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?

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.

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).

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs 3:1-6

Today's Scripture Proverbs 3:1-6

¹My child, remember

my teachings and instructions

and obey them completely.

²They will help you live

a long and prosperous life.

³Let love and loyalty

always show like a necklace,

and write them in your mind.

⁴God and people will like you

and consider you a success.

⁵With all your heart

you must trust the LORD

and not your own judgment.

⁶Always let him lead you,

and he will clear the road

for you to follow.

When I read this verse: "Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in your mind". I smiled. I don't know why, but it just painted a picture in my head of goodness.

Jesus died for me.
He did this out of obedience to his father who is God above. God LOVED me that he sent his son to do this for me. To bring me back to him while I was still a sinner...he did this even before I was born because he knew how much I would need him. That shows the most love and loyalty I've ever known. So for me to return that... by showing love and loyalty to others is not such a hard thing to ask is it?

Particularly if I do what the rest of these verses ask me to do.

• I must remember the things God teaches me
• I am to obey the teaching and instruction
• I am to know that these teachings and instructions help me to live my life
• I should know that my life will be long and prosperous if I remember them
• I am to write these instructions on my mind.... memorize bible verses perhaps?
• With all my heart I have to trust God (the Lord)
• I must trust God and not my own judgement
• I must always let him lead me
• If I do so, he will make the road before me clear so that I can follow him.
  

These things I need to do. Remember, obey, commit, and trust. This is what God asks of me. All he did was all the above for me when I didn't deserve any of it. Why should it be such a difficult thing for me to do in return? All it takes is a bit of time and commitment and a whole lot of remembered focus.

This I can do, it's ALL I can do in response.

What did Olford have to say?
Olford focuses on these verses

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

And makes these three main points

• The decision to trust must be foremost in our lives - God asks for ALL our trust
  
• The devotion to trust must be fostered in our lives - We must live the scriptures
  
• The direction of trust must be followed in our lives - God will guide us.
  

Heart of Wisdom - Proverbs Two

I will be varying which book I use for devotional times. Today it's this one by Stephen Olford, called Windows of Wisdom: Devotional Studies in Proverbs.

Today, we look at Proverbs Two.

¹ My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
² making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
³ yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
⁴ if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷ he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
⁸ guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
⁹ Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
¹⁰ for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹ discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
¹² delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
¹³ who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴ who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵ men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

¹⁶ So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
¹⁷ who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
¹⁸ for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
¹⁹ none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

²⁰ So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Ah the promises in this Proverb. Oh it makes me long to follow God and his word more closely. I have SO far yet to go. God is gracious though and continues to teach me and show me his way.

But consider what one gets if one follows God and treasures up his word.

• will understand the fear of the LORD
• find the knowledge of God.
• will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;
• for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul
• discretion will watch over you
• understanding will guard you
• delivering you from the way of evil,

From The Lord God himself we will see that he

• stores up sound wisdom for the upright
• gives wisdom
• gives knowledge and understanding
• is a shield to those who walk in integrity
• guards the paths of justice
• watches over the way of his saints.

And just what is evil?

• it is a way of being
• men of perverted speech
• forsake the paths of uprightness
• walk in the ways of darkness,
• rejoice in doing evil
• delight in the perverseness of evil
• men whose paths are crooked
• devious in their ways

Those who follow after God will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words. In other words... Evil is sneaky, it's forbidden, it seems different than what it is. These words make me think of con-men who come to us with their plans and ideas and fool us into listening to them and giving them our resources.

AND to think... if we turn to God, he'll protect us.

Does that mean that no evil will befall us? No... but it does mean that we have someone watching out for us IF we take the time to learn from him. It is active you know... learning from God. One can just say Yes! I believe in God and then think that it will all come by osmosis. It doesn't... yes we can learn much of God by seeing the world that he gave us, but really knowing God means taking the time to KNOW him. To read his word, to listen to good teachers, to meditate on it. If we do this, The Lord God himself will surely guide us.

and so God leaves us with this promise

²⁰ So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹ For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

What does Olford say?
"the Lord gives wisdom...to possess this wisdom we must fulfill certain conditions. ... we must receive God's wisdom...We must request God's wisdom...we must research God's wisdom".





