The "we know"s of John

 

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John3-5; Psalm 37


TO CHEW ON: "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him who is true..." 1 John 5:20

As we read 1 John 5, the phrase "we know" keeps popping up. What are the things John told his readers way back in the first century, and tells us now, that "we know"?

1. "We know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments" (1 John 5:2).

[Know here and in its last appearance (in 1 John 5:20) is ginosko which means to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of, perceive, feel, understand.]

2. "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:13).

[Know here is oida from horao which means to see with the eyes, see with the mind, perceive, know, become acquainted with by experience, to see, look, take heed, be aware.]

3. "... we know that He hears us, whatever we ask..." (1 John 5:15)

4. "...we know we have the petitions we have asked of Him" (1 John 5;15).

5. "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin" (1 John 5'18).

6. "We know that we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).

7. "We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding..." (1 John 5:20a).

8. "...that we may know Him who is true and we are in Him who is true..." (1 John 5:20b).

As I read this list of certainties posed by John, I am again impressed with how the Christian life is a push-and-pull of faith and experience. Notice how our lists of knows (the know of experience) is bracketed by two knows (learning to know, getting a knowledge or perception of).

I ask myself, which of these knows can I declare with confidence? Which do I need to grow in? Most of all, am I progressively advancing in knowing Him (1 John 5:20b)? I do that by buttressing my faith through experience in all the ways John lists.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to have the confident knowledge of You that John expresses. Above all, help me to know You.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 37

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus—blessed child

The boy Jesus - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2-3; Psalm 113

TO CHEW ON: "And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him." Luke 2:40

Day eight of Jesus' life brought Joseph and Mary, with Jesus, to the temple in Jerusalem to perform the purification rites for Mary (Leviticus 12:2-8) and present Jesus, their firstborn male, to God (Exodus 13:2).

It was a day of ritual—and surprises when two elderly people came to them at separate times, prophesied over, and blessed Jesus. Mary and Joseph marveled over Simeon's predictions (Luke 2:29-31) and Anna's referring to their baby as a redeemer (Luke 2:38). No doubt Simeon's blessing addendum, about their baby's divisive destiny that would lead to a sword piercing Mary's own soul, was disturbing.

How reassuring to read, then, after all this was over and life settled down again, that Jesus "… grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him."

This verse witnesses to His humanity and his normal development as a child:

• "He grew..." Luke 2:52 tells us He "… increased in wisdom and stature…"

• "...and became strong in spirit..." 

The phrase "strong in spirit"  used in the NKJV is not included in all versions. But that very phrase is used of Jesus' relative John the Baptist (Luke 1:80). I like its inclusion. It portrays Him as a physically healthy and spirited, perhaps strong-willed child—in a good way, of course. 

• "...filled with wisdom..."  

[Sophia: broad and full of intelligence; the varied knowledge of things human and divine, acquired by acuteness and experience, extreme intelligence such as belongs to God.]

Wayne Gruden reminds us that " … he went through a learning process just as other children do—he learned how to eat, how to talk, how to read and write, and how to be obedient to his parents (see Hebrews 5:8). This ordinary learning process was part of the genuine humanity of Christ" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 533.

• "… and the grace of God was upon Him."  

[Charis—Goodwill, lovingkindness, favor; that which affords pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech.]

Perhaps this "grace" was evident in how life treated Him, how well-liked He was, how easily He learned, how easy He was to get along with. No doubt the qualities of charis (sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech) also emanated from Him.

I love to imagine what Jesus must have been like as a youngster—dark, curly hair, olive skin, lively eyes, with a quick mind and sharp intelligence, full of questions, probably surprising and delighting His parents with funny and wise observations.

Reading how Jesus' childhood turned out, I don't think it's surprising to admit we want something similar for our own children and grandchildren. Let's turn this description of His blessed growing-up years into a prayer for our own little ones.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, as You did, may the little ones in my life grow, become strong in body and spirit, be filled with wisdom and have God's grace upon them in every way. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 113

The Bible Project VIDEO: Luke ch. 1-2 (Gospel of Luke mini-series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Available wisdom

Jesus teaches about paying taxes - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 21-22; Psalm 91

TO CHEW ON: "When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. … And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching." Matthew 22:22,33

The Pharisees were determined to trip up and silence Jesus. And they had the perfect way to do it. They would out Him as an enemy of Rome by getting him to declare Himself on the contentious issue of taxes.

To add clout and witnesses they took along their disciples—probably the brightest minds in Jerusalem—and some Herodians. The Herodians were a political party that sympathized with the Herods in their policies of governing and introducing new social customs into Jewish society.

But when the troupe got to Jesus and confronted Him, He saw right through their little scheme. Those pharisaic wolves, who had circled their prey and were licking their chops in anticipation of the take-down, were disappointed, while the surrounding crowd marveled at the wisdom of Jesus' answer (Matthew 22:17-21). The same thing happened to the Sadducees who tried to trap Him later (Matthew 22:23-32). For Jesus was wise.

