Jan 7 - Today from Proverbs 7 we look at verses 1 & 2
"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye."
Some of the mystery of this Proverb was cleared up for me when years ago, somewhere in my studies I discovered what the "apple of your eye" is. It is the black center - the pupil. From this we can begin to see the practicality of the metaphor. To guard the pupil of the eye is first of all a reflex. You could touch it with effort, but your bodily reflexes do all they can to stop it. Your 'instincts', if you will, know how sensitive and valuable that tiny part of your body is. Of all of the hundreds of square inches on your body, only these two tiny dots allow light into the body. Without them, you would have no sense of light. There would be no sense of form or color of the world in which you live.
Jesus uses this metaphor in Matthew 6:22, 23; "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." God's teachings (the scriptures), are the only objective source of spiritual truth that we have. We need to guard that truth, for by it we are able to walk as enlightened people. By it we will not stumble by deceitfulness. Jesus says a strange thing at the end of verse 23; "If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" That's the irony of the deceitfulness of all false religions and vain philosophies of man; people think it is light. We have no way to judge it until we encounter the true light - the revelation of the scriptures. In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul refers to God’s Word as the sword of the Spirit – the weapon of our spiritual armor. In speaking of our weapons in 2 Corinthians 10, he says "They have divine power (to) demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God." The true light of revealed scriptures exposes and consumes the darkness of ‘false light’.
We are first to store up God’s commands within us. That means when God reveals truth, we must receive it. Then we must guard His commands, knowing that it is through them alone that we can function as He purposed. The ultimate Truth is Jesus Himself (John 14:6). He is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Those who do not receive Him and live in a relationship with Him will one day find out 'how great is that darkness' in which they chose to live. Embrace God's Word. Cherish God's Word. By doing this on a consistent basis, one will indeed develop and maintain a 'good eye'. Such an eye is truly worth protecting.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
January 6
Jan 6 - Today from Proverbs 6 we look at verses 20-22
"My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you."
Our first encounters with instruction are from our parents. Proverbs is neither a book of law nor a book of promises. It’s a book of wisdom. It mostly deals with life as it should be, or why it isn't always as it should be. Parents are to be very careful to be moral agents in teaching their children about life. Most parents are. Children should follow parental instruction in the area of morals because parents have lived a lot more of life than their children. And if parents are indeed growing in wisdom as they process years of life, it means they will increasingly be functioning as God purposed. Just as our heavenly Father, they will always be looking to serve the best interests of their children. The apostle Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God." (1 Thes. 2:11, 12). It is a great model for parents to follow.
When a child can trust that parents serve their best interests, a child will usually learn to follow instruction. (Yes, I said usually. They are free moral agents, just like we are.) A Godly parent who earns the trust of their child and instructs them in wisdom will indelibly impress moral behavior somewhere in that child's character. As Godly parents, we are to do our best to instill wisdom in our children. We are to live exemplary moral lives before them. We are to allow our children to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. We are to love them unconditionally, and to pray over them all the days of their lives. Our job is to properly love them. It’s God’s job to make them good.
I can tell you from personal experience, that even when a child goes into rebellion - even deep rebellion - the indelibly etched instruction and exemplary model of the parents can eventually prove to be a huge factor in seeing that child come back. And again - never underestimate the power of prayer. In fact, you can fashion a prayer out of this passage for your children;
"Lord, bind your moral law upon the hearts of our children. Let your word guide them when they walk, protect them when they sleep, and speak to their hearts when they awaken. And Lord, grant me grace today to do my part - to instruct them in your ways, to be a Godly example unto them, and to love them unconditionally. Amen."
"My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you."
Our first encounters with instruction are from our parents. Proverbs is neither a book of law nor a book of promises. It’s a book of wisdom. It mostly deals with life as it should be, or why it isn't always as it should be. Parents are to be very careful to be moral agents in teaching their children about life. Most parents are. Children should follow parental instruction in the area of morals because parents have lived a lot more of life than their children. And if parents are indeed growing in wisdom as they process years of life, it means they will increasingly be functioning as God purposed. Just as our heavenly Father, they will always be looking to serve the best interests of their children. The apostle Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God." (1 Thes. 2:11, 12). It is a great model for parents to follow.
