June 1

Jun 1 - Today from Proverbs 1 we look at verses 20 & 21
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech."

And from John 10;3,4 - "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."
Wisdom and the Good Shepherd. They have a lot in common. They both call out to their followers, but they never force their followers to follow. Followers respond because they recognize the voice of the one in whom they trust. But there is another issue here which begs us to look more closely; they both call out in the midst of lots of noise and many other voices. The followers must then train themselves to detect the voice of the trusted one who calls out to them.

The four year old was fascinated by all the sights, sounds and colors of the carnival; Hawking vendors, flashing lights, loud music, people everywhere. And, there were wonderful rides awaiting at almost every turn; Little boats floating in circles, miniature cars he could drive himself, painted ponies on the beautiful carousel, spinning seats that went round and round, up and down. So much to see! He turned to ask his mommy if he could ride on the little boats. . . she wasn't there! He quickly looked around for her familiar khaki shorts and leather sandals. She was nowhere to be seen. His lip trembled, panic began to set in. Suddenly - the sights and sounds that were so enthralling just a moment ago were now ominous and threatening. So many people talking and yelling. Older kids screaming on the bigger rides. Loud music, vendors hawking their fare. Then, in the midst of all that noise and turmoil, he heard a familiar voice. "MOMMY! "He cried out and ran toward the direction of her voice. He quickly spotted the khaki shorts and leather sandals that meant comfort and security. "Mommy!" he cried, as he jumped into her waiting arms.

How is a child able to discern the calling voice of a mother in the midst of all of the yelling, screaming and chaos? His little heart was trained to recognize that voice on a day to day basis in more intimate times when there were no crowds and chaos. How are Jesus' sheep able to detect His voice when they are all together in the pen with other flocks bleating and other shepherds calling out to their sheep? Their hearts were trained on a day to day basis in more intimate times when they were out in the quiet meadows alone. And how do the students of wisdom learn to detect the voice of the genuine in the midst of the clamor and noises of public opinion and philosophies of men? They learned her voice in quiet times of study, learning the principles of living life the way God meant it to be lived. Believers cannot isolate themselves from the world and its many confusing systems. But they can commit themselves to the disciplines of finding quiet times for devotions and meditation. It is in these times that they learn to discern the voice of the Genuine, so that when they are caught out in the hustle and bustle of a distorted world system and they are confronted with a 'suddenly' of life - one of those moments when you really need a word of wisdom, of comfort, of direction - they are able to pick that voice out above all the other voices.
Do you want to have Jesus' guidance in the stormy times of life? Then you need to spend intimate time with Him in the quiet times. Do you want to act with wisdom in the critical times in life? Then you need to learn and practice wisdom in the mundane times. The Lord doesn't demand discipleship of you so that He can have control of you. He seeks discipleship from you so that you can intimately know His voice, and that He might give guidance, power and protection when a 'suddenly' happens in your life. The Good Shepherd doesn't push - He leads. Follow Him. It is the training of a disciple.

May 31

May 31 - Today from Proverbs 31 we look at verse 23
"Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land."

Staying in conjunction with our past meditations in this passage, we refresh ourselves with this passage from Ephesians 5:31,32; "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church." The analogies contained in Proverbs 31:10-31 speaks volumes about what a healthy and committed church should look like.
The city gate represents the meeting place of the civil authorities. There were large rooms at the city gates in Bible times. That's where the esteemed elders and the judges sat during the day and conducted their affairs. It is where they gathered information, where they heard grievances, and where they made policy for the welfare of the city. It was pretty much an occupation to be an elder and/or judge - just as it is an occupation to be a mayor or city counsel member today. For any of these men who were married, the order and success of their household and family business reflected on that man through the abilities of the wife. If she did well, she brought glory to her husband, and his respect was increased amongst those with whom he sat and those who were under his guidance and authority. A good leader was to carefully choose his wife for her character and ability. "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (v.30).
What does the modern world know about Jesus Christ? How do they evaluate the message and character of Christ? If He is not physically walking this earth, then where are they are able to observe and evaluate Him? How are they to know that He is a messenger of mercy and grace? The answer: By their observations of and dealings with His bride - the Church.
Many claim to be His disciples, but there is one certain objective indicator by which the world can know if they truly are His disciples. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (-Jesus, John 13:34,35). Jesus gives two more indicators in the book of John; "If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching" (14:23), and "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit" (15:5).
If the church is to serve as the wife of noble character of the Lord Jesus Christ, then she will:
1. Display to the world her selfless love for one another.
2. Obey His commands.
3. Abide in Him and bear fruit.
Then the world will be able to see Jesus, and make the right conclusions about His message and His character.
The world will continue to observe and judge the message and character of Christ through His Church. We have a great responsibility to properly represent Him. It is impossible if we do not make our relationship with Him a first priority. His respect in the courts of the influencers of the world fully depends on their observations of the attitudes and actions of the Christian Church. She has made some huge mistakes in the past, because she was not in proper relationship with Christ and therefore did not represent His character. (The world still points to the atrocities of the Crusades. That was not the wife of noble character, and should not be characteristic of the Church today.)
If we lay claim to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the world is watching us. Our attitudes and actions will determine how they perceive His message and His character. Thankfully, He didn't leave us to do this in our own strength. He sent His Spirit in order that His guidance and His power might be made available to us. But the choice is still up to us. We must abide in Him if we are to benefit from the fruit-bearing work of His Spirit.
Once we were unworthy, uneducated, unkempt, unscrupled, impoverished, hopelessly lost and bound slaves of ignorance and evil. Our Husband came to us and offered His own life as a ransom to free us from this hopeless estate. He removed our shame and our reputation and He elevated us to a place of honor and esteem. He gave our lives purpose and value, and He continually loves us - unconditionally. He promised He would never leave or forsake us. And for all of this, we owe Him nothing - except ourselves. Our undying love and devotion, because He first loved us. It is the love the wife has for the husband that motivates her to have his name honored and esteemed in the gate.

May 30

May 30 - Today from Proverbs 30 we look at verse 10
"Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will pay for it." (NIV)
"Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty." (KJV)

I would like to share what I believe is a New Testament companion verse to this proverb from Romans 14:4;
"Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand for the Lord is able to make him stand."
This is a warning to believers to be careful in going farther with 'law' than God has. Romans 14 begins with this admonition, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." It is wise to heed this counsel. Christians are very good at majoring in the minors while completely overlooking the spirit of the law. We are to be a people of grace. If we are to boast at all, we are to boast in understanding the Lord; That He exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for it is in these things that He delights. (Jer. 9:24) If we were perfect in keeping the whole of the law, only then would we be fit to judge another ("Let him without sin cast the first stone" John 8:7). If we are not perfect in keeping the whole of the law, then it is by grace alone that we are able to stand - and it is by grace that any servant of God stands. When we think that somehow we have learned to stand on our own, and have gained a position to point out the faults of others to God, we are in a very precarious position. We are positioned for a great fall, while the one we judged will continue to stand by God's grace. Pride is very subtle. Sometimes it feels just exactly like righteousness. We need to rend our heart before God and let His word expose the deceitfulness of pride, confess it, repent of it, and accept those who are weak in their faith without passing judgment. Rather, we need to encourage them and bear them up. Then we begin to look like the body of Christ, and the world will know we are His disciples.

May 29

May 29 - Today from Proverbs 29 we look at verse 18
"Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law."

The little conjunction 'but' reveals that this is a verse that initially teaches by contrast. If we want to know exactly what type of revelation would be lacking that would cause people to cast off restraint, we simply look to the other side of the semi-colon and discover it is the law - God's Word.
It is believed that the section of Proverbs 25-31 was assembled by the aids of King Hezekiah. The content was primarily directed toward the king or those who dealt with the king. Although all can benefit, this section is particularly helpful to those in any capacity of influence and leadership. This is the framework of this particular verse.
Whether one is the president of the United States or the head of the household, one is accountable to God to uphold and enforce the moral law of God's Word. This is first done by instructing moral behavior, both in word and by example. When I was growing up in the 50s, it seemed that everyone in our culture used the Bible as a measure of moral law - whether they were Christian, agnostic or pagan. People who never set foot in a church could quote numerous passages of the Bible, often not knowing that the quote even came from the Bible. It was social moral law. Some refer to it as 'natural law'. Our school textbooks often contained references to Biblical moral law without stating the reference. It was just kind of knit into our cultural fabric. Then something very subtle began to happen in the 60s. Biblical moral law was being challenged and undermined in our educational systems and by our justice systems. I was now an adolescent, and I was all for casting off moral restraint (that is pretty much a part of being an adolescent). So, when those in authority agreed, it was an incubator for rebellion. I am not sure how the historians view the 60s, but looking back, I view it as the decade of rebellion. Our nation lost something very valuable in that era. Now, here we are 30-40 years later, and we can measure the results. The people of our nation began casting off restraints in the 70s and 80s. Abortion clinics opened up all over the country and our most precious resource, our children, were being given over to wholesale slaughter. Drug abuse went from being thought of in shadowy sub-culture terms to the happening scene. Nightclub studios of the rich and famous glamorized drugs for our children. Popular music became laced with rebellion, sexuality and vulgarity. Primary-aged children learned filthy, soul-corrupting lyrics, which would influence their language and thinking processes into adulthood. Homosexuality was being taught as an acceptable alternate lifestyle in our public schools and school nurses were handing out condoms. Soft and hard-core porno movies were being cranked out of Hollywood and box offices were making more money than ever. Videos and VCRs came onto the scene and people could view the shamefully lustful and sickeningly violent movies any time they wanted in the privacy of their own homes. Computers and Internet expanded into the 90s and pornography became almost unavoidable. . .
Well, I could go on, but I won’t. I am seeing some hopeful changes taking place in our culture. But any ground given to the devil will require a battle to gain it back. I am not sure that we can ever go back as a nation. Biblical moral law has become a polarizing factor these days. But I see more and more signs that the numbers are beginning to grow on the positive side of the issue. It will be accomplished as the church continues to be faithful to their call to be an influence. We are to be salt and light. We are to raise our children in an atmosphere of Biblical moral law. We must be careful to be balanced, and not let our commitments drift into legalism. Our witness is to be clothed in love and salted with grace. We must not promote 'restraint' as a negative, but as a positive. A seat belt is a restraint, but it keeps us from going through the windshield. A guardrail is a restraint, but it keeps us from going over a deadly precipice. A schoolyard fence is a restraint, but it keeps the little ones from wandering into the street or other dangerous areas. The moral law is a restraint to keep us from destroying ourselves.
A very real part of equipping a generation for Christ is to teach and to live by example, Biblical moral law.

