Archive for the ‘Peace’ Category
Actions, Anxiety, Decision Making, Decisions, Nature, Peace, Temperament, Wisdom
In Actions, Anxiety, Decision Making, Decisions, Nature, Peace, Temperament, Wisdom on October 10, 2022 at 2:55 pm
Anxiety is produced when someone tries to push themselves to do something that does not come naturally to them, is not in their nature, and/or is not meant for them. Most anxiety is created by trying to be something that God did not create you to be or do something that God does not want you to do.
Anxiety should be a warning sign that something is wrong; when peace leaves, a person should step back and reevaluate the decision they have made.
I realize that is not what most people want to hear because they want to believe that they are not responsible in any way for their anxiety, that there is nothing they can do about it, and most of our society seems to enjoy living in the “poor me” victim mentality. I challenge you however to look at and approach each of your anxieties over the next month through the lenses and mindset of what I have shared here and see if it is not true that YOUR CHOICES have the ability to calm your anxiety.
Throughout this study, if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Grace, Lifestyle, New Year’s Resolutions, New Years, Resolutions, Righteous Living, Righteousness
In Advice, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Decision Making, Exhortation, Grace, Peace, Prudence, Renewal, Revival, Righteousness, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized on December 29, 2018 at 8:00 am
Before you take action to make all those resolutions about what you are going to do or not do, who you are going to be or not be, take a moment and reflect on God’s method of change.
Read the thoughts of a young woman desiring honest change in her life, and my response to her.
Quote = “When I pray and read the Word and worship as I have been recently, i am experiencing more of a closeness and a love… like i am coming back to my first love. I do not think I am explaining it well but I want to live a righteous life and spend time with my Father becuase I love Him and want to, not because there is this list of "do’s and don’ts" to follow.” = End Quote.
You need not worry sister…you are not going to live a “righteous life” without it being a manifestation of God’s grace in your life. Any desire you have for God is a manifestation of God’s grace in your life.
Some thoughts…
A ship is not going to move along steady by being propped from the outside. In order for a ship to be balanced, it must have ballast within the ship in order for the ship to move along steadily. The same is true for us as God’s children. Nothing on the outside of us is ever going to make our lives steady and balanced. It is only through and by the grace of God that our lives ever become consistent, steady, and balance. All three of which God wants for us and all three of which He is more than willing to shed out His grace in service to perform.
Therefore, God’s grace becomes our ballast. Ballast being:
bal·last
1. stabilizing heavy weights: heavy material carried in the hold of a ship, especially one that has no cargo, in the keel of a sailing boat, or in the gondola of a balloon, to give the craft increased stability
2. something that gives bulk or stability: anything that serves no particular purpose except to give bulk or weight to something or that provides additional stability
3. foundation material: stones or gravel when used as a foundation for a road or railroad track
4. industry gravel used in making concrete: gravel used in making concrete and in earthworks
5. electrical engineering circuit limiting current flow: a circuit that limits the current flow in a fluorescent lamp
Encarta ® World English Dictionary
A play on the definitions and a connection to God’s grace.
1 – God is the weight that holds us steady when life blows and blows; only He and His grace provide us stability.
2 – Grace is simply there to bring stability to our souls, our spirits, and our lives.
3 – Grace is the foundation of our relationship with our Savior Jesus.
4 – The endless grace of God turns our liquid hearts and jelly backbones into faith stronger than concrete.
5 – God’s grace is always poured out in just the right dose at just the right time so that we might not become overwhelmed spiritually.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Anxiety, Biblical Principles, Confusion, control, Decision Making, Peace, Prudence, Renewal, Suffering, Truth, Wisdom. Advice
In Advice, Anxiety, Biblical Principles, Confusion, Decision Making, Godly Counsel, Peace, Prudence, Renewal, Suffering, Truth, Wisdom on December 11, 2018 at 1:34 pm
For the next few weeks we will forgo our regular blog studies of Proverbs and Church Growth to pursue postings that center around Christmas and New Year’s. These entries will appear on Saturdays instead of earlier in the week as is the norm.
There will be one except this week with the posting today, which is a special posting of a poem I believe you will find inspiring and enlightening. This entry is being dedicated to a special friend who at this time in life could really benefit from the wisdom found within this poem – you know who you are.
“If” By Rudyard Kipling
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!
Source: A Choice of Kipling’s Verse (1943)
Rudyard Kipling 1865–1936
More about the poem "If" and Rudyard Kipling.
Were you to write the biography of Rudyard Kipling as a graph, the first thing that would strike you would be the steep vertical zigzags. The chart would have to start on a high point: his birth in India to a loving set of parents. His childhood would continue for a short period along an upward slope in the wonderland where he was born, and then plunge dramatically at the age of six when he was sent to England for his education. His first five years in England were scarred by the terrible abuse that he endured there from his foster mother. His only break during that period was the holiday month of December, when he would head to London to stay with his mother’s family. After that period he was transferred to a school in Devon where he shone, becoming the editor of the school paper and embarking on his path as a writer, becoming a major success. He was struck by misfortune once more when the bank where he kept his savings collapsed leaving him penniless. He moved to America and continued writing, publishing The Jungle Books together with much else. He again hit a low when he became embroiled in a fight with his brother-in-law which landed both in court and in local papers, forcing his move back to England. On a trip to America in 1899 his daughter Josephine died of pneumonia at the age of seven, leaving him heartbroken. The wheel continued to turn however, and in 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his outstanding work. An avowed proponent of British involvement in World War One, he encouraged his son John to enlist. When he failed the physical, Kipling used his connections to get him in, only to watch him die in the battle for Loos leaving him awash in guilt.