• Isaiah prophesied Jesus' wisdom - Isaiah 11:2; 53:11.

• He was wise from childhood - Luke 2:40.

• He astonished all who heard Him, especially His neighbours - Matthew 13:54.

• The amazing thing is that His wisdom can be ours! In Colossians 2:3, Paul describes Christ as the One: "… in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Paul goes on to encourage his readers, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him … For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him" - Colossians 2:3-9.

Let's ask to receive His wisdom for all kinds of situations. And then let's move ahead in faith, acting on the answers He gives - James 1:5-8.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I need the spirit of wisdom and revelation for everyday living as much as for special problems. I ask for Your wisdom today. Help me to trust and act on what You tell me through Your word and in prayer. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 91

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Convincing the skeptic

Jesus eats with publicans and sinners - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 11-12; Psalm 86

TO CHEW ON: " ' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon." The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" But wisdom is justified by her children.' " Matthew 11:19

Have you noticed how, when a segment of the population disagrees with government's position on an issue (like developing land or extracting oil or ore from the earth) they demand a study. When that study comes back but doesn't support their position, they ask for another? It seems there is within us an unwillingness to move from strongly held beliefs and convictions no matter what arguments or proofs we're presented with.

That's what we see in the people of Jesus' time. They were having a hard time believing God had actually showed up.

They flocked out to see John who preached repentance in his unusual get-up and abrasive way (Matthew 3:4-7). But instead of linking him with the fulfillment of the prophecy (Matthew 11:10 compare Malachi 3:1), they said, "He has a demon."

They came to Jesus and listened to His words with amazement but when they saw Him socializing with the wrong set, they discounted Him as a party boy, glutton and drunkard.

Jesus summed up the situation with a little proverb: "But wisdom is justified by her children."

The Amplified renders it:
"Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and by her children" - Matthew 11:19 AMP.

and The Message:
"Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating" - Matthew 11:19 MSG.

I take that to mean, judge the wisdom of a teacher and his / her teaching (Jesus's John's, ours) by the fruit of that life and its influence.

This is encouraging to us as we seek to win family members and friends to Jesus. They will probably be swayed from skepticism more readily by the example of lives of love and service than by any of our intellectual apologetic arguments, no matter how clever or convincing.


PRAYER: Dear God, in the end, You by Your Holy Spirit, break down barriers of unbelief in the hearts of family members and friends. Help me to live a life that will help, not hinder, them along the path to belief. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 86

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Leadership - how does yours rate?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 9-12; Psalm 73

TO CHEW ON: "Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God. Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them to do justice and righteousness." 2 Chronicles 9:8


The fashion these days is to criticize leaders, not praise them. The Queen of Sheba's idea that God had blessed Israel by letting her be ruled by a king as wise as Solomon seems foreign to us — fed as we are by scandal-driven media features, negative news items and critical editorials about our leaders.

But maybe we should stop criticizing and complaining. Because our rulers are actually there by God's permission and authority as much as Israel's were (see Romans 13:1).

It helps, of course, to change our focus and instead of looking for mistakes, look for ways our rulers are a positive force in our nation, region and town. Political parties and preferences aside, there is much to appreciate and be thankful for in our democratic leaders.

Politicians aren't our only leaders. Churches, organizations, even families have leaders. If you are a parent, you are a leader.

What kind of leaders are we? Would someone exclaim about our church, club or family how fortunate they are because they are under our leadership?

PRAYER: Dear God, Solomon prayed for divine wisdom to lead Israel. I need similar wisdom to lead in my small way in my family and every other place where I have leadership responsibilities. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 73 

MORE: Advice for leaders

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing writes a lot about leadership on his blog Michael Hyatt - Intentional Leadership. Here are links to a few recent articles about leadership:

"Why Leaders Cannot Afford to be Easily Offended"

"Four Temptations Christian Leaders Face"

"A Tale of Two Leaders: Which Are You?" <— this is excellent!

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 Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What is your heart's desire?

Solomon's Dream - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 1-4; Psalm 71

TO CHEW ON: " 'Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people ...'
God said to Solomon, 'Since this is your heart's desire ... therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given to you.' " 2 Chronicles 10-12

This story reminds me of the three wishes folk tales I loved as a kid. It also prompts me to examine myself and ask, what would I have said if I were Solomon?

In the dream God lists some common and desirable things Solomon could have asked for: material possessions, prestige, safety and security, and long life (which implies good health). Which of those things wouldn't we want?

I love the telling words that God answers Solomon with. "Since this is your heart's desire..."

How can we know what our heart's desire really is? I've heard Bible teachers describe one way to tell is note the thing(s) our thoughts flit to when there's nothing else vying for their attention.