May 28

May 28 - Today from Proverbs 28 we look at verse 23
"He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue."

Once again we are to remind ourselves that this section of Proverbs was written particularly for those in positions of authority and responsibility over others. We also do well to remember that those who hold such positions are to have an attitude of servitude. When one is a servant with authority, one's responsibility is for the betterment of the structure in and for which they serve. As believers, we are all ultimately serving in the Kingdom of God, from whom all authority comes. We must be careful not to abuse that authority on any level.
We begin with the premise that there has been committed an infraction upon the protocol or the moral code of the structure. We do not know whether it was intentional, or whether it was committed out of ignorance. One thing is sure, it is the responsibility of someone in authority to address it. The picture that the original Hebrew wording draws is quite revealing. 'Rebuke' means 'be right'. 'Flattering' means 'make smooth'. I would say that in most instances it is initially easier for the leadership to smooth an issue over than it is to make the situation right. To smooth it over is to avoid conflict. To make it right is to engage the conflict.

The gardener looked at the uniformity of the rows of growing plants. In a few months there would be a harvest of delicious vegetables. But, there were some stubborn weeds poking up here and there. It hadn't rained for some days now and the ground was relatively hard. He reached down and pulled at a few of the weeds. They broke off at ground level. Now he would have to walk all the way back to the shed, get a cultivating tool, loosen the soil around the plants to get out the roots of the broken weeds as well as to properly pull the rest. He didn't have time today. He had a plane to catch. But, he wanted the garden to look nice, so he quickly pulled at the rest of the weeds and most broke off at ground level. He used the soul of his shoe to smooth over the ground where the stems of the weeds had been just moments ago. Ah-h-h-h. The garden looked beautiful. He would be back in a week or so, he would tend to the weeds then. He'd better get inside, it was beginning to rain . . .

Now, if any of you have ever tended a garden, you know what happened. Long before the novice gardener returned, the weeds quickly grew back in and began choking out the potential fruit-bearing plants. The problem here was that the gardener’s responsibility wasn't simply to make the garden look nice every time he visited the garden. His responsibility was to the vegetable plants themselves, to make sure they had every chance to be healthy and grow, and to bring forth fruitfulness in their time. The gardener was to 'serve' the plants in order that the plants would produce the desired effect.
Leadership is more than making the garden look nice. Sometimes the cultivator has to come out, and the ground disturbed and broken up in order to get at unseen roots of bothersome issues. In the short-term it may seem like it's more bother than it's worth. "Let's all just be nice to each other, love one another, and this thing will go away." There, we snapped off that weed. Let's get on with life. But, unless the root has been dealt with, that weed will come back again to haunt the garden. We see it so clearly in nature, but so many refuse to see it in human nature.
The next time there is conflict in your area of authority, stop and take a good objective look at the situation. Look beyond the heated emotions and seek the root of the matter. I readily admit that it will take more time and effort to address the root than it would be to say, "We all make mistakes. Let's just shake hands, tell each other we're sorry, and move on." But dealt with properly, in the long run your garden will produce desired results, and you will benefit from it.
Remember it this way, God gave you souls on your shoes to carry the Good News, not to smooth over undisturbed roots. He gave you a cultivator for that. Use it, and use it wisely.
The church is God's garden. The enemy continually seeds the weeds of conflict into the cultivated soil. It is not honoring to simply break off the visible part of the conflict without exposing and getting rid of the root. Leaders are to serve the fruit-bearing plants of the garden in order to see them come to maturity. It does not serve the plants well just to cover over issues of conflict. Leaders need to think long-term in their areas of responsibility. They need to make things right under the soil, where it counts.

May 27

May 27 - Today from Proverbs 27 we look at verse 17
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Those who are skilled in the craft of honing can do a quite superb job with two knives. The principle lies in stroking the cutting edges of the blades along side one another in a manner that the edge becomes keener and more defined in the process. The skill comes in knowing the direction, angle and consistency of the strokes. Notice the wording of the proverb. What it does not say is what I have often heard taught from this proverb, ". . . so two men sharpen each other." No, it clearly says, ". . . so one man sharpens another." In the agrarian culture of the Bible times, sharp knives and instruments were of prime importance for getting the harvest in. The farmer would be familiar enough with his instruments to know which were the best of quality, and would usually use his best quality instruments to sharpen the others.
If animated, the higher grade iron could not boast over the lower grade iron - it simply was forged from a better grade of iron. We see this in Jesus teaching in the parable of talents (Mat. 25). However, when applying Biblical moral principles to the two instruments, we must conclude that the higher grade instrument has greater responsibility. Besides all of its other regular uses, it would also be its responsibility to see that the lower grade instruments stay sharp. We also realize that both instruments are of value only in the skilled hand of the farmer. Thus, I believe, we come to the point of the proverb.
Remembering that this proverb was specifically written down for instruction to leaders, I believe the message is for those with greater authority, ability, and responsibility. They are to remember that ability and authority comes from the Lord, therefore one who possesses it has no room to boast or to treat others with a superior attitude or with contempt. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped." (Phil. 2:5,6). Jesus was the instrument of perfect grade and temper, superior and supreme in every way. "But made himself nothing - taking the very nature of a servant." (vs.7). He took on the overwhelming responsibility of yielding himself to the Father's hand for the sharpening of all of the other instruments in the Farmer's household. He took the very nature of a servant, and he calls His disciples to follow His example. Those with authority and ability are to use those gifts to sharpen others with lesser ability. There is only one way in which this can be done - contact! When God became the Superior Instrument for sharpening all instruments in His household, He became Immanuel, "God with us". "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death. . . " (vs.8). Such is the task and responsibility of a leader. He is to die to self, and yield his authority, ability and resources to the Father for the purpose of building others up, for raising the quality of life for others, for keeping them sharp so that they too can be effective instruments in the Farmer's household - through contact. Calling, serving, teaching, mentoring, praying with and over, ministering - these are contact actions. Jesus is still incarnate today as His Spirit abides in His body - the church. Leaders must be Immanuel - in contact in order to be effective.
We are each of us leaders in some arena. We must discern that arena and submit ourselves and benefit from those who are specially gifted and placed in positions of authority, and we are to use our gifts and ability to encourage and build up those around us who may be getting 'dulled' from stress, abuse and lack. God wants every instrument in His household sharp and fulfilled in function. We are all responsible to one another to see that this is an ongoing process. In order to properly achieve this, we must submit ourselves one to another according to the authority and gifting which God has distributed in the church. Discovering these things takes time, effort, commitment and structure. But it's so worth it! When all of the instruments are sharp and functioning for their intended purpose, there comes a harvest! Isn't that, after all, what we are earnestly praying for?

May 26

May 26 - Today from Proverbs 26 we look at verse 7
"Like a lame man's legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool."

