My son (and daughter), keep to your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching ... For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. Proverbs 6:20, 23
Have you ever experienced complete darkness? Have you been in a place where you could hold your hand in front of face and not see it?
As a teenager our family visited the Lewis and Clarke Caverns in Montana. Our tour guide was a young, funny guy who explained the detail and wonders of that underground world. In one large room he warned us that he was going to turn off the lights, but that we needed to know something before he did it. He explained that the cave was infested with rats that liked to chew on the tips of shoestrings, and bats that got caught in the longer hair of women. He was obviously joking - or was he?
I've only been in darkness equal to that black hole on two other occasions. The lights went out and the numbing and deafening darkness enveloped us. Just then something brushed against my foot. I gave out a swift and certain kick in the direction of the intruder.
I'm not sure if my brother ever forgave me. He stumbled in the darkness and the guide quickly put on the lights. My reward for warding off the "intruder" was a stone-hard punch to the arm.
The scriptures uses the metaphore of light to describe God's Word. Light illuminates our path and shows us the stumbling blocks (or pebbles) that are in our way. A light exposes what is thought to be hidden in the darkness. The light reveals truth.
The book of Proverbs takes the reader down a light-enabled path, seeing not only evil in others, but also the darkness that lurks in the deepest part of our souls. I wouldn't be surprised if it also scatters a number of rats and bats that are out there, just waiting for the next unsuspecting victim.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Day 5: Curiosity Killed the Cat
Keep to a path far from her (adulteress), do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel. (Proverbs 5:8-9)
We’ve got some great word-pictures in the English language, and for those of us who are not cat lovers, curiosity killed the cat is one of them. I think of it every time the neighbour’s cat comes and drinks from our dog’s water dish, just outside our back door window. She constantly dangles at the brink of danger and even flaunts her audacity with a flick of her tail. She goes from yard to yard and checks out all of the other pet’s dishes in our complex, but one day she’s going to get a surprise. You see the new neighbours down the road have a big, mangy, mutt and it’s not afraid of cats.
Proverbs chapter five speaks of one specific sin, but the principle applies to all others. What is common is our bent towards pushing the limit and seeing how close we can get to something without getting burnt. This chapter is clear; stay away from it!
I’ve been reading Drops from a Leaking Tap by George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilisation, a mission group with over 3,000 members around the world. He shares an honest struggle of how he as a leader has dealt with pornography and sexual sin, with what he calls a “grace awakened” approach to avoiding the traps set along his way. The first word of advice he gives about temptation is “don’t go looking for it, because if you do, it will find you.”
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to guide us in all truth, and to guide our feet, eyes, and ears. Submitting to the Spirit will make us sensitive to the places we shouldn’t meander, and those things which lead to destruction. My prayer today (and every day) is that He keep me to a path that is aligned with God’s will for my life.
We’ve got some great word-pictures in the English language, and for those of us who are not cat lovers, curiosity killed the cat is one of them. I think of it every time the neighbour’s cat comes and drinks from our dog’s water dish, just outside our back door window. She constantly dangles at the brink of danger and even flaunts her audacity with a flick of her tail. She goes from yard to yard and checks out all of the other pet’s dishes in our complex, but one day she’s going to get a surprise. You see the new neighbours down the road have a big, mangy, mutt and it’s not afraid of cats.
Proverbs chapter five speaks of one specific sin, but the principle applies to all others. What is common is our bent towards pushing the limit and seeing how close we can get to something without getting burnt. This chapter is clear; stay away from it!
I’ve been reading Drops from a Leaking Tap by George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilisation, a mission group with over 3,000 members around the world. He shares an honest struggle of how he as a leader has dealt with pornography and sexual sin, with what he calls a “grace awakened” approach to avoiding the traps set along his way. The first word of advice he gives about temptation is “don’t go looking for it, because if you do, it will find you.”
