February

February 1

Sowing


There is blessing for all who are giving people. The reward is the joy of giving itself. It is also laid up as a treasure for you in heaven.



Galatians 6

7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.


It is such a simple lesson from life: you reap according to the kind of seed you sow. It is a principle of God as seen in nature. So we learn something. First, we see his hand prints in the natural and then in the spiritual. As Romans says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20 NLT)

Scriptures clearly tell us it is the justice of God to give us what we sow. It is also God’s economy. If you want good you sow good. If you expect to be loved you give love. When you want friends your become friendly, etc.

There is blessing for all who are giving people. The reward is the joy of giving itself. It is also laid up as a treasure for you in heaven.

Proverbs 3
(NIV)
27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"— when you now have it with you.

February 2

Speak Truth



…it is godly to stand up for the falsely accused. It is also godly to make every effort to be sure the truth, mercy and redemption prevails when ever another’s reputation is concerned.



16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this," declares the LORD. Zechariah 8

It is difficult to imagine why someone would plot against an innocent person. Yet, it happens all the time. People who do well, perform extraordinarily, show promise and generally enjoy a deservedly good reputation are often attacked by those of lesser drive and accomplishments. Furthermore, we often find that people of faith are attacked for no apparent reason.

We need to realize that darkness hates light of any variety. Wherever there are those who love darkness there will be an effort to tear down that which is good. Evil is not the absence of good as contemporaries are apt to say. Evil is an active force or a proactive drive in humankind.

The scriptures has a lot to say about how much God hates false witness, plotting harm, “frivolous” law suits and building cases against others in order to justify personal gain. What it says about those who engage in it is nothing short of fearful. To plot against another is self-destructive spiritually damaging.

On the proactive side, we need to remember that it is godly to stand up for the falsely accused. However, it is also godly to make every effort to be sure the truth, mercy and redemption prevails when ever another’s reputation is concerned.

Footnote: Doing the right things may make us feel as dirty as the evil doers we oppose. However, that is the whole meaning of the incarnation and Jesus did not shrink from getting dirty in opposing the unjust of the first century.


Proverbs 3
(NIV)
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse a man for no reason— when he has done you no harm.
1Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."
4Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. (Mark 3:1-6 NIV)


February 3

You Become What You Admire

It is a good thing to admire gentility and to choose the paths of peace which bless others. Witness the oak pushing through a crack in concrete. There is real power in gentle persistence.



Proverbs 3
(NIV)
31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways,
32 for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.
Clint Eastwood has made his movie career in depicting “Dirty Harry” a character with his .44 magnum, “the most powerful handgun in the world.” Following in his footsteps was Rambo and even those showbiz heroes who became governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.
There are a lot of people who admire these show business icons. Some love the physical depiction. Still others secretly admire their image as tough people. Many who emulate this toughness engage themselves in tough tactics in subtler ways in business, politics and community.
The scripture in Proverbs is clear. We are not to envy the violent person or choose the ways of tough people who push their ways through life by bullying. Here is a positive way to say the same thing: It is a good thing to admire gentility and to choose the paths of peace which bless others. Witness the oak pushing through a crack in concrete. There is real power in gentle persistence.

February 4


Imputed Uprightness


When we have an upright heart and an upright life we can count on God’s blessing in our families. Such uprightness is imputed to us through our faith.





Proverbs 3
(NIV)
33 The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.
Any student of history can readily see the outcome of the lives of those who choose wicked paths. Biographies of families cursed by the effect of wicked practices are multitudinous. Environment is of great influence in human development and proclivity to good or evil. (This is something the Bible taught long before it was an emphasis in modern psychology.)

When God speaks of “the house of the wicked” he speaks of a household whose patron is committed living a self-willed life. He is warning of the consequences generationally of such decisions.

However, it might be said that we should be careful not to make such judgments prematurely. There are many good families that go through hard times and the scripture is not necessarily speaking of that. What the scripture addresses is a chronic and deep set wickedness that passes through a family like a poison.

When we have an upright heart and an upright life we can count on God’s blessing in our families. Such uprightness is imputed to us through our faith. We ask for it, we receive it and we pray in the humble awareness we are entering the realm of righteousness on a borrowed ticket. That is what gives us the persistence to trust God and love every member through their challenges.


February 5

Tasting Our Own Medicine


When we make fun of others (mock) God gives us a taste of our own medicine. This is another of his redemptive patterns.


Proverbs 3
(NIV Readers)
34 He laughs at proud people who make fun of others. But he gives grace to those who are not proud.

Because he is the measure of all things Himself, how could God not see the mockery of mockers as anything but one Hyena laughing at another because their bottom is hairless? There are none worthy, says the scripture, not one. Therefore, all of us stand in the need of grace. That is enough said about the relative condition of all of mankind which gets far too much joy out of laughter at another’s s expense.
When we look at this text we can observe that the law of cause and effect apparently relates also to God’s responses to us. When we make fun of others (mock) God gives us a taste of our own medicine. This is another of his redemptive patterns. He allows us to know what it is like to be the brunt of rejection and mockery so we may find the joy of contentment in living behind the faces he has given us without the derision of others. After all, it is godly to rejoice is what is good and praiseworthy.


February 6

The Last Word

True perspective will always take into account that the one who created us has the last word.


Proverbs 3
35 The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!
Truth like water finds its own level. We can alter our presentations, we can give things we want to do a positive slant and we can even lie to force our wills on others. However, it is the true and wise who are proven to be right in the end. This is why, in part, we read history for lessons. We want to see who has been vindicated and to whom honor belongs.

True perspective will always take into account that the one who created us has the last word. He will give that last word whether it is written in history or in the thunder when the last trumpet has blown.

Photo by de




February 7

Empty Hands Full Grace

God can only give to those whose hands are empty.


Matthew 5
(NIV)
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
***
3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. The Message

We start life as kids feeling like the center of the universe, soon graduate to reality and find that there are many things to take our place. We are left with complexes which may be nothing more than a real assessment of our need. In other words, if we have an inferiority complex it is because we are flawed. We probably are not any worse than someone else but we are less than intended by our Creator.
Those who are poor in spirit are those who have recognized that their equity of power is depleted. They are the ones who have taken a realistic look at the human situation and place their trust in God. They enjoy his help, glory in his presence and find His empowerment to face all obstacles.
God can only give to those whose hands are empty.