This proverb begins with a very vivid picture - particularly in the day it was written. A lame man was totally dependent on others. There were no wheel chairs, Amigos, golf carts, and all the amenities afforded the disabled in our modern American culture. The lame man of the Biblical days was relegated to becoming a disenfranchised member of society, often begging in gateways and other traffic areas. Solomon purposely imprinted into the mind of the student how instruments created to bless and to make man mobile had an enormous negative impact on the entire life and being of that man when they did not function. A man's legs were vitally important in the culture of that day. Rather than being a blessing to the man, the lame man's legs became a curse to him. So it is with a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
In chapter one, we read the purpose of the proverbs. "For attaining wisdom and discipline ... for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair." The proverbs were given to reveal to man life the way it is meant to be lived, to establish proper values, and to bless the man who receives and applies wisdom. Just as healthy legs added incredible ability and quality of life to a man's physical life, the understanding and application of the wisdom of proverbs added incredible quality to a man's abilities in handling life itself. This principle still holds true today.
By time we reach chapter 26, the proverbs quite clearly define the attributes of a fool. A fool is most generally one who is right in his own eyes. A fool enjoys mischief, particularly with the use of words. A fool is reactionary, which is often revealed through a display of temper. A fool is often meddling in the business of others. A fool is quick to offer his own opinions and stubbornly stands by them even in the face of equal or better arguments. He is not seeking to grow in objective understanding, but more often to fortify or win his own position. By display of his attitudes and actions, a fool is pretty much a self-important and self-centered person.
Now that we have identified the purpose of a proverb and the character of a fool, we can easily see the lesson of this proverb. A fool may take up a proverb, but you can be certain that he will use it for self-achieving ends - to make his case, to prove his point, to turn its lesson against others rather than to apply it to himself. The proverb will never be useful in its intended purpose when used in such a manner. It will not enhance one's ability to understand life the way it is meant to be lived (to practice justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God -Micah 6:8). It will not serve to increase one's wisdom and abilities in properly handling life's situations. Rather than being the blessing it was intended to be, it will become a curse to the fool.
This passage was written for instruction to leaders. It is a warning not to place foolish-type people in positions of influence and authority. Leaders are accountable for their areas of responsibility and it would not serve them well to place crippled men in positions where mobility and ability are critical. Even if a foolish-type person can speak in terms of wisdom, if not properly understood and applied, the wisdom will either have no effect or it may even have a negative effect. Placing the right people in the right positions at the right time adds incredible potential for success of the efforts of the leader, and the people for which he serves.

May 25

May 25 - Today from Proverbs 25 we look at verses 9 and 10
"If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation."

Conflict is a very difficult issue to handle because there are always very strong feelings involved. Conflict tends to make one very short-sighted as the focus is concentrated on winning the battle at hand. When such is the case, the sweetness of victory is very short-lived as the reality of long-term loss begins to come into focus. Some cases are just not worth fighting.
What could be some of the greater values we threaten when we commit ourselves to the short-term goal of winning our case? Two values which immediately come to mind are intimately related - our testimony and our integrity. When winning our point or position becomes more important than our witness - we become losers, regardless if we won the case at hand or not. We do well to clearly establish our values, and then count the costs before entering into any conflicts. Jesus taught it this way:
"Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he first not sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." -Luke 14:31-34
The king who could not win sought terms of peace - if the other king were merciful, the terms of peace would be, "If you will offer total surrender and come under my authority, I will let you live." Jesus says, "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." He did not call us to surrender ourselves to others, He called us to surrender ourselves to Him and to follow His example. Once we do that we are to consistently demonstrate our values of testimony and integrity. Now the question is, will we jeopardize those values for the lesser values of 'being right', 'getting my way', 'showing him', etc.? Once we have entered into a conflict on those terms, we have ceased to be an agent of grace, and our testimony of God's grace is no longer effective. In the context of Jesus' analogy, I would contend that the salt He speaks of here is our testimony. Once we have injured another by being graceless and by insisting on our way, our salt has lost its saltiness. It is thrown out and is trampled under foot - under the feet of those who probably most needed to hear it.
I am not sure of the structure of today's proverb. I have read three different versions and they all seem to vary a bit in meaning. But the principle is clear - we stand to lose something of far greater value than the case if we do not first mark our values and set our priorities accordingly. Here's how I understand the passage - at least in part. "Do not betray another man's confidence." (NIV). The KJV version says "Disclose not a secret to another." Confidence. What is your neighbor to be confident of? Your integrity! But, in order for you to win your case, you may have to practice a little vengeance. You may have to do a little character assassination. You may have to disclose something about your neighbor that really should not become public disclosure. You may have to be unkind toward your neighbor in order to be proved right. You may indeed win the case, but your neighbor (and probably many others who sided with him), will never again hear your testimony of grace. You have reduced your salt to road gravel. You have lost two critical values which Jesus wants you to guard against all things - your integrity and your testimony.
Identify your values. Set your values. Live your values.

May 24

May 24 - Today from Proverbs 24 we look at verses 19 & 20
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out."

It just doesn't seem fair that so many unscrupulous people are so well off. I thought that God was a 'just' God. All around us it appears that the ambitious - those who shave corners, who make the numbers favor them, who connive, who either don't believe in God or they put their relationship with Him way down on their priorities list - live the lives of 'the rich and the famous' -- while so many good people - those who are always looking out for the welfare of others, who conduct their tasks with integrity, who follow a sound moral work ethic, who keep their relationship with God at the head of their priority list - get taken advantage of and get trampled in the race to riches and fame. Sure, there are exceptions, but the rule is that the wicked prosper far more often than the righteous.
Terrible attitude, isn't it. Yet human nature, being the way it is, is always looking to the other side of the fence. We are 'time and space' related creatures. If justice is not served within the limited boundaries of our little time on this earth, we sense that injustice prevails. As believers, we are to live with a totally different perspective -- we are eternal beings, just like our Father. God has assured us that in the culmination of time, perfect justice will be rendered forever. FOREVER! Try to imagine what comparison eighty years is to forever. There is no comparison. It's like comparing the blink of an eye with the Pacific Ocean. Not only is there a vast difference in perception, they are not even in the same category. Eternity is not measured by time. It's in a class of its own. That's why we need to stop measuring justice by time. It will be measured by eternity. I know, I can't get my mind around it either.
But, when we measure justice by eternity instead of time, then we can begin to realize that unscrupulous people are not well off. I don't care how many houses they have, how fat their bank account is, how big their yacht is or how high up on the social ladder they sit -- if they fail to come to grips with the reality of a righteous God and His eternal justice, they are to be pitied by the poorest, most destitute believer on the face of the earth. They are doomed to an eternity of poverty - a poverty they never knew existed - existing forever in the absence of the grace of God. God's grace is the essence of light, of life, of love, of all that is good in this world. Even the most wicked benefit each day from God's grace. It is so 'common' that we hardly give a thought as to what it would be like to live - or the better phrase, to exist - in a place where there is absolutely no grace. It is the place we all deserve, for we all fall short of the glory of God.
But, God's grace is greater than even our sin. He provided perfect justice for mankind when He took the penalty for our sin upon Himself at Calvary. It was there that eternal justice was met when He became our sin and died in our place. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." (Mark 15:34). In a mystery that we will never comprehend, Jesus Christ experienced the absence of the Father's grace that day, so that all who place their trust in Him will never have to experience it. Hallelujah!!! Our great hope is that one day, we will experience the absolute fullness of His grace - FOREVER! Now, that's prosperity!
We needn't feel ashamed when our human nature takes over and we begin to envy the wicked. The Psalmists struggled with the very same issues. God inspired them to write Psalms 37 and 73, so that any time we need it, we can get a perspective adjustment and get on with serving God with integrity, knowing that He has all things under control. And we can know that in the end (of time), all scales will be balanced and those who remained faithful to the end will find true prosperity - for all eternity. That, dear saints, is the Blessed Hope. It is ours in Christ Jesus. Amen.

May 23

May 23 - Today from Proverbs 23 we look at verses 26 & 27
"My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways, for a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well."

