What Goes in Must Come Out

 Matthew 15: 10-19

10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

I read these words and I honestly have to wonder... why couldn't the disciples understand this teaching?   To me it seems so obvious.

What goes in must come out. 

Makes sense right? 

I am reading a book right now in which one of the characters is a severely obese man.  He died. His wife and children are both thin and loved this man whole-heartedly.  He loved deeply his wife said.  He hated that he was fat, but he loved eating too much. She continued talking about how much he hated his love of eating but was unsuccessful in figuring out how not to eat so much.  So what he ate... came out.. in excess fat.   In someways, I struggle with the same thing!  I do love food dearly... so this passage reminds me that I need to do better. 

But that's not where this passage stops.   Jesus is just using it to make the point.  What does in must come out. 

If what is coming out is foul... what does that say for what it going in? 

The way a person speaks and lives out their lives shows what is going into their lives, or perhaps more clearly, it shows what they are focusing on. What their heart is sending out comes out of one's mouth.  As Jesus puts it: For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 

It's a fight isn't it? To be mindful of those evil thoughts and more.  

This is my fight too!

I'll admit that I had to fight against that today. It caught me off guard how long I considered it.  I saw a coat I liked at Talize but was rather unimpressed with the price.  YES.. it was a fair amount for a good quality used coat, but it's been an expensive month and I felt like I couldn't catch a break.  I consider swapping out price tags!   Can you believe it?  Would have been easy enough...but I caught those way-ward thoughts. And I did not let them come to fruition. 

WHY?  Why did I stop myself?  1. I don't want to be a thief and 2. I had just read about planning out my day.   Would that be something I would want to plan????  NOT!!!!   It's not something I would want to be known for either. 

As I left Talize I thought about how God blessed me with letting me find this coat.  I need a good work outside with the rabbits coats as my old $5 coat from years ago.  AND if I stopped and thought about it... of course the price of coats would go up in 10 years wouldn't they?

What Does one do?

The only way you can fight what's in our hearts is by filling our hearts with something else!  That's it. Just as we can fight what we put in our mouths... so if we like to eat we food we just need to switch it out for lower calorie food and eat more slowly.  :) 

If we want to change what fills our heart we need to provide some competition so to speak.  We are naturally filled with sin and working (as believers) to be filled more with the things of God allows those things to come out of our hearts instead. 

How does one invite more impact from God?  Daily devotions, attending a faithful church where God's word is preached, reading books of faith, having friends who love God, and taking the time to see God in the things of life.   

What do you pull out of this passage? 

To Have Dominion

 Today's passage is from Genesis 1:28-31 and reads as follows from the ESV

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God blessed Adam and Eve when he first created them.  For some reason I read those words and I wonder.... did they recognize the importance... or perhaps the wonder of being blessed by God?   

I know that my life is fairly good.  God has richly blessed me in many ways. And you know what?   I often fail to recognize it.  I just take my life for granted in WAY too many ways.   I don't stop to seriously consider what if my fellow died?  What if something horrible happened to my lad?  What if our house burned down?   I just blithely go along not seeing God's richest blessings upon my life.   I need to stop doing that. 

But what else does God say in this passage?

The first people are to be fruitful and multiply.  There's a huge world to populate!  Within that command there is also the addendums of "subdue it, have dominion over it". 

He is also very clear.   All plants... tree, green plants, any plant with seed...it's ours to eat.  All the animals could eat them too! 

So why then do we eat meat?   This is not a vegetarian/vegan/meat-eaters debate.  It's a solid question of why?  The short answer is sin.  Sin changed everything, more profoundly I think that we can even imagine.  Plants don't do enough anymore for us, and for many many animals that walk upon the earth.. plants simply aren't enough.  Look at the obligate carnivores like cats!  I wonder sometimes what cats were like before the fall of mankind.  Because I can't imagine my Lizzy being a plant-eater.... Benji maybe cause he literally eats whatever I put in front of him.  :)   But Lizzy is a bit more discerning.... she likes meat!  And her body (as is Benji's) is designed to eat meat.  So it just shows how sin affects on the cellular level doesn't it? 