Photo by de




February 8
Answers for Angst

God in his goodness encourages us to allow sorrow to do its perfect work. We push through depression and seek healing. We cry out for relief and look for some comfort. When we place our faith in Him and His promises we find that comfort to be even better than singular achievements.
Matthew 5
(NIV)
4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We are told that we all suffer from angst. That means humans are plagued with a sense of anxiety just because they are human and vulnerable. Well, the Germans who coined this phrase have more to say about it like, “We suffer from an existential angst.”
There is another thing not commonly noted. It is a sense of justice. It is a yearning we all seem to have at the core of our beings. It is as if we are mourning for things that ought to be. We expect fairness. We expect fulfillment. We believe things can be better.
Most everyone, some more than others, have a drive to better things. Some of us sprint toward betterment and quit or settle for a fatalistic goal or a band aid. Others of us plug away and find through faith that there is a better world for those who allow their mourning for what “might be” keep them in the race.
God in his goodness encourages us to allow sorrow to do its perfect work. We push through depression and seek healing. We cry out for relief and look for some comfort. When we place our faith in Him and His promises we find that comfort to be even better than singular achievements. After all, we are made in his image and will not be at rest until we find our completion in him.


February 9

The Meek Inherit

The meek carry with them an authority that is not
easily understood because God has made them possessors of spaces they occupy. They will ultimately share the reward of the lowly which is encapsulated in the exaltation of the Lamb of God.


Matthew 5
(NIV)
5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Meekness is the decision to step down from a height we rightfully hold. It is choosing not to contest our worthiness relative to someone else. It is deciding for the sake of the betterment of all we will forgo something that is a reward of our labors or position granted to us by God’s grace and our own faithful pilgrimage. .
Meek people are not weak as many suppose. They are people most secure in who their own integrity. The meek know who they are, their purpose in life, and the direction they are going. They have usually paid a personal cost to become what they are and are painfully aware of the power of life or destruction in authority and power. Thus when the moment requires it they can step down, step out from and lay down such control and clout. It takes great courage to be meek.
The promise of God for the meek is that they will inherit the earth. They will be among the most natural and confident people we meet. The meek carry with them an authority that is not easily understood because God has made them possessors of spaces they occupy. They will ultimately share the reward of the lowly which is encapsulated in the exaltation of the Lamb of God.

February 10

The Great Hunger

People who hunger and thirst for righteousness as described here are down to their last coinage…. While such people make the spiritual “fast food crowd” uncomfortable they press on in prayer and action to join with those of like mind and receive the fullness of God.



Matthew 5
(NIV)
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Our Father in heaven responds to those who come to him with scintillating honesty and hunger. Even as He heard the yearnings of the prophets so he knows when our hunger has “red-lined” and when we need rescue. We are created in his image to expect truth, justice and rightness. Most, however, do all they can to dull the gnawing grind of conscience and settle for mind numbing activities and distractions. Those souls will have nothing to do with anything so human, so common and so internally distressful.
People who hunger and thirst for righteousness as described here are down to their last coinage. They do not have some mild hunger that can be satisfied with a few fries and a milkshake. They have the hunger of multitudes and will not be satisfied until they and all of those they know are seated at a banquet table laden with the best delicacies. While such people make the spiritual “fast food crowd” uncomfortable they press on in prayer and action to join with those of like mind and receive the fullness of God.

Photo by de

February 11

Unleashing Mercy

When we practice mercy we condition the heart to receive mercy and so the power of mercy is unleashed also in the earth.


Matthew 5
(NIV)
7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
“If God is good why is there so much distress in the world?” This is the big question raised more often than any other. On the social front it can be addressed with this maxim of Jesus. Mercy begets mercy and mercy begets relief of distress. Social conflicts are the result of an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” They compound every time mercy is not shown.
The ultimate mercy is the mercy God will show. It is a mercy available only to those who show mercy and demonstrate a grasp of his nature.
Is oil compatible with water? Is there any kinship with fire and ice? So it is with mercy. When we practice mercy we condition the heart to receive mercy and so the power of mercy is unleashed also in the earth.

Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

February 12

Clear Vision


The pure in heart are unadulterated…They are honest through and through. Such people, Jesus says, “see God” or to put it in practical terms are apt to see his hand at work because they are not destroyed by the cynicism of the age.



Matthew 5
(NIV)
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

The marketplace in old Jerusalem is a quaint place where barter still takes place the old fashioned way. The seller quotes a price. The buyer counters. The seller counters again and finally after a few adjustments agreement is reached.
On my first trip to Jerusalem I relished the bargaining exchange. In particular I was bargaining for some olive wood crosses which I would give as gifts. After much haggling an agreement was struck and I walked out feeling I had struck the bargain of a lifetime. However, when I inspected my crosses I realized they were not perfect. The creator had put brown bees wax in wormholes inherent to the wood. I had bought what we could call “seconds.” It was not a bargain at all. Funny! The Latin definition for sincere is “without wax.” I fell for an old trick.
The pure in heart are unadulterated. What you see in them is what you get. They are not people to have ulterior purposes or trying to work the angles. They are honest through and through. Such people, Jesus says, “see God” or to put it in practical terms are apt to see his hand at work because they are not destroyed by the cynicism of the age.
3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. 5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. I Timothy 1:3-6

February 13

Making for Peace

There is no peace like the peace that flows from people who do the God-like work of blessing, giving and enlarging the fortunes of others.


Matthew 5 (NIV)
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Most references in the Bible to “peace” are of a proactive and whole peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is full contentment. When we make for peace we do everything within our power to create a winning environment which provides for the highest good of others. There is not one scintilla of aggression in this kind of peace. It is not a peace that can be brought by contest, protest or conquest of the minds and hearts of others.
In short, such peace is not possible until right relationships are established with God and man. When we come under God’s rule we are apt to love and give to others what we have received. There is no peace like the peace that flows from people who do the God-like work of blessing, giving and enlarging the fortunes of others. They are the core of our best cultures.



February 14
Like a Sparrow

…when we represent God’s heart we are assured that God, who has the last word, will grant a glorious reward.


Matthew 5
(NIV)
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

History is the story of heroic people who have paid a great price even with their lives for standing for some benefit which we praise and value in the present. These people are witnesses of righteousness. Because they bear the scars of persecution they are effective in keeping our eyes on the truth.

The witnesses who die for righteous causes leave us with the sober truth that help and vindication does not always come in this world. Sometimes witnesses are vindicated by following generations. However, more often the deeds of the witnesses die with them. Multitudes have stood for righteousness whose stories have never been observed by anyone other than their tormentors. Where is their vindication?

Jesus teaches that not a sparrow falls from a tree that the Father does not see. (Matthew 10:29) Will God not see the righteous fall? In our text Jesus speaks only for those who are persecuted for righteousness. (This must be contrasted with the martyrs of false causes.) He assures his followers that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such. In other words, when we represent God’s heart we are assured that God, who has the last word, will grant a glorious reward. It is core to the Christian’s faith to believe this:

“If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31b-39

***

Note: Every person should read the biographies of godly people. Admittedly some of them may be glorified images but they provide a rich mining ground for those wishing to live better. The ones which show both flaw and virtue, as does the Bible, are even more inspiring. These are the biographies that bring us even closer to identifying with those ordinary people who found the grace to be God’s witnesses. Who knows when the moment will come for any of us to draw a line for righteousness? That is when we will need the strength of God and his witnesses.
***
An Important Supporting Passage
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:26b-32


February 15

Dance the Blues Away

Do the right thing! When you get hit for it, rejoice! Rejoice literally! Instead of surrendering to gravity give in to the festive dance of the angels.