"Give me your heart and keep to my ways. . . " I receive this from the Lord, not as a command, but as a plea from one who loves me and desires to be intimate with me. It puts me in mind of two young lovers who are planning their lives together. They are at the threshold of exchanging covenant vows to love, cherish, honor, and obey - "til death do us part." She looks into his eyes and with tears in her own she says, "Promise me that after we're married, you will never seek the services of a prostitute or cheat on me with another man's wife." He can hardly believe that she would make such a plea. Doesn't she realize how very much he loves her? It's almost an insult to him that the thought would even enter her mind. Why didn't she ask that he would promise never to steal from another and publicly embarrass her? Why didn't she ask that he never kill anyone and risk being separated from her by imprisonment? Why is she so concerned that he not violate the seventh commandment -- after all there are nine others! He loves her so much that sometimes he feels his heart will burst. The last thing she needs to be concerned with is his faithful and unwavering devotion to her.
The young woman had much better perception about life than did the young man. She was saying, "Promise me when the romance wears off, that love will still be there." When properly understood, love grows and intensifies when romance is no longer the motivator. Young people live much more by emotion than they do by reason. I didn't make that up, I saw the research. Romance is almost pure emotion, and a young person will swear it's love. It may be founded on love, but the evidence of that will not appear until the romance has waned. This is the reason why young couples who went through extended courting and engagements have a much lower divorce rate. They were together long enough to experience times when romance was all but dead in their relationships. They had to depend on love -- and the love held.
"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." (Revelation 2:4) These are not harsh words from the Supreme Judge. These are heartbroken words of compassion from Jesus to His church. Remember when you first discovered the reality of Jesus Christ -- how much He loves you, and what He personally did for you at Calvary? There was a lot of emotion attached to that experience. It was romance with the living God! Why, hardly nothing else mattered. You would live in poverty. You would endure hardship. You would do almost anything for Him because you loved Him so much. But after a period of time, the romance fades. What is left? Love! Love is not emotion. Love is a decision. A decision to "give Him your heart and keep to His ways." Apparently the church at Ephesus ran out of romance, and her heart began to wander. This is the church that wept as the apostle Paul, who had made Christ so real to them, departed from their shore (Acts 20). Later Paul would write them a beautiful letter espousing the attributes and glory of this Lord they loved so much (the book of Ephesians). It is probably only 30 or 40 years later that Jesus makes this broken-hearted statement in Revelation 2. I can imagine Paul kneeling on the shore with the Elders and pleading, "Promise me that after I leave that you will not forsake Jesus and go after other teachers and philosophies." What!?! Why, what could Paul be thinking? Doesn't he see our tears? Doesn't he feel the passion of our kiss? Can't he see how in love we are with the Lord Jesus? How can he say such a thing?
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church." Who did Paul write this to? That's right, the church at Ephesus. Ephesians 5:31 & 32. Who did God write this message to? That's right, His entire church - to you and to me. It doesn't matter that we're in the 21st century and that we are an 'enlightened society'. The vows of marriage, and the mystery of man and wife becoming untied as one are the same. When one spouse cheats on the other, they are violating something very deep and profound. This is why breaking the seventh commandment is the most destructive of sins in our society. It tears unseen fabrics that are almost impossible to mend, and it affects generations.
It is the same with our relationship with God. "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." (Ex.34:6&7)
This is not an arbitrary judgment, it is a spiritual revelation. We cannot isolate this passage and make pure doctrine. We must take it in context with the whole of the scripture. God is revealing to His people that He forgives, but those who choose to remain in their guilt (an unrepentant heart), are affecting their children and their children's children with punishment. Only the introduction of the sacrifice brought with a repentant heart can stop the generational sin and curse. Our sacrifice is Jesus, and when we "give Him our heart and let our eyes keep to His ways", the power of sin is broken. When we allow our hearts to go after other things, His heart is broken, and He calls us to return to our first love with Him.
Wisdom grows in love, even when romance wanes.

May 22

May 22 - Today from Proverbs 22 we look at verse 13
"The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

What in the world is a sluggard? Well, in the original Hebrew the root of this word means to lean idly. It is a picture of no movement. In context, the lack of movement is a result of a reluctance to get a task done. Disinclination to work. Little or no work ethic. It's the kind of person you wouldn't want to hire or to entrust with a task. "Let 'em lean -- we've got a task to accomplish." Well, I do not consider myself a sluggard, so once again I am inclined to look for the principle here. The first thing I notice is that the sluggard is neither honest with himself, nor with those who have called him to task. He has justified his idleness with plausible, but far-fetched excuses. There very well could be a lion outside -- but it is more than likely that the lion is no threat to the sluggard. Anyone could be murdered in the streets, but it is no more likely that the sluggard will be murdered than anyone else. The odds are overwhelming that neither excuse would be a real threat to the sluggard. But even if the chances were one in ten thousand -- there is a chance.
Even if I do not consider myself to be a sluggard, I have to ask myself, "Are there times when I am sluggardly?" Thus we come to the personal application of a principle. Procrastination is a much nicer and kinder word than sluggardly, don't you think? "Do I ever procrastinate?" Sure, everybody does. That doesn't make me a sluggard. "Are people depending on me to get a task done?" Well, yes, but I have other priorities right now. "Wasn't I 'leaning idly' in front of the TV last night?" Yeah, but that's my time. I've got a life too you know. "Why don't I just pick up the phone, make the call, and get the ball rolling?" Nobody's ever home anyway. I could spend a half hour trying to track them down. Then we would have to spend another half hour trying to coordinate our schedules, trying to find a time to get together. . .
Oh-h-h-h, I've just fabricated a lion in the streets.
Why do we procrastinate? Because the task in question interferes with our personal desires and priorities. . . Because the task in question calls for us to make contact with someone we do not care much to deal with. . . Because the task in question is outside of our comfort zone. . . At least those are honest answers. Once we are honest with ourselves, we really have no excuse. Someone is depending on us to get the task done. It may be an uncomfortable task, but no one is going to murder me in the street while I am accomplishing it. And if that one in ten thousand chance hits and I do get murdered in the street -- at least I went out with my integrity in tact.
Procrastinators hold up the task and hold up the progress of others who are depending on them. Wisdom seeks to fulfill obligations as soon as it is reasonably possible, and as excellent as possible.

May 21

May 21 - Today from Proverbs 21 we look at verse 27
"The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable - how much more when it is brought with evil intent."

As I study God's Word, I am constantly looking for the principles involved. A principle is a standard of moral behavior. God's Word is primarily to teach, instruct and equip us to know Him and to live a productive and fruitful life for His glory. A follower of the Lord Jesus is to lead a principled life. I say this because if I study this verse from my position in Christ, it doesn't apply to me. By His grace I am no longer a wicked person living out evil intents. So, from this perspective I tend to either pass over the verse, or to apply it to wicked people.
But, I don't think God intended that I pass over it or use it as a standard of judgment against the wicked. I think there is a principle involved for my instruction -- and for instruction to every believer. The wicked in this verse means morally wrong. There are times even in a believer’s life when they may act wickedly. David was a man after God's own heart. He received an unconditional promise from God (a covenant), that the Messiah would come from his seed and that his throne would be established forever. He was a righteous man. But, he was wicked - morally wrong - when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered. Even though the covenant remained intact, there were grave consequences for his wickedness. There is a principle for us in this story of blemish in the heart of David. God's covenant promise and eternal salvation do not negate the reality that we can both be wicked, and that we will suffer consequences for our wickedness.
Concerning this verse: What would the sacrifice of the wicked be? The principle involved here is that any time we are intentionally involved in any kind of immoral behavior (for a partial listing, see the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21), nothing we do out of religious duty will be pleasing to God. Not our worship, not our offerings, not our prayers. The only thing acceptable to God in such a circumstance is that which David offered when he was caught up in wickedness - a broken and contrite heart, evidenced by his confession and repentance. Only then was David restored to a proper relationship with God, and once again his sacrifices were honoring and acceptable.
What is worse than the sacrifice of the wicked? When it is brought with evil intent. In this case, evil speaks of a plan with a selfish purpose. The first half of the verse speaks of a person who is living immorally and yet going through religious duties in an attempt to continue to honor God. The second half carries it one step further. A plan means that there is intentional action. The immoral subject brings a sacrifice intending to manipulate God, to have God work His will to benefit the perpetrator of His moral code. I once saw a booklet written by a popular evangelist entitled, "Write Your Own Ticket With God". There was a core of truth in the premise, but with the wrong focus a wicked person would quickly buy into and utilize this faulty theology. The premise was, that if you had a need in life, you were to find a promise in God's Word that would cover that need. You are to meet any immediate conditions related to the promise and then claim the promise as your own. The result being that God was then obligated to fulfill the promise because God cannot lie. Sounds pretty good, except when you run across verses like this one in today's study, you discover that the first condition to any promise is a pure heart. Fortunately for us, if the heart is impure, by God's grace there are steps to make it pure; the blood of Jesus, confession, and repentance. Even then, the promise may not be fulfilled because one must have faith to realize its fulfillment, and faith is a gift of God -- not something we work up within ourselves. It is evil to attempt to manipulate God when our hearts are far from Him. And when our hearts are very near Him, manipulation is the last thing we would want to do.
Our worship, offerings and prayers are to flow from a heart of adoration, gratitude and reverence for a Holy God. Wisdom does not presume upon His grace, nor does it attempt to manipulate His will.

May 20

May 20 - Today from Proverbs 20 we look at verse 17
"Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel."