One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to guide us in all truth, and to guide our feet, eyes, and ears. Submitting to the Spirit will make us sensitive to the places we shouldn’t meander, and those things which lead to destruction. My prayer today (and every day) is that He keep me to a path that is aligned with God’s will for my life.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Day 4: Heart Health
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Have you ever spent time in a doctor’s office reading the pamphlets or posters on the wall? There are 3 pointers that are basic to a healthy heart: Get plenty of rest, eat properly, and exercise daily. Is it any surprise that a healthy spiritual heart requires the same three elements?
Get Plenty of Rest: The title of Mark Buchanan’s book, The Rest of God, is a play on words. As we learn to rest (or trust) in God, we learn that there is so much more to learn about God. Rest is more than taking an afternoon snooze or watching a movie, but it is the purposeful exercise to be quiet before God, allowing him to speak to us, observing His work in our lives and the world around us. Some call this Sabbath, but it’s just plain smart practice for our spiritual health.
Eat the Right Foods: There was an old saying when computers first came out: GIGO, or garbage in, garbage out. Simply stated, what you put into the CPU it spits out. It’s not a mystery that people who spend time reading God’s Word and study it with others (small group or at church) grow in their walk with the Lord. Far too many people try to live on spiritual junk food and wonder why they have no power or energy when it comes to the challenges of life.
Exercise Daily: Spiritual exercise means serving others and putting into practice that which we’ve learned. We can eat the right food, but if there is too much of it, we become blimps. There’s a need to put what we learn into practice in our daily lives, affecting how we treat others around us.
What are the benefits of having a healthy heart? Verses 24-27 gives us three hints, as the passages speak of our words, our eyes, and our feet. The consequences of a health heart affect the temptations of life. I need to take some time to contemplate my spiritual heart health and to pray the words of Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Have you ever spent time in a doctor’s office reading the pamphlets or posters on the wall? There are 3 pointers that are basic to a healthy heart: Get plenty of rest, eat properly, and exercise daily. Is it any surprise that a healthy spiritual heart requires the same three elements?
Get Plenty of Rest: The title of Mark Buchanan’s book, The Rest of God, is a play on words. As we learn to rest (or trust) in God, we learn that there is so much more to learn about God. Rest is more than taking an afternoon snooze or watching a movie, but it is the purposeful exercise to be quiet before God, allowing him to speak to us, observing His work in our lives and the world around us. Some call this Sabbath, but it’s just plain smart practice for our spiritual health.
Eat the Right Foods: There was an old saying when computers first came out: GIGO, or garbage in, garbage out. Simply stated, what you put into the CPU it spits out. It’s not a mystery that people who spend time reading God’s Word and study it with others (small group or at church) grow in their walk with the Lord. Far too many people try to live on spiritual junk food and wonder why they have no power or energy when it comes to the challenges of life.
Exercise Daily: Spiritual exercise means serving others and putting into practice that which we’ve learned. We can eat the right food, but if there is too much of it, we become blimps. There’s a need to put what we learn into practice in our daily lives, affecting how we treat others around us.
What are the benefits of having a healthy heart? Verses 24-27 gives us three hints, as the passages speak of our words, our eyes, and our feet. The consequences of a health heart affect the temptations of life. I need to take some time to contemplate my spiritual heart health and to pray the words of Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Day 3: Sins of Omission
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
James 4:14
I've heard it said that there are sins of commission and omission; there is willful disobedience and passive indifference. Both are called sin.
As followers of Jesus we are taught that we ought to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are even told to go the extra mile and show love and kindness to those we would call our enemies. Our selfless actions are a result of our deep faith in the fact that God is a rewarder of those who follow his commands.
The direct co-relation of the book of Proverbs and the book of James is that faith that is not put into practice is not faith at all. Reading the two books together is a practical guide to the question posed by Francis Schaeffer: How then shall we live?
What I need to remember is that sin is not always the blatant heading for the doors of trouble (as we see later in the book of Proverbs), but it is also avoiding the opportunity set before us to show the love of God in a situation.
Note: For a devotional and comments based on Proverbs 3:5,6 see:
http://lukefiveten.blogspot.com/2009/10/line.html
DKB
Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
James 4:14
I've heard it said that there are sins of commission and omission; there is willful disobedience and passive indifference. Both are called sin.