Matthew 5 (NIV)
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The bottom line regarding persecution for righteousness sake is that God rewards such people with the Kingdom of Heaven. That is about as great a reward as one can be promised. Even though we do not know fully what it means This is the greatest superlative Jesus could have used.
In Jesus’ words images spring forth not of cabbages but of kings; not of tarnished trophies but of golden architecture; not of honorary dinners but of continual feasts and not of weekend resorts but of residency in the land of the overflowing cornucopia.
In this passage Jesus makes clear that reward does not just go to those who pay the ultimate price. God notices it when we are insulted, spoken ill of and maltreated. He classifies the persecuted and insulted with the prophets of Israel who were vindicated and granted favor in His Kingdom. He is encouraging an attitude in Matthew 5:11-12. What attitude is it?
Jesus says, “Rejoice!” Pictorially speaking it means, jump up into the air, twirl around and come down to spin about in boisterous dance. When we have obeyed what we know to be representative of the heart of God and we are succumbing to mind numbing depression we would do well to take Jesus literally. There is nothing so cathartic as have a dancing- shout fest in the privacy of your own home to drive off the darkness.
Do the right thing! When you get hit for it, rejoice! Rejoice literally! Instead of surrendering to gravity, give in to the festive dance of the angels. Who knows? You might learn a new step today.

February 16

True to Origin

Jesus says his disciples need to remember their purpose. They are to be separate, distinct, true to their original form, and useful for bringing savor, healing, preservation and keeping the world turning as in the fair market places of humankind.


Matthew (NIV)
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
I highly suspect Jesus was using the salt of the earth analogy with a double meaning. Salt savors, Salt preserves and inasmuch as salt is antiseptic it heals. Salt was even used for money. We get the word salary from the Latin word sale. In fact, the Romans had a saying that “there is nothing more useful than sun and salt.” (Nil utilius sole et sale.)
The double meaning here was involved in declaring salt’s saltiness was involved in its nature and the monetary usefulness of it. Actually, salt does not lose its saltiness in the chemical sense. It loses its saltiness as savor. Salt may be contaminated. It may absorb odors of what ever it is adjacent to. It may even get dirty. But the saltiness remains even if it is tossed out on the road to kill weeds and keep the path clear. It then becomes cheap and of little use for exchange.
Jesus says his disciples need to remember their purpose. They are to be separate, distinct, true to their original form, and useful for bringing savor, healing, preservation and keeping the world turning as in the fair market places of humankind.
This is a powerful symbol of the Christians place in the world: always present, foundational, secretly effective, bringing good to the human exchange and present without fanfare. I don’t know about you but I like being salty. You can make a difference in the circles in which you move that points back to the block from which you were chiseled.


February 17
Ushers of God

He is the light of you. You are the reflector. So, the word is, uncover the lamp, stand boldly out in the public place and be what you are unapologetically.


Matthew 5 (NIV)
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
I like this analogy. With a clear sweep it seems to eclipse “gut- wrenching, introspective, white -knuckled Christianity.” Jesus says simply ‘you are.’ This is a potent beginning. You are by virtue of having Christ’s nature in you. He is the light of you. You are the reflector. So, the word is, uncover the lamp, stand boldly out in the public place and be what you are unapologetically.
From the Message[1]
14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.


February 18

A Clear and Visible Dignity

Christ is working in you and granting you a new stature.


Colossians 2
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

This text is very definitive. Christ has the fullness of God and we have fullness in Christ. This means, among other things, that you are a very dignified person.
Christ is working in you and granting you a new stature. You can walk about today with a sense of dignity. You have so much dignity you don’t have to tell anyone. That dignity will be part of your person and those who come around you will sense a difference.
This is the persona of the Christ who is beginning to express himself in you. All you have to do is get out of the way, stop worrying about how you appear, don’t boast, or try to prove yourself. Just quietly submit to Him in all you do, soak your self in his words, be interested in others as He is interested, and trust him to be your aid and power. Gradually, something will happen. You will be enjoying the fullness of Christ.
This fullness is what you have been given and it means, as another translator has said, that “you are complete through your union with Christ.” (NLT)

February 19

If you put up the collateral for a friend there is always a friend between you and the lender. It is an occasion for temptation to irresponsibility on the part the one for whom you sign.


Proverbs 6 (NIV)

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another,
2 if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
3 then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
At some time or another someone might come to ask you to back up a loan they are taking by providing their security. They may ask you to put up your house or some valuable possession. Don’t do it unless you are willing to write off the security you put up!
Generally it is not wise to provide collateral for another and this proverb tells us to get out of such a promise very early if at all possible. The problem with the equation is simply that you are now taking responsibility for bearing a burden another should bear for themselves.
Does this mean you should never make a loan? No. It does not relate to loans. It relates to surety another needs to get a loan from someone else. If you put up the collateral for a friend there is always that friend between you and the lender. It is an occasion for temptation to be irresponsible for the one for whom you sign.
Note: My wife and I made a policy long ago. When we make loans we put no requirement, including interest, on the person to whom we loan. If they pay it back we are happy to receive it but until then we view it as a gift. We leave it to the recipient to decide how they will treat it. We tell them if they cannot pay it back to pass the consideration forward. Needless to say, we don’t make huge loans. We couldn’t anyway. At least we don’t have a reason to resent a default.

February 20

Work for the Cold is Coming

We are most fulfilled and happy when we work at something which we know has value. We can aspire to holidays and living the life of ease but work is more Godlike.


Proverbs 6 (NIV)
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
Work is a divine benefit. We are most fulfilled and happy when we work at something which we know has value. We can aspire to holidays and living the life of ease but work is more Godlike. It is when we are closest to the Creator who “rested from all the work of creating he had done.” (Genesis 2:3 NIV)
Proverbs gives us the practical benefit of work. It is not just important for our survival but it is an extension of the divine image in human kind. Work is the means by which we provide for the present and prepare for the hard times. It is also a way we participate in God’s creative life. We are most fulfilled when we are doing things that count and contribute. As simple and self evident that may be to many people it is not necessarily important to everyone. These are the ones God individually calls “sluggard.”
There is also a bit of irony in this passage. Unfortunately, we often miss the humor in the Bible. What is more humorous being told that we are to learn from an insect which we can step smash with one step? Yet, we are instructed to look at that bug and learn from it. In all of the ant’s presumed incapacity for intelligence it labors day after day to gather provisions for the hill creatures of its kin. It works to fulfill its individual destiny.
The ant colony has a very complex organization with embedded genetics to function and purpose. In the ant God has written a note in nature regarding the value of industry and community that even the most illiterate can read and understand.