The picture in this proverb is purely allegorical. It reveals a spiritual truth which when properly learned, adds significant wisdom to the student of life. As with most allegorical proverbs, the picture presented gives the student a very graphic mental image. You have to stop a minute engage your imagination. When you think about something that tastes sweet, you probably conjure up your favorite dessert or snack. It is a very positive and gratifying thought, is it not? But when, in your imagination that delicious bite turns into a mouth full of cold, hard, gritty gravel, the gratifying feeling quickly disappears as an uncomfortable and repulsive picture takes its place.
That is exactly the impact the Lord would like impressed upon our souls when we would contemplate engaging in a fraudulent act (the KJV calls it the bread of deceit), in order to enjoy a self-gratifying experience. The end never justifies self-serving means. When the means are achieved through some form of deception, the end will not be as sweet as the perpetrator thought it would. We are all repulsed by the thought of a bite of delicious dessert turning into a mouth full of gravel, but we have a difficult time getting hold of the fact that this is exactly what happens spiritually when we attempt to make selfish gain through deception.
The principle runs true regardless of the size of the bite. Perpetrators seldom see themselves as a perpetrator. We humans have a tendency to rationalize and justify our fraudulent ways so that we do not see ourselves as being fraudulent. Young men tell young ladies in some form or other, "I love you, and if you loved me you would hold nothing back from me." That is fraudulent. What he is really saying is, "I love me and I am really craving some sweets right now." He is more than ready to defraud a sweet young girl from one of her most precious assets.
Employees tell themselves, "I am underappreciated and underpaid. I deserve some sweets from this company." Once they have deceived themselves, they can rationalize defrauding, ("Get what is coming to me"), the company.
Teens tell themselves and each other, "My parents think they own me. They don't understand me and they try to control every facet of my life. It's not fair. I am old enough to choose and enjoy my own sweets" They now have set up the rational to justify defrauding their parents.
Believers tell themselves, "I am barely able to make ends meet right now. If I have anything left over this week, I'll throw it in the offering. Besides, tithing is an Old Testament law. We are no longer under the law. The church has enough money anyway. I work hard for my money and I deserve a sweet now and then" The believer has just deceived himself into rationalizing defrauding God Himself (Malachi 3:8-9).
These are but a few examples. In every case, the desired sweet will turn into a mouthful of gravel. The big problem is that too often the perpetrator will not connect the transformation of a sweet bite into a mouth full of gravel. They have justified their actions, therefore they cannot own the consequences. Wisdom seeks to make the connection through the understanding of life the way God meant it to be. Once the connection is made from the partaking of the bread of deceit to the discomfort of a mouth full of gravel, there is to be confession (Agreeing with God, "Yes. I was a perpetrator in that action. Forgive me."), and repentance (Turning away from any further activity of such kind, "Thank you for showing me the error of my way. Lord, give me grace and wisdom to stay off that path".)
Confession and repentance. It is the way of a disciple, and a good way to keep our mouths free from the discomfort of gravel.

May 19

May 19 - Today from Proverbs 19 we look at verse 19
"A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again."

Discipline is a necessity in our culture if we are to live relatively peaceable lives. This proverb does not deal with the question of why some people in society are self-demanding bullies. Rather, it deals with the fact that there are bullies and there are necessary means to deal with them.
Not every person who displays a hot temper is a career bully, but when their tempers flair they act like bullies. When things don't go their way, they cross all boundaries in an attempt to make it go their way and to see that those who are perceived to be opposing them pay for their opposition. It's a bully attitude. It deprives others of their basic rights, it is disruptive and divisive, and it is outright sin against the second great commandment "love your neighbor as yourself". There are natural consequences to sin which manipulative people are often able to delay through clever and forceful tactics. In such cases, the appointed authorities of a society or an institution are obligated to administer discipline. Solomon says it this way in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God."
When penalties for social transgressions are not quickly carried out, the perpetrator continues, seemingly without impunity. The culture in which the perpetrator functions may have to endure the hot-tempered tactics a hundred more times because discipline was lacking. It is not grace to rescue a perpetrator from discipline when there is no self-conviction or repentant attitude. If the penalty is not paid, there is no lesson learned. Instead, bad habits are rewarded and enforced. Wisdom understands that if hot-tempered people who apply their own disruptive and divisive sense of justice against society are not disciplined, society will continue to suffer the ill effects of such behavior. When people lack self-discipline, God has appointed authorities to administer social discipline. It is not revenge against the perpetrator, it is protection for the rest of society.
The final thought here comes from the passage in Ecclesiastes. It may appear at times that the bullies and the forceful have gotten away with their schemes while the God-fearing people suffer because they live humbly before God. But when the Great Judge comes, all scales will be balanced - forever! I don't have the slightest idea how God will consummate all of this on that last day, but I know on the authority of God's Word that "It will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God."

May 18

May 18 - Today from Proverbs 18 we look at verse 2
"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions."

I have a book written by Andy Rooney called 'Not That You Asked'. No one has probably written or shared on TV more opinions than has Andy Rooney. He is an avowed atheist, which means that all of his thinking is pretty much opinion. After all, if there is no Supreme God, than what could his objective source of truth be? This is what intrigues me so much about Andy's thinking processes.
In the preface of his book he writes, "There's no way of knowing how we get to believe what we believe. We're all trapped within ourselves. We have this much and no more. We have our genes and our youth, during which our opinions are formed. Most of us don't change those opinions once we get them. Instead, we spend a lot of time looking for further proof that we're right."
It's good to examine the thought processes of an articulate avowed atheist. Andy is very honest about how he sees life. Without acknowledging the existence of God, he needs to find something that explains life. The sad thing is, I know many professing believers who follow much the same thought patterns, only they include Jesus usually somewhere in the periphery of their processing. As a result, they act much more on opinion than they do conviction. This is a sad statement of God's church.
I have no idea what an atheist would base a conviction on. Apparently neither does Andy Rooney. He is a believer in correct opinions, but because opinions are so subjective, I don't know how they could be correct for everyone. He goes on to say, "If we formed our opinions the way we should, we'd get all the facts together and then compare them, using logic and good sense to arrive at the right places." This sounds good, but in a fallen world full of deceitful and deceived people, how could one possibly accomplish this? "We don't do it this way very often, though, and as a result we acquire a lot of wrong answers that we're stuck with for life." If only believers were so honest.
We will never be able to understand life until we acknowledge the author of life and seek to understand it as He meant it to be. We will never arrive at this understanding by gathering facts and using logic and good sense. Without the revelation brought forth by the Word of God, all of our efforts are futile. "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding" because he would have to first acknowledge God, and then would have to throw all of his opinions out the window and seek to begin to understand life as it's meant to be. That understanding would place Jesus Christ in the center and His Word as authority. The fool wants to figure out life for himself and be his own authority. He "delights in airing his own opinion" because his pride believes that he has used logic and good sense to arrive at the right places, and he wants others to know it.
I can understand why Andy Rooney delights in airing his opinions before the nation. I can understand why godless people find no pleasure in understanding. What I don't understand is why believers consistently place their opinions above the authority of God's Word. I have been in discussions many times with believers - including leaders of God's church - whereby I attempted to clearly share a principle from God's Word to give understanding and guidance in a difficult circumstance. In such instances I even ask them to tell me what they think the Bible is saying. They themselves will articulate the understanding of the principle, but they ultimately opt to go with their opinion rather than following God's directives. Invariably the circumstance ends up in a mess. And why wouldn't it? Our opinions are as frail as a cobweb when compared to the fortress strength of the eternal Word of God. Oh how the church loves to air its opinions - but where is the pleasure in gaining understanding?
Wisdom places God's Word as supreme - above our most logical opinions, above our own understanding. It's called TRUST. We cannot have a proper relationship with God unless we trust Him. If we trust Him, we will obey Him.

May 17

May 17 - Today from Proverbs 17 we look at verse 19
"He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction."

We don't often think of anyone loving to quarrel - it's such a negative and consuming act. Unless, of course, when someone has trespassed on a sacred little piece of our life - then we feel obligated to defend our ground.
"There may be times when I'm obligated to defend my position, but that doesn't mean I love to quarrel." This is my initial reaction to the above statement. But wisdom has a quick response: "Love is not a feeling, it is a decision." Ouch! When I choose to quarrel, it means that I have placed value on the subject of the quarrel. The question is: Do I value the subject of the quarrel higher than that which is being threatened by engaging in the quarrel?
Let me share some examples. A friend or acquaintance voices an opinion that strongly disagrees with my opinion on the subject. Which do I value more, their friendship, or my opinion? . . . We are invited to the wedding of my wife's dear cousin with whom she shared much of her childhood but whom I have never met. I have a golf invitation with some guys from work on the same day. Which do I value more, the happiness of my wife, or a day with the boys on the links? . . . We're playing a friendly game of volleyball and a shot drops too near the line. Which do I value more, getting the point and winning the game, or good-natured fellowship?
I think you get the idea. Quarrels have to do with values. When we value our selfish little positions more than we do our relationships with God and others, we have crossed over into sin. When we make the decision to quarrel rather than to seek the best in a relationship, we have stated that we love to quarrel, and that equates to loving sin. We cannot even draw back to the position of saying, "But they chose the quarrel." One person cannot quarrel.
Another destructive aspect of quarrels is that they often tend to draw others in. When pride is challenged, it wants to fortify its position by seeking others who agree. This causes division and hostile feelings when the only things at risk are opinions. It is one of the most destructive forces within the church.
"But," we might ask, "Aren't there times when we must take a stand, when the subject of disagreement is more valuable than the relationship?" I carefully answer with a qualified yes. We must all have convictions in life. These are the things we are so convinced of that we are willing to die for them. (I don't know of anyone who would be willing to die for an opinion.) If one has true convictions they will not compromise them. Even then, one must be very careful as to how they conduct themselves. When we watch our Lord Jesus engaging those who would quarrel with Him, we can learn much about wisdom. Jesus seldom, if ever, entered into a quarrel. He asked good questions, which if properly answered would silence the accusers. Most of the time the accusers refused to answer, and thus the quarrel died with the ball lying in their court. Jesus valued the soul of His fellow man, and never fortified His position to where the soul was cut off from the truth. His accusers always had a choice - but He never forced them to make it.
The next time you're tempted to get into a quarrel, discipline yourself to identify the subject of the quarrel. Is it more valuable than the relationship? Would you be willing to die for the principle of the subject? Is there a way you can place the ball back into the court of the other without slamming the door?
Wisdom learns to place values and then to order them according to God's values. Wise people have few negative and consuming quarrels in life. It's just not worth it.

