Gems of Wisdom

Gems of wisdom

Since school started this year, I have been opening the day with my boys by reading from the Proverbs. Read from it lately? The book is not the same kind of spiritual nourishment as Ephesians, for example. It does not unfold rich doctrines of grace, for example. Yet, each page is packed with practical wisdom that sparkles like a gem!  Obviously, a Christian cannot live on a steady diet of Proverbs, but reading two or three of them each day will most certainly point to a better life.

Here’s an example of the good stuff found there:

·         "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”   There’s a direct slap in the face of our culture, celebrity-crazed and character-starved.  Somehow we have come to believe that having wealth or fame excuses us from living honorably.  Not so, God says.

·         “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.”  There’s a powerful reminder. We’re all equals before God. He does not care about class distinctions. If that idea takes root in our minds, it will revolutionize the way we relate to others.  Envy and disdain die when we live as brothers.

·         “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it." (Proverbs 22:1-3, NIV)  That is a word for our time, isn’t it? “Rescue me,” is the plea of millions. “I’m a victim of my circumstances, I cannot help myself,”  they insist while they keep following the same path that led them into the pit in the first place.  God says, “Wake up and take action!  Get out there.”

·         "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, NIV)  If we really believed this, we would resist the temptation to spend tomorrow’s income today on things that will be worn out before they are paid for!

The book is packed with practical truth about the folly of sexual promiscuity.  (see chapter 5!) The text often warns about the emptiness of a life that is given to a love of wealth. It exposes the silliness chasing flattery instead of true honor. Proverbs teaches us to respect to those who guide and lead us.  "Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor." (Proverbs 1:8-9, NLT)

The early chapters personify wisdom and urge us to seek after her whole-heartedly.

Here’s a word from that book. I hope it blesses you and that you will make a trip to Proverbs frequently, to learn the ancient, yet timely, wisdom recorded there.

"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;

those who lay hold of her will be blessed." (Proverbs 3:13-18, NIV)

Responsibility --- God's Ability

Francis Chan wrote a book, “Forgotten God” that talks about the Holy Spirit.  All Christians acknowledge Him. Many are afraid of Him or at least of what He will direct them to do. The implied question in the book’s opening is this: Who do you believe can better manage your life - the Holy Spirit or you?  Obviously if we believe that God is Who He claims to be, we should be able to trust Him without question, but…  during a panic attack that hit me at 2 am a night or two ago, I realized how hard it is to ‘let go and let God.”  Laying there in the dark with my heart pounding, I prayed -“Lord, my faith wavers right now because I only see myself in this situation and I know too well my inability to control or change the things that concern me. Please give me the courage I need to throw myself into the fight. Give me the wisdom to know to whom I should turn, the vision to know where to lead, and stamina to stand. Help me to conquer unbelief and to live with real joy today.” And, I fell into a deep, restful sleep!

When we get too focused on our responsibilities we can lose sight of God’s abilities. In that moment, we become vulnerable to all kinds of temptation. The Devil loves when we mistakenly allow ourselves to think that it all rests on our shoulders. We all deal with seasons of life when challenges pile up, when questions form and for which we have no answer, when others demand more of us than we think we can produce. The Christian enjoys a resource that those without the Spirit cannot know. Jesus said, “I will send the Spirit… He will lead you.”

Remember the tragic story of the failure that cost Moses the privilege of leading God's People into the Promised Land?  (Numbers 20)  Thirsty, desperate people demanded the impossible: “Give us water now!” They attacked Moses and Aaron asking, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to this terrible place?"  Amazing, isn’t it, how quickly today’s pressing need makes us forget yesterday’s troubles and even God’s faithful in the past. They forgot the awful lives in slavery that cost them their sons and daughters! Moses went to prayer and God gave him the solution: "Go out and speak to the rock and it will pour out water!" However, Moses held onto the sting of the accusations that he was failing as a leader.  In a self-centered moment he let resentment boil over as he went back before the people who doubted him, accused him, ... and he sinned.

“He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.  But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." Numbers 20:10-12 In implying that he, not God, was producing the water needed, Moses sinned. It’s so understandable, but God said it was unacceptable!

He dishonored God by taking too much responsibility on himself! What a powerful lesson for me. Our true Source is Jesus. He is our Rock and from Him pours the waters of a fruitful life. Honor Him by declaring your dependence on Him. Defeat Devilish lies. Destroy the fear that produces restless and/or sleepless nights, by looking to Jesus in humble confession of your dependence. He knows how to make you wise so you can meet the demands of your boss. He knows what you need to meet the needs of your family. He knows what your needs are TODAY.
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Make my life a prayer to You,
I want to do what you want me to,
No empty words, no white lies,
No token prayers, no compromise,

I want to shine the Light You gave,
through Your Son You sent to save us,
from ourselves and our despair,
it comforts me to know You're really there.