Using this method I ask myself, what is my heart's desire? The spiritual well-being of my family? The beauty of my house? Great health and fitness? Where I'll spend my next vacation? How I can fulfill my role in God's kingdom?

What is yours?

Is it something that God would be pleased to answer? If not perhaps you and I need to work on changing so that our deepest desires do line up with God's values.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me be so in touch with You that my deepest heart desires will reflect what You value.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 71

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Unless noted otherwise, all Scriptures quoted s in this meditation are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Tap into God's mysteries

Image from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 33-36; Psalm 22

TO CHEW ON: " 'Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.' " Jeremiah 33:3

Everywhere around us there is change in the air.

• In Canada regular elections mean that we frequently have changes in leadership with changes in leadership philosophy, from left to right or right to left policies. 

• Popular science insists that the recent increase of world temperature and the severity of weather events (storms, droughts, floods) are the result of human activity. As a result we are being pressured to change our ways and lifestyles in order to slow this "man-made global warming."

• Strange diseases and strains of infection resistant to medicine are appearing and wiping out thousands.

• Radical groups are terorizing whole nations. In the last years we've seen streams of refugees emptying out of countries in the Middle East and Africa.

In the middle of this uncertainty and flux, God's words to Jeremiah here come as a welcome invitation to us. Two words in Jeremiah 33:3 stand out:

"Call to Me and I will answer you…"

["Call (qara) means to call out, to cry out, to address, shout or speak to someone. It is often a loud cry meant to get someone's attention. It can also mean to call something by its name (as God named light and darkness - Genesis 1:5) or name places, holidays or children (Genesis 29:35) - from "Word Wealth" by Dick Mills - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1006.]

God invites us to call on Him!

"… and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."

["Mighty (batsar) could also be translated "secrets," "mysteries," or "inaccessible things."] 

God is telling Jeremiah that He will give him privileged information, showing him things that, without God's revelation, would be hidden from him.

The sidebar article in my Bible that introduced me to this thought concludes:  

"Such 'revelational insight' has always been essential for a clear understanding of victorious spiritual warfare. One cannot pray effectively without insight into how to pray as well as into what things God truly longs for us to seek after in prayer" - Dick Eastman, "Divine Revelation and Spiritual Warfare" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1007.

I love these thoughts for myself and all of us during our times of change, upheaval and uncertainty.

• God invites us to call on Him.

• He promises to show us things that only He knows, to give understanding about our times so we will know how to pray and live.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the invitation to call on You. Help me to make a habit of doing this first when I encounter things I don't understand. Please give me ears to hear Your "great and mighty things" answers and the faith to live by them. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 22

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wisdom for work

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 9-12; Psalm 10


TO CHEW ON: "Cast your bread upon the waters,
For you will find it after many days." 11:1

"He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap." 11:4

"In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good." 11:6

I don't know whether you read the positive thinkers (Dale Carnegie, Robert Schuller et al). I know I have and, though some of their writings seem unrealistically optimistic, I do admit to feeling empowered, energized, and hopeful after spending some time with them.

That's also how the three verses above make me feel. They provide a refreshingly positive outlook in a book that takes a mostly gloomy view of human effort.

These three proverbs speak to three aspects of work. I'll tell you how they speak to me as a writer. Perhaps that will give you thoughts about how they relate to you and your work.

• The "Cast your bread..." verse says to me: "Make investments even though the return isn't immediately apparent; risk effort rather than withholding it out of an abundance of caution." This verse is in my stack of "writing verses." I think of it when I send away a manuscript. It is true in more ways than one. For it is often many days before I hear back the fate of something I have submitted.

• I've paraphrased the "He who observes..." verse: "Don't delay effort by making excuses that the conditions aren't exactly right." In my field of endeavor, this is easy to do. I can tell myself, this piece isn't quite ready and continue tweaking it forever. Or I can think up reasons why now is not the right time to submit (in summer editors will be on holidays, in fall -- swamped with submissions, close to Christmas -- preoccupied etc.). This verse advises me not to rationalize myself into paralysis. Rather, I should expend myself, even if conditions don't look ideal.

• "In the morning sow your seed..." says to me, "Diversify your efforts/investments for you don't know which will succeed, or if they all will. (I like the positive note "...or whether both alike will be good." He could just as easily have said, "Or whether both alike will fail.") As a writer, this verse gives me permission to diversify (work in a variety of genres), something which the common wisdom doesn't recommend but which suits my style and personality only too well.

These proverbs all advise wise stewardship of effort. It's a work ethic of which Jesus approves. Whatever your line of work, may their wisdom liberate, motivate, energize, and empower you too!

PRAYER: Dear God, please deliver me from laziness, over-cautiousness and fear, Help me to act on your promptings, and live carefree as I leave the results in Your hands. Amen.
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 10

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Soul food

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 5-8; Psalm 9

TO CHEW ON: "All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied." Ecclesiastes 6:7


Has it ever struck you how ever-near is your next bout of hunger? For the healthy person the desire to eat recurs at regular intervals separated by mere hours and is never satisfied in a final way. This is, however, a good thing, as it keeps us fueling ourselves so we stay alive.

