Compliments, Correction and Stewardship

Proverbs 27:2

          Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and
          not your own lips.

I was recently attended an awards banquet to honor educators. It was a celebration of work done on behalf of youth. It was a refreshing evening because it seemed that evening was more than willing to praise the work of their peers, rather than boast about their own accomplishments. Recognition from others triumphed over self-promotion.

Proverbs 27:17

          As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

I am grateful for the network of accountability that God has woven into my life. I have peers whom I speak to daily who hold me to my highest ideals. I have a personal coach who speaks words into my life. I even have the privilege of coaching someone. The discipline of having people speaking into my life and speaking into the lives of others makes me a better man.

Proverbs 27:18, 23-24

          He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his
          master will be honored. Be sure you know the condition of your
          flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure
          forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Faithful stewardship over your possessions will ensure that you will have plenty in your time of need.

Concealing Sins Leads to Trouble.

Being open with our faults, confessing our sin and turning a way from destruction behavior brings mercy. A pattern of concealing our sins hardens our heart. I have worked with people that were so conditioned by sin that they cannot distinguish between the truth and a lie. They seem disconnected and distant from the people around them, even the people they love - if they can still love them. A harden heart finds it difficult to respect anyone, even God. Without the fear of God to temper their behavior they find themselves in trouble.

Proverbs 28:13,14

          He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and
          renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the
          LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

Self-Deception and Gossip

Proverbs 26:12, 16

          Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool
          than for him. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who
          answer discreetly.

Accurate evaluation is crucial to leadership. Without the ability to assess one's ability, many are led to disastrous vocational decisions. We must know ourselves before we know what assignments to take.

Proverbs 26:20, 22

          Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. The
          words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's
          inmost parts.

Gossips kills. It destroys the reputation of the gossiper and the gossipee. Whenever I hear gossip. I wonder what they are saying about me when I am not around.

Hide and Seek With God

Proverbs 25:2

         It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter
         is the glory of kings.

Why would God hide things from us? I think it is because he wants to grow our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual abilities. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, do you really think God needed help tending and cultivating the garden? No, his purpose was to give the man a job that would exercise his abilities. Physically he would grow strong by working the land. Emotionally man would have the opportunity to interact with one made just like him in Eve. Mentally he would be challenged to study each animal and give it a name that corresponded to its nature. Spiritually, man would have daily chats with God not only to debrief the day, but to experiencing intimacy with his creator.

God hides a matter so that he can draw the best out of us through our active engagement in trying to make sense of the world he has made.

Speaking and Singing Out On Behalf On Sex Trafficking

Proverbs 24:11

          Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering
          toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
          does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who
          guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according
          to what he has done?

A good friend of mind Josh produced an album and launched a tour this summer to raise awareness of the sex trafficking plague gripping the land. The Voice speaks of the anguish of those affected by this horrible form of human slavery. If you don't know what to say, let the Voice help you gain your voice on behalf of the helpless and hopeless victims of the child sex trade.
 
Follow this link to hear the album and purchase it electronically or order a physical copy - http://kroothless.bandcamp.com/

Role Models

Proverbs 23:17

          Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous
          for the fear of the LORD.

While driving home from church with my boys, the subject of rap artists came up, particularly about an artist recently released from prison. The boys agreed that he was not releasing any good music anymore. Another artist recently started serving time and the boys predicted that he would be dead within a year of being released. It is amazing that such people are revered as role models. Even though their end is almost always sure ruin, these artists constantly get new fans who adore them.

Thankfully the writer to the Proverbs gives us a great alternative. Those who are zealous for the Lord and all his ways will find favor. We need to focus our sights on the proper role model, not on those who will fail us and not deliver the satisfaction they promise. The heart that is set on the fear of the Lord will find a hope and a future.

Integrity is more valuable than riches

1. Integrity is more valuable than riches. Ultimately, a good reputation increases profits in the long run.

2. God decides who is in rich or poor materially in this world, but both are of equal value to God and should be honored.

3. There is a fine line between sticking to the plan and knowing when to give in - discernment is needed.

4. The world says to promote yourself to get ahead. God emphasizes humility and respect of God in all our ways as the key to wealth.

6. Trust God that your investment in your children will yield a rich reward in the future.

7. Debt is another form of modern day slavery. We need to get emancipated as soon as possible.

9. Give to those in need and you will find yourself blessed.

10. The best way to end conflict is to rid yourself of mockers, those who do not want to listen to instruction.

13. Beware of those who always have an excuse not to work.

24-25. Know a person's friends and you know a person's character.

29. Excellent work will lead to the highest praise.

Proverbs 21 Applied

1. When meeting with the powerful, remember that it is God who directs your steps, not the human power in front of you.

2. We are all liable to self-deception, which is why we must listen to the Lord's word and Spirit to get to the truth.

3. Small daily obedience is more acceptable to God than big promises.

5. Get rich quick schemes meet reality: “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty” (TLB).

11. The wise do not repeat the mistakes of others.

13. To receive mercy you must be merciful.

15. Justice is a friend to those who live right and a terror to those who live in disobedience.

16. Stay true to your God-given wisdom, to deviate from that road leads to a dead end.

 17. The pampered, self-indulgent life is an expressway to poverty.

20. A glutton will go hungry in the winter because he has no reserves, he consumes whatever he gets.

21. Aim at righteousness and love and life, prosperity and honor.

28. Believing a liar brings destruction.

30. Our earthly strategies cannot overcome God's wisdom.

31. The process belongs to us, the results belong to God.

Words of Life, Works of death

Proverbs 18:4

          The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom
          is a bubbling brook.
 
