Proverbs 30:4
Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the
wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his
cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name,
and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!
Who is qualified to give counsel to man and woman? Who is able to understand and comprehend the things that concern us? The one who created us and all that concerns us is eminently qualified to direct us throughout life here on earth and ultimately to bring us home to heaven. The writer of this Proverb asks "Who can compare with God?" He says if anyone is out there that can compare with me, then follow him. Obviously, no one else compares. God alone is qualified to lead us. Let's follow him with all our strength.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Serving Your Way To The Top
Proverbs 29:23
A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
I knew of a church that was led by 3 to 5 elders. The model was for shared leadership among these men. They each preached, counseled, and made decisions unanimously. One day, one of the elders felt that he should be the head of the whole church. The rest of the church did not agree and the man left in an angry huff. Not only did he leave the church, but as far as we know, he has not walked with God in the last twenty five years.
In that same church, there was a man who would come an hour early to church to sweep out the storefront of the building we were meeting in. He would also arrange the chairs and make sure everything was ready for church service. After ten years of faithful service his spiritual leadership was recognized and he was asked to serve as an elder. A position he has served in faithful for twenty five years.
Honor comes to the servant of all.
A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.
I knew of a church that was led by 3 to 5 elders. The model was for shared leadership among these men. They each preached, counseled, and made decisions unanimously. One day, one of the elders felt that he should be the head of the whole church. The rest of the church did not agree and the man left in an angry huff. Not only did he leave the church, but as far as we know, he has not walked with God in the last twenty five years.
In that same church, there was a man who would come an hour early to church to sweep out the storefront of the building we were meeting in. He would also arrange the chairs and make sure everything was ready for church service. After ten years of faithful service his spiritual leadership was recognized and he was asked to serve as an elder. A position he has served in faithful for twenty five years.
Honor comes to the servant of all.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Confession Is Good For The Soul
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and
renounces them finds mercy.
Confession is good for the soul. We live in a culture that does not acknowledge sin. I am tired of hearing yet another celebrity mea culpa over a "transgression" or "misstep". I wish someone would step up to the mike and simply say, "I am sorry, I have sinned against God and my family and with God's help will live differently ", and then just simply walk away. I fear that with all millions on the line that people are trying to do damage control in order to keep their endorsements, rather than enter into soul cleansing repentance - the acknowledgement of sin and turning from sin to God - many settle for avoidance or shallow apologies. True mercy and forgiveness comes to those who renounce their sin and choose to walk a different path.
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and
renounces them finds mercy.
Confession is good for the soul. We live in a culture that does not acknowledge sin. I am tired of hearing yet another celebrity mea culpa over a "transgression" or "misstep". I wish someone would step up to the mike and simply say, "I am sorry, I have sinned against God and my family and with God's help will live differently ", and then just simply walk away. I fear that with all millions on the line that people are trying to do damage control in order to keep their endorsements, rather than enter into soul cleansing repentance - the acknowledgement of sin and turning from sin to God - many settle for avoidance or shallow apologies. True mercy and forgiveness comes to those who renounce their sin and choose to walk a different path.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
How Much Is Enough?
Proverbs 27:20
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of
man.
A talented man I know once told me that he felt a definite call on God's life to go into vocational ministry, but he felt that he needed to make money to support his family.
A young man tells me that he loves his girlfriend of five years, but he doesn't think he can afford to get married now.
A young married woman with tears in her eyes tells me of her deep desire to have children, but her husband doesn't believe that they cannot afford children due to their financial condition.
To each of these people I asked, "How much is enough?", "What is your number?" "When will you now when you have enough money to go into full-time ministry, afford to get married or have children? I have rarely met the person that places a self-imposed cap on their salary. When was the last time you heard a CEO of a large company or an athlete say, "You know, I have made enough money in my career, I don't think I need any more?"
The point is that we need to place our trust and confidence in God and not our bank account for ultimate decisions in our life. We need to learn to say "enough" of our own desires and yes to God's design for our life.
Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of
man.
A talented man I know once told me that he felt a definite call on God's life to go into vocational ministry, but he felt that he needed to make money to support his family.
A young man tells me that he loves his girlfriend of five years, but he doesn't think he can afford to get married now.
A young married woman with tears in her eyes tells me of her deep desire to have children, but her husband doesn't believe that they cannot afford children due to their financial condition.