May 16

May 16 - Today from Proverbs 16 we look at verse 2
"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord."

In Luke chapter 10 we see Jesus approached by an expert in the law. He wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. When questioned by Jesus regarding what the law said, this expert answered correctly in saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus told the expert that he gave the correct answer, "Do this and you will live." But there was something unsettling about this exchange. Somehow the expert had gained no assurance of his security in eternity through the legal answer given. Jesus only told him that he gave the right answer. Did he qualify? Feeling insecure, the expert in the law could not let the conversation rest there. Evidently he was pretty secure in his own mind that he properly loved God, but he must have been a little unsettled with this 'neighbor' thing. In verse 29 we read, "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?" This opened the door of opportunity for Jesus to expose the motives of the man's heart. He told the parable of the Good Samaritan and I am sure that the expert in the law realized that day that he had already failed the test. He was going to have to find another way to inherit eternal life, and it wouldn't have anything to do with his ability to keep the law.
In Luke chapter 18 Jesus has another encounter with a seeker, this time with a rich young ruler. This young man also wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with the portion of the law that has to do with loving your neighbor, "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother." (I get the feeling that legalists have a very difficult time with the concept of loving their neighbor.) The rich young ruler replied that he had kept all of these commandments since he was a boy. Once again Jesus takes the opportunity to expose the motives of the heart of this seeker. He replies, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me." He gave this young man more information than He gave the expert in the law. With both He revealed that love is active, not passive. In the case of the man beaten and who lay dying on the highway, legalists passed by while love addressed the needs of the man. In the case of the rich young ruler, he may not have committed any legal crimes against his neighbors, but he also refused to attend their needs when he had more than sufficient means to do so. He didn't love his neighbor. He too would have to find a different way to inherit eternal life, for he too had failed the test. This time Jesus went further and showed Him the way. "Repent, and follow me."
You see, the young ruler valued his wealth more than he valued his neighbor. Jesus tells him to repent and get his values in line with God's eternal principles, and then continue in his heavenly inheritance by following the giver of life Himself.
How easily we can deceive ourselves by defining our own boundaries and thinking that they are the boundaries of righteousness. How quickly God can reveal our self-deceived ways by showing us how short our little self-made boundaries fall of His perfect love and righteousness. How wonderful that He did not leave us to suffer in our own smallness and guilt. He simply says, "I have shown you where your motives were wrong. Now repent, and follow me." If we fail to repent because we value our system more than His righteousness, we can walk away sad - just like the rich young ruler. But one chapter later, in Luke 19, we see a man who did get his values in order. Zacchaeus gained sight of the true riches of Jesus' righteousness, and he gladly repented and followed Him.
One of the values of studying God's Word is to discover where we may have deceived ourselves and are missing the true riches of following Jesus. Conviction is a blessing when we are willing to repent and get our values in order. There is nothing more valuable than walking with the giver of life. We no longer need to ask, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We can know that He purchased it for us, and that we can walk in our inheritance as we follow Him daily. Life is in the Son. All we need to do is abide in Him.

May 15

May 15 - Today from Proverbs 15 we look at verse 26
"The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to Him."

God knows our thoughts. At first that sounds like a common accepted fact to me. But when I stop to really think about it, it is quite a sobering concept. God knows my every thought. He doesn't only see what I do and know what I say, but He also knows my thoughts. I cannot be pretentious with God. I cannot in any way hide who and what I really am from Him. That's a little bit frightening, because there are times when I don't really like the thoughts I am entertaining. I can hide them from others, but not from my Father in heaven, who cares so deeply for me. Not from my Lord Jesus who died on a cruel cross because of such thoughts. Not from the Holy Spirit who is grieved to have to yield His power and leading to such thoughts.
Then I think a little more. The operative word about my thoughts in the paragraph above is 'entertaining'. I cannot say to my Father, "Sorry, I can't help but think this way." That's not true. We can control our thoughts, particularly because we are heirs of God's grace. When an improper thought enters our mind, it is almost always a self-gratifying thought. It appeals to our base nature. In a very short time we suddenly realize that we are actually entertaining the thought. We invited the thought to come all the way in. We embrace it and consider all the possibilities. We begin to expand the thought into a plan of some sort - whether it is fantasy or real. We are now on the verge of sin. Listen to this little divinely inspired narrative from James 1:13-15, "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death." I really appreciate that little phrase 'dragged away and enticed'. That's exactly what happens when we entertain an improper thought. It moves us from the possibility of a passing thought to conceiving an act that is detestable to God.
How can we keep such thoughts from entering our mind? I don't think we can ever totally eliminate the possibility. We can take defensive measures by monitoring what we look at, what we listen to, and who we hang out with. The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is very applicable. We can stop watching the popular TV sit-coms that are loaded with sexual activities and disrespectful attitudes toward God. Too many pure minds are being sacrificed on the altar of humor (if one cares to call it that). We can walk away when one of our co-workers starts into the latest joke going around. We can choose friends who have healthy positive attitudes and who enjoy means of recreation that do not corrupt the mind. Preventative maintenance is always a good and worthwhile effort.
What can we do when such a thought does enter our mind? As soon as you catch yourself entertaining an improper thought, practice God's presence. Thank Him that through the blood of Jesus you have been set free from bondage to such thoughts. If it is a thought pattern, which actually seems to be bondage, you need to get out heavy artillery. You need to memorize some power verses which bring down the strongholds and brings every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-6), and pray them out loud when your mind is being assaulted. You need to confide in one or two trusted believers who will stand with you and pray for you. I can assure you, God has provided every believer with the means to be free of controlling wicked thoughts and to find the joy of living with pure thoughts. That's not to say that wicked thoughts will not come to mind, they will. The victory is in dismissing them before they conceive and give birth to sin.

May 14

May 14 - Today from Proverbs 14 we look at verse 32
"When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge."

There are times in life when all seems to be right in the world - at least in our own limited little world. In those times we live in the subconscious assumption that death comes only to the aged, and perhaps occasionally by tragic accident to some poor unfortunate soul. These are times that are void of calamity - at least in our own limited little world. Everything is right and proper, and life is as it should be.
Then something comprised of pure wickedness suddenly shatters our peaceable little world and there seems to be nothing we can do to keep the shock waves from knocking down every vestige of security as we knew it. That's what calamity does. We are brought face to face with our own mortality, and with the startling fact that there is no sure-safe way of seeing our life played out to a ripe old age. Even our faith is no sure hedge against physical death in the time of calamity. The righteous die right along side the wicked; calamity makes no distinction. Jesus emphasizes this sobering truth in Luke 13. Apparently there was a calamity where a tower in Siloam collapsed, killing 18 people. Jesus asked the people if they thought the victims were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem. "I tell you no! Unless you repent, you too will all perish." (vs. 5). Jesus set things in perspective. Calamity doesn't happen only to the wicked. In the larger scope of things, we are all destined to an eternal calamity if we do not repent and come to the source of life itself. If not, we will endure a calamity from which we cannot recover, the calamity of eternal death – ever existing apart from the presence of grace. "The wicked are bought down."
When the two airliners crashed into the WTC on September 11 of 2001, many who perished were believers. They were not protected from the calamity. They died. Soon after we faced another calamity in our nation. A sniper duo, driving around the Washington DC region of the East Coast, randomly killing innocent civilians. The snipers had no way of knowing whether the victims were believers or not – it was not an issue. There is no way the population can protect themselves from this type of calamity, except perhaps to lock themselves in their homes until the perpetrators are caught. Their peaceable little world becomes unraveled and they are helpless to do anything about it. And there is nothing to guarantee that a calamity of some magnitude will not happen in our own region. We live in a day of calamity and the shock waves continue to roll.
What are believers who live in such calamity ridden times to do? The only thing to do is to go through daily routines, to be as cautious as possible, and to live close to the Lord. If your time is up, it's up. There is nothing one can do to protect from calamity. But the believer does have something of great and infinite value in times of calamity. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ. Believers caught in calamity cross over from the land of the dying into the land of the living. "Even in death the righteous have a refuge." The possibility of sudden physical death has not been removed by our relationship with Jesus Christ, but the fear of it has. He is our eternal refuge.

