Proverbs 1

What jewels of wisdom!

Proverbs is a wonderful book to go through "For gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young" (Proverbs 1:2-4) What I love about this verse is that, to God especially, we are ALL YOUNG, we can all have more knowledge (and frankly, many of us crave that knowledge) and use more discretion! Thank you, Lord, for wisdom!

The first thing that was pointed out to me is that knowledge and wisdom are two really different things. You can have much knowledge, continue to gain knowledge and be completely self-taught but without wisdom. Knowledge is something you work for and is gained by circumstances or books, the theoretical, practical understanding of a subject.. Wisdom is something that you gain from God, from the insight that you are given about what is true, right and just. You can be knowledgeable or "smart" and have no wisdom. You, however, cannot be wise and have no knowledge because the wisdom is given WITH knowledge. 

Proverbs 1 really makes me feel like this is (and I fully believe it should be) a parents legacy. You can tell by reading it that Solomon is trying (if not desperately) to reach his children about the most important things to him. It's for ALL people, not for just a few in the "old days," everywhere and in any time. There is nothing that I have read so far that is "anti" anything, except foolishness and sin. If you want to obtain the closest relationship to the Lord by way of prayer and meditation, fasting, forgiveness, obedience and surrender then Proverbs may be the right book to read right now! This particular chapter is one of warning. Parents be careful what you teach because your children will follow (and we all know the best way to teach is by example, Prov. 1:8-9) and to be careful of sinful seduction (anything that will pull you away from God, Prov 1:10-19.) Wisdom is readily available for all people, you don't have to be a scholar. Proverbs 1:20-21 wisdom is calling out for everyone. To those who want to find her, she is there calling. Following up with repentance and turning from sin. You cannot be wise and willingly follow sin! If you repent wisdom will "make [her] teachings known to you" (Prov 1:23b) If you turn from wisdom, choose to take another path, then wisdom will leave you unprepared. You will eventually get to see what the consequences of choosing not to be wise in your life. Can you see the contrast of a false security over the lasting peace of God?

In this day and age, we don't need to have wisdom. It is so much easier to look for the answer that suits us, find people who believe as we do and have our lives and fellowship with them. If we look at Acts 27:13, they felt they had the "go ahead" because they got a little head wind. Wisdom would have been what Paul said to them "You should not have sailed from Crete as I had said" (Acts 27:22) Wisdom is knowing the RIGHT answer not the best one for the moment!

Father, THANK YOU and PRAISE YOU for the direction and the wisdom You have given to the people in my life that I get to glean wisdom from. I pray that more would seek You, want to know You and most importantly, Lord, that they would want to have a little of Your wisdom. Thank you for Your Son always and for the death He suffered for all of us. AMEN

Exodus

It amazes me how in the story of the Exodus, after God saved the people through Moses and led them out of Egypt, the Israelites worshiped a calf they created out of gold. They had just witnessed first hand the power of the Almighty God and they still turned away from Him! People often do that today also.We see something as supernatural or a miracle, something good or bad, and we see it as a "magic" (something that is just unexplained) or as "karma" (something that someone did to "deserve") but how often are we looking at the blessing inside? That it is God at work? Some people would rather think it is aliens that can tap into your brain than to think it is an all powerful God that is in control. 

And oh my goodness! How detailed the instructions for the Ark of the covenant! If He always gave us instruction that clearly, how much easier would it be to follow and how much easier that would make things for us but then would we need to or feel the need to need Him so much? What faith would we need then? Even Moses was more afraid of denial and embarrassment because "Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”(Exodus 4:10) Moses was given CLEAR and PRECISE direction from God and He questioned the most Holy One that created everything, destroyed almost all of the world once already and then Sodom and Gomorrah. Our God is amazing! He gives us the clearest direction we have without actually sitting down for a cup of coffee with us. We have the bible! We have an entire book filled with His direction, guidance, love, compassion and plan for our lives. It is readily available to anyone who needs one. Even if you don't go to church, don't like "Christians," ect. you cannot deny what is written in the bible...it is the moral compass for the world. Do we demand so much in our daily business, forgetting that it was He who gave us our life?

Lord, I thank you for who you are and I pray that I would remember that it is You who give me everything I do. Please help me to remember you in all that I do! 

PSALM 40

If you get a chance to read all of Psalm 40 I would recommend doing so but, for the purpose of this blog, I want to talk about what verses 11-17 are focusing on:

¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me.
¹³ Be pleased to save me, LORD; come quickly, LORD, to help me. 

¹⁴ May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame.¹⁶ But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!” 

¹⁷ But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.

What a humbling way to look! May YOUR love and truth protect me. Our sins are so great in number that it is being compared to the number of hairs on our heads. How overwhelming! To know that sin will be apart of my life until He returns, exhausting! To know that He has made it possible to not have to be a slave to this sin, REDEEMING! 

Those who say 'Aha'......may I not be one of those anymore! Your sin doesn't make mine any less and where we should be comforting, loving and helping each other we say "OOOOOHHHHHH! Look at so-and-so! Can you believe that?" Why do we point out shame? Why do we not comfort the disgraced? The sin is to be exposed but we are supposed to be loving and take care of someone BRAVE and STRONG enough to be honest about their "disgraces" and rejoice and be glad in He who can fix anything!

We all have areas in our lives that Christ's love needs to fix. We are ALL poor and needy. When Christ said to the Pharisees "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick" (Matt 9:12) think about this question: Are you acting like you know you're sick....? Or do you really know you NEED Jesus? "You are my help and my deliverer; Oh my God do not delay"