All that is as it is.  My mind just can't conceive of a pre-sin world and what it would have looked like.  I do know that one day God says, the lion will lie down with the lamb, in peace.  Rather cool eh?

In the meantime... we're to fill the earth and subdue it.   We are to have dominion over it.  Dominion is like to rule you know?  Which means you are higher in authority, in a position to subdue. 

There are lots of ways to subdue you know?

You can beat something into submission or one manipulate and coerce into obedience/submission.  A person can show the benefits in a relationship to make a mutually beneficial status.

For instance lately on my facebook video feed these videos of people working with horses pop up.  People who take the time to listen to their horse (some of them rather scary dangerous) and by doing so, they are able to transform that horse into a gentled animal.  A horse that has been subdued without force.  Its very amazing to see the change in that animals' demeanor.   It doesn't change the fact that the horse is owned by a person, or at the very least under the control (or dominion) of someone. But the relationship is not one of fear, but of cooperation. 

Is that how we are to have dominion?   Do we take a forceful determined approach?  This is what I want and I'll get it however I want?  Or does one take the time to seriously look at the world around us and say, okay, to get to point A, I'll need to do a number of things to get to where I want.  It might take longer, but will be better in the long run for not only the earth but the people using it?  

I think too often we'd rather cut a path straight through a mountain instead of working with the landscape around us, instead of trying to accommodate the animals who share our space.   

Or I think about me and my bunnies.  Did you know there are as many different ways to raise rabbits as there are people raising them?  There are commonalities of course, but in the end, each person makes their rabbit herd work for them.   Some like a colony style, others like individual habitats for each rabbit, and yet others do a combination.  Various feeding styles, watering systems, and out-buildings (or lack thereof) make for some interesting discussions on rabbit boards.   Yet we all have one purpose right?  To make our rabbits comfortable so they want to provide an end product that suits our needs.  This I think is part of the "to have dominion" that God talks about.  

These are just some of my thought processes today.  They've meandered around a bit, but I think I have a deeper understanding of this passage now eh? 

How about you?  What strikes you in this passage?   How do you see the directive to "“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion"?

Numbering our Days

Psalm 90:9-12

 For all our days pass away under your wrath;

    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.

What does it mean to number our days?

I've been pondering this verse over the course of the day.  The devotional I read with this basically said we need to be thoughtful about our days, reminiscing over the day spent and thinking through how you can make improvements.  Through doing that, you gain wisdom.  I can see the value in this viewpoint.  Learning from your mistakes is an excellent way to gain wisdom. 

But I think about the whole wisdom aspect from the book of Proverbs, about how wisdom is gained through a relationship with God and understanding his word.  

So then I'm thinking about how our lives are like a sigh.  A bit of a breath and then we are gone, and God himself wants us to make the most of them.

So shouldn't numbering our days mean more than just being reflective and trying to change based on our history?   Shouldn't numbering our days mean we should be intentional about what we do?  What we learn?  How we act?  Looking forward to a longer-term picture? Being intentional about spending actual time with God? 

It's so easy to just let things slide you know?  To forget to pray before a meal, to promise to pray for a friend and then forgetting, and to watch TV, or youtube, or whatever and not follow up with family and friends.  To think that volunteering somewhere covers for all the slights that you do in life.   So just perhaps we need to be deliberate about looking at what we do with our days.  Deliberate about not wasting our moment of breath. 

I'm listening to a book right now about a young man with a goal... he wants to save his brother.  To do so he'll have to meet a number of challenges... none of them easy, so he's taking time to think about what his next move should be.  Who should he get to know who can help him in his quest?  What books and course of study does he need to take?  

So when I read these words from Psalms I can see this young man clearly in my mind.  Carefully planning out his days even though he knows there will be blips in his journey.  Can he work hard enough to overcome those blips?

What about me?  Do I look to the future?  I know my end goal is glory with Christ in heaven.  I know that.  And sometimes I am too complacent about it...and at others a bit of a doubting Thomas... but really, I know that's my goal.  So maybe I should be more deliberate about working out my faith eh?   To spend more time with God and to read so more books like Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. Perhaps I need to do something more... and that will require some thought... deliberate thought, a planning out of my days. 