When a child can trust that parents serve their best interests, a child will usually learn to follow instruction. (Yes, I said usually. They are free moral agents, just like we are.) A Godly parent who earns the trust of their child and instructs them in wisdom will indelibly impress moral behavior somewhere in that child's character. As Godly parents, we are to do our best to instill wisdom in our children. We are to live exemplary moral lives before them. We are to allow our children to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. We are to love them unconditionally, and to pray over them all the days of their lives. Our job is to properly love them. It’s God’s job to make them good.
I can tell you from personal experience, that even when a child goes into rebellion - even deep rebellion - the indelibly etched instruction and exemplary model of the parents can eventually prove to be a huge factor in seeing that child come back. And again - never underestimate the power of prayer. In fact, you can fashion a prayer out of this passage for your children;
"Lord, bind your moral law upon the hearts of our children. Let your word guide them when they walk, protect them when they sleep, and speak to their hearts when they awaken. And Lord, grant me grace today to do my part - to instruct them in your ways, to be a Godly example unto them, and to love them unconditionally. Amen."
Sunday, January 4, 2009
January 5
Jan 5 - Today from Proverbs 5 we look at verses 22 & 23
"The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly."
There is a continual theme about the contrast of discipline/life and folly/death throughout the book of Proverbs. There is a reason for this; "Repetition is a good teacher." Proverbs isn't meant to be a quick read-through like some kind of novel. It is to be studied a little each day. I can remember as a child what a drag it was memorizing my times-tables. Day-by-day, week-by-week. The two-times were quite easy. The nine-times worse. The twelve-times a nightmare. But eventually I had them stuck in my mind. For almost twenty years I worked in a lumberyard. I worked with twelve-times all of the time - feet to inches, inches to feet. I don't even have to think about it any more. My wife was recently employed by a fabric shop. She is getting proficient in nine-times; square feet to square yards, square yards to square feet. Repetition is a good teacher. God wants us to quickly calculate that which is discipline and that which is folly. He wants it to become second nature for us. He uses repetition too.
The root word for 'folly' in the Hebrew language is 'perverse'. Sound familiar? To be perverse means to be self-willed. To be self-willed is folly. Folly brings about death - separated from God and from the wonderful purposes for which He created us. Discipline in this case is not self-discipline, rather it is 'instruction' or 'chastisement'. It is the correction of a loving parent. It is discipline only if it is received. Self-willed people will not receive discipline and they end up 'ensnared', tangled in the cords of the very sin that separates them from a relationship with God. Not a nice picture.
As believers we have two things going for us. We have clear enough instruction through the Word of God and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to 'prick’ our conscience when we would seek to exercise our own will against that of God. The problem comes when we chose to ignore His voice and go with our own folly. Sometimes our folly appears to be wisdom, but we are warned not to lean on our own understanding. "There is a way which seems right to man, but in end it leads to death." (14:12). Repetition. The Word of God is to take precedence in every matter - His Word brings life. His Word keeps us from getting ensnared and tangled in the cords of sin. It is worth studying - over and over until it becomes a part of our thinking process.
"The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly."
There is a continual theme about the contrast of discipline/life and folly/death throughout the book of Proverbs. There is a reason for this; "Repetition is a good teacher." Proverbs isn't meant to be a quick read-through like some kind of novel. It is to be studied a little each day. I can remember as a child what a drag it was memorizing my times-tables. Day-by-day, week-by-week. The two-times were quite easy. The nine-times worse. The twelve-times a nightmare. But eventually I had them stuck in my mind. For almost twenty years I worked in a lumberyard. I worked with twelve-times all of the time - feet to inches, inches to feet. I don't even have to think about it any more. My wife was recently employed by a fabric shop. She is getting proficient in nine-times; square feet to square yards, square yards to square feet. Repetition is a good teacher. God wants us to quickly calculate that which is discipline and that which is folly. He wants it to become second nature for us. He uses repetition too.
The root word for 'folly' in the Hebrew language is 'perverse'. Sound familiar? To be perverse means to be self-willed. To be self-willed is folly. Folly brings about death - separated from God and from the wonderful purposes for which He created us. Discipline in this case is not self-discipline, rather it is 'instruction' or 'chastisement'. It is the correction of a loving parent. It is discipline only if it is received. Self-willed people will not receive discipline and they end up 'ensnared', tangled in the cords of the very sin that separates them from a relationship with God. Not a nice picture.