As followers of Jesus we are taught that we ought to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are even told to go the extra mile and show love and kindness to those we would call our enemies. Our selfless actions are a result of our deep faith in the fact that God is a rewarder of those who follow his commands.
The direct co-relation of the book of Proverbs and the book of James is that faith that is not put into practice is not faith at all. Reading the two books together is a practical guide to the question posed by Francis Schaeffer: How then shall we live?
What I need to remember is that sin is not always the blatant heading for the doors of trouble (as we see later in the book of Proverbs), but it is also avoiding the opportunity set before us to show the love of God in a situation.
Note: For a devotional and comments based on Proverbs 3:5,6 see:
http://lukefiveten.blogspot.com/2009/10/line.html
DKB
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Day 2: A Famished Soul
And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will undersatnd the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs. 2:4,5
"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!" Has one of your kids ever said that in desperation as they waited for something to magically appear on the supper table? Have you ever said it?
Perhaps the exaggeration that I see in my children helps me to understand the secret to gaining wisdom. The phrase "the fear of the LORD" is one of the keys to understanding the whole of the book, as the phrase or a version of it is repeated 21 times. Understand this concept and you gain a better chance of obtaining the wisdom promised.
Chapter 2 starts off by listing eight characteristics which describes a person who understands "the fear of the LORD." They are:
- Accept God's words.
- Store up God's commands within you.
- Turn your ear to wisdom.
- Apply your heart to understanding.
- Call out for insight.
- Cry aloud for understanding.
- Look for it as silver.
- Search for it as hidden treasure.
Each of the characteristics describe a person who is hungry for God; someone so desperate that they will do what it takes to obtain the promise. David expressed this heart attitude in the Psalms:
As the deer pants for the waters, so my soul longs for you. (Psm. 42:1)
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (Psm. 63:1)
This is not different from the words of Jesus, when he said:
Seek first the kingdom of God, and all of these things (the cares and concerns of everyday life) will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:10)
The author of the Hebrews agrees with the principle that Solomon is teaching:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, but anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
This all leaves me with one question for today: am I hungry for God? If I am, I'm in good stead to learn what it means to fear God and gain a heart of understanding and wisdom.
"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!" Has one of your kids ever said that in desperation as they waited for something to magically appear on the supper table? Have you ever said it?
Perhaps the exaggeration that I see in my children helps me to understand the secret to gaining wisdom. The phrase "the fear of the LORD" is one of the keys to understanding the whole of the book, as the phrase or a version of it is repeated 21 times. Understand this concept and you gain a better chance of obtaining the wisdom promised.
Chapter 2 starts off by listing eight characteristics which describes a person who understands "the fear of the LORD." They are:
- Accept God's words.
- Store up God's commands within you.
- Turn your ear to wisdom.
- Apply your heart to understanding.
- Call out for insight.
- Cry aloud for understanding.
- Look for it as silver.
- Search for it as hidden treasure.
Each of the characteristics describe a person who is hungry for God; someone so desperate that they will do what it takes to obtain the promise. David expressed this heart attitude in the Psalms:
As the deer pants for the waters, so my soul longs for you. (Psm. 42:1)
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (Psm. 63:1)
This is not different from the words of Jesus, when he said:
Seek first the kingdom of God, and all of these things (the cares and concerns of everyday life) will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:10)
The author of the Hebrews agrees with the principle that Solomon is teaching:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, but anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
This all leaves me with one question for today: am I hungry for God? If I am, I'm in good stead to learn what it means to fear God and gain a heart of understanding and wisdom.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Day 1: The Battle For My Will
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Prov. 1:7
There is an amazing contrast that is highlighted in this, the first chapter of the Proverbs. It makes all the difference between having the ability to live in safety (v. 1:33), avoid temptation (v. 1:10), and doing what is right and just (1:3). Wisdom is accumulative (v. 1:5); a never ending pursuit of the person who truly seeks and desires to know God. Those who do not heed God's wisdom or seek Him are called "simple ones."
