming alive… Is the Lord a part of that? Do you have an intentional time with Gods word and a time for reflection? Maybe you write out a devotion you have drawn from reading Gods word. Many people simply read a devotion someone has written and don’t look at Gods word for themselves… Is that really enough for us? Devotions are good to read but it is amazing when God enlightens your eyes directly from his word… connecting scriptures and applications and internalizing words of life to our soul. Maybe you have an intentional time of prayer… it could a list for every day of the week… In your mind you may trace the houses in your neighborhood or your fellow employees at work… God may lead you into another routine of intentional prayer. You may tell yourself you don’t have time in the mornings to commit to intentional prayer and bible study. Someone once said Gods math is much different than mans. Martian Luther said: "I have so much to do today that I'm going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to get it all done.” It’s worth it to get up an hour earlier to spend intentional and quality time with God. So… Solomon has told us that the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life… We have been looking at what fruit comes from just a couple of our daily routines and we have started the day… For many of us we begin waking up our children and planning our day or heading to work… I’ll leave the rest of your daily routines for you to consider with this note… Most of us will be interacting with others in some fashion through our day… and in the second half of todays verse Solomon has told us “whoever captures souls is wise”. You see, this these things are the duty and mission and joy… the fruit of every Christian. First to see more and more of Gods glory and be transformed… as we said we do that in connection to Gods word and prayer… I hope you have an intentional time for that in your life… and secondly, to share his glory with others… as Solomon put it “whoever captures souls is wise”. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 12:12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit. 13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble. 14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. Satisfied Or Snared R Aylor Verse 12 mentions the root of the righteous and how it will bear fruit… and that is contrasted in the same verse with the wicked person coveting the spoils or fruit of those who do evil. Then in verse 13 we see how fruit begins bearing on the tree of the wicked man… that is… the fruit of his lips…which form traps. Solomon says he is ensnared so we find his words bring him into bondage. And then in verse 13 we find that the righteous is not snared by his own words but escapes from trouble… Finally in verse 14 Solomon continues referring to the fruit of a righteous persons lips and how this fruit which bears fruit in its root as verse 12 says, also bears fruit not only through the mouth but through the work of a mans hand. So to summarize what I am seeing here… It’s a matter of the heart that determines the fruit that our heart produces… the fruit our mouth produces and the fruit our hands produce. And we can surmise I think our heart determines what we meditate on in our mind, where our legs take us and all the things we do in our body whether good or bad. And since it’s all about the heart… You may remember a text we already looked at in Proverbs 4, verse 23-24 which says: 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. So these things are linked one with another. And in Luke 6:45 Jesus said it this way: The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. But of course as a bad tree cannot make good fruit we need a good heart if we are to produce good fruit… which we do not have. Ezekiel 36: 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Pray…
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1 Proverbs 19:24 RA When Your Head Splashes Down Into Your Oatmeal 6:56
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Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs:19:24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. When Your Head Splashes Down Into Your Oatmeal Today Solomon is talking about a man who is just too lazy to even finish eating. Oh, it doesn’t begin that way does it? Maybe he struggled getting out of bed with faith to face the day… He lacked joy for life… Even the simple things of life… the beauty of Creation… a simple flower adorned in glory that surpassed King Solomon. How long had it been since a morning sunrise brought a smile to his heart? How long had it been since he had even been up early enough to see a sunrise? Or if he was… even if he unhappily drug himself out of bed with a feeble “woe is me”… though he may have seen the sunrise he didn’t really see it. This is the man who finds his selfish desires not in getting rich or holding great power over a people… for he has likely tried those paths… In his eyes working for a living was not all it was cracked up to be. Now his selfishness has sought another path… he has considered that possibly doing the least work he can… letting the government pay his way if possible… if not then its ok… just to survive… lay around and take it easy… Every day go to all you can eat buffets… watch as much tv as possible… do whatever I want every single day… that was his motto. Guess what… Just like his old job… these things did not satisfy him… Now sitting alone at home he even dreads taking a shower… and seldom does… he no longer cleans his house or washes his dishes. Eating is not enjoyable to him as it once was; and here is where our text comes in… Solomon says: 24 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Whats the use? I can imagine that this might be the end for that man… Maybe to his demise all of a sudden his head will plop down into his bowl and he will drown in his oatmeal. But it doesn’t have to end like that. Just as the unsatisfaction with sin grows and grows until man realizes it was all a big scam… Even so the seed of faith grows in a mans life. Jesus gives us this example in Luke 13:18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Pray…