February 21

Sloppy Agape[2]

The Christian needs to be discerning. The Christian needs to examine all things.


Proverbs 6 (NIV)
12 A scoundrel and villain, who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart— he always stirs up dissension.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant; he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
Of all of the villains in movies the con man occupies the place of greatest admiration and is usually depicted as likeable. Hollywood even made several movies of con-artists: Scoundrels, The Flim-Flam Man, The Sting and The Matchstick Men. In every case the scoundrel is a “sympathetic” character. We like him because he/she is likeable. They are just as Proverbs describes them.
There are people we meet every day who are villainous. We can know them for sure only after observing their behavior. Such people lie, exaggerate, flatter, boast, and divert us from the damage they are planning.
We will always be taken in by con artists when we turn off the still small voice within. The Holy Spirit is often guiding us to the truth gently. However, good people do not like the feelings that go with suspicion. They feel somehow that it is something in them that is the problem. So – they are taken in and disappointed in the end.
The Christian needs to be discerning. The Christian needs to examine all things. In the process of life the Christian should look at everyone with the intent of finding something in them of which he can approve and something that gives impetus to love. We love others but we do not do so ignorantly. We will love them by confronting them. We will love them by challenging them in integrity. We will love them by taking calculated risks and sometimes, when we are injured, we can do so with the awareness we did our best to be redemptive.

February 22

Abominable Glow Men

If we are going to avoid trouble with God we certainly want to know those essential things that move him to withdraw his cover of grace over us.


Proverbs 6 (New International Version)
16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

If we are going to avoid trouble with God we certainly want to know those essential things that move him to withdraw his cover of grace over us. They would be the things God hates or what used to be called abominations.
In this passage we find the things that are alien to God. They are arrogant eyes, lying, harming the innocent, hearts that are always scheming evil, bearing false witness and those who stir up strife by being divisive.
It is interesting that the carnal sins are not mentioned in this list. We see nothing of murder, adultery, stealing or the like. Instead we get a list of behaviors which are a part of those things or lead directly to them.
These may appear to be little things but they are precisely the things for which we correct our children that they not go down the path of self destruction or anti-social behavior. It would be shameful if we were to correct those in our charge and fail ourselves in any one of them before God. Why do I say this? Because. All of them can be found in the church and the best of families.

February 23

Truth Accomplishes its Own Ends

The truth always takes time to show its value.

Proverbs 10
2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
It still amazes many that there are people who cheat and can feel good about their “winnings” through cheating. They pretend to celebrate their abilities when in truth they are celebrating their delinquency. They have but what they have is not theirs. They possess but what they possess will pass quickly away.
The culture that runs on doing whatever it takes to get the end result is a culture of “ill begotten treasures.” Pragmatism has driven the immorality of communism. It drives a lot of people in business. It is the real world view of many ambitious people in co-corporations. It drives much of the political machinery today. It is an attitude that encourages people to take credit for what they did not earn, pretend to have done what they have not done and declare accomplishments that have no factual basis. It is a philosophy of gathering treasures that have no value because they were gained by fraud.
The truth always takes time to show its value. However, when people participate in wrong-doing they seem to get immediate and successful results. That is why the end does not justify the means even though the present culture says so. God says the end of them is “death” and we can apply that principle literally, metaphorically and eternally.
Luke12:15-21
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."
16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21 "This is how it will be with those who store up things for themselves but are not rich toward God."

February 24

Memories of Blessing

Appreciating the legacy you enjoy and those who contributed good to your life empowers you. It empowers everyone.

Proverbs 10
7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
We are so busy living we don’t think much of the creation of memories for someone else. That is as it should be. We should never live just to build memories. However, from time to time we should be aware of the fact that we are building a legacy. That could go a long way to temper the way we relate to those around us.
The Bible does a lot of remembering. In fact, you would do well to do a study to find out how many times the word “remember” is used and what the word references. You will be inspired to realize that our Father wants us to cherish certain memories and take lessons from others. You will also discover that memories of past persons contributed to the courage and vision of the living. These memories were so cherished they are carefully recorded in several long lists of genealogies.
Stop to give thanks for those who have contributed positively to your life. Even give thanks to those who are living. Appreciating the legacy you enjoy and those who contributed good to your life empowers you. It empowers everyone. That is why historical memory is necessary to every generation.

February 25
Receiving Instruction

Cut the chatter today and listen. You will gain from it.


Proverbs 10
8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Have you noticed that people who are quick to talk and quick to add their bit to conversation cut off the possibilities of learning? How many things would others share with us if we just listened more? How much would we share with others if they were not so quick to interrupt with a tale of their own? That says nothing of learning from missing the input of instruction. Cut the chatter today and listen. You will gain from it.

February 26

Walking Securely

When one has nothing to prove they are secure.


Proverbs 10
9 The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

There is nothing more disconcerting than a person of integrity. They are so secure in their skins. They are so self assured. They are so candid. When they speak the first thing some people think is that there is some angle. There is something wrong about a culture when a person of integrity is too good to be believed.
Life is filled with security threatening situations. However, there is no need to be socially or spiritually insecure when we walk in integrity. Those who do walk in integrity have no need to fear being discovered to be bogus. Neither do they have a need to fear the judgment. As people of integrity they examine themselves. They regularly confess their sins and receive forgiveness from God. They keep short accounts. They know they are fallible and have no grandiose illusions of themselves.
When one has nothing to prove they are secure.

I Corinthians 2
15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.



February 27

Lightless Chatterboxes

It takes a chattering “fool” to promote or provide cover for the malicious and devious person.


Proverbs 10
10 He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

I tend to think it is no accident that these two types of persons are linked together: the maliciously devious winking person and the chattering “fool.” It takes a “ chattering fool” to promote or provide cover for the malicious and devious person.
When we have been taken by one who is malicious we often have cause to think back and can often see where there were the warning signs. We remember things that were said but we just talked on nervously. We saw things that made us uncomfortable and ignored them. We may even have had others point out significant signs about the devious one and we chose to ignore their input without realizing we were off putting that good friend.
Christian people tend to try to make of the world what it is not. We are so anxious to see the good we ignore the evil that threatens. The New Testament is not short on warnings. We would do well to do a study of the “bewares” and the warnings of the scripture because they point us to the safe and wholesome path.
When you have a nagging sense you are “being had” pay attention to it. Discernment is as anointed and of the Holy Spirit as the working of miracles. Quit chattering with the platitudes and clichés! Listen to the Spirit and pray and walk accordingly.