His life was one replete with trials and hardships, sorrows which one could never fault anyone for crumbling beneath but which time and time again he overcame. This poem, published three years after he won the Nobel Prize, encapsulates the lessons that he learned and that he considered to be the keys to his success. Part of it is engraved on the entrance to Wimbledon to remind players of what it is that makes a man.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
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In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Godly Counsel, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Revival, Spirituality, Trust, Truth, Wisdom on September 13, 2018 at 9:00 am
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Wisdom Sustains
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Hebrew definition.
Verse ten states that the person who consistently uses godly wisdom as a guide for how they live and manage their life will see that life extended by “many” years. In the Hebrew language “many” means both to “increase in respective time” and to “bring in abundance” – that covers quantity of life and quality of life.
Verse twelve makes it clear that the person who consistently applies godly wisdom will have little need for their choices and actions to be corrected by God or man, nor will they find themselves stumbling a great deal in life. It is not possible to live a perfect life, but it is possible to live a godly life ruled by godly wisdom that has little encounter with failure or correction.
Verse thirteen speaks to the fact that godly wisdom applied is “thy life” for all truly real purposes. You may ask how could godly wisdom applied be someone’s life, what does it mean? Take a look at the Hebrew definitions for the phrase “thy life” – examine them one by one as see the “thy life” found within.
· "alive; hence, raw (flesh)” – godly wisdom applied will literally keep us alive.
· “fresh (plant, water, year)” – godly wisdom applied will keep us and our life fresh and renewed each year in personal growth and spiritual thirst.
· “strong” – godly wisdom applied will keep us strong mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and physically.
· “life (or living thing), whether literal or figurative:— + age, alive, appetite, company, congregation, life (-time), live (-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop. to live” – godly wisdom applied will rightly order every area of our life and relationships.
· “whether literal or figuratively; causatively to revive” – godly wisdom applied will restore us and sustain us through the challenges of life.
· “keep (leave, make) alive, × certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (× God) save (alive, life, lives), × surely, be whole.” – godly wisdom applied will restore our life to God’s Purpose and repair the life damage we have caused and suffered, it will “give promise” to our life.
There is no doubt that the use of godly wisdom on a consistent bases in our life will sustain our life to God’s glory.
What does it mean to “sustain” something or someone? Sustain according to the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary is defined as follows.
Note – All words or phrases found in quotation marks are actual parts of the Merriam-Webster’s definition.
The author’s thoughts follow each definition in [brackets].
1 : “to give support or relief to” – [godly wisdom applied will support the quality and quantity of your life and bring relief in times of distress.]
2 : “to supply with sustenance : NOURISH” – [godly wisdom applied will bring nourishment to your body, mind, spirit, and soul.]
3 : “KEEP UP, PROLONG” – [godly wisdom applied will extend the length of your life and improve the quality of your life.]
4 : “to support the weight of : PROP; also : to carry or withstand (a weight or pressure)” – [godly wisdom applied will makes facing the challenges of life so much easier, and your response to them is less likely to be filled with anxiety.]
5 : “to buoy up £ sustained by hope” – [godly wisdom applied will keep you afloat in life’s rough waters and give you hope.]
6 “a : to bear up under b : SUFFER, UNDERGO £ sustained heavy losses” – [godly wisdom applied will keep you from despair during your darkest days in life.]
7 “a : to support as true, legal, or just b : to allow or admit as valid £ the court sustained the motion” – [godly wisdom applied will anchors your life in something much greater than yourself, it anchors your life in God, in God’s Principles and Truths.]
8 : “to support by adequate proof : CONFIRM £ testimony that sustains our contention” – [godly wisdom applied will end up being self-proving, as you will see the proof of godly wisdom’s worth through its results over time.]
Godly wisdom will be a tool by which God sustains you and your life. Will you let it sustain you? Will you let Him sustain you?
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Abuse, Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Blessing, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Curses, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Oppression, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sexual Abuse, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Abuse, Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Compassion, Curses, Decision Making, Discretion, Evil, Exhortation, Hate, Hatred, Idolatry, Learning, Peace, Persecution, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Repentance, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 31, 2018 at 6:10 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous. 33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Treatment of People
How we treat other people has a major impact on the quality of our own life. All too often people attempt to improve their own life by diminishing the value of another person’s life through abuse, mistreatment such as oppression or through using those individuals to fulfill their own perverse needs physically, mentally, and emotionally.
An oppressor is not hard to spot. Most people have had to deal with one or more oppressive person in their lifetime through some form of connection or relationship. We are warned in verse thirty-one to make sure we are not the one doing the oppressing.
“oppressor” in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary is defined as follows:
1 b : to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority
2 : to burden spiritually or mentally : weigh heavily upon
There are so many ways a person can oppress another person, far too many to attempt to list here. Take a moment and think of a couple of ways a person might oppress someone through the ‘abuse of their power or authority,’ through ‘burdening another person mentally,’ through ‘burdening another persona spiritually,’ and by ‘being a heavy weigh upon’ that person’s life through producing stress or distress.
When God’s finds something or someone’s actions an abomination that is about as bad as it gets. Verse thirty-two makes it clear that those who are “froward” are an abomination to Jehovah God, LORD. The Lord finds such people to be morally disgusting and considers them a person who worships idols (see Hebrew definition below), the idols of their own self-will and the desire to live life accord to their own terms instead of living life according to His Ways, His Will, and His Purposes.
“abomination” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
8441. תּוֹעֵבָה tôw˓êbâh, to-ay-baw’; or
תֹּעֵבָה tô˓êbâh, to-ay-baw’; fem. act. part. of 8581; properly something disgusting morally, i.e. (as noun) an abhorrence; espec. idolatry or concretely an idol:— abominable (custom, thing), abomination.
Who are the “froward?” One might think it would have to be someone really horrible, evil, and very sinful. No not at all! The truth of who are they and how easily we can be one of them is scary.
“For the froward” in the Hebrew language is defined as literally to depart from God’s Ways and Wisdom or figuratively to be perverse in one’s actions, thoughts, or behaviors. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “froward” as someone who is “habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition.”