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. 22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love, and a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. Ok, there are a number of truths here… Let’s look at each one… at least what I see here briefly, and see how it fits together. 1 - 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, We make many plans in life… even daily and though it didn’t say; our plans are often motivated by our own selfish purposes. 2 - but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. What does it mean to stand? The Lords purpose remains in place… We might even say his purpose is sure to come to pass. Isaiah 46:8 …for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 …‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 3 - 22 What is desired in a man is steadfast love, A man wants others to show him kindness right?. This is the purpose and plans man has for himself… He wants unwavering love… These seem like good plans on the surface but in his brokenness he is motivated by seeking a selfish love and glory that belong to God. You see, man wants others to not only love him that he might be popular but to provide him opportunity to gain wealth and influence for his own glory… 4 - and a poor man is better than a liar. Rather than obtaining riches and popularity by lies and selfish purposes for our own glory… it is better to fear the Lord and be poor. 5 - Lets take verse 23 all together… 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. To have the kind of fear that leaves us satisfied seems to me would mean to be trusting God and his word so much that we know if we stray from his loving commandments… if we trust the worlds promises… if we trust our own fleshly desires over him… it will bring us ruin… even harm. We should fear then greatly that we don’t drift or wander from his path. So this is a good fear that keeps us satisfied. It says this satisfied person will “not be visited by harm”… Hmmm… even David who wrote this experienced harm at times in his life… and in old age he became feeble and sickly and died. I think one clue to its meaning lies in the first part of 23… “The fear of the Lord leads to life” I am thinking about Genesis 50:20, remember when Joseph said this to his brothers: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Joseph was one who I think feared the Lord in the right way and yet he experienced much harm… being sold into slavery… likely considered dead… later falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison… But in one sense Joseph was not visited by harm… at least in this context: Remember when his brothers who had sold him came before him and feared for their life he said: “but God meant it for good”. For Joseph all those troubles were not harm… but the opposite… they led to life… for himself and all of Israel. One more thing about all this talk of not being visited by harm… let this settle it for you… here is the context Jesus spoke about such things. He said in: Luke 21:16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. In the end the right kind of fear of the Lord leads to life. Remember we read earlier in verse 22 saying: What is desired in a man is steadfast love. Thats what Jesus gives to us. As John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Mouth Full Of Gravel R Aylor We’ll take a look at a couple verses today which can be taken separately or even together I believe without changing the meaning… The first is: Proverbs 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. In other words when a man uses all kinds of deceitful and underhanded tactics to get what he wants; yes it may be bread like the text indicates… but it could be any kind of gain he obtains. After he gets what he has set his heart on the sweetness soon disappears and is replaced by something he can hardly tolerate. I think I have probably eaten bread before and found a small piece of gravel in it… Even if its one grain a person will try and spit it out… But if it is hot freshly baked bread and it is oh so wonderful smelling and has sweet butter on it… and as a person chews it he finds it to be filled with gravel they will probably break a few teeth… not good! And for for sure it will not settle their stomach or give them nourishment and strength… no true satisfaction can come from it. And, like bread; if he gained money or lands or power by deceit… he will find the sweetness he envisioned was a lie. For one, God did not create our hearts with an ability to find satisfaction in the abundance of things related to mans glory; nor does he allow deceit to bring peace and joy. The end of that path is a mouth full of gravel… That might be another way of saying how sin itself always brings brokenness, death and separation from God forever. Of course all of Gods words is linked together and its truths never contradict one another. So, even though these proverbs can stand alone they also compliment one another. The same truth in verse 17 can be seen in the next verse about waging war… 18 Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war. How are these similar? Don't wage war for deceitful reasons…. like for gain; which is similar to the man who deceived to gain in verse 17. You see, some kings go to world for gain of riches or land… some even seem to want to take over the world, right? So whether you are king and it is war with a country or if you are a normal person with no particular title and want to make a better living… Dont war with deceit in order to gain wealth… Solomon says plans are established by counsel… and where can we find the best counsel? Gods word of course… and sometimes we find it is expounded to us in guidance from godly brothers and sisters. You see, Gods word gives us counsel in relation to things of the heart… What are our motivations for making gains in our life? What are the motivations for a king going to war? There are good and bad reasons for both. Good counsel helps guide us so that at the end of the day our mouth is not full of gravel instead of bread. John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Pray…
Proverbs 20:16 Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners. Today Solomon gives us a lesson on discernment in relation to degrees of trust. Lets begin with the first example: What if a neighbor comes to you and wants to borrow money for supposedly a needy person who lives in town… and let’s say you do not know this needy person; he’s a stranger to you. This needy person had no assets or security to mortgage to you the lender... in order to receive a loan. So, they had to get a co-signer. That's when your friend… your neighbor, ask for a loan for the man who needs it and Solomon says to take his garment as security. It’s interesting… ...Here’s what it says in Exodus 22. Exodus 22:25... So Solomon says to go ahead and take your neighbors garment (who is not poor) as collateral. Now that's not much of guarantee that he will pay is it?