The rest in this Series
Proverbs One.

Windows of Wisdom - Proverbs One

I will be varying which book I use for devotional times. Today it's this one by Stephen Olford, called Windows of Wisdom: Devotional Studies in Proverbs.

This devotional goes through the Proverbs. It goes through one proverb each day. This may prove to be longer than I want to do, but there generally is value in looking at things as a cohesive unit as well. So I may look at entire proverb one day and then break it down the next time I look at it. My devotional time... my decisions right? :)

Anyways, using the ESV translation today from Bible Gateway, here is Proverbs One. It's a rather long passage, so I'll only put into my blog the verses that jump out at me. I don't know about you, but I tend not to read blogs that appear too long. :) And the link to Proverbs One so it can be read in it's entirety is right here. :)

¹ The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

² To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
³ to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴ to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
⁵ Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸ Hear, my son, your father's instruction,

and forsake not your mother's teaching,
⁹ for they are a graceful garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.

²⁰ Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
²¹ at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
²² “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
²³ If you turn at my reproof,
behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.

This passage calls us to want to be wise...and true wisdom comes from God. It warns us what will happen if we ignore the call to wisdom. I am hopeful that by choosing to homeschool our lad that we will help him choose the path of wisdom, to follow that call God has on his life. I am hopeful that over the course of this year that I will seek wisdom more often. Being wise... hmm... now that is a goal to seek after is it not? :)

What does Olford have to say?
he points to verse 7: ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

what does the fear of the Lord mean? It means that you are aware of how wrong you have been. That you see how holy God is. It's not a "I'm running all afeered, scared type of thing" It's a "wow God, you are so good and I'm so not there". This fear is a GOOD thing. It brings a person to a place where they can begin to learn and grow and change and become more than what they merely are.

But there are those who don't want learn and grow and change. Who merely want to be what they are. These folks the bible calls foolish. And it is indeed foolish to not want to look beyond yourself. To not see there is something more infinite out there.

The author calls us to face this fact....do you want to be wise OR... do you want to be a fool?

I'll choose the path of wisdom....won't you join me?

Proverbs 31 - high and holy calling

Day 9 of the true woman conference devotions starts off with this teaser in my mailbox.

High and Holy Calling

In Proverbs 31, we read about a woman who gives and gives and gives. How does she keep giving?

• You're never more like Jesus than when you're serving.
• What a blessing it is for a man to know that there's a wife at home who's watching and praying on his behalf, praying that as he goes out into the world, God will protect him and keep his heart pure.
• It is a high and holy calling to be a helper to your husband and to manage the affairs of your household.

This whole series of devotions has been centred around Proverbs 31:

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

I have to admit...Nancy lost me in this one. She started talking about one of the ways that we can serve our families is by praying for them. But then veers off into talking about not being idle, of becoming or being woman who are busy and not being lazy. I did not make the connection to the two.

So focusing first on the aspect of prayer. It does not say specifically in Proverbs 31 that this woman is a woman of prayer. It talks about how she is a woman who fears the Lord. How she is kind and wise and busy about her duties. I have a hard time imaging a woman who fears the Lord as this one does who doesn't take time to pray. What do we pray for? Most generally the things that are dear to us....our families, our friends, our communities, the jobs that we do and so forth. This is just a reminder to me that praying for these things is an important part of my day. I have a thing up on my bulletin board that gives me things that I can pray for concerning my son every single day. Do I use it every day? no....but if I'm ever stuck (as if) then I have something to fall back to. I had it impressed upon me early in my marriage that the most important thing I can do for my hubby is pray for him. I do that. I pray for him as a pastor, I pray for him as a man, I pray for him as a believer in the One true God. I pray for my son that he grows to know God, to be a person called after God's own heart. If he is, the rest of who he aught to be will fall into place. We have a prayer calendar in church that encourages us to pray for the families in our church...every 42 days or so every family in our church is prayed for.