February 28

The Mouth of Life

The righteous speak and create, they bring hope, they infuse others with joy and they sow the expectation of higher things.


Proverbs 10
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
The power of words and of speech is a prominent subject of the Scriptures. After all, God created the world by his word. He sustains it by his word of power. (Hebrews 1:1-2) Likewise, God gave his commands he warned about all uses of the tongue. All words have power and translate to action. When Isaiah had a vision of God he trembled and said, “Woe to me! … I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:7)
The wicked are the destroyers and use words to do so. Jesus warns against those who may kill the soul and the wicked do so with their words.
The righteous speak and create, they bring hope, they infuse others with joy and they sow the expectation of higher things.
[1] A delightful interpretation of scriptures in American vernacular. It has some very good introductions to the books of the Bible and is helpful in getting you thinking in new ways about what you are reading. Interpretations are never to be taken as final. They are highly subjective.
[2] Agape is a form of the Greek agapao or sacrificial love.

January

January 1



“Being Wise is a Choice”



We must choose our companions wisely.
A really happy life is probable when we follow the example of good people who show good fruit in their lives.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…”
Psalm 1:1





Commentary

One of the first choices we make in life as we become young adults is the type of companions we choose. This is where our happiness and prosperity is determined. We need to be sure our examples are worthy of following. We will do well to find good role models.



January 2

“Wisdom is a Choice”


A good life is possible only when we make the hard choice and leave the paths our self-centered and selfish companions follow.

Blessed is the man who does not… stand in the way (path) of sinners
Psalm 1:1




Commentary

Our associates influence the paths we pursue. If we are to find any fulfillment we must learn to say “no” to those who are going the wrong way. Theirs is the way of injury and self-destruction. In effect, we need to say no to those who live in disregard to others and who are a law unto themselves unless we truly believe we can be an influence for good.


January 3


“Wisdom is a Choice”


The good life is the heritage of those who surround themselves with positive and hopeful people.

Blessed is the man who does not …sit in the seat of mockers.
Psalms 1:1




Commentary

I find that I do not usually consciously surround myself with negative people but there are plenty of them to whom I am exposed. All too often I am negative. It is also problematic that I am exposed to negativism continually through the media of the modern world. We need to be very conscious of how much we listen to continual analysis and censure.

In the case of our text the scriptures references are those who hate the truth of God’s word and mock people of faith. While we must be realistic about the evil in our world our real focus needs to be upon the Kingdom of God among us and God’s eternal promises.


January 4


“Wisdom is a Choice”


The lavish love of God is experienced when we take earnest and active delight in God’s word through worship, reading, memorization and meditation on the Holy Scriptures.


Blessed is the man (whose) delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2



Commentary

Nature hates a vacuum. The only good course is one in which we make choices. We cannot just drift. We cannot let our minds drift. We will live a better life when we fill our thoughts with the best thoughts and become responsible not only for what we think but how we think.






January 5

“Wisdom is a Choice”


God is vigorously active for the good in the lives of those who apply themselves to living rightly according to his Word.



The Scripture
Psalm 1
The Living Translation

1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.


January 6


“Wisdom is a Choice”



There is no real wisdom where there is no awe of God. Wisdom can only flow from the mind of the Maker.


The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

Commentary
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
The Message Bible
6-10We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him.But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
10-13The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
14-16The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.




January 7

“Wisdom is a Choice”




No matter what we may think about our parent’s knowledge compared to others we could always depend upon their instructions to be for our best. The young need to heed. The mature need to give thanks for such instructions.


Scripture

8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9

January 8

“Being a fool in God’s sight is a Choice”




Power comes from knowing where the danger is. When we steal, cheat, or take what belongs to another or to their credit we always end up poorer, in trouble and an empty shell of a human being.



10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.
11 If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someone's blood, let's waylay some harmless soul;
12 let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse"-
15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
19 Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

January 9

“Being a Fool in God’s sight is a Choice”


The person with common sense is empowered by seeking the wisest and most prudent course. Only fools never desire the wiser course or to think about the consequences of wrong action.


20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
22 "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.


January 10

“Wisdom is a Choice”



Learning from our mistakes empowers us. Ignoring the lessons that are available to us from making mistakes means we are fools.


Proverbs 1:23-33
23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."



January 11


“Wisdom is a Choice




Those who aim to be wise will live a better life. They will enjoy security throughout their lives. They will never have a reason to be afraid of the consequences of the foolishness that hurts so many others who only follow their basic instincts.


Scripture
Proverbs 1:28-33
28 "Then they will call to me (wisdom) but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

January 12

“Wisdom is a Choice”


God gives us wisdom when we ask for it in faith. It cannot be earned. It cannot be achieved. We cannot beat it into our heads. It is a gift. So, simply ask for wisdom.



James 1:5-8

5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Some Thoughts

It is difficult for some of us to think that we can do something as direct as to ask God for wisdom. Yet, here is a simple command. If you have need for wisdom, ask for it in faith. The Bible promises us that God gives us wisdom when we ask for it in faith. It cannot be earned. It cannot be achieved. We cannot beat it into our heads. It is a gift. So, simply ask for wisdom.

The test of this is easy. Do it! This is so with many of the admonitions of scripture. Don’t argue with it! Do it and be amazed at the results. It is a way through your present crises of life. Likewise note how wisdom comes to you. It may come to you directly and out of your own mouth. It may in what reliable and trustworthy persons say in your presence. It may come in some information to which you are directed. When it does come it will usually come more than once and from more than one source.


January 13

“Power Over Depression”



Personal power over depression and anxiety results when we cultivate the spirit of gratitude and acknowledge God’s benevolence. He is the source of everything good and true.


Philippians 4:4-7
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Some Thoughts
Many people believe we must empty ourselves of negative thoughts. That is just half of the solution. We must also fill our minds with those things that offer hope and life.
Personal power over depression and anxiety results when we cultivate the spirit of gratitude and acknowledge God’s benevolence. After all, He is the source of everything good and true.
What is more powerful than remembering the ways God has fulfilled his promises in our lives? What is more powerful than remembering what the scripture says of his character and nature? What can undergird us more than a spirit of thanksgiving as we make our requests vocal to God?
Nature hates a vacuum. So does your psychic (soul.) Don’t just try to deny negative things. Don’t try to become a blank tablet or you will become one. Affirm the most positive and true things. All power belongs to your Creator. He has made himself known as your Father. Affirm the Spirit of that when you pray.


January 14

Experts???



It is a fact that “experts” are often foolish in their conclusions while the childlike are wiser. Common sense is acknowledging the obvious while devious souls who hunger for attention, power and honors often create delusional realities by making things more complicated than they are.


