Walk In Wisdom

"When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 

discretion will preserve you;  understanding will keep you..." 

(Proverbs 2:10-11)

Have you ever made a decision to do something and then something previously unknown to you is revealed, that makes it very clear that you made an unwise or uninformed decision?

This has happened to me quite a bit over the years.  

What we do once we have received that kind of revelation is most important.

The part that says, "Discretion will preserve you" really speaks to me today. 

When I look at the above photo of the rattlesnake I think of my favorite fishing spot—well known for it's thriving population of rattlers.  Many a time I have walked down an obscure, brushy trail to the river and felt a subtle sense of "don't go that direction."  The specific path I had intended to take was quickly revised due to applying discretion.

Consequently, after dozens of fishing trips to my favorite river, I have never seen or stepped on a rattlesnake.  Some of my friends have reported seeing several snakes in one day.  I like my record better.

What decisions have you made in your life, from which you now get a sense that you may have chosen the wrong path?  

When wisdom enters your heart, discretion will preserve you.

Proverbs 2 also states (verses 1-8):

"My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints."

For the follower of Christ, God's Word says the Father gives wisdom liberally to those who ask Him for it.

As the proverb says, IF you incline your ear to wisdom, and if you apply your heart to understanding; crying out for discernment, asking for understanding, seeking God's wisdom like a man would search for precious silver and hidden treasures—God will then give you His wisdom and knowledge on that which you seek.

In my life, I have at times failed to use discretion and I walked when I should have waited.   At other times, I waited when I should have walked.  The point is, I didn't take enough time to incline my ear to wisdom, and apply my heart to understanding; crying out for discernment, asking God for understanding.

In Proverbs 3 the writer tells us:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

If we will take the time to really apply our hearts to understanding the wisdom that God gives, the decisions we make with discretion will bear good fruit.

Fortunately, God's grace is ever-present whenever we make an unwise or uninformed decision.  Whenever I haved leaned on my own understanding, God, who is faithful, has always shown me the error of my ways.  Then He picks me up where I have fallen down, dusts me off, and lovingly points me in the right direction. 

I'm so thankful He does not angrily chew me out and call me an idiot. He is never disgusted with me. He disciplines me when I need it, but He always does so in love.

Whenever I step onto the trail heading down to one of my favorite fishing spots, I always ask God for wisdom and discernment to see rattlesnakes, and for His protection from them. He has never let me down. 

God has never failed me.

The lesson I've learned again today is that I need to consistently ask God for His wisdom and understanding, in every area of my life—be it work, education, realtionships, family, parenting or marriage. 

Truly, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Discretion will preserve you.

God will guard your path.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Business As Usual

I don't get it.

The world is going to hell-in-a-hand-basket and most people are living and acting like nothing is going on.

Seriously, don't you think it's time to pause, and really take a hard look at the world, and discern what is going on all around you?

The American economy, not to mention the global economy, is literally on the verge of utter collapse and people are still charging up a storm and wearing out their credit cards like there's no tomorrow.  Fancy new houses are popping up all around, and folks are buying new cars and big boy toys like it's a feeding frenzy. People are more concerned with their credit score than in how deep of a pit they are digging themselves into financially.

I recently watched a program on PBS where they said that the top scientists in the world are saying that, at the current rate of consumption of our natural resources, the planet has only "20-30 good years left."

That should be more than a little bit sobering.

I guess it's easier to bury your head in the sand and ignore what's happening in the world, hoping it will just go away. 

Sorry Dorothy, clicking your heels together and chanting, "There's no place like home" is not going to get you out of this mess.

Economic collapse, soaring deficits, wars, genocide, violent extremism, terrorism, overpopulation, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, drought, famine, starvation, incurable diseases, poverty, homelessness, divorce and the subsequent disintegration of families, increased crime and drug abuse, selfishness, rampant perversity, and a general moral collapse in society.....

Do you get the picture yet that something is up?

For followers of Christ, we've read The Book (or should have). We know what was foretold—that this time in world history was coming.  

This is definitely not a time for business as usual.

Jesus said (Matthew 24:37-42)

"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

How many of us are actually doing what Jesus said, and are watching for His return?

For those of you who have rejected Christ, and who think that Christians like me are fanatics and religious nuts, you have to admit that something larger than what you can explain is definitely going on in the world.

And for those who believe the Theory of Evolution, you need to ask yourself just how far have we as a  human race really "evolved?"   All the world's most brilliant intellectuals, philosophers, politicians, doctors and scientists have not been able to create global peace, cure the common cold or save the planet from human consumption. 

I hate to be the one to break this to you... but, you can't "fix" this. 

So, what are you going to do?

Jesus said (Revelation 22:12-17)

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

Jesus freely offers eternal life to those who will choose to humble themselves and surrender their hearts to Him, and turn from their sin and receive Him as their Savior. Therefore, choose Life.

The time is drawing near.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

It's a Promise

"But you haven't walked in my shoes!"

Ever have someone say that to you when you encouraged them to have faith—to trust in God?

The truth is, it doesn't matter if I'ved walked in your shoes or not.

God's faithfulness is not limited by how difficult or unique you feel that your circumstances are.

As I stared at this photo of the empty tomb with three crosses in the background, I was reminded of God's faithfulness. 