As believers we have two things going for us. We have clear enough instruction through the Word of God and we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to 'prick’ our conscience when we would seek to exercise our own will against that of God. The problem comes when we chose to ignore His voice and go with our own folly. Sometimes our folly appears to be wisdom, but we are warned not to lean on our own understanding. "There is a way which seems right to man, but in end it leads to death." (14:12). Repetition. The Word of God is to take precedence in every matter - His Word brings life. His Word keeps us from getting ensnared and tangled in the cords of sin. It is worth studying - over and over until it becomes a part of our thinking process.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
January 4
Jan 4 - Today from Proverbs 4 we look at verse 13
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well for it is your life."
The first question that comes to mind is, "When would I 'let go' of sound instruction?"
Verse 10 instructs us to 'accept' instruction. The KJV uses the word ‘take’. It is more than just being in the general proximity of something. To accept instruction means we take hold of it. To use an analogy from our modern day, let’s say your sitting in your living room watching some of your favorite fare on TV and a guest walks in. You turn and look, maybe give a nod, and then turn your focus back on the program. The guest might be in your home, but you have not received your guest. It is the same with sound instruction. Sitting in church and listening to a message does not equate with receiving the message. To receive means to embrace and take hold of it. To put it to use. That is how God’s instruction bears fruit in our lives. So, why would I let it go?
I can think of three immediate reasons; Fear, lust (any desire of the flesh), and laziness. I am ashamed to admit I can be guilty of all three. That is not a statement of surrender to sin. By God's grace and through His mercy I am committed to mature and to grow in victory - but it's a struggle at times. Holding on takes an effort. In the front of one of my Bibles I wrote the text "Tempted? - Matthew 26:40". I guess it was in one of those times of effort. The text reads, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." It's still the best way I know of to guard instruction. When I stumble, I really don't forget what is right. It’s more likely that I don't call upon the One who promised strength to guard right in times of weakness . . . those times of fear, lust or laziness.
Life is in Christ. He says that His instruction is life. It makes sense. His instruction is for our best. Our best comes by being in a vital relationship with Him. All else pales in light of that wonderful truth. How simple it seems to pray in times of temptation. How difficult it is in times of reality. It's a discipline, and it is what disciples are called to.
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well for it is your life."
The first question that comes to mind is, "When would I 'let go' of sound instruction?"
Verse 10 instructs us to 'accept' instruction. The KJV uses the word ‘take’. It is more than just being in the general proximity of something. To accept instruction means we take hold of it. To use an analogy from our modern day, let’s say your sitting in your living room watching some of your favorite fare on TV and a guest walks in. You turn and look, maybe give a nod, and then turn your focus back on the program. The guest might be in your home, but you have not received your guest. It is the same with sound instruction. Sitting in church and listening to a message does not equate with receiving the message. To receive means to embrace and take hold of it. To put it to use. That is how God’s instruction bears fruit in our lives. So, why would I let it go?
I can think of three immediate reasons; Fear, lust (any desire of the flesh), and laziness. I am ashamed to admit I can be guilty of all three. That is not a statement of surrender to sin. By God's grace and through His mercy I am committed to mature and to grow in victory - but it's a struggle at times. Holding on takes an effort. In the front of one of my Bibles I wrote the text "Tempted? - Matthew 26:40". I guess it was in one of those times of effort. The text reads, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." It's still the best way I know of to guard instruction. When I stumble, I really don't forget what is right. It’s more likely that I don't call upon the One who promised strength to guard right in times of weakness . . . those times of fear, lust or laziness.
Life is in Christ. He says that His instruction is life. It makes sense. His instruction is for our best. Our best comes by being in a vital relationship with Him. All else pales in light of that wonderful truth. How simple it seems to pray in times of temptation. How difficult it is in times of reality. It's a discipline, and it is what disciples are called to.
Friday, January 2, 2009
January 3
Jan 3- Today from Proverbs 3 we look at verses 31 & 32
"Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man and takes the upright into His confidence."