… If the needy person defaults on the loan your friend the co-signer will pay it. But if he defaults also… you may only have a t-shirt to show for the money you loaned… But… it is more likely that the borrower will be held accountable. After all, even though he is a stranger to you he is not a foreigner... You and your neighbor both can locate him easily. Something else I think… you see, the people of Israel had a family type relationship... a special bond. For many their houses were always open for food and shelter to other Israelites. They shared this great history as a Nation in being Gods people. They were as brothers and sisters and not to put extreme burdens on one another with things like big securities and interest... so a t-shirt for collateral was not a heavy burden but still showed that the lender expected accountability; and it also showed his trust and empathy for his neighbor and the needy person. Now we move to the second half of the verse: ... Just a note about the word “foreigners”, it can also be translated as “an adulteress”. ... So, the truths from today's proverb apply to both a foreigner and an adulteress. What do both a foreigner and adulteress have in common? Neither have shown themselves to be trustworthy. The adulteress has shown that so far she is not and the foreigner has only his word. Maybe all you know is there are no wanted dead or alive pictures of him posted in town… which I would not recommend including in any loan request application form. In the case of a foreigner or an adulteress, more drastic accountability needs to be in place. So if the lender has the same garment, how does holding it in pledge strengthen the agreement? Well, it could mean don’t return the garment before sunset… but hold on to it… But after I looked at the Strong's Lexicon and a couple commentaries I believe it is saying to hold your neighbor to a more personal degree of accountability. I think it could mean that the co-signer needs to give some collateral of himself for the lender to hold in pledge depending on how much is borrowed. In closing… think about how we were foreigners to him… strangers, even adulterous people who had forsaken God and were separated from his fellowship. He gave of himself in giving his only begotten son that we who were poor and needy might have the greatest treasure in the Universe, unsearchable riches and a full inheritance as his child forever. And the difference is… we cannot pay back this debt, nor should we try… it is impossible to pay back even one cent’s worth of the joy he has given. In fact in Matthew 9:13 Jesus says how it is. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” And although we do not pay back this debt, he changes our heart and sets us in a different direction so that we love following him and growing in him the rest of our life. …
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:14 “Bad, bad,” says the buyer, but when he goes away, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. The 1969 Dodge Charger R Aylor First today we are given the example of a person who has gotten himself a good deal on merchandise. Let’s say it was an automobile and his name was Joe. Joe had been browsing for vehicles from his desktop at work… He had even driven through a few car lots and talked to a salesman or two. He was in his late 20’s and just couldn’t find the car that suited him. One day Joe noticed a newspaper advertisement from a farmer who lived out in the country… This dude had a 1969 Dodge Charger in almost mint condition for sale. And so Joe skipped breakfast and hurried out to look at his dream vehicle… The farmer showed Joe all the bells and whistles like the supercharged 426 V-8 Hemi… And everything was amazing … the wheels, transmission, interior; everything. “How much?” Joe asked. The farmer said “$38,000…” And he told Joe quite a personal story of how it was restored. Joe looked the car over… and as he did he frowned when he looked under the chassis and shook his head slightly as he wiped a smudge of oil from the engine… Joe acted as though he didn’t fit in the seats well and faked some difficulty in getting out. Finally he kicked the tires and said he didn’t want to spend that much for a vehicle with 35,000 miles on it. And over 50 years old. Joe started to leave and then turned back and ask the farmer if he would take $15,000 cash today… The farmer needed the money but he did not take the offer… Instead he countered and Joe countered …until Joe made his final offer. He said “Sir, I know you have put a lot into this vehicle and personally what it means to you… And since you have told me you the reason you want to sell is because you need the money, I want to help you... for your sake, here’s what I’ll do”. When it was all said and done Joe got his dream car for $18,000. The same day Joe began telling and showing all his friends the great deal he had made on this 1969 Dodge Charger that is surly worth over 60 grand! He made it his profile picture on social media… In our text today Solomon tells us about this buyer who bears a false impression to the buyer and then brags to others of the amazing deal he made. Through his deception Joe increased in wealth and instead of repenting he did the opposite… He bragged to others. The final verse in todays passage says: 15 There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. When set side by side, the monetary gain Joe made through his deception and the lips of knowledge that speak of things right and true and honest and loving… all things godly.. There is no good comparison… The jewel of speaking honestly with truth in love is better than all kinds of costly stones including gold. You know the thing about Jesus… the Word made flesh… The greatest treasure in the Universe worth leaving all to have… We never say “bad, bad” but only “good, good”… and he gives us himself freely… without money or price. No works… only His mercy. Grace through faith. Jesus lived a perfect life, died in our place for our sin and defeated death that we might be a new creation with his righteousness and accepted by God.…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:13 Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. Love Not, Love What? R Aylor I think the first word in this proverb is the key to the root of its meaning. In fact, it’s a key to the outcome of many things including life itself. What we love sets the track for our day every day… It helps us put in order our to do lists for a particular day or the plans we make for our week. If we ponder what we love… For example: I like metal detecting, playing guitar, visiting with friends, studying Gods word, eating… which I need for health and energy to do the rest, I like money a lot… It even helps support my metal detecting, purchasing guitars… and of course you need money to eat… I like going to church and fellowshipping with believers and hearing Gods word. So then, how would I order my to do list? If my priorities were in line with God it might go something like this: 1 - Study Gods word every morning 2 - Play guitar every morning 3 - Go to work to make money to support what I love 4 - Eat 2-3 times a day 5 - Fellowship with family and friends daily 6 - Go metal detecting on Saturdays 7 - Go to church to community worship every Sunday and Small groups Sunday evenings. Of course thats a very small chunk out of our life. We must prioritize a whole lot more that affects many more people than our own self. Of all the things we pursue in life, Solomon says sleep is not something we should love. Of course when you’re extra tired… there is a context for loving sleep I think… I don’t believe thats what Solomon is saying. Dont chase after the kind of sleep that is kin to laziness. Dont desire to sleep your life away as a way to hide from the trials of the world. Dont write it as a goal in your high school year book. Solomon says open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread. In