To each of these people I asked, "How much is enough?", "What is your number?" "When will you now when you have enough money to go into full-time ministry, afford to get married or have children? I have rarely met the person that places a self-imposed cap on their salary. When was the last time you heard a CEO of a large company or an athlete say, "You know, I have made enough money in my career, I don't think I need any more?"
The point is that we need to place our trust and confidence in God and not our bank account for ultimate decisions in our life. We need to learn to say "enough" of our own desires and yes to God's design for our life.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones...
Proverbs 26:2
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse
does not come to rest.
As a parent, you hear alot of angst over the words of one sibling to another. "Mom, she called me a name", "He's bothering me!" and many other refrains. If it were not so annoying, it would be funny. Imagine, believing as an adult that we were controlled by what other people say. Ridiculous!?
I remember an incident when I was serving in a church when a missionary made a financial request. After listening to his request, I had to tell him that we could not fund his project. The next thing out of his mouth was, "I curse you for withholding from the Lord's work." To which I responded, " I don't receive that and you can take your curse with you as you leave." The curse was baseless. An undeserved curse flutters away.
The words spoken over us that do not originate from the throne of God do not belong to us. We should not receive nor be controlled by controlled by the words of others
Romans 3:4 - Let God be true though every one were a liar.
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse
does not come to rest.
As a parent, you hear alot of angst over the words of one sibling to another. "Mom, she called me a name", "He's bothering me!" and many other refrains. If it were not so annoying, it would be funny. Imagine, believing as an adult that we were controlled by what other people say. Ridiculous!?
I remember an incident when I was serving in a church when a missionary made a financial request. After listening to his request, I had to tell him that we could not fund his project. The next thing out of his mouth was, "I curse you for withholding from the Lord's work." To which I responded, " I don't receive that and you can take your curse with you as you leave." The curse was baseless. An undeserved curse flutters away.
The words spoken over us that do not originate from the throne of God do not belong to us. We should not receive nor be controlled by controlled by the words of others
Romans 3:4 - Let God be true though every one were a liar.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Law and Order
Proverbs 25:8-10
What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for
what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? 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.
A frivolous lawsuit is when you a sue a person for very suspect reasons. Some estimate that civil lawsuits cost the US economy over 200 billion dollars per year. They are not only costly, there are embarrasing to those who bring them. It is better to seek reconcilaition personally than to display ones ignorance for all to see. Here is one of my favorites.
For a while in the 1990s, Anheuser-Busch, the producers of Budweiser,
ran a series of ads in which two beautiful women come to life in front of
two truck drivers. A Michigan man bought a case of the beer, drank it,
and failed to see two women materialize. Cue the lawsuit. He sued the
company for false advertising, asking for a sum in excess of $10,000.
A bad reputation is difficult to recover.
What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for
what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? 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.
A frivolous lawsuit is when you a sue a person for very suspect reasons. Some estimate that civil lawsuits cost the US economy over 200 billion dollars per year. They are not only costly, there are embarrasing to those who bring them. It is better to seek reconcilaition personally than to display ones ignorance for all to see. Here is one of my favorites.
For a while in the 1990s, Anheuser-Busch, the producers of Budweiser,
ran a series of ads in which two beautiful women come to life in front of
two truck drivers. A Michigan man bought a case of the beer, drank it,
and failed to see two women materialize. Cue the lawsuit. He sued the
company for false advertising, asking for a sum in excess of $10,000.
A bad reputation is difficult to recover.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Pay Back Is... A Job for God
Proverbs 24:29
Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me;
I'll pay that man back for what he did."
Deuteronomy 32:35
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time
their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them."
Romans 12:19
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for
God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge;
I will repay," says the Lord.
I believe that payback belongs to the Lord for two reasons:
1. We are not very good at giving people what they really deserve God knows exactly what each persons.
2. When we engage in exacting vengeance, we get damaged in the process.
So, let's leave payback to the Lord.
Do not say, "I'll do to him as he has done to me;
I'll pay that man back for what he did."
Deuteronomy 32:35
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time
their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them."
Romans 12:19
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for
God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge;
I will repay," says the Lord.
I believe that payback belongs to the Lord for two reasons:
1. We are not very good at giving people what they really deserve God knows exactly what each persons.
2. When we engage in exacting vengeance, we get damaged in the process.
So, let's leave payback to the Lord.
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