Now as the how point of idleness.....isn't this something we are all prone to? wanting to just sit back and take care of me? You know .... sleep in that extra half hour, read a book, play on the computer and so forth. The sit back and read a book or sit aimlessly on the computer are my nemesis in life AND I'm slowly learning to control them better. To spend more time doing stuff for others and not just doing my own thing. To just sit back in my chair in the evening and spend time with my hubby when he's home instead of redoing my website or playing computer games. :) To go play trains with my son...or scrapbooking as I did yesterday when ALL I wanted to do was read a book or go to bed for a while. :)

It's all about making choices. Do we serve ourself, do we serve others, or do we choose to serve God in how we live our lives? Service to God takes all sorts of forms....and if we're wives and moms....what do think he's given us to do? let us serve God well by serving our families well.

Proverbs 31 - what does your home communicate?

On this day eight of the true woman makeover study, Nancy sent this email teaser:

What Does Your Home Communicate?

What is your home saying to your neighbors or the repairman who stopped in last week? Discover how an orderly home can bring glory to God.

• God gave you the responsibility to watch over your children—to know when they're coming, when they're going, and what they're doing.
• If you have lots of time to talk on the phone, you may be missing out on some of the things you should be doing with that time. When we have lots of time to talk, we tend to become gossips and busybodies.
• Through a repentant heart and a teachable, humble spirit, all of us can learn to acquire those skills and disciplines we need in order to be the women God wants us to be.

Today Nancy's focus is on the words that this woman speaks. From Proverbs 31 we read:

10An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.

12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Today the focus is on verse 27, "she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness". Nancy expands on it here. I have to admit, today....this doesn't impact me. I read it and think...okay yeah...I'm supposed to "look well" to my household. To keep an eye on what is happening, to be aware of what my son is doing, to be aware of what's going on with my hubby and such like. I read what Nancy has to say and part of me thinks....so? I do this. What of it? NOT a good attitude! :) One that I do need to have nipped. I can do a better job of it. Just right now I don't care to anything different than what I'm doing. Probably being too honest here.

So .... let's think on this some, see if I can have my attitude adjusted somewhat.....

God tells me in verse 27 here that part of being a virtuous woman...part of being a good wife, a good woman in his eyes is that I see my responsibilities for what they are. I NEED to be aware of what is going on with my family. Do they need the kitchen clean in order to feel more able to be at rest? Do they need me to monitor friendships, or even help create friendships? Does my hubby need for me to get off the computer and sit on the couch with him... "doing nothing" (I have to see that I'm not doing nothing...I"m sitting with him and just spending time with him). This is just as important as the other stuff that I do. How can I be more alert to the spiritual needs of my household...God gave me this particular household for a reason so I must be aware of what is going on with it and respond to it as I'm given insight.

so see??? I need to look beyond myself to God and what his expectations are. When I do that...when I see God more and myself less THEN (and only then) does this piece of scripture impact my life more.

Oh may that become my daily heart-meant prayer....that I see God more and myself less and therefore act as God wouldst have me act.

Proverbs 31 - Measured Words

The seventh in the series on Becoming a True Woman. Sent out by revive our hearts.

This is the teaser sent in the email:

Measured Words

You can spend days cultivating a close relationship with someone, but it can all be destroyed by a few sinful words. Learn how to carefully measure your words.*

* Isn't it sad that we're so much more careful about the words we say outside our homes than we are about the words we say inside our homes?
* So often, we just say whatever we think, especially when we're with people we know really well. We just let down our hair, and we're not so conscious about what we're saying.
* If you humble yourself every time you sin with your mouth, you'll start to sin less frequently with your mouth. Stop and edit your words before your speak. (That may just mean saying less.)

Today Nancy's focus is on the words that this woman speaks. From Proverbs 31 we read:

10An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Here is part of what Nancy has to say:

We come to verse 26 today where we’re told that this virtuous woman opens her mouth. Now, this is the first verse that says anything about this woman talking. That should tell us something. This is not a woman who talks too much. She’s not known for her talking.

There are other qualities that she’s known for—her servant’s heart, her compassion, her tenderness, her diligence—but when people think of this woman, it’s not what she talks about that’s the first thing that comes to mind. “She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.”