I am struck by this proverb, but don't fully get its meaning. The closest I am come to is that when man speaks it is falls into a deep, dark abyss. It is stagnant and does not produce life. When words of wisdom proceed from the mouth of God, life producing activity ensues.
 
Proverbs 18:9
 
         Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
 
Sloppy work destroys lives. Whether it is a bridge collapse, a poorly constructed oil rig, or laziness in completing your homework, slack work destroys. Slack works cooperates with the destroying work of the evil one.

Creating A Culture of Peace

Proverbs 17:1,14

         Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of
         feasting, with strife. Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
         so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Our family is going through the Young Peacemaker study material. The goal is to learn how to respond to conflict biblically and encourage a culture of peace in the family. The material begins with three profiles of responses to conflict: escape, attack, and work it out. Thus far we have identified the escapers and the attackers in our family and praying that we will learn to stand on the work it out part of the model.

Last night we spoke about God's design for the home to be a place of peace, cooperation, and support. So often that is not the case in our home. We also discussed that learning positive conflict resolution in the home is great preparation for having roommates in the future and ultimately living with your husband or wife. We are trying to create a peacemaking culture in our home that will make it a place of nurture and affirmation. Hopefully we can take that into all of our relationships.

The Virtue of Hard Work

Proverbs 14:23

          All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

I have been around a few athletes and there are those who work and those who talk. Jerry Rice was a worker. He is known for his ridiculous workout routine. Rice's six-day-a-week workout is divided into two parts: two hours of cardiovascular work in the morning and three hours of strength training each afternoon. Rice succeeded when many others were mere talkers.

It would be easy to write this off as a work ethic that leads to wealth tale only. I think that it applies to other areas of life as well. When I compare my spiritual workout routine to Rice's workout routine, I come up short. I am amazed of how a person can dedicate himself to something that has value in this life only and how little I dedicate myself to the things that last forever. I understand that I am saved by the free gift of God. Knowing that I cannot add anything to the salvation God has given me, what would the rest of my life look like with a "little" hard work?

Fathers Required

Proverbs 13:1

          A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen
          to rebuke.

The writer makes the assumption that everyone has a loving home with a father there to instruct, protect, and love his children. The fact of the matter is that today's broken society is missing dad. I often see a hunger for affirmation in the eyes of many young people I meet. I am thankful that when my father was not able to parent me, I had men in my church that stepped into my life to lead in the right path. I now that without such men in my life, things could have gone bad at an early age. Listen to this quote from Fathers.com

         Some fathering advocates would say that almost every social ill faced
         by America's children is related to fatherlessness. Six are noted here.
         As supported by the data below, children from fatherless homes are
         more likely to be poor, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse,
         drop out of school, and suffer from health and emotional problems.
         Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, and girls are more
         likely to become pregnant as teens.
http://www.fathers.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=391

Opus Dei

Proverbs 12:1

          Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates
          correction is stupid.

I am taken by the monastic discipline of prayer and work. I believe that the monastics learned early on that without structure and accountability, the work of God - Opus Dei would not be accomplished. The monastic finds her home in communion with God and realizes that such times of intimacy (and sometimes boredom) do not come by wishing it to be so, but through carefully planning. Take a look at this schedule and see how you can make it your own.

In Cistercian monastery seven times every day the community assembles in the church to sing God’s praise and listen to God’s Word. Generally we use the traditional Latin names for these times of prayer:

Vigils – beginning some time during the early hours, around 4 a.m. while it is still dark;
Lauds – morning prayer, at daybreak;
Terce – mid-morning prayer, around 9 a.m;
Sext - midday prayer, around noon;
None – mid-afternoon prayer, around 3 p.m;
Vespers – evening prayer, ideally at sunset;
Compline - night prayer, which completes the day.

May God direct in your discipline of the Opus Dei.

One Lie Leads to Another Lie

In his poem One lie leads to another lie, Francis Duggan writes in the second stanza:

          One lie leads to another lie that always is the case
          Your first lie for deception and your second to save face
          And when you are faced with the truth the truth you will deny
          And to lie to you comes easy so you tell another lie.

Lying is exhausting and habit forming. Our first foray into lying is torturous and difficult to keep up. But as time goes on, lying becomes instinctive and the truth is hard to find. The end of such a life is loneliness and fear. Fear of wondering when all of the lies will come crashing down us. Only then do we realize that integrity leads to security.

Proverbs 10:9

          The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be
          found out.