In the Ecclesiastes passage the Preacher refers to this inability to once-and-for-all slake hunger. But he looks at it as a disadvantage. We could take his reference to our physical hunger as a stand-in for all the physical things in life that promise satisfaction. We partake, indulge, even over-indulge, hoping to quell that nagging ache. But still there is hunger — soul hunger. Our souls are not satisfied with material things.

Jesus' words stand in bold contrast. He tells us He is the water that finally quenches soul and spirit thirst. He is the bread that finally satisfies and gives spiritual life.

I ask myself, where do I find myself going to quench soul and spirit hunger? To material things? To the arts—literature, paintings and sculptures, music? To social interaction? To personal performance and productivity?

These things have their place. Some are better at providing temporary satisfaction than others. But Jesus and what He offers is the source and supply of spirit and soul food that fully and finally satisfies in a way that lasts into eternity.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me look for and find my satisfaction in You.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 9

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ecclesiastes (Wisdom theme)





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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What's the point?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 1-4; Psalm 8

TO CHEW ON: "What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?" Ecclesiastes 1:3

'What's the point" Solomon seems to be saying as he begins the little book of Ecclesiastes. This collection of only twelve chapters discusses the purpose of human endeavor. Scholars believe that Solomon wrote it at the end of his life, when he may have returned to God from the state that is described in 1 Kings 11.

Our reading today seems like the ruminations of an old man, or if not old, surely jaded:

- What's the purpose of all one's work, he asks. The next generation comes along and it's all forgotten anyway. (Ecclesiastes 1:4)

- Nature carries on in it its cycles uninterrupted (Ecclesiastes 1:5-7).

- Work is never done (Ecclesiastes 1:8a).

- Desire is never satisfied (Ecclesiastes 1:8b).

- Mankind really has no control over anything; what will be, will be (Ecclesiastes 1:9a).

- Everything supposedly new is really a rehash of something old (Ecclesiastes 1:9b-10).

- We forget the past, refusing to learn from or be changed by it (Ecclesiastes 1:11).

- Even what I (Solomon) learned in the quest for wisdom didn't satisfy (Ecclesiastes 1:17-18).

He seems, in all this, to be driving toward the conclusion that there is no point to anything.

I must admit, especially as I've grown older, that I have had some of the same thoughts. Witnessing loved ones die and seeing how quickly their memory and influence fade from this earth underlines the truth of what the preacher is implying. Does the perspective of increasing age doom one to adopt such a pessimistic outlook? Not at all.

As the writer of the Introduction to Ecclesiastes in my Bible says:

"The Preacher's constant probing of all existence for meaning shows him to be an optimist, not a pessimist, and his failure to discover any absolute, abiding value in this life ("under the sun") does not mean his quest is a failure. Instead, he finds himself compelled (by his observation that God placed order in the universe at the time of its creation, Ecclesiastes 3:1-14) to seek the value he seeks in the world to come (not "under the sun" but "above the sun" so to speak)....

The Preacher's failure to find real value in earthly things and comfortable lifestyles challenges the Christian who lives in this age of greed and materialism to concentrate on the things that are above (Colossians 3:1-2) and not to glorify greed and possessions." William C. Williams, "Introduction to Ecclesiastes," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p, 844.

Before we succumb to the Preacher's negativity, let's remind ourselves, there is a point. But it's not to be found in this world.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 8

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me not to view this life and human endeavor as ends in themselves. Help me, instead, to view all of life within the context of eternity. Amen. 

The Bible Project VIDEO: Ecclesiastes (Read Scripture series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do you have an obedient ear?

Photo from RGB Stock

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 25-27; Psalm 6

TO CHEW ON: "Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear." Proverbs 25:12


Rebuke isn't a word we use often these days. It means to reprove sharply, reprimand, check or restrain by command. Its synonym reprove (to rebuke, censure, blame) is almost as rare.

Perhaps we don't use these words because we don't do much rebuking or reproving. When the news carries stories of people getting beat up for trying to check or restrain bad behaviour, can we be blamed for keeping our mouths shut?

Yet here Solomon praises the person who learns from a rebuke. Other references to rebuke in the Bible help us understand from whom rebuke might come and how to receive and give it.

• Sometimes it comes from unexpected sources. In the Old Testament, rebuke came to Abram and Sarah from an Egyptian Pharaoh and Abimelech, the king of Gerar, when they lied about their relationship - Genesis 12:18 and Genesis 20:16.

• Rebuke is valuable when it comes from a righteous, wise person. In Psalm 141:5 the psalmist calls it "excellent oil." Our focus verse likens wise rebuke to gold jewelry.