Verse thirty-two also talks about another type of person, those God defines as the righteous. To these righteous persons God grants a secret. Let us look at what that secret is and entails.
“but his secret” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
5475. סוֹד çôwd, sode; from 3245; a session, i.e. company of persons (in close deliberation); by impl. intimacy, consultation, a secret:— assembly, counsel, inward, secret (counsel).
God keeps company with the righteous. They sense and know His Presence in their life. They are able to have a “session” with God where He talks to them and they to Him. God guides their actions through a close relationship where He walks with them daily in intimacy. They are able to “consult and counsel” with God “inwardly” and receive direction for their life and answers to their questions. God is present with them, and for the righteous there is a great awareness daily of His Presence.
Verse thirty-three through thirty-five makes it clear what the oppressors and the froward can look forward to in life because the LORD finds these behaviors such an abomination and wicked – their houses will be cured, their life will be cursed, they will not live in the blessings of God. Only the “just” aka lawful and righteous people will live in the blessings of God.
A person is about as blessed as their actions allow them to be. With minimum obedience to God comes minimum blessings. God does make life tough for those who refuse to obey Him, “he scorneth” their life in an attempt to show them that their way is not His Way and that His Way is far better. Shame is the result of foolish behavior.
Grace is found with those who humble themselves before God before His Will and obey Him. Wise people who honor God inherit God’s glory and live in the blessings of God.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Neighbors, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Compassion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godly Counsel, Hatred, Learning, Marriage, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on July 11, 2018 at 12:05 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
What of Your Neighbor
First, I pose the question, “Who is your neighbor?” It is not just the people who live next door to you, it is also those individuals with which you come into consistent contact on a reasonability normal basis. Your neighbor is not everyone in the world however. A neighbor must be a person within your community or sphere of life. The Hebrew language regarding the word “neighbour” as found in verse twenty-eight defines a neighbour as “an associate (more or less close):— brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, neighbour.”[1] Therefore, once again, a neighbor is a person with which one has some connection either through relationship or a shared area of living, working, recreation, church, etc.
The ”good” represented in verse twenty-seven is good in a wide variety of application in the “widest sense.” However, this good is to be done to “whom it is due” and according to the definition in the Hebrew language that is inclusive of only a spouse or someone individual with whom you are obligated such as an employer or overseer of some sort that has personal authority over your life granted to them through relationship, such as the head of an organization you volunteer for, the head of a committee you sit on, the person[s] in authority over you at work, etc. Verse twenty-seven does not apply to everyone a person would consider a “neighbour” and that is important to remember. Any good it is within your power to do for your spouse or your employer should be done as God prompts and directs. Yes, I know how difficult the last statement I made is to carry out in practical life. Good cannot always be granted to those who have repeated abused the goodness offered to them. A person must pray and allow the Holy Spirit to guide their actions.
Separately verse twenty-eight deals with helping our neighbor in need. If we have what our neighbor needs, and they ask us for what they need, it is not right in God’s eyes to withhold what they need from them. If we can help our neighbor with a true need, a need that is rare and not reoccurring due to our neighbor’s personal mishandling, and we can give said help without neglecting our own household then godly wisdom dictates that we should be willing to give that help without delay.
You and your neighbors should be able to feel they can live in community together without harm being done to each other and without a desire to perpetrate evil upon each other. We should not want to hurt or do harm to anyone, most especially those within our closes associations. That includes taking their lunch or soda from the frig at work, liberating aka stealing office supplies, taking the neighbors newspaper, borrowing from your neighbor with no intent of returning or repaying what you borrowed, etc.
If people have done nothing to us, then we should not seek to be disagreeable with them. We should not seek to argue for argument sake. However, verse thirty clearly reads that we should not seek to strive with another person “without cause” implying that there are times when there is cause to disagree or strive with another person, especially if they are doing us harm or seek to do us harm. We defend ourselves if we are harmed but when we are not harmed we seek to live in peace.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Insomnia, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Depression, Discretion, Encouragement, Fear, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Insomnia, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on May 23, 2018 at 6:08 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Cure for Fear
When a person acts with wisdom and discretion consistently in their life fear as less of an opportunity to grip their mind, heart, and soul. Likewise, when an individual conducts their life with an absence of wisdom and discretion fear tends to follow them wherever they go.
Wisdom breds life and is a fountain from which grace lows. Safety is found in the use of godly wisdom. Wisdom will keep a person from making mistakes that lead to failure.
Have trouble sleeping at night, check your heart and life for the use of or absence of the use of wisdom and discretion. When we make poor choices, ungodly choices, during the day, it makes sleep hard to come by at night. However, the opposite is also true. When we use discretion and godly wisdom in how we conduct ourselves during the day, when we lay our heads on our pillows at night we can rest, we can sleep with a peaceful heart and mind.
For those people who honor God with their lives, who are devoted to a life that is committed to Christ and the use of godly wisdom and godly discretion, they need not fear what people might do to them or not do for them, because they have a lion on their side. Verse twenty-five states not to be afraid when “sudden fear” or “the desolation of the wicked” “cometh” our way. Note the Scripture does not say if it comes your way, the verse says, “when it cometh.” There are things that will prompt those feeling of sudden fear in us, there are wicked people in the world who will rise up against us in an attempt ot harm us in some form, but if we are a person given to honoring God with our life and using His wisdom and discretion to conduct our lives, we can have faith, confidence, that God is on our side and is going to protect us.
In the Hebrew language one of the definitions used for the term “shall be thy confidence” is “lion”- imagine God as our lion fully prepared to devour anyone He must in order to protect us. What a thought! Honor God, use wisdom, use discretion, thus allowing God an open door in your life to be your lion.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Humanism, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on May 9, 2018 at 5:24 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
Wisdom Important to God?