I have had my current devotional Bible for many years now, and have read through the Proverbs dozens of times in it. So, as you can well imagine I have all kinds of underlines, stars, comments and even question marks in the margins. Years ago I had penned this comment to the end of verse 32, "WOW!". Every time I read this verse, I still think, WOW! Why? Doesn't it amaze you that the sovereign, eternal Creator of the entire universe would take a mortal, imperfect and sometimes undependable man into His confidence? It does me. So my next thought is, what kind of man would God take into His confidence?
An upright man. What does an upright man look like? Well, we can be sure he's not violent, for that is the contrast in this thought. There is also another key word - "perverse". In the Hebrew it literally means 'turn aside'. Perverse means to turn away from what is right or good. It's a conscious effort. God did not create man to be violent. The 'upright' man is the man who is moving in a right direction, toward the purposes for which God created Him. A perverse man is one who has turned aside from those purposes. Violence is a result of that perverseness. When a man begins to act in a self-serving manner, he increasingly displays emotional and even physical force to get his own way. This is perverse. We were created to serve God by loving one another.
I want to be an upright man. I am astounded that God would even consider confiding in me. If He considers it, I want to benefit from it. The best way I know how to be upright is to seek to know Him, and to understand His will for my life. I can do this by constantly studying His word. By spending time with Him in prayer. By confessing and repenting of areas of disobedience I discover through these disciplines. By seeking His grace through the power of His Holy Spirit to enable me to live in the manner for which He created me. Granted, there are times when I slip, when I am undependable - but by His grace I am growing. His mercies are new each day. He is faithful. What a joy to know that in spite of my failures, He still confides in me. I sure love Him!
"Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man and takes the upright into His confidence."
I have had my current devotional Bible for many years now, and have read through the Proverbs dozens of times in it. So, as you can well imagine I have all kinds of underlines, stars, comments and even question marks in the margins. Years ago I had penned this comment to the end of verse 32, "WOW!". Every time I read this verse, I still think, WOW! Why? Doesn't it amaze you that the sovereign, eternal Creator of the entire universe would take a mortal, imperfect and sometimes undependable man into His confidence? It does me. So my next thought is, what kind of man would God take into His confidence?
An upright man. What does an upright man look like? Well, we can be sure he's not violent, for that is the contrast in this thought. There is also another key word - "perverse". In the Hebrew it literally means 'turn aside'. Perverse means to turn away from what is right or good. It's a conscious effort. God did not create man to be violent. The 'upright' man is the man who is moving in a right direction, toward the purposes for which God created Him. A perverse man is one who has turned aside from those purposes. Violence is a result of that perverseness. When a man begins to act in a self-serving manner, he increasingly displays emotional and even physical force to get his own way. This is perverse. We were created to serve God by loving one another.
I want to be an upright man. I am astounded that God would even consider confiding in me. If He considers it, I want to benefit from it. The best way I know how to be upright is to seek to know Him, and to understand His will for my life. I can do this by constantly studying His word. By spending time with Him in prayer. By confessing and repenting of areas of disobedience I discover through these disciplines. By seeking His grace through the power of His Holy Spirit to enable me to live in the manner for which He created me. Granted, there are times when I slip, when I am undependable - but by His grace I am growing. His mercies are new each day. He is faithful. What a joy to know that in spite of my failures, He still confides in me. I sure love Him!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
January 2
Jan 2- Today from Proverbs 2 we look at verse 6
"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
This appears to be a simple enough statement. By itself, it would seem that all we have to do is ask the Lord for wisdom in some matter and He simply doles it out. But, when you read verses 1-4 you get a different picture. As a rule, God doesn't just 'drop' wisdom on people. We have to work at it. We have to accept His words and store up His commands. We can't do that without studying. We have to call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. This means that we need to be in dialogue with God. We have to look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure. This means it's not generally laying right on the surface - we have to work at it and dig it out. Just like achieving anything worthwhile in life, we need to work at gaining wisdom. We have to remember also, that the only true source of wisdom is God. All of our efforts at growing in wisdom must be centered on Him. When we ask Him for wisdom in some matter, we then must frame the possibilities for direction or solution with questions like;
"What principles do we find in God’s Word regarding the subject?"
"Would the direction I am taking reflect the character of Christ?"
"Is the principle driving my thought process an opinion or a conviction?"
"Does the solution reflect my love for God? My love for my neighbor?"