Can't say I'm feeling up for the challenge today.  Tired and all that after a busy day.  But tomorrow.... that I can plan out.  Time for a verse or four in the morning.  A chance to ponder and write.   Time with my fellow and boy.   It's enough for a start eh?

Day by Day - Nehemiah 1-6

day by day by Charles Swindoll

Nehemiah 1-6

before we get into my take on these chapters I would like to take a moment to point out what Mr. Swindoll had to say.

He points out this is a section that should be required reading for all leaders.

1. Nehemiah had a passion for the project
2. He had an unswerving confidence in God.
3. He had the ability to motivate others
4. He was resilient and patient through opposition
5. He had a practical, balanced grip on reality
6. He had a willingness tow work hard and remain unselfish
7. He had the discipline to finish  the job.

Good points, good things for those in leadership, or contemplating leadership to consider.

When I read through this section of the bible I was struck by Nehemiah's humbleness before God evidenced in his prayer.

  ⁵ And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶  let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. ⁷  We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. ⁸ Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹  but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ ¹⁰  They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹ O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Nehemiah hears of the sad state of the temple in Jerusalem and his first thought is to confess the sins of the people to God.    He praises God for being who he is and then says Oh God...Forgive us your wayward people.   I read these words and I stand convicted.   how Often I KNOW that I am in the wrong and I don't want to admit it.   And yet this passage calls me to so much more.   It calls me all the more to trust in God.   To acknowledge him in all my ways.

Having talked with God about the matter he went before the king and asked permission to rebuild the temple.   That permission was given.  Throughout the whole process though, Nehemiah talked with God.    He prayerfully gathered up the workers needed, he dealt with the opposition, and he set to work.   They were threatened while doing so, so they prayed to God, set a guard and got the job done.   Throughout it all Nehemiah took the time to correct bad things the people were doing.   And so Nehemiah did everything in 52 days, talking with God the whole time.

Makes me think of how little I give of my day to God, how little I fail to talk to him about everything, and how often my prayers seem so dutiful.   May my prayers and conversations with  God be heartfelt and humble, and a good way to show how much he does indeed mean to me.

How much does God mean to you?   Do you know him personally?   Does God really matter to you in your daily life?   Email if you have questions, please. :)  I'd love to help you know him better.

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 10:1-6

Windows of Wisdom by Stephen Olford, today's study is on Proverbs 10:1-6.  

 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
     but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
²  Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
     but righteousness delivers from death.
³  The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
     but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
⁴ A slack hand causes poverty,
     but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
⁵ He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
⁶ Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

 Back and forth sayings.   I like these.  :)  Shows the differences between actions and hearts and how they have an affect.

I wish I could do a chart! but I don't know how to do that in a blog so we'll make do.

Verse one.  I find it interesting that the author not only show the difference in response that a parent would have to a wise or foolish child...but parental gender is also pointed out.   Wise child - glad father, foolish son - sorrowing mother.     

Verse two: long term view on life: wickedness may bring treasures, but no lasting profit.  Righteousness on the other hand keeps one from death.

Verse three: The Lord himself helps the righteous, but thwarts the wicked.

Verse four: The diligent make their way in the world, the lazy don't.

Verse five: One who works and prepares while work is to be done is prudent, one who does not work is shameful.

Verse six: the righteous are blessed, the wicked hide their violence.

The only problem with back and forth verses is finding the continuity between them.   Though the general over-riding theme is the righteous and the wise will prosper in the long run and the wicked and foolish will not.   There is a seeming disconnect in some of these verses.  Verse four speaks to being diligent, but verse three speaks to God helping the righteous.     They are good verses to learn from and to stand by.    God cares for the righteous and the wise, God does not wish us to be wicked or foolish.

Olford's focus in this section is on diligence that being diligent is a person who is busy doing what needs doing and requires a person to discipline themselves to get things accomplished.

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 9:1-12

Today's devotional comes from Windows of Wisdom by Olford.

Proverbs 9:1-12

1  Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
² She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her young women to call
    from the highest places in the town,
⁴  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
     To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵ “Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways, and live,
     and walk in the way of insight.”