• Parents are expected to rebuke their children and wise children will respond with corrected behaviour - Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 2:1-22.
  

• Rebuke is most helpful when it's "open" vs. hidden, as in not delivered - Proverbs 27:5.

• We demonstrate whether we are foolish or wise by how we respond to it - Proverbs 17:10.

• God, our heavenly Father, shows His care for us when He rebukes us - Hebrews 12:5.

Have you been rebuked by someone lately? Or by God Himself? How do you tend to respond to rebuke?

Instead of getting our hackles up, or objecting "Who are you to tell me I'm wrong?!" let's prove ourselves wise by valuing righteous, helpful, needed rebuke and responding to it with an obedient ear.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be open to rebuke today and to respond with an obedient ear. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 6

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Some do's and don'ts for a successful life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 22-24; Psalm 5

TO CHEW ON: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your heart to my knowledge;
For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
Let them all be fixed upon your lips,
So that your trust may be in the Lord..." Proverbs 22:17-19

Even though its wisdom is ancient, the advice in Proverbs is as relevant today as ever. The issues addressed in one chapter of today's reading (Proverbs 22) are wide-ranging—from bringing up children to having a good work ethic. Yet the theme of SUCCESS runs through them all. The writer is telling us, to have a successful life you must do some things and refrain from doing others.

DO:

• Seek to have a good reputation - Proverbs 22:1
• Understand your times and guard yourself against possible catastrophe - Proverbs 22:3.
• Live humbly and fear God - Proverbs 22:4,5.
• Train children from the earliest age - Proverbs 22:6
• Be generous and give to the poor - Proverbs 22:9
• Remove cynical contentious people as partners or associates - Proverbs 22:10.
• Love purity and speak with grace - Proverbs 22:11.
• Actively seek wisdom and knowledge - Proverbs 22:17,18.
• Trust in the Lord - Proverbs 22:19
• Work hard to be the best you can be - Proverbs 22:29.

DON'T:

• Live a wilfully sinful life - Proverbs 22:8.
• Be lazy - Proverbs 22:13.
• Ignore the foolishness that is found in your child's heart - Proverbs 22:15.
• Take advantage of the poor and downtrodden - Proverbs 22:23.
• Become intimate with angry people - Proverbs 22:24,25.
• Borrow money or underwrite someone else's loan - Proverbs 22:7, 26, 27.
• Move the borders of your property to increase the size of your plot - Proverbs 22:28

Though living by these do's and don'ts may sound like common sense, some are anti-intuitive—at least anti-intuitive to our 21st century minds. To put them into practice we need to have faith in God and that what He says through Solomon is really wise.
- Being generous makes you rich?
- Gracious speech has more impact than bullying, angry words?
- Borrowing and going into debt is bad?
- Innocent little children need correction and discipline?
Especially when God's wisdom clashes with our modern 'wisdom' we need to cling to Him as we resist going along with the crowd:

"Let them all be fixed on your lips
So that your trust may be in the Lord."

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to trust You and take seriously the wisdom in Your word, especially when it goes against what my peers think, believe, and live by. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 5

MORE: Are you foolish enough?

"When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say - What wonderfully astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted! The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God's wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God." - Oswald Chambers, from the October 26th reading of My Utmost for His Highest.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The power of words

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Proverbs 16-18; Psalm 3

TO CHEW ON: “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24 NLT*

Are you a person of many or few words?  Have your words ever you into trouble? Or perhaps your words helped get you out of trouble.

The three chapters of Proverbs in today’s reading deal with many subjects. A prominent one is the role of the tongue in everyday life. What wisdom can we learn about speech from these chapters?

• Our words reflect our thoughts and reveal who we really are.

“The wise are known for their understanding” - Proverbs 16:21.

“From a wise mind comes wise speech” - Proverbs 16:23.

“Anyone who loves to quarrel loves to sin…” - Proverbs 17:19.

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.
Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut they seem intelligent” - Proverbs 17:27,28

“Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinion” - Proverbs 18:2.

“Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” - Proverbs 18:13.

• Our words have power for good and bad.

“… pleasant words are persuasive… the words of the wise are persuasive” - Proverbs 16:21,23.

“Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze” - Proverbs 16:27.

“A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends” - Proverbs 16:28.

“Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart” - Proverbs 18:8.

“The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins” - Proverbs 18:17.

• Our speech has consequences.

“The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly” - Proverbs 16:13.

“Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who rejoice at the misfortunes of others will be punished” - Proverbs 17:5.

“The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble” - Proverbs 17:20.

“Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips” - Proverbs 18:6,7.

“Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars” - Proverbs 18:10.

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” - Proverbs 18:21.

• Rulers and those in authority have added responsibility to speak carefully.

“The king speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly” - Proverbs 16:10.

“Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool; even less are lies fitting for a ruler” - Proverbs 17:7.

• Wise speech makes life better.