As we process through situations in life by asking such questions, we need to be in constant dialogue with God by seeking His Word and listening to His Spirit in prayer. When He speaks through His Word and confirms by His Spirit, we have but one option – to accept His will and obey His voice. It is through obedience that we gain knowledge and understanding.
"For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
This appears to be a simple enough statement. By itself, it would seem that all we have to do is ask the Lord for wisdom in some matter and He simply doles it out. But, when you read verses 1-4 you get a different picture. As a rule, God doesn't just 'drop' wisdom on people. We have to work at it. We have to accept His words and store up His commands. We can't do that without studying. We have to call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding. This means that we need to be in dialogue with God. We have to look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure. This means it's not generally laying right on the surface - we have to work at it and dig it out. Just like achieving anything worthwhile in life, we need to work at gaining wisdom. We have to remember also, that the only true source of wisdom is God. All of our efforts at growing in wisdom must be centered on Him. When we ask Him for wisdom in some matter, we then must frame the possibilities for direction or solution with questions like;
"What principles do we find in God’s Word regarding the subject?"
"Would the direction I am taking reflect the character of Christ?"
"Is the principle driving my thought process an opinion or a conviction?"
"Does the solution reflect my love for God? My love for my neighbor?"
As we process through situations in life by asking such questions, we need to be in constant dialogue with God by seeking His Word and listening to His Spirit in prayer. When He speaks through His Word and confirms by His Spirit, we have but one option – to accept His will and obey His voice. It is through obedience that we gain knowledge and understanding.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
January 1
Jan 1 - Today from Proverbs 1 we look at verses 1-4
"The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young."
The wisest man who ever lived knew that his wisdom was a gift from the Creator, and that he had a responsibility to use this gift to help others. Being inspired by the Spirit, Solomon purposefully took the time to compile what he felt to be some of the most comprehensive of the three thousand proverbs he spoke (1 Kings 4:32). He begins the book by spelling out these purposes.
To begin, we see that wisdom and discipline are paired together (also in verse 7). They both require effort. Anything worthwhile achieving in this world takes effort. One of the antitheses of wisdom is simplicity. When the proverbs speak of a simple person (i.e. verse 4), it is reference to a person without moral direction; that is, a person who drifts in the flow of the world system. The Bible teaches that man is born with a sinful nature and if left to follow his own natural inclinations, he will gravitate toward evil behavior. It takes effort to resist that natural flow toward evil. For the believer, the Bible is our source of moral principle. Keeping of the moral law does not in any way get a person into heaven. That was never the purpose of moral law. What the learning and observance of moral law does do is keeps a person, and/or an institution, and/or a society, orderly and functional in the way God intended life to be. The essence of sin causes pain and misery. The essence of moral living causes peaceable and productive living. A moral lifestyle is not natural, it takes effort.
Wisdom has much to do with morality. Wisdom is learning and applying the principles of life from God's perspective. This indeed takes discipline. Romans 12:2 teaches that the natural mind is conformed to the patterns of this world. It takes little or no effort to conform to what is natural. We are called to transform our behavior by renewing our minds to see life from God's perspective. The terms 'transform' and 'renew' clearly speak of discipline and effort.
King Solomon also tells us that the rewards are worth the effort. Even nature tells us that if one puts quality effort in at the front end for the right reasons, the results are quality satisfaction. Take any worthwhile achievement in life, and the formula works. For years I was a wood worker and cabinet builder. If I wanted to create a quality piece, I had to put quality effort and thought in at the front end of the project. I had to choose the best wood, glue and fasteners for the particular uniqueness of the project I was working on. I had to take time to draw up a workable plan, and to think through the steps and procedures several times before I ever picked up a tool. I had to try to anticipate any and every challenge the project might create, and how I would meet or solve the particular challenge. I learned tricks of the trade from other woodworkers. I read books on woodworking. I gained practical experience over the years that would help me to be better prepared and more efficient as I took on new projects. I did all of this so that when the project was complete, it would be beautiful, functional and enduring. There was always great pleasure in a job well done. The rewards were worth the effort.