⁷ Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
⁸  Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
     reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
¹⁰  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹ For by me your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
¹²  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Wisdom ...the whole of Proverbs is about gaining wisdom and living in a way that pleases God.

I have to admit, I do have problems seeing wisdom and something that calls and beckons to folk.   Making it like a person.   It's hard imagery for me.

Though I know that being seen as a wise person beckons to me.    I just don't see wisdom as doing the beckoning...more like me seeking after it.   And most of the time thinking that I am failing in it.

So with that understanding, note that I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of wisdom preparing a place for folk to come and become wise.  :)

as the author writes:

1  Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
² She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her young women to call
    from the highest places in the town,
⁴  “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”

Regardless of the struggle the picture is placed in front of us, of wisdom wanting to be shared/learned.   That the simple are called to come and learn.

These words speak to me, they say learn to to be wise, learn a better way to live.   Learn more about how to live for God.    

⁶ Leave your simple ways, and live,
     and walk in the way of insight.”

     reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
¹⁰  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹ For by me your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
¹²  If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;

 Though I have to admit to wondering about the last line.. of being wise for yourself.    To me what's the point of being wise if you don't share that wisdom?   But then again, one can't truly gain wisdom for others can they?   If you are wise you are wise in yourself, not wise in others and your wisdom can be used for the benefit of others.  (if that makes any sense at all).  :)

I often don't feel wise.
I often feel like I'm blundering about life.
I need wisdom.  I need to fear the Lord.  I need to truly live my life. 
Is that not what the author says?     "Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” (ESV)  the new international version says it this way "Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding."   I want to truly live.

The more I know something, and the more I think on it, the wiser I will be and less blundering through life I will do.   And the place to start with all that is with the fear of the Lord.  I can only fear the Lord properly if I know who he is.

God keeps telling me... TRUST in me with ALL your heart.  Don't lean on your own understanding.   See me in EVERYTHING and I will direct the way you should go.     It's not an easy thing to be hearing all the time because all I see are my own thoughts and plans and how often I leave God out of them and I feel like an abject failure.   I see how I try to teach my boy, but I think too often I try to do so under my own strength and abilities and I am seeing more and more how I need to spend more and more time in prayer just talking with God about everything I do, and think and setting aside more time to just be with him.  (perhaps I am becoming more wise in this hmm?)

It's hard to balance it out you know.. living life and loving up on God and learning from him.   God is helping me learn to be more heavenly minded.

I do have this fear though.....what if I become so heavenly minded that I am no earthly good?   I so want to live a good practical life.  Meeting the needs of others is where my heart lies.  But I also need to meet the needs and demands of God in my life.   God is the more important of the two and I need to trust him to make it all work.   Trusting God is sometimes difficult.

Ah...brain wave... my son lately is worrying about his bedtime and I keep telling him to trust me to make sure he's in bed on time...and he's finding that difficult...hmm...and now I have more understanding into his heart.   This a good thing.   It gives me more empathy for how he is feeling which will help me to help him more.   Cool!   God is good.  

What is God doing  in your life lately?

Day by Day - Micah 6:8

Using as a base of Study, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll

 

  

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

I learned this verse back when I was in Calvinettes.    It was a girls club in my church.  I think now-a-days it's called Gems.  I couldn't link to the main page as it wouldn't open for me so this wiki page will have to do.

Putting that aside, I find that it is generally not helpful to look at verses without knowing the context so...for some context I'm now including the verses that came before:

⁶ With what shall I come before the LORD
   and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
   with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
   with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
   the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God.

Do you ever find in your life that you want to give God something to show him your gratitude for what he has done in your life?   I do.   But because this verse was hammered into me as a child I KNOW what God wants from me.  He doesn't want my stuff, he doesn't want me giving him whatever of my things... it belongs to him anyways.  What he really wants is for me to act in a just manner, he wants to me love dispensing mercy to others, and he wants my humility.    These are the types of things that God wants.

They need to be offered willingly or they aren't truly offered.    And oh man, it is so easy to forget this in the bustle of life.

It's so easy just to say.. okay God I'm going to give you half an hour in the morning and a quick prayer before we eat and that should do you.  But God wants so much more than that.  He wants himself to affect my life.   And to act in just manner, to love mercy, to walk humbly before will take my life ACTION to complete.