May 13

May 13 - Today from Proverbs 13 we look at verse 12
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

'Hope' is more than a wish; it is a desire accompanied by expectation. Whatever the object of hope might be, there are accompanying indicators that raise the expectations of the one who hopes. I love the definition of faith in the KJV text of Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hope is not substantial. What makes hope real for people are the substantial indicators which point to fulfillment of that hope. The Blessed Hope of every believer is the return of Jesus Christ to consummate God's eternal plan, to execute eternal justice, and to take us to our eternal home. There is nothing substantial in that hope because it has never before been done and it is beyond our comprehension. So, God gave us a gift called faith. Faith is substantial. It comes from hearing God and that can be confirmed through His written word (Romans 10:17). Hebrews 11 goes on to give many examples from the Old Testament of common everyday people, just like you and I, who heard God and who believed God's Word (unchanging), even above their circumstances (which are always temporary and subject to change - 2 Cor. 4:18).
Mockers and fools do not view faith to be substantial because they do not believe God. They build hope from much more unreliable indicators. Hope deferred is a result of placing too much confidence in those unreliable indicators. The heart becomes sick when the object of hope has been elevated to a place of very high value, and then that hope vanishes. Mockers and fools are not the only victims of hope deferred; believers can also fall into this heart-sick trap. We can be lured into misplacing our values, and then building up our hopes on those values. Our expectations are tied into an expected performance of temporal things. In the recent past, many believers became heart-sick when they watched their life savings substantially diminished in the stock market. Bull markets are always temporary. Money itself is only temporary. Even it will fail in the day of wrath. Proverbs 10:15 says, "The wealth of the rich is their fortified city." It appears that those who live in a wealthy society or culture place their wealth as a pretty high indicator of their hope for a safe and secure future. They are setting themselves up for some heart-sickness. Money isn't the only substantial indicator of hopes that are subject to be deferred. It is just one of the most common. Check out a person's values and you will soon discover the threat to their hopes.
On the other hand, when one sets their desires in the proper place, and those longings are fulfilled, life happens. It may be misplaced hope that brings heart-sickness, but there is a cure. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way the truth and the life." Anything connected with life is connected with Jesus. If one seeks to find healing from the tree of life, then one must place their desires in Christ. He promises that if you seek, you will find (Luke 11:9). When your heart is seeking fellowship with Him simply to know Him, and that longing to know Him is fulfilled, all of the heart-sickness that was choking your life will disappear. You will have indeed found the healing which comes from the tree of life.
When you read the gospel accounts of Jesus' life, you will see Him encounter many heart-sick people. Their hopes were dashed and they had very little life left to which they could hang on to. And then they met the Giver of Life. They found a substance called faith - faith in this One who is the essence of life. Their hearts were cured, and they found a new passion. A passion to follow the One who held eternity. He is the same today as He was yesterday. He stills beckons us to come to Him when we are heart-sick. He still calls us to study His Word and listen for His voice - for from it will arise faith, and faith is the substance of things hoped for.
In Him we have everything and yet we continue to look outside of Him for things on which we can build our hope. Wisdom seeks to build all hope in Him and to be careful where passions are placed.

May 12

May 12 - Today from Proverbs 12 we look at verse 16
"A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult."

By definition an insult is an offensive or disrespectful action or remark. Who isn't annoyed by an insult? But this proverb is dealing with the reaction, not the emotion.
I begin by thinking of all the possible reasons one person might insult another. There really are no good reasons. Most reasons I can think of are mean and/or selfish. At best, one might insult another as retaliation - to 'get even' - speaking out of woundedness. Even then, one has no sound principle to stand on. We are instructed to forgive, just as our heavenly Father forgave us in Christ Jesus. What did it cost God to overlook the insults we heaped upon Him every time we violated a moral code (our catalogue of disrespectful actions and remarks against a holy God)? All we need to do is look at the cross. No greater price was ever paid.
God equipped us with emotions. We are not commanded 'not to feel annoyed'. I imagine God gets annoyed with me now and again. I get annoyed with people I love, and probably would even be willing to die for. But annoyance should never overshadow love. We are admonished to 'overlook an insult'. We can only do that by grace. Retaliation is placing self first. It is an act of pride. It is intended to hurt and to 'put the offender in their place' - which hopefully is somewhere below the place they tried to put us. Love doesn't do that. Love lifts up. Love stops destructive conflict and aims at peace. In the strange paradox of the spiritual realm, love controls the situation. When a person slaps you on the cheek, it would seem that you gain control by slapping them even harder. But that's not true. The situation actually gets even more out of control. But, when you turn the other cheek, suddenly you are in control - you have brought the situation under control. At the expense of your pride? Once again, look to the cross. Pride could have called a legion of angels to take our Lord off the cross, and to exercise revenge against those who unjustly placed Him there. But love held Him to the cross, and the conflict between God and man was finally brought under control - for any who will accept His gift. When Jesus hung there on the cross, Satan thought he was in control. He slapped and this 'weakling' actually turned His cheek. But the truth is, Jesus was in control the entire time. An extreme example? Yes. But we need an extreme example. We need to see something so extreme that even in our greatest hour of temptation we can look to it and say, "My situation is nothing compared to what the Holy Son of God dealt with at Calvary." We can draw incredible strength from the knowledge of the extremes He was willing to go through - for 'ME'!
How incredibly small-minded of me to think I increase my stature when I can 'one-up' some antagonist who spiritually ‘slapped my cheek’. That's not life the way God meant it to be. We are called to be a peacemakers. In God's kingdom that is not done through brute power and intimidation. It is done by stopping destructive conflict through introducing an act of love. The prudent man overlooks an insult not out of weakness, but out of strength. The fool retaliates and the conflict rages on. The prudent man overlooks and there is no more fuel for the enemy to throw on the fire.
Satan cannot defend against love because he does not understand it. He fully expects man to act from the vantage of pride. When man acts from the vantage of love, it breaks the chain of events that the devils are counting on. Talk about getting annoyed! Can you imagine a devil setting up a devious plan to bring retaliation, chaos and extreme hurt to mankind only to have his plan thwarted by someone who acted in love instead of pride?
The next time you are 'slapped' with an insult and the pride quickly rises to retaliate - stop! Look to Calvary. "Pray in the time of temptation, for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:41) God gives grace to the humble, and His grace is sufficient.

May 11

May 11 - Today from Proverbs 11 we look at verse 11
"Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed."

I will begin with a general thought of contrast; the upright genuinely places the needs of others first, the wicked place their own desires first. Sometimes the actions of an upright person and a wicked person may look very much alike, but it is the motive that will determine whether the action will bear any fruit.
Now I would like to share a 'life experience' with you. As I read this verse this morning, this observation came immediately to my mind.
Armenia is a tiny 'professing' Christian nation, surrounded by hostile Muslim nations. Although religion is much more of a cultural issue than a faith issue with the majority of the populaces in that region, there is clear hostility across the borders. The little land-locked nation of Armenia has been effectively cut off from world commerce for decades now. They have suffered from a modern malady know as 'brain drain'. This is when the educated and the people of means use their recourses to flee their homeland and resettle in places where they can provide for their families and prosper in life. Many of the 'elite' from Armenia have settled in the USA and Canada and are doing very well. This leaves the remaining populace of their nation diminished pretty much to the poor and the uneducated, and makes it even more difficult to find and train leaders who could help turn their miserable situation around. Armenia has no oil or other valuable market commodities that would entice Western intervention to help break the blockades and assist the people to develop an economy. It is a sad situation. It is the kind of situation that beckons relief organizations to come and assist.
While serving with such an organization, I visited Armenia in about 1995. We encouraged churches of our region to put together food parcels, each packed with very specific goods. We gathered hundreds of such parcels, weighing about 40-45 pounds each, and packed them into a shipping container and sent it on ahead to Armenia. I traveled with a small follow-up team as we went to help distribute the parcels and make a field report. I was shocked at the broad poverty level of the tiny nation. Electricity was limited to about two hours a day, and the people never knew which two hours. Family members took turns standing watch 24/7 so that when the electricity did come on, they could pump water, charge batteries and cook food. It was often in the wee hours of the morning. There was no economy. We stayed in the capital city of Yerevan. There you would find it to be very common to see three generations living together in very small flats. The entire family would rise in the morning, and after setting the designated 'electricity watch' for the day, each able member of the family would go out into the city and surrounding areas to look for any kind of work they could find. They would perform any labor for a few cents when and where they could. They would re-gather in the evening and pool whatever money they may have made to go and buy whatever food they could to feed the family that evening. Hand to mouth, every day. Some days the hands were empty, and so were the mouths.
You can imagine living such a life and then one day there is a knock at your door. The people standing there are holding a large carton, and inform you it is God's provision for your family. You invite them in and open the carton and there find a vast array of foodstuff; canned vegetables, cooking oil, flour, sugar, rice, powdered milk, candy, vitamins, and in addition there are bars of soap, tooth brushes and tooth paste, and other goods for the household. It is probably enough to subsidize the expanded family’s staples for up to a month or more. You would think the family would bolt the door behind the guests as they leave and begin to carefully hide all of the goods. But just the opposite happened! Time after time we would see the senior members of the family go to other flats in the high-rise complex and invite their neighbors over. They would then carefully begin to divide the goods with their neighbors. I don't know how these folks were in their personal relationship to Christ, but I can tell you, they were 'upright people'. When they were blessed, their little portion of the city was exalted. In the midst of unimaginable poverty and toil, they placed the needs of their neighbors above their own desires. They were rich in ways that we seldom understand.
God told Abraham, "I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing." (Gen. 12:2). There is a great principle for us here. When we are blessed, it is for the purpose of being a blessing. We are to serve as a channel of God's grace and provision. God gave His Son everything. His Son did not go and hide the blessing away. He died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin that we might enter into that blessing. Wisdom seeks to address the needs of others. In the process we are blessed. It is a lesson we need to learn daily. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever looses his life for me will save it. What good is it for man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" -Jesus (Luke 9:23-25)

May 10

May 10 - Today from Proverbs 10 we look at verse 23
"A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom."