If anyone ever needed to ask themselves if wisdom was important, the answer can be found in these two verses.
When God set about ordaining creation, piecing together the earth and all that was within the earth, establishing it in perfect order, He utilized wisdom in doing so.
When God erected the heavens, He did so by utilizing wisdom.
When God divided the seas or when He pours out His rains upon the earth, He did, and does so, by the use of knowledge grounded in wisdom.
If wisdom was important enough, and is important enough, for The Lord God Almighty to utilize then it is important, vital, for any member of His creation to utilize, that includes you!
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chastisement, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Correction, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discipline, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Generosity, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Happiness, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on April 25, 2018 at 3:47 pm
This blog will alternate with each post between two subjects. One week will address why churches are not growing, and the coming move of God. The alternate week the blog will continue with the in-depth study through the Book of Proverbs.
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Fruit Beyond Measure
Throughout the Proverbs the point is repeatedly made that wisdom and understanding are among the greatest, if not the greatest, character traits we can seek after in life. The merchandise of both wisdom and understand is more valuable than anything a person can obtain in life, “merchandise” being “profit from trade” according to the Hebrew definition of the word. Therefore, to trade in wisdom and godly understanding is to have a profitable life.
Wisdom and understanding will provide for you substance in life far beyond the value of silver, gold, rubies, or anything an individual can desire in life. Nothing else satisfies a person more than the substance of a life lived by the instruction of wisdom and godly understanding regarding how to live and conduct oneself.
The use of wisdom and godly understanding will lengthen the life of a person and bring honor to the life they live. They both bring peace to an individual’s life and a pleasantness that nothing else can provide. All of these things we have previously explored.
Wisdom and godly understanding produce a growth in a person that nothing can match. They bring a fruitfulness and happiness to life that is beyond measure. According to the Hebrew definition of the word “happiness” that happiness involves prosperity, being blessed, and living a life where relief is provided through the use of wisdom and godly understanding. So again, I repeat, wisdom and godly understanding bring a happiness to life that is beyond measure.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Health, Illness, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Sickness, Sin, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Abuse, Advice, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Birth, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Depression, Devotional, Discretion, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Health, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Illness, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Sickness, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on February 9, 2018 at 2:59 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Evil Destroys Health
These two verses seem very straight forward. Evil will damage or even destroy your heath, physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually. However, the verses stand as a warning by giving wise guidance for the cure. The approach of the writer is how to become healthy or recover one’s health not a list of health risk.
To indulge evil is to invite poor health. The person who constantly stays in a state of worry and anxiety instead of casting their concerns on God to take care of ends up with stress related health problems, emotional upheaval, and mental anxieties they can no longer control. The person who overworks themselves ends up with a heart attack. The person who constantly focuses on revenge, vengeance, hurting people, murders, killings, etc. is sure to develop a psychotic personality. The person who does not balance their eating habits but instead indulges excess in the areas of sugar or fat can end up with diabetes. The person who drinks too much, too often, can destroy their liver. The person who uses drugs can damage their heart and liver. A person who only focuses on what is wrong in life to the exclusion of what is good will become depressed, and if that state is continued in long enough will damage the brain chemistry in their mind. The person who smokes can end up with lung cancer. The person who is lazy and never exercises their body can end up with heart problems. A person who continues in habitual sin or anger toward God will slowly but surely spiritually die. The person who eats too much and is obese can develop heart problems or have a heart attack. The list could go on and on, but my point is made.
I am a firm believer that health can be recovered through repentance and change of one’s habits. After all is that not the first think thing a doctor tells someone to do. Stop doings A, B, and C and start doing X, Y, and Z.
The word “health” in the Hebrew language actually means “a cure, to mend (by stitching), cause to heal, repair, × thoroughly, make whole.” Therefore, departing from evil and undertaking God’s godly way[s] of doing things will bring healing to a person’s life.
“to thy navel” in the Hebrew language means “(specifically) the umbilical cord (also figuratively as the center of strength).” The core of our strength is found in departing from evil and instead turning toward God’s Way of living, this brings wholeness and healing to all areas of a person’s life. Therefore, it is wisdom to choose godliness over indulgence, to choose righteous living over sin.
It is not up to us to decide for ourselves what is right or good for us, God has already determined that in His Word. Being wise in our own eyes will end in only what we can accomplish for our health and wellbeing but having enough godly fear and respect for God to do things God’s Way will place us in a state of Divine health and healing.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Guidance, Health, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Trust, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Discretion, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Learning, Peace, Renewal, Revival, Trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on February 2, 2018 at 10:29 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Deep Waters of Trust
Books could and have been written on these two verses. There is so much that I could share about what it means to fully trust God and allow Him to direct your life with His Wisdom and grace. However, I will constrain myself a bit. This will be a long section, but manageable.
First, let us spend a few minutes examining what it really means for God to direct our paths in life. Then we will look at how to obtain that direction from God through trust in Him and acknowledgement of Him. My comments will follow the Hebrew definitions.
If we look into the Hebrew language shall direct, trust, and acknowledge are defined as follows:
“shall direct” =
3474. rv’y: yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; figuratively to be (cause to make) right, pleasant, prosperous: —) bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)
God Himself will make the road we travel in life “straight or even” and we can be assured that we are headed in the right direction in life if He is at the helm of guiding our path. We will know that what we are doing is “right” for us and/or God will “cause to make” our situation right for us. By following God’s Will we can expect both “pleasant” and “prosperous” things in life, but not only pleasant and prosperous things. In following God’s Will we will be living in an “upright” manner and “be upright” in God’s eyes. Most importantly we can know that our purpose in life is being fulfilled by following God’s directions for “the straight way” is the only way in which a Holy God would lead a person.