Oh that God may bring all this more to the forefront in my life... this is my prayer.   

So what does Chuck have to say about this?

Chuck went on about how there are lists everywhere for all sorts of things, and God has made lists as well.  Lists of things he hates, lists of things he likes and that this is one more list of things that God likes.

I don't know, that list left me wanting something more....

To extend mercy: Chuck took the time to remind us that God has let us know what he wants us from us.   All we must needs to is to exercise wisdom and DO IT.

Let us today: act in a just manner, love to do mercy and to walk humbly before him.  Shall we?    :)

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 8:32-36

Using as a base of study today Windows of Wisdom by Stephen Olford.

Proverbs 8:32-36    (ESV)

³² “And now, O sons, listen to me:
     blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³  Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it.
³⁴  Blessed is the one who listens to me,
    watching daily at my gates,
    waiting beside my doors.
³⁵ For whoever finds me finds life
    and obtains favor from the Lord,
³⁶ but he who fails to find me injures himself;
    all who hate me love death.”

The Proverbs are a bunch of wisdom sayings.  If we play attention to them, they can help us to better live lives pleasing to God.

Today the author is telling us to keep God's ways, to hear his instruction and to not neglect what we are hearing.  We need to be wise in our life.

If I look at the rest of the chapter I see that God created wisdom.  

²³ Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

and so we are wise to seek after wisdom, blessed if we do what is wise.    Part of doing that is to listen to instruction and then the heed what we hear.   If we don't we are not wise.  Being wise is a necessity in life...it brings us the favour of God, it brings us to truly living life.     

What the alternative to seeking after wisdom?  We end up injuring ourselves and loving death.   Not something I'm keen on.  :) 

But seriously, what does this mean for practical living.   I know lots of people who don't love the Lord.  And they seem to be living lives of contentment.  I know that in the end, if they fail to find God then they will suffer the second death, they will end up in a place of punishment.  Is this what the author is talking about?   I don't get that impression.    This lack of seeking after wisdom seems to have a more immediacy about it.

God set up the world in such a way that seeking after wisdom should be a part of life.  As believers we know that true wisdom comes from seeking after the things of God.    So if people don't love God or think of him as a part of life, then they are missing out on something vital in life.    So perhaps this is what the author is talking about.  If people don't pursue what should be a natural part of real living, then what's the point really?    It's like an unseen injury to themselves that only becomes truly apparent when they die.

Olford touches on this in his  meditation;

He talks about how we are blessed (happy) if we seek after wisdom and do as wisdom says.   We are happy if we seek (like children) to learn and then to do what we have learned.    And all those who don't seek after wisdom are being self-deceptive and don't truly have happiness.

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 7:1-5

Proverbs 7:1-5 says: (TNIV)

  ¹ My son, keep my words
   and store up my commands within you.
² Keep my commands and you will live;
   guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
³ Bind them on your fingers;
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
   and to insight, “You are my relative.”
⁵ They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
   from the wayward woman with her seductive words.

Do you ever think about these words "store up my commands within you".     What that means?

How other translations put it

ESV: My son, keep my words     and treasure up my commandments with you;

Amplified:  MY SON, keep my words; lay up within you my commandments [for use when needed] and treasure them.

CEV:  My son, pay close attention   and don't forget   what I tell you to do. 

ERV:  ¹ My son, remember my words. Don’t forget what I have told you.

KJV:  ¹My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee

MSG:  Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions.

NASB:  ¹ My son, keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.

Keep, pay close attention, do what you are told, remember, lay up, treasure, don't forget

These words are used in conjunction with what God tells us to do.

We need to consider them as importantly as treasure we could find anywhere.

I NEED To consider them as important as my house, my family, my critters, my time alone... I need to treasure God's words into my very own heart and life.

IF I do so...then I will be more readily kept from sin.  I will live as the apple of God's eye.

IMAGINE THAT.   Just take a moment to imagine living in such a way that you know you are the apple of God's eye.   That's what happens when we take God's word and treat it like it's the apple of OUR eye.   Of my eye.  God's word is THAT important.