“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy to the body” - Proverbs 16:24.

“Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook” - Proverbs 18:4.

“Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction” - Proverbs 18:20.

Let's watch our words today!




PRAYER: Dear Father, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” - Psalm 19:14.
 
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 3


*I used the New Living Translation [NLT] today. I like the way it simplifies ideas that are sometimes hard to get in the NKJV. The verses that appear on the website when you hover over the Bible reference reference quote the NKJV.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

When the wise speak

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 7-9; Psalm 150

TO CHEW ON: "Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things." Proverbs 8:6

One of my favourite down-time activities is to watch reality shows on the Food Network. I love the contestants' ingenuity with food and seeing the amazing creations they come up with in limited time. But there is one thing I don't enjoy—the profanities used by many contestants. The beeper is busy and still some leak through.

These brilliant cooks may be wise about food but according to the writer of today's reading, could they be lacking in other wisdom? For wisdom here identifies herself largely by what comes out of one's mouth.

What does come out of the mouth of a wise person?

Right things, excellent things, truth, words spoken with righteousness, nothing perverse or crooked, plain understandable speech, instruction, knowledge.

The Bible speaks of speech in other places too:

• A wise person "spares his words"  and is "of a calm spirit" - Proverbs 17:27.

• Jesus advises us to make simple promise which are kept - Matthew 5:37.

• Paul tells the Colossians that their speech should be "always with grace" - Colossians 4:6.

• However, James reminds us that none of us is perfect in this department - James 3:2-18.

Oops! Maybe I'd better take a closer look at myself. What is my speech like when I get upset, am under pressure, on the offensive? Always gracious and excellent? Never perverse? I know too that unwise words nurtured in my thoughts may one day spill out. Perhaps I'd better attend to my own unwise thoughts and words before I point fingers at others.

What about you?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me with my pesky tongue. Actually, help me to go one step back and root out unwise thoughts that, if allowed to grow, will produce a harvest of unwise words. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 150

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

A heritage of wisdom

Image: Microsoft

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Proverbs 4-6; Psalm 149

TO CHEW ON: "Hear my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding." - Proverbs 4:1

Two weeks from today we celebrate fathers, on a day set aside as "Father's Day."

We can think of fathers in two ways: as children of fathers and as fathers of children. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, has skillfully woven both viewpoints into our reading.

First he urges his kids to listen to his advice like he listened to his own father's words. His was a father who made a passionate case for his son's careful attention. Sample David's words as his son Solomon remembers them (New Living Translation):

“Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.....Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!....If you prize wisdom, she will make you great....She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown” (excerpts from Proverbs 4:1-9)

Following that in verses 10-13 Solomon urges his children to follow this advice themselves. He names three reasons why:

1. Their lives will be prolonged (Proverbs 4:10).

2. Their journey will be swifter and smoother (Proverbs 4:11-12).

3. This instruction will be their life (Proverbs 4:13).

"Instruction" is an interesting word and not completely pleasant.

[Instruction (muwcar) means correction, chastisement, instruction, discipline, an admonition, rebuke or warning. Muwcar comes from the word yacar - "to reform, chastise, discipline, instruct." It encompasses chastening both by words and punishments (Proverbs 1:1-3; 22:15). Muwcar includes all forms of discipline intended to lead to a transformed life. - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 809.]

Words of correction, rebuke, warning, or admonishment are harder for a child to take than words of praise, encouragement or affirmation. However, for fathers, they may be the easier, more natural words to give. Paul acknowledges this when he talks about fathers not discouraging their children:

"Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]" - Colossians 3:21 - Amplified

And so fathers (and mothers) need a balance. For if correcting words are a child's life, a loving parent would not ever want to withhold them. But neither would that parent want to discourage, frustrate, or break the child's spirit.

In this every godly father and mother can be goaded and guided by the principal of love God applies when He scolds us. It's in Proverbs too - Proverbs 3:11-12

"My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights" - Amplified.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my godly father. Though he has been gone a long time, his example still lights my life. As the wife of a father, help me to support my husband's fathering of our children. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 149
The Bible Project VIDEO: Wisdom (Wisdom series)





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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do you know?

Mountain goat kid - Photo from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 38-39; Psalm 145

TO CHEW ON: "Do you know…?" Job 39:1

In His reply to Job, God draws Job's attention to several animals that humans only observe from afar. They have little or no use to mankind and we often don't understand their mysterious ways.

The wild mountain goats go through their cycles of bearing young without any help or attention from people. They even seem heartless in the way they abandon them - Job 39:1-4.

The wild donkeys shun the city and are useless as beasts of burden that would obey and help people - Job 39:5-8.

The wild ox, though strong, is not an animal people would entrust with their precious harvest - Job 39:9-12.

The ostrich is without wisdom. She challenges the horse for speed but doesn't even have the good sense to incubate her eggs in a safe place - Job 39:13-18.