“Trust” =
982. בָּטַח bâṭach, baw-takh’; a prim. root; prop. to hide for refuge [but not so precipitately as 2620]; fig. to trust, be confident or sure:— be bold (confident, secure, sure), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.
In order to allow ourselves to be directed in the manner that I described above we must have “trust” in God. Trust in God grows as we mature spiritually. Therefore, do not expect ot trust God today the way you will a decade from now. When we trust God, we are willing “to hide for refuge” in Him when things go wrong or when we are mistreated knowing that He will take care of the situation. To trust God means that we are “confident or sure” that He loves us and that He is directing our paths in the way that is best for us regardless of what we might see at the moment in our circumstances. There is a sense of walking with God that exemplifies that we are “bold, confident, sure, and secure” in what we are doing and the choices we are making because in truth God is making the choices for us, we are just following. Walking like this instills a profound sense of “hope” for life that nothing else can give us.
“acknowledge” =
3045. יָדַע yâda˓, yaw-dah’; a prim. root; to know (prop. to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, fig., lit., euphem. and infer. (incl. observation, care, recognition; and caus. instruction, designation, punishment, etc.) [as follow]:— acknowledge, acquaintance (-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, comprehend, consider
In order to walk with God directing our paths this way our trust must be willing to submit aka to “acknowledge” God in everything. People quickly find imbalance and an uneven road before them when they half-heartedly acknowledge God, meaning they acknowledge Him in some areas and follow His directions yet in other areas of their life they do things their way – hence, their life is unbalanced and lacks stability and order. Acknowledgement of God runs deep into every area of our lives and being. We are to “observe” how God works. We are to “care” about what matters to Him, and “recognize” His authority in our lives. We are to submit to His “instructions, designation, punishment” aka authority and correction, where necessary. We are to be “acquainted” with God’s character and ways so that we can recognize when something is not of God but perhaps instead the influence of another or of our own desires. We are to allow God to “advise” us, providing us with the “answer” we need when we have question. We are to allow Him to “appoint” our task and assignments in life, directing all that we are doing. We are to “comprehend and consider” His Will, His desire, and His Purpose for us specifically, as well as for mankind, as we make each choice and decision life.
Acknowledging God in all our ways so He can direct our paths is huge undertaking, but it makes life so restful and fulfilling when we have the wisdom to make this practice a habitual part of our life.
In 2003 God spoke to a congregation, including myself, where I was ministering regarding trust and love. The following is what The Spirit said to the congregation.
“To trust Me is to love Me. No person will trust Me who does not first love Me. Through that love, they come to understand the depth of My trustworthiness. For I am not man – man who is without integrity and honor, I am the Lord your God and I am forever trustworthy. My love for you and your love for Me will seal the leaking areas of insecurity that lead to your lack of trust in Me. Live your life as a life given to Me and My purposes, as well as being walked out in righteous living, and I will take care of you. So, you can put your trust in My faithfulness to you as you live before Me righteously. People suffer at times from lack of righteous living and that causes them harm; then they wonder where I was and why I did not protect them. I cannot protect those who will not listen to Me and follow My counsel. Trust requires, at times, that you do not always get to understand everything; if you did, it would not require trust. To walk with Me in power and mighty requires forsaking some of your human understanding and reasoning, then choosing to trust Me at times when things appear to make no sense. They will all come together in the end and you will see the glory of your Lord. When you are walking with Me in righteousness and trust there is no room in your life for fear. Fear is useless because I will be there to deliver you from the snares; I will be and am your salvation in all things.”
When it comes to trust, you know that you have come to a place of complete trust in an Almighty God when you can pray a prayer like the following from your heart and truly mean it not just say the words.
Heavenly Father,
Take my heart and remake it into what You want it to be. Remove from me each and every desire, idea, motive, plan and longing that is not in line with Your will. I want what You want for me, no matter what that might be. Give me a love for Your desires, ideas, plans and will for me and remove love for anything that does not fit into Your plan. For I know Your plan is far better for my life than anything I could ever understand. Make Your passions for me my passions, make them burn within my heart until that is all I want in life. Make my Spirit agree with your Spirit in all matters. I freely give You my heart now and ask You to begin to purify it and turn it so that I am as excited about Your plan for me as You are. I love You and I trust You with my life, my happiness, my fulfillment and yes, my heart.
I ask it all in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen and Amen!
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Favor, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Health, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Mercy, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Exhortation, Godly Counsel, Learning, Mercy, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on January 25, 2018 at 7:00 am
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Mercy and Truth Equal Favor
Once again in this verse as in other verses from the Book of Proverbs, we see the characteristics that govern a person who finds favor in the sight of God and mankind. In these two verses they are the characteristics of mercy and truth.
What is mercy? What is truth, as reflected in this verse? How do we bind them to ourselves? What does it mean to write them on the tablets of our hearts? What exactly is this “good understanding” we will find with God and mankind? All these are questions we will explore.
Most people understand what it is to have favor with people. To our society it generally means to be accepted, liked, to have one’s ideas embraced, etc. However, the type of favor God is talking about here goes just a bit deeper.
*“favour” in the Hebrew language means the following:
2580. חֵן chên, khane; from 2603; graciousness, i.e. subj. (kindness, favor) or obj. (beauty):— favour, grace (-ious), pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured.
2603. חָנַן chânan, khaw-nan’; a prim. root [comp. 2583]; prop. to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow
*Many words may appear to be misspelled in the King James Version of the Bible, much of the grammar may appear to be incorrect, but these are not misspellings based upon the British language where it was written, neither are the grammatical differences mistakes in the British language.
When we find favor with God and man, favor based upon God’s Principles we are treated graciously by those whom we know, whom we do not know, those we would be considered inferior to, along with those who might view themselves as inferior to us. People treat us with kindness beyond what we deserve, as does God. God opens doors for us beyond what we could imagine. God bestows good things on us beyond what we can conceive. People desire to give to us and do for us. With all of that, the most beautiful picture of what it means to have favor we can derive from the Hebrew definition of the word “favour” – that God, Our Creator, the Almighty, will “bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior” to us in order to show us His love and His blessing because we are showing mercy and walking in truth.