Lost and Found

Wisdom frantically searches for her children, like a parent who has lost their child in a huge mall or a public park. Wisdom calls out for her child, climbs to the highest place to get a better view where her child might be. She goes back to all the familiar places where her child usually plays. Nothing stops an anxious parent searching for her child until she is found, nothing.

Proverbs 8:1-2,17,34

          Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?
          On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her
          stand;

All of this drama could be avoided if we would love and seek wisdom on a daily basis. If we would watch and wait at wisdoms door, she would be more than happy to lavish upon us all of her love and riches. We who were once sought by wisdom must become the seekers of wisdom.

Proverbs 8:17, 24

          ...I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me
          ... Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors,
          waiting at my doorway.

Premeditated Sin

Reading an article titles The Seduction of Sir Simple (Proverbs 7:1-27). Gives a notable insight into the condition of the man led into the deadly trap of adultery. "Sir Simple did not fall because he was simple, but because he chose to neglect the truth of the Word of God and the Wisdom of God." The man in this passage chose to ignore the instructions given to him by his parents and rushed headlong in search of the adulteress woman.

At first glance it appears that a naive man falls prey to an older, wiser "cougar" who seduces him suddenly.
The fact of the matter is that the simple in this passage had a premeditated plunge into this deadly folly. He had no one to blame but himself. We are so quick to demonize the woman, when we should look at our own intentional forays to indulge our sensual desires.

For the full blog on sir simple go to http://bible.org/seriespage/seduction-sir-simple-proverbs-71-27

Embracing Work and Embracing Restraint

Proverbs 6


1 - 5: Do not co-sign or personally guarantee any guide of loan. When the loan goes bad you will be on the hook. If you have signed a bad contract, do all in your power to get out of it.

6 - 8: Be a self-directed worker. Ants have a sense of urgency about their work and go about it without having to be reminded of their job.

9 - 11: Small actions have lasting consequences. Just a "little" sleep, a "little" slumber, a "little" folding of the hands and disaster will overtake us with alarming speed.

16 - 24: The instruction that we receive from our spiritual parents must be a living document that we carry about us and reference constantly. When we do so we will avoid the mistakes they made in their youth and the numerous snares of the flesh.

25 - 29: The adulteress will wear or say whatever she has to consume you like a loaf of bread, a common commodity to be bought and sold. And don't think you can play with the lust of the flesh and not get burned. Listen to your elders and do not play with fire.

Sustainable Sex

Though it is tempting to pursue and to be pursued by another, such arousals are short lived. A recent article I read describes couples who hook up for sexual encounters in semi-public locations. The big thrill is potentially getting caught the act. As you can imagine, they soon tire of such "thrills" and need to move on to increasingly bizarre behaviors to keep the interest alive. Such behavior is unsustainable.


This Proverb is written to a married man (5:15-20) who should know better than to seek comfort or joy outside the covenant of marriage. The sayings of the wise father to his son are to not be captivated with that which is not his. Though enticed by her words, any who run to the adulterous will only get a bitter taste in their mouth (5:3-4). Rather a man should be completely satisfied with the wife of his youth. Why invest in a relationship that cannot last, the adulterous couple belongs to another. All such relationships are doomed to fail, because they are in plain view of God. God designed marriage to be the place to maximize sexual fulfillment. The wise stick to the plan.

A Healthy Heart

Proverbs 4:23

          Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

No one would argue that life itself is not possible without a beating heart. Most acknowledge that life is "difficult if the heart is not functioning properly. So what is the professor getting at when he tells us to "guard"? The heart has been called the seat of the emotions. I like to think of it as the seat of motives. I can tolerate a person when they have made a mistake or when they acted on faulty information. If their "heart" is in the right place, they will be able to admit their fault and overcome their momentary lapse in judgment. But if their motives are wrong, they will not heed instruction when it is offered to them. If the wellspring of their life is polluted then only impure, harmful water can be drawn from that well.

By keeping our motives pure, we will bring refreshing to many.

Discipline: The Lord's Love Language

Proverbs 3:11-12

          My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his
          rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the
          son he delights in.

Many parents are hesitant to discipline their children because they worry that it might embitter their children towards them. The fact is that correcting your children or those who report to you does comes with risk. You can be misunderstood, or a child may think you are out to get them, or just continue doing wrong since in their mind they are going to get in trouble anyway.

Before we throw in the towel, we need to hear the words of this Proverb. Discipline for the right motives is one of the highest displays of love in the world. In fact the delight you take in your children is correlated to your willingness to discipline them when they go astray. As parents, our communication of delight and acceptance of our children will help them to understand the intent behind the discipline. As a child of God, thought the discipline of God is not pleasant, it always comes from a good place.

God Has No Grandchildren

Wisdom makes an invitation to us that we can either accept or reject. Even if a father or mother are diligent in instructing their children to embrace wisdom and to treasure it deep within, each generation must decide for themselves. As Luis Palau observed, God has no grandchildren. May we be the generation that turns our eyes and hearts to applying understanding. For in so doing we will have victory in this life and the life to come.

Proverbs 2:1-8

          My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within
          you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to
          understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for
          understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as
          for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD
          and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and
          from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory
          in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is
          blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way
          of his faithful ones.