I Corinthians 1:25-29
NLT
This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

It has been said by someone with low expectations that a person who has read 25 books on a subject is considered an expert. I am sorry. This is faulty logic because being an expert is more than having some facts at your fingertips. Unfortunately, however, this is the thinking that dominates our culture.

By this logic I might be considered an expert in several fields. However, I know only enough to make me dangerous. In fact, that is what accomplishments can do. We can put too much stock in “expertise” or background or experience. Every situation requires that we prayerfully bring all we are to the situation and look at it with fear and trembling. I think this is the equation for humility.

It is a fact that “experts” are often foolish in their conclusions while the childlike are wiser. Common sense is acknowledging the obvious while devious souls who hunger for attention, power and honors often create delusional realities by making things more complicated than they are.

I personally will listen to those whose personal lives show at least they have common sense and humility. They are usually people are grounded in the essentials, have a certain caring of character, and are grounded in the principles cited by God as the wisdom from above. (James 3:17-18)



January 15

A Gift for You


Begin active prayer for God’s greatest blessing in the lives of your “enemies.” Taking time and spending energy in praying for your enemies is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. Inasmuch as you are a child of God, it is among the greatest gifts you can give God.



Matthew 5:43-46
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?”

Psalm 3 (New Living Translation)
A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.
1 O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” Interlude
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain…

Victory Over Hatred
There is no doubt David had enemies. Even Saul, the king he served at the risk of his life, was his enemy. When he, himself, became king of Israel he had enemies. So no one can say he was paranoid.
The fact is that you may have enemies. Many believers experience reactions against them for their faith, their stance or the simple fact that they are believers in Christ. However, trying to determine why we have enemies or people who do not like us is a waste of energy.
There are three things worthy of remembering when we believe we have enemies:
1. Make amends and seek to set things right with those who dislike you. If you should not allow their anger or dislike define who you are.
2. Sow into the lives of others what you would like to see you your own life.
3. When speaking of your “enemies” speak well of them or not at all. Oops! This is an old fashioned virtue.
4. Begin active prayer for God’s greatest blessing in the lives of your “enemies.” Taking time and spending energy in praying for your enemies is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. Inasmuch as you are a child of God it is among the greatest gifts you can give yourself.


…no one can ever boast in the presence of God. I Corinthians 1:29


POSTSCRIPT: IF YOU READ DAVID’S WORDS FURTHER IN THE PSALM CITED ABOVE YOU WILL NOTE WITH HUMOR, NO DOUBT, THAT HE ASKED GOD TO SLAP HIS ENEMIES IN THEIR FACES. WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF THAT?



January 16

Self Defense


Those who love and are faithful will have a good name and favor with God and man. Proverbs 3:4



Proverbs 3
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.


I don’t know how many people who read this have had critics. I imagine that you have had many of them. No doubt some of your critics have often been brutal and presumptive. That is usually the way critical people are.

If you have had critics you may have felt compelled to defend yourself. I have found that if a critic has not talked to the one they have criticized that it is probably useless to try to explain things to them. They have a closed mind. Likewise, I have discovered that if you give an explanation to those affected and it does not make a difference then you have definitely engaged more closed minds and should go no further.

What does a person do about their critics? Pray for your critics. This is the first and obvious approach. Second, avoid the temptation to muster a defense for yourself. Third, go on with your life and sow good seed.

The Bible says that those who “love and are faithful have a good name and favor with God.” (Proverbs 3:4 NLT) When we are continually defensive we only allow ourselves to succumb to the negativism of those around us. When we continue to do good, love, forgive and bless our critics we will find all the favor we need. That is far better than trying to convince the uncharitable. Besides, there is no greater favor than that of faithful friends and your Father in heaven.



January 17


True Center of Trust



When we trust the Lord and his word with all of our energy more than we do our own understanding we will find the path of great rewards.




Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The teachings of the Bible are not counter intuitive. They are counter to our wills. (counter volitional) They seem unrealistic but when you look at them they make great sense. Take for example the simple and summary statement that applies to a scriptural axiom: “You reap what you sow and what you sow is what you reap.” This is logical. It is intuitively true. Yet, we keep on sowing negativism, turmoil, hatred and vengeance with the idea we will stamp such things out. I think, if we are honest enough to admit it, that this is simply a matter of doing what we want to do.

I cannot say I never argue with scripture. I do it all the time. Likewise and I cannot say that I always trust the Lord. I usually try every method and put forth every personal effort first and then I trust Him. Maturing is learning that the first and final line of safety is to trust the Lord and his word. It is true. When we trust the Lord and his word with all of our energy more than we do our own understanding we will find the path of great rewards.


January 18


A Little Humility


Those who practice a little humility, fear God and turn their backs upon the admiration of perversity will live an energized and healthier life.



Proverbs 3
7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
It continues to surprise me that Adolf Hitler still has admirers. Likewise, there are that who admire the charlatans, serial killers, con-artists and the philanderers of public life, stage and screen. There is no form of evil that does not have its admirers. This admiration begins with a “gazing upon” with fascination. Then it takes a turn with acting out.
It is a worthy axiom that what gets our attention gets us. That is why we must turn our backs upon perversity. It is not just a matter of not following an evil path. It is a matter of not looking at it so much that it becomes set in our minds. Envision it this way. You are looking at a dark and fascinating scene. It has your attention. At the point of such realization you turn your back upon it. You refuse to look at it any longer. You know it is there because you refuse to be in denial. Yet, you know it destroys everyone who centers upon it the way a butterfly would be destroyed by flying through a campfire.
Come to think of it isn’t this one of the definitions of repentance? Repentance is changing the direction of one’s path, turning your back upon it and walking in the opposite direction.
Ephesians 5
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

A Confession
I must confess, dear friend and reader, that the darkness of this world has gotten my attention. I listen and watch too much of this world’s bad news of the perversions of the fallen nature. As a result I have come to realize lately and been convicted that I need to return to the first principles of my faith. That is, in part, why Power Lines is taking the form it is. It is a way of reminding myself and my fellow believers that there is power, hope and life for those who affirm, profess and live the principles and promises of God.

January 19


No New Way


…following the tried and true principles of godliness assures a longer life and prosperity. There are no new or better ways to be discovered by following our own inclinations. We are better off if we resist the temptation to venture from the path on our own.



Proverbs 3

1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.

I think we may recognize that some good people, some very good people, die young. That is when a passage like this begins to nudge at something inside of us like fish nibbling on our toes. Why do good people not enjoy the “many years” this passage promises?

We should recognize that in context this is a father giving instruction to his son. He has contrasted the wise person to a wanton fool. He is simply promising that relative to a fool’s life that the wise person, who has the true values and keeps them in his heart, will live a long satisfying life. He is talking about the effect of behavior and not genetics or the providential plan of God for a human life.