the previous verse we read how God has made the seeing eye and hearing ear… We dont utilize either of these things when we sleep. God did not create us to have a passion for sleeping. Its a gift from God and its necessary for our bodies and it shows us our need to depend on God because of our frailty but our mission in life is not to sleep. There is a saying that “A ship is not meant for the harbor, but for the wide open sea.” Ships were meant to carry people and merchandise through storms and wind and turbulent and tumultuous waves across vast oceans… That has always been their mission. They were not created to sit at dock… I think most things age and decay more quickly when they just sit idle not doing what they were made for and that includes human beings. Before we come to Christ we are sleeping spiritually. Like todays text says: “open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread”. So our first mission is to wake up to the truth of why Jesus is awesome… why he is the greatest treasure there is… why he is a reason to have great joy… and follow after Him. Thats mission uno… number one. Like Jesus said to Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:19 …“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. I think it was right here that their eyes were open to see Jesus as the one worth dropping everything for and following after. Did you notice Jesus told them their instant real time mission and their future mission in one sentence? First “follow me” and then I will make you fishers of men”. It’s the same for us, first we see the Glory of God in Jesus… or why he is good news for us… and we delight in him… our eyes are open to this… Then we share his glory with others…. And though our second mission begins… our first mission of seeing and following still continues... in that we keep seeing more and more of the glory of God in Jesus and we keep sharing more and more of what we have seen and delighted in. Pray…
Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. This is an interesting verse to me. Why would Solomon state the obvious? I don’t know but it does get one to thinking. My brother likes to state the obvious… it gets on my nerves sometimes. Sometimes he says things like ” You know, if the temperature drops and the moisture in the air increases it will snow tonight”. I’m sure he does it on purpose… and its ok… sometimes I kind of enjoy that part of his sense of humor… really! I looked back over some verses in this chapter and Im just not sure if he’s specifically linking this to any of them. So, let’s just think about it as a stand alone proverb. Yes! First we see this truth in a physical human being. God is Creator. The LORD made the hearing ear and the seeing eye…For most of us that is obvious. But that begs the question: who has made the blind eye and the deaf ear? Actually the Bible tells us. You may be acquainted with the story of Moses and how God told him to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Well, Moses was not a good speaker. Heres what he said to God. Exodus 4:10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Its true… God is sovereign to give us sight or create us as blind… But we also see this same sovereignty of God spiritually when God makes us a new Creation in Christ Jesus. He is the one who gives us eyes to see his glory. 2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus talks about both spiritual blindness and spiritual sight beginning in Matthew 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 15 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. So in closing its true that as Solomon said the LORD makes the seeing eye and hearing ear alike… and in retrospect maybe this does go along with other verses we have seen in this chapter… God gave us eyes and ears and we are responsible to God for what we look at and what we see and how we use these amazing gifts God has given us. It applies to the ways of children in Proverbs 20:11 and to those who take advantage of others in the previous devotion and… well I can see the correlation now all the way to verse one. I’ll close with a passage from Ephesians 1 which talks about how we might even as believers continue to have the eyes of our heart enlightened to see more of Gods glory. I hope you all have a great day in the Lord. God bless! Ephesians 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.…
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1 Proverbs 20:11 RA Watching Your Child Make Themselves Known 7:25
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Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright. Watching Your Child Make Themselves Known R Aylor Oh, our children… how precious a gift… how disruptive to our life… And the thing is… they are all born with differences… in looks yes except for identical twins… but also differences in personalities… They are sooo unique! Dissimilar in strengths and weaknesses… not only in the physical but mental traits as well and how they think things through… not better or worse but different. The imprint of these characteristics and attributes can play a major role in what our children will be suited for in life as well as the kinds of things they will enjoy or detest. So those things are important… and yet they may change depending on how they are brought up and what they associate themselves with in life… This can be a good thing or a horrible thing. Something else to add into the equation: We are all born broken into a broken world. What does that bring to the makeup of our life? Well, we are born with a bent towards sin… And more specific, we are born with varied predispositions that are stronger than others. Certain things begin to pull at our children’s heart strings and for watching parents who ask the Lord for discerning eyes they can see. Some traits from our brokenness you may notice in your child at an early age could include a learning disability associated with the physical body or they may have difficulty with social skills. Hyperactivity is another. We are born with many physical brokennesses which always have some potential to pull us towards sin in some way. Some physical problems can be overcome by physical things like doctors and medicines but others require the great physician. Some things a parent can watch for in their child early on are things like patterns of lying or bullying. A screamer… a stealer… a hitter… or one who harms themselves. Watch for an early pulls towards sexuality to the opposite or same gender. Watch for a child who always runs away and hides from conflict. I think some of these things hit children across the board but the longer any of them are a routine… or pattern it is more likely that piece of brokenness will hard set itself deep within them. Remember I said how we are not bound to all the dispositions we were born with? We become like the things that we soak up from our associations… What we hear and the examples we see. It doesn’t always soak in… But if the child does not veil the good associations out it will. So good parents can fight against the brokenness by teaching the truth of Gods word like how Jesus is eternally more satisfying than the perversions of sin… He is the greatest treasure in the Universe. The truth is that seeing the beauty of Jesus is what transforms us first as a new creation and then seeing more of his beauty continues the transformation progress. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. So yes, we are not bound to our brokenness. And do we as parents hold any responsibility? Of course we do. As our children make themselves known by their acts… whether good or bad as our text indicates… We show them the good truth in Gods word of how he fixes our brokenness. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? 10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD. The Day Of Winnowing R Aylor Today… let’s start with the last verse and work our way backwards. God hates all kinds of false weights and measurements. What does unequal weights and unequal measures mean? Well in biblical times, merchants weighed out herbs and grain to sell to their customers… or, like today they cut measured yards of material to sell for making clothes... But some used weights or a measuring stick that were less than the standard in order to cheat others... this kind of action is detestable to the Lord. But if you think about it… false weights and measures extend further than things related to merchants greedy for money. Too many times people like you and I proclaim ourselves to others as measuring up much higher and greater than we are. Is it possible that this may be even a greater abomination to the Lord than the other? And even worse to proclaim this false sense of righteousness to God like the Pharisee in Luke 18. Jesus is speaking beginning in verse 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ... Next moving backwards… verse 9 says: 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? You know, these words of Solomon go perfectly right along with the words of Paul: Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Then in verse 8 of today’s passage Solomon says: 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. So to winnow is to separate or find out… to see through to the truth of the matter. How does this relate to the other verses we read concerning our our self righteousness and sin? This verse talks about a king sitting in judgment. I was thinking how an experienced Judge who has seen, oh maybe thousands of cases over their career… they gain much experience. They can look at a person as they make their case or as they respond to questions… watching both the one who makes the accusation and the defendant. Their body language with facial expressions including how and when they squirm. They know the tells a person normally gives when a they lie and when they tell the truth. Maybe a person will look away or down when they lie… They may scratch their nose or grip their hand on the stand. A good experienced judge can put this all together and have a good idea of what the truth is. I expect a wise king such as Solomon was experienced in this also. And then how much more sure it will be on Judgment Day when we stand before God and he looks at us… He will winnow all evil with his eyes with absoluteness. Even now… we cannot hide one single thing from him. He sees all. But you know a strange thing happens when God gives us eyes to see him… when we see how he is beautiful… how he is our only hope… how he is good news for our wickedness… how his righteous can only be received as a gift… a gift of mercy by delighting in Jesus and seeing him as our greatest treasure over everything the world offers. And in seeing him as glorious we cannot help realizing our own sinfulness, and we realize that sin is not all it was promised to be… It is a false measure… a false weight… It is a fake, a phony, a lie… instead of good it brings us sorrow and discontentment and death. So as our eyes are open to see Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe we turn from sin and walk toward Jesus the rest of our life. Sure we sin… but we repent as we grow in the Lord and keep walking toward him from now on. Pray…
Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:7 The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him! Blessed Children R Aylor Integrity; doing whats right… not caving to temptation of sin like greed or hate… brings with it a good name but rebellious children can ruin that name quickly. Those who see will likely question the ability of the parent to teach and raise their children and so the wayward children are associated with the parent from then on. But the thing is... this righteous parent… this person keeps on keeping on and continues to walk in integrity. They keep loving and teaching their children what is true. They don’t side with their children on what is right to gain their loyalty. They keep setting good examples with their life. They keep their word...they love others... they help the needy, they don’t gossip, they work hard, study and love God and his word... And the thing is… A righteous person leaves blessings for their children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren. They may leave a house or money… sure, but it could be something much greater than that. Their children and grandchildren and more carry memories of their legacy of integrity. My mother, now 82 has shared stories of love for her grandmother who loved Jesus and they shared a wonderful bond in the Lord… And my mother shared her grandmothers legacy of faith with me. That is the greatest of all blessings we can pass to our children and their children down the line. In closing, todays text makes me think of the promise God made to Abraham that came through faith and not works. Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. Abraham was a righteous man… a man of integrity through faith and not works… although his faith wrought good works time and time again as he grew in the Lord. You know, there is a little song I used to sing that went something like: Father Abraham had many sons and I am one of them. And the truth is we are his offspring or his children spiritually by faith… just as he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness so it is with us. The common faith in Jesus which my great grandmother shared with my mother and she shared with me is the same faith father Abraham had. As our text says: blessed are his children after him. Pray the offspring of the woman from Genesis who would come to set things right after Adam and Eves… and even our sin… this is the good news for all those who would believe God and hope in the Messiah. The promise was made throughout history to Noah, Abraham, Issac, Jacob,, David, Solomon, Hezekiah and so many more… The good news was seen played out in the real lives of some as a foreshadowing of his coming. It was proclaimed by the Prophets over and over throughout the ages. God has wanted to bless his children by faith all along. Jesus said how he desires mercy and not sacrifice. What a great gift.…