I'm sure we could all come up with similar lists of things about creation that we don't understand. Much of it may be of little use to us and even seem frivolous. For example, what's the point of high alpine meadows filled with summer flowers when there's no one there to see? Why did God create the vast expanse of stars and galaxies or the mysterious creatures of the ocean depths?

However, there is also much we do understand. Modern microscopes, telescopes, and nature cameras have revealed things to us that the people of Job's day had no idea about.  

The wonderful thing is that the more closely we look and drill down, the more (not less) awed we become at our creator God's wisdom, foresight, creativity, and design smarts. It brings us to the place of admitting that there's enough we do understand to be confident of the intelligence and intention of the One behind all the things about creation and life that we don't know.


PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at the intricacy and intelligence that's obvious in creation. Thank You for the beauty, variety, and attention to detail that You gave to created things. I worship you! Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 145

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"Ask! What shall I give you?"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 1-3; Psalm 94

TO CHEW ON: "At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, 'Ask! What shall I give you?'" 1 Kings 3:5

I love the story of Solomon's requested granted! How can one help but be drawn to a king who has the humility to admit, 'I don't know how to do this'? How many times hasn't a similar cry come from my lips, perhaps yours too?

We can learn some lessons for our lives from Solomon's encounter with God.

1. We see earlier that Solomon wasn't perfect. At the beginning of his reign he was taken up with finishing kingly business for David, a bloody business, making an expedient political alliance with Egypt by marrying an Egyptian princess, and a few verses farther on, sacrificing at heathen "high places," though the writer assures us  "Solomon loved the LORD" - 1 Kings 3:1,3). Yet still God came through to help him.

• Similarly, we don't need to wait until we're perfect to ask for God's help.

2. God brought Solomon to a point of articulating his deepest thoughts, feelings, and anxieties. Perhaps God chose to come to Solomon in a dream because of how uninhibited we are while dreaming. 

• God can also help us come to a place of understanding where, exactly, we need His help. (Although we might also ask, where don't we need His help, we just don't realize it.)

3. Solomon asked for help to do his job—ruling Israel—in a just way.

• Though none of us has this assignment, we can ask God for help with the jobs we do have—raising our kids, performing at work as bosses or underlings, serving in church, perhaps leading a committee or as a member of a board or executive where things can get contentious...

4. On waking Solomon probably felt no different than on any other morning. But he went straight to Jerusalem and to 'church,'  "stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord," sacrificed offerings and feasted with his servants. By faith he celebrated God's answer to his request (1 Kings 3:15). 

• We too can expect God to answer our deepest requests. To solidify what these are, it helps if we write them down. Then in faith we can begin thanking God for His answers even as we watch how over the weeks, months, and years they become reality. We will see the proof in the feedback others give us and the fruit of our own lives!

PRAYER: Dear God, I need Your wisdom for ____. Please work in my life to help me do the tasks and shoulder the responsibilities You have given me. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 94

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1 & 2 Kings (Read Scripture series)




 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Discovering the truth about ourselves

"David and Nathan" - Matthias Scheits

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Numbers 33-34; Psalm 51

TO CHEW ON: "Behold You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom." Psalm 51:6


David prayed this prayer after the uncanny experience of having Nathan the prophet come to him and expose his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12).

Had Nathan caught him in the act?

No. It was God who revealed David's sin to Nathan—the God who:

• spotted Noah as righteous - Genesis 7:1.

• whispered the secrets of Saul to Samuel - 1 Samuel 9:19.

• alerted Elisha to Gehazi's sin of lying to Naaman - 2 Kings 5:26.

• kept Jesus in-the-know about the thoughts and attitudes of those around Him - Matthew 22:18; Mark 2:8; Luke 6:8; 11:17.

• gave the disciples confidence to offer the gospel to the Gentiles - Acts 15:8.

But David was a Spirit-filled man, wasn't he? Why did God need to send someone else to tell him how displeasing his sin was?

Perhaps because his involvement in that sin had opened him up to deception. Whenever his sin bothered him, which it no doubt did, he silenced the pangs of conscience or the voice of God with, 'It's no big deal' or, 'I had no other option,' or any number of other excuses we too give for committing sin. Then it took someone else, someone who heard God's voice clearly, to bring him to his senses. It was only after Nathan confronted him that he confessed to his sin (2 Samuel 12: 7,13).

God wants us to be just as scrupulously honest with ourselves—to live in truth at the deepest level. He can show us the state of our hearts. I love another David psalm where he prays: "Search me O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting" - Psalm 139:23,24.

But if we insist on living in deception, God can also send someone—our own Nathan—to tell us the truth about ourselves. The question is, will we be as receptive to such an exposé as David was? However it happens may we be as quick to acknowledge our sin and repent.