God's word keeps my path straight.

God's word keeps my ideals where they need to be.

God's word will help me be the kind of mom I really want to be.

God's word will help me be the wife I really want to be.

What do you suppose God's word would help you be?

What does Olford have to say about this text?

"Obedience is love's active response to all the will of God - with joyful anticipation."

- The demands of obedience

    We need to receive God's words and we need to reflect upon them which leads us to relating God's word to our lives.

- the delights of obedience

      We will have vitality and longevity in life if we hold to God's word.

- the dynamics of obedience

   The saying to wisdom you are my sister and to understanding that you are my kin.   I honestly don't get where he was going with that... in calling wisdom your sister is calling for encouragement and understanding as a relative means you are accepting discipline.     I don't get it.   Perhaps others might.     To me these words show the importance of wisdom and understanding.  Just as I hold my family close to me in my heart, so I should hold wisdom and understanding close to my heart.

Day to Day - I Kings 2:1-4

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

I Kings 2:1-4 (NIV)is the passage for today and it reads as follows: 

¹ When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

 ² “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, ³ and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go ⁴ and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ 

wow!   it's that a great promise?   Live for God and God will help you prosper and he will keep his promises.

I can understand from this verse how the prosperity gospel came to be.   Do right, and God will help you prosper.

The thing is... it's rather hard to do right all the time.
God helping us prosper isn't a given.

But putting that aside...Here is David, he's about to die, and therefore he wants to live last instructions, or a good guide to life, to his inheriting child.

1. Be Strong
2. Act like a man
3. Observe what the Lord your God requires
4. Walk in obedience to God
5. Keep his decrees and his commands, his laws, his regulations - as written in the Law of Moses
6. Remember God's promise to me: 

 If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.

If Solomon does this, then God may prosper in all him do and wherever he goes. 

For Solomon to do this he will need to know well God's word.  He will need to stay in close communication with God.  Because THAT is how one follows the Lord God.   By knowing him well and desiring after him.   He will need to be different and stand out as one who loves God.

But we know that Solomon became influenced by the world around him.

He allowed things he shouldn't have.   He didn't stay true to what he should have.

My challenge before me is NOT to be so influenced by the world around me and the desires of my own heart, but to be more influenced by the Love that God has for me.

This is Charles Swindoll's challenge to us as well

"Start modeling the truth...the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God.   Think truth.  Confess truth.  Face Truth.  Love truth.  Pursue truth.  Walk truth.  Talk truth.  Ash, that lost one!   That's a good place to begin.   From this day forward, deliberately, consciously, and conscientiously speak the truth.  Start practicing gut-level authenticity."

 

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 6:12-19

Today as we read from Windows to Wisdom by Stephen Olford we take a look at Proverbs 6:12-19.

Proverbs 6:12-19 (ESV) 

¹²  A worthless person, a wicked man,
    goes about with crooked speech,
¹³  winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
    points with his finger,
¹⁴ with perverted heart devises evil,
    continually sowing discord;
¹⁵ therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
     in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates,
     seven that are an abomination to him:
¹⁷  haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸  a heart that devises wicked plans,
     feet that make haste to run to evil,
¹⁹  a false witness who breathes out lies,

    and one who sows discord among brothers.

 Verses 12-15 talk about what a worthless person is

- wicked

- saying things with his body: eyes, feet, hands

- his heart is perverted and he figures out ways to do bad 

- continually finds ways to help people to not trust each other

To such a person will calamity come suddenly.  This person will end up broken, beyond healing.

Verses 16-19 speak to things that the Lord hates

- haughty eyes

- a lying tongue

- hands that shed innocent blood

- heart that devises wicked plans

- feet that make haste to run to evil

- a false witness that breathes out lies

- a person who sows discord among believers

I was wondering what these sections had to do with each other until I read the sixth and seventh thing that the Lord hates.   A false witness and a discord sower.  These things are part of what make a worthless person.   Even the heart that thinks up evil plans, this too is part of a worthless person.   I see that list and I want to do all I can to make sure I'm not a worthless person.   Who wants to be worthless?   Who wants to end up being broken beyond repair?