The truth is that all one needs for a good and satisfying life has already been laid out. We may think that this is the 21st century as if we are on the verge of some new discovery. We may even believe we are smarter than our ancestors. However, these things are not so. Such an attitude is likely to take one down a path that is destructive and ultimately unsatisfying. Living God’s way by following the maker’s manual is the best way to find the satisfaction we crave in every venture.

Simply put this father is saying that following the tried and true principles of godliness assures a longer life and prosperity. There are no new or better ways to be discovered by following our own inclinations. We are better off if we resist the temptation to venture from the path on our own.


January 20

The Great Mystery of Giving
Try It!



In God’s sight money is seed.



Proverbs 3 (NLT)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
I have been in some very poor nations on this planet including India, the Ukraine, Haiti, Romania, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. These are but a few where I observed the greatest poverty and observed the greatest generosity I have ever seen. It is a fact, revealed in recent studies that generosity is not as high among people with the greatest income. (See mint.com)
Here are some relevant things I have recently learned about Americans:
Those who have lower in comes are more charitable. For example, people earning less than $20,000 are twice as charitable as those earning more than $100,000. This is calculated on percentage of personal income. (Dollar-wise, lower income people give only 25% of all charitable giving.)

Upper income people commonly say they do not give or give more because they cannot afford it.

Religious people give more to secular causes than non-religious people do.

People with conservative values are more likely to give liberally.

All of this seems to indicate that those who hold on to their income are richer. However, we must refute that. The way out of our financial dilemmas is to be more generous. When we open up our hearts and give of our goods we move in faith. We become more like God in nature. Specifically, we become more positive, open, loving and hopeful than we would be if we were clinging to our wealth. Furthermore, we open the way for God to bless us with more so that we may have more to give. In effect, we learn how to give and live so that we may live and give. In God’s sight money is seed.

I can say these things with confidence because I have tried what the scripture teaches and found it to be true. I know many others who will testify to the same thing. There is simply no accounting for how many people have become more prosperous spiritually and materially relative to where they were when they learned to give.

We will do well to examine what the scriptures say about giving and put it in practice:

Malachi 3 (NLT)

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

Luke 6 (NLT)

38 Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

2 Corintians 9 (NLT)
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.

January 21

Loving Discipline


When we suffer shame, sadness and embarrassment and respond positively we will find God is using that moment to give us a new life. He is setting the stage for a better life.



Proverbs 3
11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. 12 For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

My father used to say on the rare but effective occasions when he spanked me, “This hurts me more than it does you.” To be honest I found that difficult to swallow when I was doing a dance while he held my collar and applied the sting of the sapling. (Switch) His demeanor was appropriate but because of the sting of correction it took some time for me to resolve the issue of how much my father loved me. That usually happened in context when he would call me aside and ask if I wanted to go with him to do something. I knew he was obviously contriving a special moment to reinforce his love.
Years later when I met other men and befriended them I heard more than one say, “I wish my father had paid enough attention to me to correct me. He was always too occupied to care what I did.”
There are times in life when each of us feels abandoned and even angry about being exposed for something we did wrong when others seem to get away with their attitudes or behavior. However, the child of God understands this is a moment of opportunity. When we suffer shame, sadness, and embarrassment and respond positively we will find God is using that moment to give us new life. He is setting the stage for a better life.




January 22

Shared Life



It is a fact that God blesses everyone whether they acknowledge it or not. However, the person who has received Christ has access to every spiritual blessing and privilege of a member of God’s family.


Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.


Most of us remember times when we have prayed and wondered if our prayers were being heard. We want to see results and we are usually tuned to what we can see in the present.

It is true that God does give us clear and present answers to prayer. In fact, there are many times when one will pray and see an immediate result. However, that is not the normal case because answers usually come with another component. Answered prayers always bring a spiritual blessing of eternal value.

When we think of life we need to remember it is not temporal. As spiritual beings we all share an eternal future. That which is spirit does not die and eternal life speaks only of the quality of that existence. Therefore, when God answers prayer he is seeking to reinforce that which will give us that qualitatively eternal life compatible with his character so we may enjoy His life.

It is a fact that God blesses everyone whether they acknowledge it or not. However, the person who has received Christ has access to every spiritual blessing and privilege of a member of God’s family. Be patient when you pray because good more will come with the answer than you ever dreamed.



January 23


Joined at Heart and Hip


…in Christ we are joined with Him in his death by faith and thus share in His life in all things. (We died with Him and Live with Him.)




Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Most of us know the term Siamese twins. However, do you know where the term came from? In the early 1800’s a seaman discovered Eng and Chang in Siam, present day Thailand. They were two whole people joined at the side. All their life they were able to maneuver and get about sharing the same life. For years they travelled as a novelty act with P.T. Barnum. In 1839 they settled down on a farm in Wilkesboro, NC, each of them married and respectively fathered several children. In 1874 Chang grew ill and died. Hours later, Eng died also sharing in death as they had in life.

Even as Eng and Chang (Bunker) were joined and shared in life and later in death so we are joined in Christ. However, in Christ we are joined with Him in his death by faith and thus share in His life in all things. (We died with Him and Live with Him) Even as Siamese twins share the same things and experiences so we in Christ share the benefits of Christ as a son of God.

We are united with Christ, joined at the heart and hip and will know the fullness of His life with the Father. This is the gospel in a nutshell. We are one with the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit who is one with Him.



January 24


Getting Rid of that Bad Feeling



God takes pleasure in you because in Christ you are without fault in His eyes.



Ephesians 1

4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.


It is difficult for us to avoid feeling condemned, guilty and inferior. Even if others are not condemning us the fact is that inside we sometimes feel condemned and inadequate. That is because we are fallen creatures. That means we are defective and not as originally intended we would be.

However, what we feel is not God’s verdict on those who put their faith in Christ. Christ has made things right and put his stamp of approval on us. (This is the meaning of the cross.) In Christ we are not condemned. Even if we cannot always tell those who condemn we are not condemned because of Christ we can tell ourselves that God takes great pleasure in us.

Do it! Because God has said it is true, say to yourself, “I confess my faults. I believe Christ died to eradicate my faults and taking all condemnation against me upon Himself. I am a child of God. Because of my faith Christ the most important person in the Universe, God Himself, finds no fault in me. Furthermore, because he finds pleasure in me I will find pleasure in myself today. Amen.”

You see, God takes pleasure in you because in Christ you are without fault in His eyes. Do you know it now?

January 25

Your Morning Shower


We are missing a lot if we do not understand that being a child of God pertains to the whole of our lives.