There are consequences for not seeking God. These are people who cannot call out His name when disaster strikes (v. 1:27). They will eat the fruit of the ways and fall into their own traps. They will be lulled to sleep by complacency; destroyed by their own schemes. In some ways the author of the Provebs says that they will get what they deserve (v. 20-32).
The call to wisdom in the beginning of this book is clear: there are consequences for our choices. It is not that God plots schemes and punishment, but the natural path of our decisions will bear fruit, either for the good or the bad. It is like the command of the Lord to the people of Israel when they were told: Be sure your sin will find you out. Deut. 32:23
Which path will I choose today? Will I seek God's wisdom and ask Him to make His thoughts known to me in my decisions and actions? Or will I love my simple ways and ignore His advice? This is a battle for my will that takes place daily; a battle for my heart and soul that determines who I will follow.
There is an amazing contrast that is highlighted in this, the first chapter of the Proverbs. It makes all the difference between having the ability to live in safety (v. 1:33), avoid temptation (v. 1:10), and doing what is right and just (1:3). Wisdom is accumulative (v. 1:5); a never ending pursuit of the person who truly seeks and desires to know God. Those who do not heed God's wisdom or seek Him are called "simple ones."
There are consequences for not seeking God. These are people who cannot call out His name when disaster strikes (v. 1:27). They will eat the fruit of the ways and fall into their own traps. They will be lulled to sleep by complacency; destroyed by their own schemes. In some ways the author of the Provebs says that they will get what they deserve (v. 20-32).
The call to wisdom in the beginning of this book is clear: there are consequences for our choices. It is not that God plots schemes and punishment, but the natural path of our decisions will bear fruit, either for the good or the bad. It is like the command of the Lord to the people of Israel when they were told: Be sure your sin will find you out. Deut. 32:23
Which path will I choose today? Will I seek God's wisdom and ask Him to make His thoughts known to me in my decisions and actions? Or will I love my simple ways and ignore His advice? This is a battle for my will that takes place daily; a battle for my heart and soul that determines who I will follow.
Take the Proverb-a-Day Challenge
The book of Proverbs offers a wonderful opportunity to look at what it means to walk daily with Christ, or to live the Spirit-filled life. We considered two verses that are invitations from God:
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven not give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
While there is not an etymological root between the Hebrew word for wisdom and the filling of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament, they both refer to the ability to live out what we believe.
The Hebrew understanding of wisdom is not quantitative head knowledge, but rather heart knowledge, or know-how, or the power for living. Wisdom is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the application of knowledge to our daily lives. In the same way, it is not enough to know about the Holy Spirit, but we need to experience His power for living as we face the challenges and tests of life.
This is summed up in Ephesians 5:15 and followed by the command in Ephesians 5;18:
Be careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
I want to extend an invitation to anyone who would follow this blog: Read a Proverb a day during the month of October and jot down your comments about that verse, or on another which spoke to you. I’ll post my comments between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and will look forward to hearing form others who are taking the challenge. I believe that we’ll see that there is an amazing correlation between the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:22-23) and the wisdom described in the Proverbs.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven not give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
While there is not an etymological root between the Hebrew word for wisdom and the filling of the Holy Spirit as described in the New Testament, they both refer to the ability to live out what we believe.
The Hebrew understanding of wisdom is not quantitative head knowledge, but rather heart knowledge, or know-how, or the power for living. Wisdom is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the application of knowledge to our daily lives. In the same way, it is not enough to know about the Holy Spirit, but we need to experience His power for living as we face the challenges and tests of life.
This is summed up in Ephesians 5:15 and followed by the command in Ephesians 5;18:
Be careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
I want to extend an invitation to anyone who would follow this blog: Read a Proverb a day during the month of October and jot down your comments about that verse, or on another which spoke to you. I’ll post my comments between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. and will look forward to hearing form others who are taking the challenge. I believe that we’ll see that there is an amazing correlation between the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:22-23) and the wisdom described in the Proverbs.
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