Well, I want to thank You now for being patient with me,
Oh, it's so hard to see, when my eyes on me!

I guess, I'll have trust and just believe what You say,
Lord, You're coming again, Coming to take me away.

Make My Life A Prayer
Melody Green © 1978 EMI Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music
Publishing; Admin. by BMG Music Publishing
CCLI License No. 810055

Don't Waste It

Don’t waste it

She felt like she had failed. Her training and expertise met a challenge that proved to be more than she could manage. Unless she changed course, she would hurt herself and her family.  When we talked, she had retreated and was putting things back into perspective.  What would she do with this?  Would she stuff the experience into some recess of her memory, letting it fade with time?  Or, would she learn from it, grow through it, and let God use it?  Our conversation revealed the latter choice.  She will be an even better person now.  I can say that with confidence, because I have failed, too. The moment of my most public sin proved to be the breaking point in my life.  It ripped open my proud heart for all the world to see. God whispered that I could run and hide, or I could look up to receive His grace.  Over a few month’s time, one of many tears and deep soul-searching, the Scripture’s promise of the unconditional love of my Abba changed from words in the Book to conviction in my heart!  In those terrible days, I lost the illusion of self-sufficiency that I had clung to so tenaciously.

Gordon MacDonald, author and pastor, fell flat on his face in mid-life.  His reputation was destroyed and many were ready to see him go, finished as a servant of God. But, he made the choice to confess his sin, take forgiveness, and do the hard work of being restored.  About a decade later, he reflected on that season when he had made such wrong decisions.  “My touch with failure changed a large part of my perspective as a pastor. It gave me an indelible vision of the host of people who enter the sanctuary every week and are staring failure squarely in the face. When I stand to pray, I see two people a few rows back failing at a marriage. Next to them sits an attorney who faces disbarment. Nearby is a man crippled by an addiction to pornography. To his right, a mother who feels a failure with her kids; to her left, the man who can’t keep a job. …  I would never have seen most of these people … had it not been for my own failure. In short, failure gave me a new set of eyes. There is a stewardship to failure. What we learn and gain in our own dark moments is meant to be shared one day with others who face similar kinds of failures. Some of us would like to bury our failures, forget they ever happened. But that doesn’t seem possible. There are too many fallen people along the way who can profit from what we’ve learned of God.”   (Discipleship Journal  : Issue 109)

Have you fallen down?  Is the voice of regret telling you to run away, to cover it up, to abandon faith?  Is the Evil One insisting that God is finished with you, that you should leave the Church and give up hope?

Restoration is not easy! Forgiveness and healing do not usually come instantaneously. However, if we will face life honestly, admit to ourselves and to those we have hurt what we have done, humbly asking them to forgive, we can start again. Yes, God forgives us but it is much tougher to forgive ourselves.  If you’re tempted to try to make a deal with God, reject that impulse. The Bible says that "the sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17, NLT) If your ‘failure’ is not one of sin, but rather finding yourself overwhelmed by your circumstances, there is this in the Word. "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18, NIV)

 “The danger is not that we should fall . . . but that we could remain on the ground.”  - John Chrysostom

This choice, why?

This choice, why?

Pleasure is the god of this culture. For many there is no higher value in life than ‘being happy,’ and by that they mean, ‘feeling good.’  I am no ascetic chasing some divine revelation by inflicting suffering on myself. There is no glory in seeking misery for its own sake.  But, unless we are willing to endure discomfort, we will never become all that our Designer planned for us to be. Our appetites must be governed by the higher calling of the soul or we will become slaves of our drives for ease, food, and sex. Malcolm Muggeridge, an English philosopher who came late to Christianity after living as a hedonistic agnostic, provocatively said that “The orgasm has replaced the cross as the focus of longing and fulfillment.” Shocking, perhaps; but if one thinks of the low state of our culture, we know that he is not wrong.  And our love of ourselves and our unrelenting pursuit of self-fulfillment makes us into perpetual teenagers.

Jesus’ call to His Cross, to self-denial, to humility and service as the path to the richest life possible, is a message that is nearly incomprehensible to many Americans.  Large segments of Christianity has sold out to the culture, twisting the Gospel into a scheme for gaining greater wealth right now and a means of avoiding the consequence of sin later on.  In the mouths of modern prophets, the message of the Cross is no longer the means by which we become holy and pleasing to God. It has been cheapened into a charm that lets us sidestep the judgment of God.  “You can enjoy your best life now,” the preacher says, ignoring the reminder that we are pilgrims who live as “aliens and strangers” in this world as we “look for a city whose architect and builder is God.”