When it comes to having “good understanding” with God and mankind, we see another aspect of favor. According to the Hebrew language (definition to follow) that “understanding” will take on the shape of us coming across with an intelligence beyond our human ability, we will find success in our godly pursuits, because we will be believed to hold discretion, knowledge, prudence, wisdom, etc. in our dealings and policies beyond what seems typical among people in the society in which we live.
“understanding” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
7922. שֶׂכֶל sekel, seh’-kel; or
שֵׂכֶל sêkel, say’-kel; from 7919; intelligence; by impl. success: — discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense, understanding, wisdom, wise.
We must not forget however that to find such favor and good understanding requires that we walk in mercy and truth. In order to walk in mercy and truth we must first understand what both are. Next, we must have a willingness and fervent desire to walk in mercy and truth, for this is what it means to write them on the tablets of our hearts. Finally, we must make a determined choice, followed by a daily effort, to live our daily life showing mercy at all times and living a life characterized by telling the truth, representing the Truth as found in God’s Word, and being truthful in our dealings, which is to have integrity, for when we have done these things we have met the requirement to bind them to ourselves?
As we reflect on what it means to walk in mercy we find the need for kindness to be shown to people, for us to be known by our good deeds toward people. We can determine this Truth from the Hebrew definition of “let not mercy” in verse three.
“let not mercy” in the Hebrew language is defined as:
2617. חֶסֶד cheçed, kheh’-sed; from 2616; kindness; by impl. (toward God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subj.) beauty:— favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.
Beyond that we also find from the definition that to walk in mercy also means that we are committed to piety toward God to such a degree that God rarely has to correct (reproof) us. It means that we are dedicated to Truth as found in God’s Word and we reproach (criticize, rebuke, censure) anything wicked or evil. In order to do that we must have and walk in truth, hence why truth and mercy must go together.
Walking in Truth means that we know what we believe, that what we believe lines up with God’s Principles as found in God’s Word, and that we are doing our best to live out those Principles.
“and truth” in the Hebrew language is defined as follows:
571. אֶמֶת ˒emeth, eh’-meth; contr. from 539; stability; fig. certainty, truth, trustworthiness:— assured (-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity.
When we are bound to Truth there is a stability about us, a certainty in our belief system, we are assured in who we are and what we believe. Our ideas and answers to things fall on the side of right most of the time. Verity (sincerity and principles) guide our life.
People know they can trust us when we are dedicated to truth. People know we will be where we say we will be, when we say we will be there, they know we will do what we say we will do. We are faithful and trustworthy.
May we all be established by the Lord Jesus in Truth and Mercy, finding His favor with both Him and our fellowman.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Health, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Longevity, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Decision Making, Discretion, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Peace, Renewal, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on January 18, 2018 at 4:39 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Longevity Found in Wisdom
What part does wisdom play in how long a person lives? I personally believe the principle found here in Proverbs 3:1-2, that the use of wisdom does in fact have a direct impact one’s longevity.
Does this Truth negate the Truth that our days are numbered by the Lord as Psalm 139:16 and Job 14:5 informs us they are? Not at all. Our lives are much like a movie that God has already viewed before we were ever born. God is surprised by nothing, He knows every choice we will make in our lifetime – He does not control them, but He knows what they will be. Therefore, our choices are able to influence the overall longevity of our lives despite the Truth that God knows our last day of life before our first day of life begins.
In keeping the commandments of wisdom, we both improve the quality of our lives, and we are also playing a part in how long our life will be.
Through the use of godly wisdom, we will spend more of that life living in a state of peace. The form of “peace” written about in verse two is described in the Hebrew language as follows: “safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace: —prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ty), to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (cause or make) completed; by implication to be friendly; by extension to reciprocate (in various applications).”
I do not know about you, but I certainly covet (in a godly way) a life filled with that type of peace.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Advice, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Choices, Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Crime, Death, Decision Making, Desire, Devotional, Discretion, Encouragement, Equality, Evil, Exhortation, Fairness, Fear, Godly Fear, Good, Growing, Information, Justice, King Solomon, Learning, Life, Parents, Peace, Protection, Proverbs, Prudence, Renewal, Righteousness, Spirituality, Strength, Teachable, Truth, Wisdom
In Advice, Anxiety, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christ, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Decision Making, Devotional, Discretion, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Learning, Peace, Proverbs, Prudence, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on January 12, 2018 at 1:15 pm
The Scripture passages are identified with bold upright font and the author’s notes are identified with italic regular font.