Not something I want for my life or for my child and family.

God tells us "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths".    

If I truly believe this to be true... then I won't be a worthless person because I will have my thoughts and actions directed by him.  I won't be lying, I won't be saying wrong things with my mouth or with my body, I won't be like those who want to stir up drama, who will encourage folks to do wrong, and so forth.   My trust will be in the Lord the one who HATES such things.    If I let him direct my paths then I won't do the very things he hates (at least I'll be well on my way to that anyways). :)   

What does Olford have to say about this passage?

Olford points out that 

1. There are things that we must hate 

• first God describes what he hates (in the worthless man)
• then God defines what he hates (his list of seven) 
• vanity, falsity, cruelty, subtlety, villiany, perjury, and enmity

2. There are times that we must hate

A quote that I like "This means that when God hates, he does so with due regards to His nature as life, light and love.  .....  If you and I are to identified with the Lord of life, light and love, we also will have to hate evil and love good".

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 5

Today's Scripture reading from Windows of Wisdom by Stephen F. Olford is Proverbs 5:15-18

 ¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern,
   flowing water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your springs be scattered abroad,
   streams of water in the streets?
¹⁷ Let them be for yourself alone,
   and not for strangers with you.
¹⁸ Let your fountain be blessed,
   and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 

I have to admit to wondering why Olford doesn't take the entirety of this chapter to study as it is all about the same thing.   Don't commit adultery.  Stay true to the one that you married.

As the author says later in this Proverb

 ²⁰ Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
   and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
²¹ For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
   and he ponders all his paths.
²² The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
   and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
²³ He dies for lack of discipline,
   and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Being committed to the one that you marry is a discipline.    There are all types of distractions out there for folks in life.   People will joke about being a golf window, a computer widow, a Whatever you want it to be widow, people will spend time with people who will lead them away from their families.  It's a choice.  We can choose to stay committed to that which GOD himself has called us.   

For me... I can spend HOURS on the computer...talking with others about rabbits, guinea pigs, reading up on the lives of others, playing games and what not...hubby was complaining so I made a choice...I will sit on the couch with him and watch TV.  Do I do this every night and all night?  NO.. but I do it more often.  I will play lego with my son, I will teach him, I'll drag the family out for a walk.  It's a choice.. I can take my 'me time' later, I can do "my thing" later.   God calls me to love that which he has given me.  I can do only what I want without thinking about it, or I can make choices that serve God better and my family more, and it's interesting, the more I exercise discipline in following the calling God has placed on my life...the better I do, and the better my family does as a family.  

Anyways, what does Olford have to say?   He makes two main points

1. Divine Love Condemns lustful marriage 

• I had to read this section a few times to get what he was getting at.   A man should be the husband of one wife and should not...is commanded of God to not touch another woman in a lustful manner.

2. Divine love Commends lawful marriage

• But the contrast is that a man should desire his own wife and should want to spend time with her.  that drinking water from his own well should satisfy him.

other carnival posts can be found here: christian carnival.

Windows of Wisdom : Proverbs 4:20-27

Today's Scripture is Proverbs 4: 20-27 ESV

 ²⁰ My son, be attentive to my words;
   incline your ear to my sayings.
²¹ Let them not escape from your sight;
   keep them within your heart.
²² For they are life to those who find them,
   and healing to all their flesh.
²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance,
   for from it flow the springs of life.
²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech,
   and put devious talk far from you.
²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward,
   and your gaze be straight before you.
²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet;
   then all your ways will be sure.
²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
   turn your foot away from evil.

I find it fascinating sometimes to read the same passage in different translations.
here is the same passage in the easy to read version

 ²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. ²¹ Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. ²² These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. ²³ Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.
 ²⁴ Don’t bend the truth or say things that you know are not right. ²⁵ Keep your eyes on the path, and look straight ahead. ²⁶ Make sure you are going the right way, and nothing will make you fall. ²⁷ Don’t go to the right or to the left, and you will stay away from evil.

Isn't it interesting to see how different folks translate or paraphrase the same words?  I do find though that one needs to be alert when reading out of different translations.  Sometimes it can change the meaning of a passage and then more checking and reading is needed to discern the truth.