Proverbs 20:5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? Deep Water R Aylor How do you know what’s in a person... no, not what they had for breakfast... but whats in a persons soul and character? Solomon gives us a prime example of how to gauge another person. Don’t get me wrong, the bible teaches us not to judge others… and yet another place it tells us to judge others. So there is undeniably a context for doing both. We make judgments of who we want our pastor to be and what church our family attends based on things like whether they preach the truth of Gods word. In fact it is Gods word that is the basis for our judgments in life… It should be. But these are not final judgments on people… only God can do that… We cannot know a persons heart… We are limited to our knowledge of these things. And sadly much of the time we make judgments based on a look someone gives us or a word spoken in haste or some other thing while we only have a microcosm of a percentage of knowledge… Many times we make judgements solely from gossip we hear. In order to judge in the context God wants we must know Gods word and let it guide us or else we will judge others just like the world does. Solomon tells us how mans heart is like deep water and he says there are many who state that their love is sure and trustworthy... he does not tell us the context of that love... maybe to his spouse or his child. ... How can we see down into the deep waters of the purposes of a persons heart. Solomon then asks the question: ...but a faithful man who can find? I think thats a big part of the answer. We can only trust someone who is steadfast and faithful. Of course the problem is… that is none of us. We all fall very short of that. We fail God and others and even ourselves at least according to the results that last exercise program we started. And I think it’s the degrees in our steadfastness that makes our judgments more complex and difficult to traverse. Degrees in faithfulness to others can be seen in believers and atheists alike and these are the waters of judgement we have to navigate in relationships. I believe Solomon helps us with that pointing us to look a a persons faithfulness. I like to think of it like this; a persons faith is always verified by their faithfulness. Some degree of faithfulness always accompanies faith. However, good works are not true faithfulness unless they are motivated by faith. So one can have works without faith but not faith without works. Ok, well… at the end of the day Solomon's question remains… a faithful man who can find… There has only been one, even Jesus Christ Gods only Son. Therefore we must conclude that when he says his love towards us is steadfast, we can trust him. Hebrews 4:15 speaking of Jesus: …who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. In Exodus 33:18 Moses ask God to show him his glory and the next day in chapter 34:6 - The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, ... abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, We are sinners; but not Jesus. He is the only one who has been faithful to his Father in heaven and he has been faithful to his word and to us and we have good reason to put our faith in him and grow more and more in our faithfulness to him. Romans 6:23 He was paid the wages of our sin with his death on the Cross and for all who delight in him he imputes his righteousness giving us fellowship with God and making us accepted by him. He rose from the grave and we are given that same power that raised him to be victorious over sin in this life as we walk with him along with amazing peace and joy. And as he was raised incorruptible we too will be raised no more subject to the consequences of sin like sickness, pain, sorrow, depression… and death… all gone and we will be with him forever.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. No Sluggard To Mission R Aylor Already in Proverbs 20 Solomon has mentioned various kinds of people. In verse one it was the person who is led astray by wine and strong drink… In verse 2 showed us one who stirs up anger and one who is angry… Then in verse 3… a peace seeker and also a quarreler. Today we look at the sluggard. When autumn comes and there is work to do the sluggard likely does not tell others how lazy he is. He may not even acknowledge it to himself. It’s just that he usually has some very important task to do that keeps him from the work. It’s always something that he would rather do than to plow the fields. This year he must travel to see a sick friend in another village. Last year he had planned a vacation around that time with some friends. The year before that his allergies would act up whenever he exerted himself in the outdoors… fishing seemed to be ok… If you’re like me, you too see many lazy streaks in your life from time to time… I think that when we notice one there is usually a corresponding spiritual deficiency that influences our physical lazy streak. We may not think about how it’s a spiritual problem when we are lazy and don’t want to clean the house or mow the lawn but it is… It may be easier to identify as a spiritual issue when we don’t have a desire or are not motivated to read Gods word… Or we don’t want to be around believers or go to church and hear Gods word. We can always come up with a good sounding rational excuse for all these things but for the lazy person its usually something we would rather be doing that takes the place of what we are lazy to. You see, if we are to not be lazy to the things of God we need a heart that would rather be doing the things of God. Of course, for believers, we received a heart like that when we became a new creation in Christ Jesus, but now this new creation like a new born must grow in the things of God… We are a work in progress and God is sanctifying or changing us practically to find our joy in doing his will as we see more of his glory and walk in smaller circles of repentance always turning back to him, the greatest treasure in the Universe. I want to close with this passage from Paul in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 which talks about how as a new creation in Christ made in good standing with God, we have no need to be lazy in life as though we have no purpose. Our new purpose gives us joy… and that is to share how others can be made in good standing with God. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.b The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconcilingc the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. What is it about a foolish man that he will quarrel with anything from a Mountain to a mathematical calculation when neither one can be persuaded one inch? A foolish son will argue with his father who has the authority to discipline him… A foolish person will get up into a police officers face knowing they will either get beat up or will spend the night in jail. You already know what it is that keeps us coming back for more don’t you? Of course you do, we all do… its pride. We’re all familiar with it on some level where we live. It’s commonly seen when one or both spouses quarrel and defend themselves… before you know it, even the one who was in the right about the specifics of the quarrel has to apologize. Solomon says how whoever provokes a king to anger forfeits his life. A king had the power to wave his hand and have someones head cut off. His terror is like the growling of a lion. You would think that would scare someone right? Kim Jong Un of North Korea is much like a king in that respect. It seems that the whole country hears his roar and smiles when he says smile and would stand on their head and stack bb’s if he said to… or they would at least try. Why?… because they don’t want to anger him… they don’t want forfeit their life. Of course this passages lends nicely to the King of Kings who has good reason to be angry with mankind. Psalm 7:11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. And we all have provoked him to anger… all have refused the joys in acknowledging his glory and love… And when he sent his only Son to be paid the wages for our crime, we were the ones who crucified him… We will all one day stand before him and face his terror in righteous judgment. Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. In verse three of today’s passage Solomon also says: 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, How can we keep from strife? Can anyone really? Arn’t we broken people in a broken world? Verse 3 brings to my mind the Beach Boys song “In My Room”. Some of the lyrics say “There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to, In my room, In my room.” In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said this: 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The great thing is that when we come to Jesus… when we look to him with delight… draw nigh to him, call on him, have faith in him, believe in him… The spiritual strife that comes from the darkness in this broken world is taken from us. We have Gods peace and joy because of Jesus. The same power of God that raised him from the dead lets us walk in spiritual resurrection with victory over the strife that comes from sin. God gives us the righteousness of Jesus… and the strife that would have accompanied us on judgment day is also removed. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. There are quite a lot of things in life that can lead us to brawl; that is, to quarrel or fight, and there are a whole lot of things that can lead us astray. One thing I want to be careful of… and that is I do not want to ever assert the traditions of men one way or the other over the truth of Gods word like the Pharisees did. So I am not here to convince anyone about whether they personally should drink alcohol. I believe this verse is addressing… yes alcohol in particular but the being led astray by something this world offers… It’s a heart thing; it’s about the things we seek and where we let these things in life lead our hearts… will it lead us in a closer walk with the world or a closer walk with the Lord? I was thinking of what Moses told the children of Israel before they entered the promised land about loving the things of the world and how those things would lead them astray and causes cause them not to be glad in the Lord. Moses had just listed a long list of woes that would come to Israel if they treasured the physical things God would actually give them as a blessing… if their gladness shifted from being in God to these things. Deuteronomy 28:46 They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. 47 Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, It’s pretty clear that whatever we lust after or love or have an obsession about in the world… whatever captivates our heart will lead us astray and cause our spirit to brawl or be at odds with the Holy Spirit. Today Solomon talks about wine and strong drink which is definitely a big issue for many. Look, we all have certain things that we are more susceptible to in life than others… things that can tug at our heart strings and tempt us to be drawn astray. And it is no secret alcohol has been a big stumbling block historically for mankind. In todays verse I... But I want to go for the inner spiritual truth here… what is it that God wants us to internalize… What truth here is going to transform our inner being and bring us true joy and worship in the Lord. I think it is always those things that are akin to the the Holy Spirit. If we keep that in mind as we interpret Gods word I think it will serve us well. Notice what Paul says right after he describes the fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So in closing I will mention two things I think are important in what we are talking about. One, turn away from those things that pull on our heart and encourage us to be lead astray from delighting in God. It may be something lustful on the internet or social media or TV… It might be drugs or alcohol or food or a a purchase of some item that might not be very good for our relationship to the Lord. And secondly, not only turn from those things but to desperately reach for the things that do satisfy with are the things of God. The Apostle Paul uses phrases like “pressing on” and “straining forward”. Philippians 3:13 Brothers,... So that's our goal in life… we have turned away from sin… that repentance and now we walk, reach strain or press toward the things of God the rest of our life. And we do so not only for our own conscious sake but for others as well. 1st Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Pray…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. 31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Today Solomon shares with us an iron clad truth about God and then gives us an example which we can receive application from for our every day life. First off in verse 30 tells us we cannot outwit or strategize or manipulate God. We cannot trick him or hide our motives from him. We cannot set a trap for him or find some work around in his word that would keep us from facing just judgment. Gods word is not like the hundreds of thousands of pages legal codes and regulations such as IRS tax laws where one might try to find a loophole so one might escape the intent of the law. There are no loopholes against the Lord. Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. And the truth is… when we search for peace and strive for satisfaction from the things of the world… When our confidence comes from the sophisticated air power and high yield destruction capabilities of our armed forces… Or more to our daily life… when our confidence comes from our job, our money, looks, popularity etc… We are trusting in our own arsenal of weapons to survive in a broken world… But actually… all of our weapons for victory are broken weapons. The truth is that we are blessed not by fighting the system… not by overcoming the brokenness of a world cursed because of sin… We could never scratch the surface to do that ourselves. How can we fight a system that God created and put in place? We cant! And yes he was the one who broke the Universe but he did it because of mankind sin; and he did it for his own glory… and he did it to show us our brokenness and futility… And he did it so we might look to him in faith with repentance and joy. He is the one who gives us victory over the brokenness that God brought because of sin. Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. So we in ourselves cannot be triumphant in a broken world because we cannot avail against the Lord. Verse 31 gives us an example for application which we already touched on. It speaks of not trusting in worldly might in war… namely the horse. Solomon gives us the reason; he says: “the victory belongs to the Lord”. Solomon may have read his father King Davids writings. In Psalm chapter 20 verse 7 he wrote: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. I want to read a few verses related to this which I love out of Isaiah. Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. … 14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. Pray…
Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. 28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure. 29 A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways. Today’s 3 verses speak of being a fake… living our lives with proclaiming we are one way… maybe even believing it at times… and when we do we get a false sense of security. Thats how we used to walk before we came to find our security in Christ. ... First we see the gift giver. This is the person who brings sacrifices to God that are not accompanied by a heart of worship and joy… its like a man who brings his wife a bouquet of flowers while having a mistress on the side. It’s an abomination to the Lord when we approach God thinking our own good gifts or deeds make up for our sinful heart of adultery towards him… Gifts and sacrifices won’t cut it. Even if we change our ways it won’t atone for our sins. See Matthew 9:13 So Jesus calls us to repentance or admitting our sin and turning away from it towards him and for us to take his mercy without any of our own sacrifices. Our text says how the wicked’s sacrifice is worse than an abomination when he brings it with evil intent”. When one thinks they can fool God with their sacrifices… it’s like saying “I don’t need Jesus sacrifice on the Cross… My good deeds should be enough… Jesus sacrifice was for nothing”. That’s more than an abomination to God. This first person lied to God… Now Solomon speaks of a false witness to men… This person could be sitting in a doughnut shop or even a courtroom saying they were an eyewitness to some wrong their neighbor was accused of while it was only something he has heard gossip about and now shares it as though it is true. Finally Solomon speaks of someone who bears a false witness to everyone about his own goodness. ... He may gossip lies about his neighbor and still put on a facade to the whole world saying he has it all together. ... The bold face of the wicked might appear confident and intentional going after his goals courageously valiant and brave but inside down deep he likely knows he is a phony and a fake. Solomon also tells us how an upright man differs from the wicked. .... He is an actual first hand hearer instead of second or third handed hearer and he is also one who gives thoughts to his ways. There ya go…. though millions and millions of people have heard about the Messiah who would come to set things right after Adams sin so man could be in fellowship with God, not all have truly heard down deep in their soul… But some did. they were given ears to hear how Jesus is good news of great joy… They were given eyes to see how Jesus is beautiful. They were given a heart to delight in Jesus as the greatest treasure in the Universe worth leaving all for. They heard and gave thought to their ways and in joy turned away from sin towards the Lord for the rest of their life. And in closing consider how Jesus was the perfect sacrifice given with not wicked intention but with joy and good intent for the glory of God and for our good. And even in his death he prospered as he overcame its hold and his days were prolonged. I’ll close with this reading from Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.…
Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. 25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. 26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back. Talk, Scoff and Slouth R Aylor Today we look at 3 characters which we meet many times throughout Proverbs… The talker, the scoffer and the sluggard. The talker quite often puts their foot in their mouth when they open their mouth… or rather should have stopped up their vocal cords with a foot or fist or giant plunger because they say things to make themselves look better and so many times don’t even give much thought to that and people see through their words… in trying to make themselves look good they seem to belittle others and say wrong and hurtful things… they may not always know it but people see through their smoke screen … The talker can also come across as mr or miss know it all always having to have the last word and be right defending themselves to the very end. Speaking of the talker, James 3:7-8 says: 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Interestingly, the “talker” is frequently known also as the “scoffer”. Yes, it’s true that the scoffer talks; and when he does its to make himself look good. It’s no secret that we all are bent to do this. Who wants to look bad in front of others? Some people jump into the spotlight to look good… others stay out of the spotlight so they won’t look bad… both are looking out for themselves… led by pride. And that too is the goal of the scoffer. The scoffer gripes and grumbles about the world around them… they gossip about the people they know and even those they have never met. In our text today Solomon has told us how the scoffer is arrogant, haughty and full of pride. Proverbs 16:18 says: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. The talker otherwise known as the scoffer may at times goes by another alias; the sluggard. The sluggard is not on the Lords mission… he is on his own mission of doing nothing… he has evolved from mere talk and scoffing to being totally obsessed with his self… not even working… hoping others will provide for him… not keeping up his residence ; often idling through life and like the talker and scoffer gossiping and grumbling his way from house to house always having the last word… saying they are wise and smarter than others. It’s interesting to me that when we find a person who claims to be a believer acting like this we are not to cuddle or support them. We are not to relate to them in a way that is accepting of the way they are living; in fact we are to separate ourselves from fellowshipping with them. 1st Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Pray…
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