PRAYER: Dear God, please alert me to self deception. I want to have a life of truth and wisdom. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 51

MORE:  Repentance

"Repentance always brings a man to this point: I have sinned. The surest sign that God is at work is when a man says that and means it. Anything less than this is a remorse for having made blunders, the reflex action of disgust at himself.

The entrance into the Kingdom is through the panging pains of repentance crashing into a man's respectable goodness; then the Holy God, who produces these agonies, begins the formation of the Son of God in the life. The new life will manifest itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness, never the other way about" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, October 7 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 

What is "the voice of the LORD" to you?

 "The erection of the Tabernacle and the Sacred vessels"

as in Exodus 40:17-19; from the 1728 Figures de la Bible*

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 35-40; Psalm 29

TO CHEW ON: "The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty." Psalm 29:4

The phrase "The voice of the LORD" repeats seven times in this psalm. In this way David draws our attention to God's (Yahweh's) presence, especially in nature where God's voice is over the waters (recalling the scene of creation), breaks and splinters cedars, divides the flames, shakes the wilderness, and causes the deer to give birth. It truly is a powerful, majestic voice.

The Bible speaks of God's voice in other settings as well. God's voice:

• Filled Adam and Eve with terror after they had sinned - Genesis 3:8.

• Gave Moses instructions for the building of the tabernacle, including who he was to enlist to make these things (Exodus 25-31). Though these Exodus passages don’t describe the sound of God’s voice, the content of His instructions is full of technical detail, precise measurement, the knowledge of how to make things, and how to make them beautiful. (with our reading today describing how all these instructions were carried out.) 

• Spoke "still" and "small" to weary Elijah - 1 Kings 19:12.

• Came to the aid of His people - Isaiah 66:6.

• Gave Ezekiel glimmerings of His glory and majesty - Ezekiel 43:2.

• Vanquished a powerful king - Daniel 4:31.

• Witnessed that Jesus was God the Son - Matthew 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17.

The "voice of God," as David uses it here, is actually a literary device called synecdoche: "A figure of speech in which a part of something indicates the whole" - Poetry Dictionary p. 312. It is similar to metonymy which uses an object associated with something to indicate the whole (e.g. we talk of "crown" when we mean "royalty.").

And so, it is not really God's voice per se that we're talking about but God Himself as we envision and experience Him in various ways.

I ask myself, if I wrote a psalm or poem using synecdoche, what part of God would I choose? His voice, or maybe His hands, or heart, or thoughts, or feet?

If I used His voice, what kind of 'voice of the Lord' poem or paragraph would I write? What about you? In other words, how do we view and how have we experienced God?

Has our view of Him been affected by how our society sees and portrays Him--distant and disinterested? Limited by the evil around us? A prudish potentate who doesn't want us to have any fun? A soft grandfatherly figure who, in the end, will welcome us all into heaven because we've done the best we could?

Or does our view of Him reflect how the Bible portrays Him? Are we open to see and know Him in new biblically based ways?

PRAYER: Dear God, I think my concept of who You are has been affected by my culture and its portrayal of You.  Help me to experience You as the holy, righteous, powerful, majestic, creative, glorious etc. etc. deity of the Bible. Amen.  

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 29

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

* Photo attribution: By illustrators of the 1728 Figures de la Bible, Gerard Hoet (1648–1733) and others, published by P. de Hondt in The Hague in 1728 - http://www.wcg.org/images/b2/_0303160501_038.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9416912

Fear and friendship

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 25-27 and Psalm 26

TO CHEW ON: "Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way he should choose.... The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he will teach him in the way he chooses." PSALM 25:12,14 ESV


It's interesting that this psalm promises God's guidance and friendship to those who fear Him.

The word fear (yare') here doesn't only mean to be afraid in its usual English sense. It also means to "Stand in awe of, be awed, reverence, honour and respect." The Amplified translation includes those shades of meaning: "Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? ....The secret [of the sweet satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep inner] meaning."

The words worship and revere imply that our relationship with God is not one of equals. It is similar in some ways to the relationship of subjects to a monarch. Even a king's son or daughter must treat him with special deference observing protocol, at least in public.

When we fear God we become good candidates for His instruction and guidance. It means we will pay attention to what pleases Him. We will accept His correction and discipline. We will obey Him when He tells us what to do and how to do it.

The wonderful thing is God is not some cold distant sovereign ordering us around, but a God who, in response to our fear (respect, reverence, worship), extends (amazing thought) "sweet, satisfying companionship" i.e. "friendship."

PRAYER: Dear God, when I think about You and all Your power, authority, wisdom, creativity, and compassion, the only appropriate response is fear.  I am amazed and incredibly grateful that in response to my fear, You offer friendship. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 25 

MORE: "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:7). Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty, that has had a vision of God's awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace. Does someone say, "But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who need to fear God"? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those who are in Christ, are admonished to work out their own salvation with "fear and trembling" - by A. W. Pink. Read all of "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2011. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMPLIFIED are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)