I love this verse. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say I love this verse. What I really mean is, I need this verse, and it’s a verse in Proverbs 31, probably more than any other, that I come back to over and over again. “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law [or the teaching] of kindness”—wisdom and kindness.

I have to admit, I appreciate how Nancy points out that we need a verse like this. A verse that reminds us of how we are to talk. To use the words that God gives us with wisdom and kindness. To not just shoot off what first comes out of our mouths. To stop and consider what we are saying, but not only the what...but the how.

It implies having some self-control. In James we are also told of the importance of controlling our tongues. See what James has to say:

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

I have to admit....controlling my tongue isn't always the easiest thing to do. :) I can wake up talking and go to bed talking. When I'm frustrated I tend to have a bit of an edge to my words (aka last night when Justin kept getting me up between 3-5) it's was like enough boy...GO TO BED! Ah... I dislike it when I get frustrated and stop thinking...should have just asked the lad if he was hungry... once he had a piece of bread he was fine. Would have saved two hours lack of sleep and frustration and words spoken that didn't need to be.

More wisdom, more kindness....less speaking. That would be better.

Then perhaps in a couple of years my boyo will "rise up and call (me) blessed".

Proverbs 31 - Working Joyfully

Wow...for having intentions to get through all the revive our hearts emails this month I haven't done so well...only on Day 6! It's been a sick month for this household.....

This what was sent to me on Day 6:

Working Joyfully

If you're a mom, it probably seems like your work is never done, but there is a way to make the work lighter. If you tackle your projects out of a sense of love, you'll experience new energy and motivation.*

• The Proverbs 31 woman has a heart of virtue and excellence; a godly strength and character that is lived out in the context of her home.
• This woman is not only a hard worker; she's cheerful about her work!
• This woman has a different attitude about work because she sees the purpose, meaning, and motivation behind that work. It's love—love for others and love for God. Her love for God makes her willing to work with her hands in providing food, clothing, and cleanup around her house.

Hmm...working joyfully.....Do I do that in all the work that I have set before me? Nancy talks a bit on this here.

And here is the Scripture to accompany it, Proverbs 31. I left the work highlighting in because this lesson continues the theme on women and our work.

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Have to admit....I am seeing things in this passage that I haven't seen before though I've read and gone through this passage many times now. :) I've heard it preached on (not often), I've read it and had it hammered at me off and on throughout my life, but taking time to just through it slowly and steadily opens my eyes to new things. Good things can be found in just pondering on piece of scripture.

Verse 13 mentions how she seeks for wool and flax, how she willingly does her work. Seeking is an active word...to me it implies an eagerness to find something. Not just a mere looking or keeping an eye out....but an active involved search. And she willingly does the tasks that she needs to accomplish.

Are we like that? Am I like that? Am I eager to do the tasks that God himself as laid out for me? Ah.....not always! But there are some things that hey...I like to get done. I like having them accomplished (aka laundry). There are other things that I'm happy enough to do though I'm not always happy to do them (aka cleaning up vomit). But somethings I have to admit... aren't always so high on list of want to's (aka the drudgery of daily cleaning). Perhaps what I need is a bit more of a mental shift....seeing more of what I do as a call from God at this particular point in my life as a thing to do cheerfully and not just as something that is a drudgery. it's not just my work...but a God given task. Puts a different perspective on things doesn't it?

I liked this part of Nancy's post:

If I want to be like Jesus, then I need to pray, “Oh Lord, give me a heart that delights to serve, that delights to work, that delights to be spent on the behalf of others. If this is Your will for my life, if these are tasks of Your appointing, then help me to do them with joy. Help me to work willingly with my hands.”

There’s a prayer at the end of Psalm 90 that I’ve made my prayer many times. Let’s offer up this prayer to the Lord: “O God, we pray that You would let Your work appear to Your servants and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish, direct, and determine the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:16–17, paraphrased).

This needs to be my prayer as well. To just pray that God helps me to have that mental shift in attitude about the tasks that he has given me. Cheerfulness (not always) but willingness and eagerness to do them.... yes!