This is a proverb of contrasts. The first thing we can note is that fools lack understanding. Of what? Of life the way God meant it to be. The contrast continues to reveal not only in what stimulates the fool and the man of understanding, but how it stimulates them.
There is a difference between the terms used for pleasure and delight here. For the fool, pleasure is a goal. Fools pursue pleasure by executing plans of evil conduct. For the man of understanding, delight is a result. Men of understanding pursue wisdom and are delighted when they find it. The difference between the fool and the man of understanding is the object of their pursuit in life.
The fool finds pleasure. The writer of this proverb doesn't deny the reality that pleasure is to be found in evil conduct. What is evil conduct? It is the perversion of life the way God meant it to be. For instance, a man and woman are to discover sexual delight in the sacrament of matrimony. One man, one woman, a commitment to love and honor one another 'til death do they part. That's life the way God meant it to be. Pervert that sexuality and make pleasure the goal and you come up with all kinds of evil conduct in order to achieve the goal of pleasure. The fool will indeed find pleasure in it, but will never find the deeper meaning of life and the delight of the hidden benefits of a life-long relationship while he continues to pursue pleasure. Moments of pleasure eat away at the sustenance of life. One can extrapolate this principle into every sort of evil conduct. Sin perverts. Righteousness brings understanding and delight.
Did you ever get a glimpse into a new truth? I mean like when you're reading the Bible, or meditating on a biblical principle and suddenly the Holy Spirit illuminates that passage or thought and it becomes a brilliant key which serves to unlock several other truths for you? Delight is hardly adequate to describe the feeling that comes over you in such moments. It so surpasses pleasure that you can hardly contain the joy that wells up in your heart. That joy comes from knowing that the revelation did not come from within yourself, but that the sovereign and eternal God of the universe chose to reveal it to you. It is but one more indication that your Father in heaven delights in YOU!
I have lived the life of the fool and indeed have found pleasure in evil conduct. But those pleasures are memories at best. There is no substance to them - at all. But God rescued me from that road to death. By His grace I now live the life of the man of understanding who pursues wisdom. I have been delighted in ways unspeakable through my relationship with my heavenly Father. There is tremendous substance in wisdom and understanding. They have eternal value. There is no comparison. The fool died when I gave my heart to Christ, and I became a brand new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). The fool seems but a faint memory now, another lifetime. I would not go back; there is not enough pleasure in this world. My goal is to continue to pursue wisdom, and to do it with passion. It is frustrating at times when Jesus is more knowledge than presence. But I guess that is one of the reasons why He gave us the gift of faith. We have something to fall back on when the perversions of life may seem to be more real than life. One day we will be free from the very presence of evil conduct - forever. I look forward to that day, because I will then truly be home. But until that day, His grace is sufficient.
What are your pursuits in life today?

May 9

May 9 - Today from Proverbs 9 we look at verse 6
"Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding."

It is important that we stay in context as we focus on the phrase 'simple ways'. This does not refer to one who has chosen to live a more primitive life-style at 'Walden's Pond'. It does not refer to a person who has an abnormally low I.Q. It has nothing to do with life-style or intelligence, it has to do with a developed personality characteristic. The 'simple' in the book of proverbs are those who choose to continue to live according their feelings rather than by developing an ability to investigate and reason. Of the seven major theories of human nature, the 'simple' would best fall under the category of 'existentialism'.
There are three main concerns that are central to existentialism:
1. The uniqueness of the individual human as opposed to general theories about humanity
2. Concern for the meaning or purpose of human lives rather than with scientific or metaphysical truths about the universe.
3. The freedom of individuals is the most important and distinctive human property.
The conclusion of such a theory is to believe in the ability of every person to choose for himself his attitudes, purposes, values and way of life. It goes without saying that very few existentialists would identify themselves as such, or could articulate this theory, because they never really thought through the process. They simply adopt it from the culture because it 'feels' right.
One breaks out of the dead-end ways of existentialism by learning to investigate and reason. When one seriously begins to look at the evidence of history and nature, one will quickly come to the reasonable conclusion that there is a 'Divine Intelligence'. Verse 10 of today's chapter says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Once the simple acknowledge that there may be a higher purpose for them other than to 'feel good' or to 'feel good about themselves' for whatever period of time is allotted to them, REASON will lead them to wisdom.
I am convinced that atheists and evolutionists are some of the most unreasonable people on the face of the earth. I don't hate them. I don't judge them. I am simply making an objective observation; Everything they believe and tout is based on nothing. Anyone who would seriously investigate their claims and apply sound reason to their theories would dismiss them in a heartbeat. Yet, these principles continue to be taught as a reasonable truth in our public education systems and millions of dollars are spent each year making 'historical documentaries' promoting their unreasonable theories on Public TV and various 'educational channels'. Meanwhile, our children continue to be indoctrinated in existentialism (although they have never heard the term), and are never taught to investigate and reason in search of truth. Instead, they are taught to be suspicious of people (groups) who claim to have a knowledge of universal truth.
Because the 'simple' are focused on 'feeling good about themselves' today, they seldom, if ever, think about eternity (after all, that would involve investigation and reasoning). They quickly 'buy into' stories about people who came back from death where they saw a 'bright light and everything was so wonderful and peaceful' - and adopt that as their 'feel-good' solution to forever. There is no logic or reason - only a satisfactory subjective feel-good solution to something they'd rather not think too much about. It is strange to me how they can be so casual about something so final - eternity.
The first step for the cure of the simple is to learn to reason. This calls for us to investigate, to gather credible information, to objectively evaluate what we found, and to apply what we hold to be true.
"Leave your simple ways and you will live." Hold fast to your simple ways, and you will too late discover the reality of eternal separation from a loving God who offered life. He says to us in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." There is not enough in this verse to tell us how that is accomplished, but there should be enough here to send us on a reasonable investigation which could lead us to the way of eternal life.

May 8

May 8 - Today from Proverbs 8 we look at verse 5
"You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding."

Perhaps with the exception of pounds, we like the prospect of gain. It's a healthy sounding word. To gain is most often associated with adding value. That is certainly the case in this verse. Simple and foolish are seen as negative terms. Just hearing (or seeing) the words can tend to set us on the defense. There is great danger in taking a defensive attitude and that is that we often miss a truth, and thus we miss opportunity for instruction. This is particularly true with the word of God.
My daily devotions and periodic meditations are valuable because it is just God and me. There is no audience, and thus there is no reason to fear being honest to my own shame before men. Shame is the undergarment of pride. We keep it hidden before the eyes of men. But God . . . God already intimately knows me, through and through. He knows my shame. The amazing thing is that He still loves me - unconditionally. When it's just He and I, there is nothing to lose by being as honest as I possibly can before Him - and there is so very much to gain. When I open my heart to His word, and He reveals to me any areas in my life where I tend to be simple (when I do not objectively think issues through or purposely plot a course in some issue in life), or foolish (when I know the risks and consequences but continue on a self-important or self-destructive path anyway), there is no defensive posture before God. I cannot fool God, nor can I negotiate sound principles with Him. I can either choose to remain simple or foolish by ignoring Him, or I can listen to Him and repent of my erroneous way. Any time I choose to do the latter, I have gained prudence. Any time I choose to walk prudently, understanding comes. By gaining prudence and understanding, I have added value to my life, and to those around me.
The terms simple and foolish are not static. That is the wonderful thing about this verse. There is hope, and that hope lies in the word gain. It is a command of sorts, and God would not command us to do that which is not possible. He is a just God. Simplistic attitudes and foolish living diminish in the soul that strives to gain prudence and understanding. Prudence and understanding comes by humbling oneself before God (taking off every garment of pride) and spending quality time before Him. It is not His intention to reveal your shame to the world, but to remove your shame altogether and to clothe you with His righteousness. That comes through confession ("Yes, Lord. I have acted very foolishly in that area."), and repentance ("Thank you for your strength Lord, I will go on that path no further, but turn to the path you have shown me.").
Jesus bore our guilt and shame on the cross at Calvary. But, in order to gain from His sacrifice, we have to turn the guilt and shame over to Him. We cannot do it if we keep it covered by our pride. Turn to Him today - and every day - and take off your garments of pride and pray the humble prayer of David in Psalm 139:23,24:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Amen.