Ephesians 1
6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
A common saying in Americanese is, “(so and so) just doesn’t get it.” The saying is applied to just about everything.
Do you get it? Do you know your have been immersed in a sea of divine kindness, wisdom and understanding? You should get it.
You have access to immediate favor from God. Give him but a moment to love, forgive and hear your heart. Give him but a moment to hear you prayer for wisdom or understanding. Give him a moment to reinforce His favor and also meet your present need for wisdom and clarity. He will minister to that also.
We are missing a lot if we do not understand that being a child of God pertains to the whole of our lives. He cares to assist the algebra student. He can guide the scientist, the teacher, the parent, and the homemaker in meeting the challenges of the day. He is willing to give help in the most practical needs of life.
Why don’t we just step into this shower because “He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. “

January 26


Life is not in the Dumpster



…no matter how bad as things get God is working everything according to the good.



Ephesians 1
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
They tell me that every generation thinks the present one is going to the dogs. It is a fact that I learned that concept about 60 years ago. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “Things are going to the dogs,” I could at least buy a nice car with the money. I am being modest, of course. I don’t have to be a millionaire. I will settle for a new car.

In my later years I find myself thinking and saying the same things the curmudgeons did of my youth. I never thought I would get to that place because after all I am a Christian. How could I say, things are going to the dogs? I should know better. But I forgot.

This is the paradox of aging. As we grow older in body, we grow brighter and clearer in our thinking. By that, I mean we are not saddled with the illusion we are smarter because we are younger and of a new generation. That is an old lie. Do we really believe the smart people came to this planet in the year we were born?

So we spent our youth making the same old mistakes, trying things that had been tried and ended in disaster before. Then we wake in our late years and learn that “there is nothing new under the sun and that the old truths are still truth.”

There is one truth that is constantly being refuted. It is the truth that there is a God and we are not Him. It is the truth that that very creator has an investment in our world.

It takes some years of experience to see this but no matter how bad things get God is working everything according to the good. The first time you see this you wonder how you could have ever doubted. It inspires us to do things His way and …well, things go a lot better.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Ecclesiastes 1:9


January 27

Divine Guarantee


If you have received the Holy Spirit you already have the guarantee that he will fulfill your deepest longings. It is called heaven.



Ephesians 1

And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. (NLT)

Have you received the Spirit of God? I mean, have you received Him in such a way that your are increasing in faith and trust in Him? Have you ever publically declared that Jesus is Lord, meaning Lord of you life? Have you ever had a sense of His presence and acknowledged His help and His aid? If so, you have the Holy Spirit in a living way. You have made a step to affirm Him and that takes His help and indicates you are a child of God::

3Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12 NLT

All of this is to underscore the point of scripture. No matter how challenging life is for you now, or how painful your circumstances are, or how positively you are feeling, there is a sure fact. You are coming into a great inheritance. In fact, in some measure you are enjoying it right now. We will do well to see what good God is doing and thank Him for the fullness of things that is coming.


Romans 10

6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Romans 10: 6-10 (NLT)


January 28

In Tune


… when we are in tune with God he will guide our prayers and we will discover that the very thing we pray is the fulfillment of a deep desire.




Psalm 31

3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 31 (NLT)

I have never believed God actually gives us the things we ask for or the answers we want just because we speak them. I do not think this is scriptural. I do believe he will fulfill the desires of our hearts. That means he will prescribe for us what fulfill the need we are trying to express. Furthermore, when we are in tune with God he guide our prayers and we will discover that the very thing we pray is the fulfillment of a deep desire.

Consider this text:
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 (NLT)
Pray with heart-felt intensity and allow the Spirit to refine your prayers.

January 29

Name and Nature

When we are truly tuned to the mind of Christ we will pray and receive answers that will be full of personal joy.


John 16
23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. NLT
There is a teaching among Christians that we get whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name. However, it might also be said that when we get what we ask for it is in Jesus’ name. There is more than a subtle difference. Praying in Jesus’ name does not necessarily mean we can pray for things not consistent with the ultimate or circumstantial will of God and get them merely because we asked. Many people have been severely disappointed because of this misconception of Jesus’ teaching.
Jesus taught his disciples that they and all disciples can now pray to the Father directly in “his name.” That is an assurance that they will be heard because he has given them a pass to the presence of God. That pass is Himself. However, using someone’s name is more than a matter of speech.
When we use someone’s name we also are claiming identification with their character and nature. Thus, when we use Jesus’ name we will be in tune with that character and nature. We will be validating to the Father that we are approaching Him the same way His Son would. That is a large sandal to fill.
The best guarantee of approaching God in the nature and character of Christ is by sharpening our sensitivities to Him through meditation of the scriptures, prayer, worship, and engaging in service to others. James indicated that selfishness in our praying will limit the results:
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
As we grow more and more detached from our own “pleasures” (lusts) we will pray rightly.
Let us say this. When we are truly tuned to the mind of Christ we will pray and receive answers that will be full of personal joy. We will receive the most complete and satisfying of results. Don’t make Jesus’ name a monotonic mantra.



January 30

Love Moves Heaven


It should not surprise us that when we are motivated by love and pray in that spirit we get answers.


James 5
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

It is true that there are many times when we get answers exactly as we prayed for it. That is because we are so aligned with the mind and heart of God that we prayed rightly. And, we cannot deny that it is the promise of God that we will be so tuned that we can come to the place where we will increasingly get what ever we pray for.

Prayer is a humbling enterprise. Praying exposes us to our own inadequacies and unworthiness. It is when we see this and turn in Jesus name for right alignment with God that we will pray lovingly, earnestly and see results.

The more exciting answers I have even received through prayer were the ones I got when I was praying for someone with whose need I sensed a deep identification. Such answers were sometimes what the world would call fantastic and include miraculous and instantly visible results.

What does the scriptures mean when it speaks of the righteousness of the person praying? What is it but the loving character of God? All he commands and directs is out of love that we might be “rightly” tuned to Life in Him.

It should not surprise us that when we are motivated by love and pray in that spirit we get answers. Is not love the spirit of God? Or, to put it another way, God is love.


Ephesians 1

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.





January 31

Remember

We can see what humans can do. However, we must remember what God has done in order to find our footing.


Ephesians 1
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

When we feel powerless and abandoned we will do well to remember God’s power in creation and in raising Christ from the dead. In fact, we need to pray for enlightenment. After all, the demonstration of his power in raising Christ from the dead was for we who believe.
We actually respond to the present more than we do to the past because we are geared for survival in a nature of “tooth and claw” and in the cultural world of “couth and flaw.” It is natural that we do this because in such a fallen world we are vulnerable and without vigilance to the natural and the spiritual dimensions of life we can easily become victims
It is easy to forget in this world of power dynamics that no matter what the power human kind demonstrates that it is God is the one who has the power. We can see what humans can do. However, we must remember what God has done in order to find our footing. God’s power may not be visibly clear to us but He is the power that created life and raised Jesus from the dead.