Enough of that though...
Listen to what this passage tells us about God's word.
1. we need to PAY ATTENTION..

• that means to listen closely 
• to keep them in sight/in mind
• to never stop thinking about them

2. be aware they are life to all who find them

• and this I know is a difficult one to understand....how can words to be life?  How can God's word make our lives more of a life?   I know for me they give definition and purpose to what I do.

3. keep your heart with all diligence.  

• Hmmm.. What does that mean?   Does that imply that we can control our hearts?   Can we control our emotions?

4. Watch what you say.

• well that one makes sense.   And there is a passage, I think in the new testament that talks about what is in our hearts comes out on our lips which links these two verses doesn't it?   What is in our heart comes out in our speech.   I just wrote a piece on my rabbit information blog about the need to be careful how we think about animal rights people as it affects how we write and communicate with them.   That would be an example of this in real life.   Guard your hearts, watch your tongue.

5. Watch where you are going

• in other words...don't walk looking backwards or to the side.  You know the adage of where you look is where you drive...guess what.. same thing goes for life.  If you want to move forward you need to look to where you want to go.   Just as in rabbit breeding one develops a picture in one's head about what they want their rabbits to look like so you breed to that end.  If you want to raise a child to be a certain way.. you train them to that end.   If you want to be a person called after God's own heart...then look to God and his word and train yourself to that end.   Walk toward what you want to be.

6. not only look to where you are going...but THINK about it.  Ponder it in your heart.

• If you think about where you are going you'll have a better picture in your brain about what you need to do to get there.

7. Don't wander off the path.

• If you set your mind on the things of God you aught not to be going off it after things that aren't of God.  
• OR.. in bunny language.. if you want to breed a polish rabbit with a nice big head with eyes that pop.. well you don't go keeping the one with squinty eyes.    
• Keep focused on the goal and don't let other things get in your way. :)

This is at least a brief look at what I think on this passage...
And in keeping with what God has laid on my heart lately.. on how I am to trust him with my whole heart.  If THAT is my end goal.. to really totally trust God.. then I need to keep my eyes on HIM.   Not on the world around me with it's worries and cares...but ON HIM.  Not letting myself get freaked out about the events of life and what not.  My goal needs to on God.

what does Olford have to say about this passage?
"for this chapter the dominating theme is that of Discipline"
"if our lives are going to please our Father, then we must accept discipline over our hearts (v. 23), our lips (v.24),our eyes (v.25) and our feet (v.26).

Day by Day - Psalm 139

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

Psalm 139. You can find the whole psalm here.

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
^.......

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

......

The lad and I talked a bit about this the other day. How God ALWAYS knows us. That God knew we would get upset even before we were born, He knew that I would like bunnies and that The lad would like angry birds and lego and telling stories. That he knew that RIGHT NOW we would be eating breakfast. God knows us full well.

When I think of this in the light of how God is impressing upon my heart that depth of what it means to trust him... I feel VERY secure. Perhaps for the first solid thinking as an adult time in my life I am starting to feel VERY secure in God's love. Knowing how bad I can be within myself. Knowing the God knows that and for some strange reason loves me none the less. It kinda blows my mind.

It's like my hubby loves me even when I'm a jerk at times.
It's like my son loves me even though I fail him at times.
God loves me MORE....but he uses my family to show that to me at times.

God is SO infinitely more. And he calls loudly...trust me, know that I have your long term best interests at heart. Even if you have hard days, even if you aren't perfect, even if you fail, even if you make me smile.... I will love you, I will watch over you, I am always, and forever THERE.

I don't have to impress God. I don't have to make myself someone different for him. God won't reach out and surprise me, telling what I've done wrong. HE KNOWS what I've done wrong, he tells when I've done it if I'm willing to listen. ALL I need to do is live for him. To do my best for him and that's ALL he wants. I think perhaps this knowledge is too simple, and yet too big for me. :) One of those conundrums that is God.

To trust him with my everything....he knows it anyways...

What does Chuck have to say about this passage?
Chuck talks about the importance of upholding Human Dignity. How in today's clime it is so easy to lose that personal touch.
And he calls us to trust him completely.