10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Death or Life – A Choice
The willingness to walk in wisdom is a heart matter. It is a matter of choice. We either desire a life filled with life, godliness, and wisdom or we do not. If we do desire life, godliness, and wisdom then we embrace the knowledge of wisdom for it is through wisdom we shall make room for Jesus to bring about all three in our existence. (v.10)
Discretion in action in daily life will keep us from the snares of life, and keep us on the path of righteousness in Christ. Our intellect needs to be a part of that process as we use our mind to think and reflect upon choices and our spirit to discern the proper course of action. (v.11)
Wisdom, discretion, and godly understanding will help us discern evil people thus avoiding evil people and the actions that come with them. Evil man’s “forward” ways are filled with perversity and fraud, which is the meaning of the word “forward” in verse twelve. There are ways that man devises that are evil. They leave what God considers good (uprightness) and pursue what God considers evil (darkness). Godly people avoid such ways. (v.12-13)
Not only does evil man leave the paths of God and pursue evil, he enjoys the pursuit of evil. This can be difficult for godly people to believe, that people would actually enjoy doing evil, but they in fact do enjoy their evil deeds. Reasoning with someone consumed in their evil ways is almost impossible. (v.14)
There is no way someone like this can be trusted in any capacity. They are not honest and will use words to manipulate individuals. Being naively trusting is not being godly. We can love people, help people, respect people, and guide people while extending trust wisely. (v.15-16)
We may be dealing with an individual we knew when we, and they, were young, but they are now living an ungodly life. They may not be the same person you once knew. Their choices may have carried them far from the godly instruction that you know they once received as a youth. Wisdom makes the choice to pray for them, deal with them as they are now, and wait for God to bring them back into the fold. (v.17)
The ways of evil only lead to death. The houses of evil are filled with death and no place for a godly person. Evil brings death in all forms, literal, figurative, spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, physical, intellectually, etc. Evil leaves a trail of loss and heartache wherever it goes. The small pleasures evil “appears” to bring are only for a fleeting moment and then the bill comes in the form of some brand of death, loss, destruction, etc. Avoidance of evil is the best plan of action, as breaking free evil once it has you in its grip is extremely difficult. (v.18-20)
The wise godly person is able to stand firm in their life, dwelling safely in the land/life that God has provided for them. It is only “the perfect” individuals who can remain in this type of life. In the Hebrew language “the perfect” are those individuals who have by means of choice and practice developed “literal, figurative, and moral integrity” based on “truth and sincerity” those living an “upright” life before God – all of which requires daily choices, multiple choices, over and over and over again – choices that please God and are inline with His Word. (v.20-21)
The life of the wicked evil person on average is very short, unproductive, and unfruitful. It is not a life of quality and substance but instead a life of shallowness that never quite satisfy them. (v.22)
We can choose a real life, or we can choose a life of death, it is our choice. We need to choose well and allow God to grant us the wisdom to do so.
Throughout this study if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question to me.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Christian, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Church Shooting, Compassion, Crime, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Godliness, Godly Fear, Persecution, Protection, Religion, Renewal, Spirituality, Strength, Truth, Wisdom
In Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Confusion, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Forgiveness, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Hate, Hatred, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Peace, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Psychiatric Drugs, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on November 8, 2017 at 6:43 pm
This will be one of the longest pieces I have written for posting in a couple of years but if you will stick with it and read the whole thing you just may find it was well worth your time. Please feel free to send me any of your own thoughts or questions, locate and click on the comment link below. I will address them in follow up posts. This post and/or related posts will be the only post[s] I will be making available for the next few weeks, as I believe this topic needs to stay front and center for a season.
Since Sunday afternoon I have prayerfully contemplated how to address this matter, when to post this piece, and the content of this posting. Ignoring what happened in that congregation, to those members of the Body of Christ on Sunday morning during their time of worship was not an option but providing an answer to the “Why?” questions regarding why it happened was also not an option. Therefore, what to do, I asked God and myself. My answer, not to attempt to provide any answers or spiritual platitudes that hurt more than they help but instead to simple reflect on several insights provided throughout the week that should be reflected upon and considered in light of the tragic events of Sunday, November 5th, 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas at the First Baptist Church.
Compassion, a word, or a choice.
It is my desire through this posting to allow God to use me to express some thoughts for reflection that might actually help us, us being the Body of Christ, really help us in due course and overall instead of just soothing us and placating us. The safest and simplest way to approach this topic would be to demonize the man who killed all of these people and move on. However, to handle the situation with that type of approach would be very spiritually short sided for a godly Christian spiritual leader. As Christians we like to say that we have compassion but how many of God’s people can find compassion for this man, this gunman, that killed their brothers and sisters in Christ? Compassion for what he must have been going through to turn to such a horrible and evil act. We, the Body of Christ, should have compassion for both, the victims, and the perpetrator.
The persecution of the American Church, the Body of Christ in America.
For far too long the Body of Christ has buried their heads in the sand when it came to persecution in America. The persecution, again, in America, does take another form now, then it did during the early church’s history, and a different form than it does in other countries. In America Christians have become targets of lawsuits for living out their beliefs. They have become targets for those who wish to use the legal system to try and silence Christians from expressing their beliefs in a public forum. Christians have become people targeted by a psychologized society that believes psychology has all the answers and that there is no place for God in the equation, a society that refused to accept absolutes or the individual who has firm beliefs and refuses to back down or be quite about them. Christian who still believe that talking about Jesus in their everyday lives at work, in businesses, and other public forums is a normal way to function and their God given, as well as constitutional right, are considered extremist that people avoid. And in the most extreme form of persecution we find our dear brothers and sisters of First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, who suffered a persecution unto death by someone who was so hurt, damaged, angry, and/or evil that he chose to express it through killing – just as nine of our brothers and sisters were persecuted, being killed by a gunman in June of 2015 in South Carolina at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Body must face that they are being persecuted in various forms in America and band together to resist such persecution while at the same time showing compassion for the spiritual blindness that causes their persecutors to act as they do.
It was once said to me when I expressed concerns over the fact that a congregation only had one race and culture represented, ‘Don’t you think it is simply because we all tend to stick to our own?’ Well, for the record, no I do not think that is why you find congregations with only one race or culture represented. Yet, when persecution happens to the Church the barriers of race, culture, education, and economics are quickly dropped to band together for a greater cause, Us, The Body of Christ. I was in Charleston, South Carolina shortly after the killings that took place there and every race, class, education level, culture, and economic group of Christians were represented at that church in a powerful show of unity and spiritual support. In those tragic times we can find the time to leave our congregations and reach out to other congregations or members of The Body of Christ in general, however, this should be a regular practice at all times. There is no doubt that the Bible teaches us, and the history of the Christian Church teaches us, that God uses persecution to grow and/or change His Church and people.
The influence of evil.