The Bible says that even those in the Church can become “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—  having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  (2 Timothy 3:4) And that is where many American Christians live today, in the form of the faith, but without a genuine love for the One who is the focus of faith and without any desire for His Presence in Heaven. Sated by the pleasures of this present world, they know next to nothing of the joy of which the Psalmist sings; "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." (Psalm 36:6-9, NIV)

Yes, there are glories bright, joys unspeakable, that are accessible to us, but not in sating the desires of our bodies alone. We are made for more than that. We are created in the Image of God, called to be light-bearers. But,  that image was marred by sin and evil. We can regain the beauty as we accept the grace of Christ and seek the Spirit.  Jesus says, "Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:32-33, NIV)  He alludes to the story of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, who moved to Sodom. When God sent angels to deliver Lot and his family from the judgment that was about to be sent on that city, they warned, “Don’t look back!”  But, she did, not treasuring her deliverance, longing for a return to the pleasures she had known.  Her backward look destroyed her.

Here’s a word from the Word. “Oh, Lord, call us closer to You, deeper in faith.”

"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see." (Hebrews 11:1, The Message)  "Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. " (Hebrews 11:13-16, The Message)

Like moon-lit shadows on the wall

Like moonlit shadows on the wall

Last night, the little voices of the Awana kids singing, “And I won’t worry about tomorrow, I’m trusting in what you say,” moved me deeply.  “Lord, give me a child-like faith. Help my heart and mind to surrender to You,” I prayed.  And, I needed to do that.  Several situations over which I have little control conspire to make me afraid. It’s not the 'you scared me half to death' kind of fear.  It’s that gnawing anxiety that sucks the breath out of me,  that hanging cloud of dread of tomorrow that casts a gloomy shadow over every decision. That tension can drive us into depression, and is often a cause of self-destructive behaviors- things like overeating, alcohol abuse, and even sexual promiscuity.  Our sensual appetites gain real strength when we have a troubled soul.

Belonging to God, we need not remain in fear. He promises us a ‘peace that passes human understanding.’ It is given to us freely, but we must choose to receive it. How?

First, submit your emotions to the facts. Declare your status as God's child.

We are not orphans, scrabbling to deal with life, defensive and alone. The Bible says, "you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family—calling him “Father, dear Father.” (Romans 8:15, NLT) Did you trust Christ Jesus and receive His gift of gracious love and forgiveness?  Then God adopted you!  Because of Jesus, we are loved. That truth is so healing, the Enemy of God and good does everything he is able to do to keep us from believing it. He tries to keep us focused on our failures. He does what he can to amplify  the voices of our critics. He tries to narrow our vision to the sorry and sad side of life. So, when anxiety creeps up on us, we must turn to the Word and to worship, praising God for His love; personalizing it! "God loves me!"  Why?  John tells us that "perfect love drives out fear!"

Second, talk about your anxiety with your Father and, if necessary, with a mature Christian friend.

Anxiety is like the shadows that play on the wall on a dark night. Everything looks bigger, more grotesque.  When we try to be big and brave all alone, terror can take hold deep inside of us. That’s why the Bible says, "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns." (Philippians 4:6, The Message) When you’re anxious, tell the Lord about it. If you connect with a person of authentic faith, let them pray with you. Authentic prayer is not just a poem or a platitude!  It is invoking the Presence and power of the Lord for right now.  Real prayer lifts us up into the Throne Room of God. This is one of the reasons that no Christian should attempt to live the Christian life alone. We need to provide cover for one another. The Word assures that in Jesus “we have (a priest) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.”  (Heb 4:15)

Third, evaluate the situation in ultimate terms.

Take your fear and ask - What is the worst that could happen?  The Psalmist asks, "in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11, NIV) Again, this can be a solo exercise, but it is much more effective when there is a trusted friend who will listen, encourage, and keep your perspective on life in balance.

Fourth - do what's right!

Pain, especially the emotional kind, makes us desperate for relief, doesn't it? If we feel trapped, we are much more susceptible to the temptation of things that offer us a quick lift. Tragically, usually what gives short-term relief, produces long-term destruction.  At that time, make your mind rule your heart. Do the right thing,  just because it is the right thing to do! Let a trusted friend help you carry the load.  If we talk about our temptations, they lose much of their lustre. When we tell someone that we want to spend too much, quit our job, or have an affair - the very telling can help us to see the folly of the proposed 'solution' to our problem. Remember, we are not victims of our temptations. We can, and we must, make a choice.  God's promises that He 'will never leave us nor forsake us.' And, He has promised to make a way for us to stand up in times of temptation. So, do what's right!

Don't let fear swallow you and destroy this day. Here’s a confession of faith, the word from the Word for this day. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-9:1, NIV)

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