Living a moral life is no different. I looked up 'moral' in the dictionary and found one of the definitions to say, "based on likelihood rather than evidence." When I undertook to build a custom cabinet, there was no evidence to work from. Everything depended upon likelihood. All of my choices of materials, my planning of procedures, my experience and disciplines were no evidence that I would turn out a fine piece. But the likelihood was that I would end up with a beautiful, functional and enduring piece because of the clear and disciplined boundaries in which I worked. Accomplished people put great effort into building a cabinet, playing a round of golf, baking a pie, playing a piece on the piano, repairing a damaged heart, painting a picture, learning a new move on a skateboard, writing a policy . . . or whatever their area of skill might be. Shouldn’t we then put forth effort and discipline in building moral character so that we can see quality and satisfying results in the lives of our children, of our grandchildren, of our community in years to come?
Moral living won't get us to heaven. Only the blood of Jesus can accomplish that. But moral living will bring some of heaven to the world in which we live. I think that's worth the effort.
"The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young."
The wisest man who ever lived knew that his wisdom was a gift from the Creator, and that he had a responsibility to use this gift to help others. Being inspired by the Spirit, Solomon purposefully took the time to compile what he felt to be some of the most comprehensive of the three thousand proverbs he spoke (1 Kings 4:32). He begins the book by spelling out these purposes.
To begin, we see that wisdom and discipline are paired together (also in verse 7). They both require effort. Anything worthwhile achieving in this world takes effort. One of the antitheses of wisdom is simplicity. When the proverbs speak of a simple person (i.e. verse 4), it is reference to a person without moral direction; that is, a person who drifts in the flow of the world system. The Bible teaches that man is born with a sinful nature and if left to follow his own natural inclinations, he will gravitate toward evil behavior. It takes effort to resist that natural flow toward evil. For the believer, the Bible is our source of moral principle. Keeping of the moral law does not in any way get a person into heaven. That was never the purpose of moral law. What the learning and observance of moral law does do is keeps a person, and/or an institution, and/or a society, orderly and functional in the way God intended life to be. The essence of sin causes pain and misery. The essence of moral living causes peaceable and productive living. A moral lifestyle is not natural, it takes effort.
Wisdom has much to do with morality. Wisdom is learning and applying the principles of life from God's perspective. This indeed takes discipline. Romans 12:2 teaches that the natural mind is conformed to the patterns of this world. It takes little or no effort to conform to what is natural. We are called to transform our behavior by renewing our minds to see life from God's perspective. The terms 'transform' and 'renew' clearly speak of discipline and effort.
King Solomon also tells us that the rewards are worth the effort. Even nature tells us that if one puts quality effort in at the front end for the right reasons, the results are quality satisfaction. Take any worthwhile achievement in life, and the formula works. For years I was a wood worker and cabinet builder. If I wanted to create a quality piece, I had to put quality effort and thought in at the front end of the project. I had to choose the best wood, glue and fasteners for the particular uniqueness of the project I was working on. I had to take time to draw up a workable plan, and to think through the steps and procedures several times before I ever picked up a tool. I had to try to anticipate any and every challenge the project might create, and how I would meet or solve the particular challenge. I learned tricks of the trade from other woodworkers. I read books on woodworking. I gained practical experience over the years that would help me to be better prepared and more efficient as I took on new projects. I did all of this so that when the project was complete, it would be beautiful, functional and enduring. There was always great pleasure in a job well done. The rewards were worth the effort.
Living a moral life is no different. I looked up 'moral' in the dictionary and found one of the definitions to say, "based on likelihood rather than evidence." When I undertook to build a custom cabinet, there was no evidence to work from. Everything depended upon likelihood. All of my choices of materials, my planning of procedures, my experience and disciplines were no evidence that I would turn out a fine piece. But the likelihood was that I would end up with a beautiful, functional and enduring piece because of the clear and disciplined boundaries in which I worked. Accomplished people put great effort into building a cabinet, playing a round of golf, baking a pie, playing a piece on the piano, repairing a damaged heart, painting a picture, learning a new move on a skateboard, writing a policy . . . or whatever their area of skill might be. Shouldn’t we then put forth effort and discipline in building moral character so that we can see quality and satisfying results in the lives of our children, of our grandchildren, of our community in years to come?
Moral living won't get us to heaven. Only the blood of Jesus can accomplish that. But moral living will bring some of heaven to the world in which we live. I think that's worth the effort.
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