I was interviewed a few years back for a book on a serial killer who had once tried to kill me along with about a dozen other people the early 1980’s. According to the author of the book I was the only person he could find to interview, most of the people were dead and a couple unlocatable. The interview was many hours long and during the course of this interview the author wanted to know how I could consistently express so much compassion for this serial killer knowing so much about his history and all the horrible things he had done, and how could I show no anger, bitterness, or resentment toward the man who had been the source of my physically body being damaged to the point that I still lived with the results causing difficulty and pain in daily life. These questions opened up the door to discuss the influence of evil. There was one profound thing that God over the years had helped me to understand, which helped me place the responsibility for evil acts where it lay – with Satan.
That truth was…
Evil causes psychological damage, and psychological damage opens the door to evil.
As long as the psychological community continues to disavow the spiritual side to mental and emotional problems we will continue to see people who never actually get better, change, or heal. As long as the Christian community continues to either, a) ignore the emotional and mental damage done through the wounding of people or b) allow themselves to become so psychologized they no longer make the spiritual connection to a wounded person’s emotional and mental problems, we will continue to see ourselves as a Body grow spiritually weaker and weaker as our biblical worldview becomes overshadowed or at least mixed with a secular worldview. We must find the balance that allows the Church and the mental health community to both realize that they have pieces of the puzzle that will help wounded people become whole again.
Church effectiveness and respect for Christianity within our society.
People do not respect the Christian community like they once did in America. This is our fault, the Body of Christ’s fault in general. There are so many reasons this has happened over the years there is no way to exhaustively address the reasons. However, just to address a few: 1 – We have become too much like the society in which we live. If you are no different than I am in your standards and practices why should I respect you. 2 – Our behavior whether it was intended to be or not “appeared” or “appears” hypocritical to people. We need more transparency that allows us to share our own struggles, yet still promote God’s Truths and His Standards for how we are to aspire to living our lives. 3 – The Body of Christ lacks backbone anymore. What might the zealous Peter and bold Paul say about the stands we take today for Truth or lack thereof, and the boldness we lack in expressing Truth as found in God’s Word.
We lack effectiveness in our society today as well. We lack effectiveness as Christians because we have either checked out of our society or we wish to avoid the ugly side of our society. We are barely able to allow ourselves the ability to remain in relationships long enough to allow ‘iron to sharpen iron’ much less invest ourselves relationally with those who might need our help. What happen to the need to show agape love for people, that love Jesus asked us to show, love that is displayed by our actions, our investment, and our involvement with people.
Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)
As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance (character) of his friend.
John 15:13 (NKJV) Jesus speaking
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Luke 6:35 (NKJV) Jesus speaking
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV) Jesus speaking
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
In the early 2000’s two young boys barely in their teens living in the Pensacola, Florida area are convicted of killing their father and burning their family home down. Allegedly a result of years abuse and the influence of a child predator who also lived in the area. On the road leading up to their home, which was located in the 1,100 block, there were eight churches before the 1300 block and 4 churches within the 1070-1200 block. All of those churches in that community but how many of those congregations were “in that community” with their time, actions, involvement, and love – especially if some people in that community were tough to love.
Now back to this shooting at the Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. The sheriff, Tackitt, in an interview stated that the pastor of this church, Frank Pomeroy, had stated in the past that he did not want the gunman, who had previously been involved in the congregation, in his church and asked the sheriff, “How do I run him away from my church?” – yet this was not the pastor present on the day when the gunman killed 26 of his congregation members (25 men, women, girls, boys, and 1 unborn child) and injured 20 more. The gunman’s mother and father-in-law were members of the church, also not present on the day of the shooting. Dare I pose the question, but I must, how might things have been different had that pastor reached out with love, invested his time, and attempted to help this damaged young man instead of searching for ways to ‘run him away from “his” church?’ Yes, pastors must protect the flock but protecting them does not have to involves ridding yourselves of all those you deem undesirable, it should instead involves helping those you see who are wounded or damaged by life.
Religion acceptable, true godliness is not – a hate breeder.
People are watching what the Christian Churches are doing to each other and to their own people. It is not just the churched that are affected when things are not handled in a godly manner, those looking from the outside or sidelines are also affected. Far too many godly people who love Jesus have left many church congregations and many have been incredibility wounded by their brush with religion. Religion seems to be very acceptable in most of today’s churches, but true godliness or aspirations to that end is not welcome. Sadly, in far too many congregation it is not acceptable to believe that God’s Truths are still a valid standard for living today. We live in an age where the loveless, the compromising, the corrupt, the dead, and the lukewarm churches (Rev. 2-3) reign and truly devout congregations aspiring to God’s Principles and acting with Jesus’ agape love are rare. Religion in every capacity has taken over and controls the leadership thus by extension the people. They do not hunger or thirst for Jesus and to grow in Christ, they do not long for revival to sweep across our land, they are just about the business of church. My biggest challenge and greatest heartache is dealing with the types of Christians, Spiritual Leaders, and churches found in Revelation 2 and 3- the loveless, the compromising, the corrupt, the dead, and the lukewarm.
These types of congregations and individuals have hurt so many people who truly love or loved God, desire or desired to be all God wanted them to be, and yearn or yearned to see the Body of Christ be all Jesus means for it to be. The religious people and congregations have caused wounds great enough that individuals have pulled back from the poison of religion without godly spirituality. Let us never forget that our LORD, our Saviour, Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, was persecuted, maligned, and His crucifixion brought about through the Religious Leaders of His day! If devout people can be affected by a religious society this way, how much more would a wounded or damaged person be affected by this type of treatment from people who are supposed to be “the best people on earth” – Christians? I have heard it said that this man who was the gunman in this attack on this small church was an atheist, and very vocal about his atheistic views. Atheist do not go to church, seekers, the confused, the agnostic goes to church in search of something – if religion is all we have to offer them, then I fear their hate for us will grow.
Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:
This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God's Truth in Love 