He always keeps His promises.

Always.

Such as? you may ask.

How about, "I will never leave you or forsake you."  (Hebrews 13:5).

Where people get into trouble with God's promises is that we assume (or worse, we demand) that God always answer our prayers immediately, exactly when we ask Him to, and in the exact way we expect.

Sorry. 

It doesn't work that way.

God always answers our prayers.

Always.

But—more times than not, the answer is "no."

It's because we don't know how we should ask.  In our limited understanding, not being all-knowing like God is, we ask Him for things that He knows will not be good for us.

Or, by saying "no" to our self-serving prayers, He is allowing us to go through a fiery trial that is actually us reaping the consequences of our own foolish choices and actions.  He didn't make us commit that crime. We freely chose to do it.  

No one "falls" into sin.  We choose that path and then we walk into it knowingly.  

We all have free will.

Far too often, we ask God to wave a magic wand and expect Him to make our consequences just disappear, when we knew all along that what we chose to do was wrong.

Fortunately, God will not enable us to stay in our sinful condition.

God accepts us just the way we are—but, He loves us too much to leave us that way.

I'm so thankful for that. 

Here's a little promise from Hebrews 12:5-11 that demonstrates how much the Father loves us:

 “ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,

    Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

    For whom the LORD loves He chastens,

    And scourges every son whom He receives.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.  Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Instead of complaining, try thanking God that He will never enable you to stay in your sin.

As we choose to submit to the painful discipline the Father administers to us in love, we will eventually experience the peaceable fruit of righteousness, but only as we submit ourselves to be trained (and changed) by His discipline.

Resist His discipline and try to get around it, and you're in for a long season of pain.

You can't outrun the consequences of your own actions. 

Paul makes this very clear:

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

Just like the Second Law of Thermal Dynamics is in the physical (everything is breaking down), reaping what you sow is an immutable spiritual law.

You can't escape it.

Sure, if you're a follower of Christ, God will forgive you for the stupidity that you sowed—if you confess it. 

But rarely, if ever, will He make your consequences in the here-and-now just 'go away.'

In my own personal experience, He never makes my consequences instantly just go away.  He may shorten the duration if I have humbled myself and submitted to His discipline, and actually learned the lesson He is teaching me.  But He never altogether removes reaping from sowing. God would not be true to His own word if He did. Besides, we would never learn anything if we didn't reap what we sow.  

The Father disciplines those whom He loves.

No discipline means no love.  (Parents, did you catch that?)

If you're a son (or daughter) of the Most High, then hunger and thirst for the discipline the Father administers—knowing that afterwards, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

But know this, if you get arrogant and act like the spoiled, entitlement generation brats do today, your season of discipline from your Father will be extra long and painful.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

Tough words, tough love. 

But necessary.

And, funny thing about consequences... you may think you have dodged them, at least for now.  But some day, in ways that you don't have a clue about now, the consequences of what you have sown will come back around and bite you. 

And, if that's not enough, they will negatively affect others who are near and dear to you—such as—your children.

To see how far-reaching the consequences are of our sin, just study the life of King David, his wife Bathsheba, and their children.  Even though God forgave them, the "sword never departed from their house."  (See 2 Samuel 12:10)

The pot-o-gold at the end of the rainbow is the peaceable fruit of righteousness that we will experience after we have submitted to God our Father, and allowed ourselves to be trained, and learn the lesson He is teaching us.

Just yield... and thank Him for loving you that much to discipline you.

God is our faithful Father and He always keeps His promises to His children.

Always.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

It's Never Too Late

The point of no return?

A friend of mine who is going through the crucible of the betrayal of divorce, and its painfully debilitating aftermath, shared with me how he recently spent time with a friend who is also going through the brutal process of divorce.  He told me that his friend said he has spent so many thousands of dollars on legal proceedings and is "so far into it" that he just "can't turn back now."

Fortunately, my friend shared with the man that no matter how much money he has spent on lawyers, that it's never too late to reconcile.

Consequently, the man recently met with his estranged wife, and they are getting back together, and are reconciling—allowing God to begin the process of healing their broken marriage. This is so encouraging to hear.

However, what is also very encouraging to me about this story, is that my friend recently told me that he personally has never been so far away from God.  The brutal pain and suffering of his own divorce and an ex-wife who is hell-bent on destroying him, trying to take him for all he is worth, has left him doubting God's faithfulness to him.

But the silver lining to the dark cloud of my friend's brutal circumstances, is that he allowed God to use him to encourage his friend, and speak truth to him in the mans divorce situation. He said it was a "divine appointment."

God truly does cause all things to work together for good, to those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose.

Folks, it's never too late.

It's never too late to forgive each other and reconcile in your relationships.

And it's never too late to allow God to use you to bless and encourage someone else—no matter how far away from Him you may feel you have become in your back sliding. 

As my friend personally experienced, God used his painful trial and suffering of going through a brutal divorce, to encourage his friend to give his marriage another try.  God is using for good, what the Enemy meant for evil.

God answered many prayers in this situation by encouraging my friend by using him to bless someone else who was going through what he went through. 

God demonstrated His faithfulness to my friend.   As He promised, He will never leave us or forsake us.

No matter how far you feel you may have strayed from God, turn your heart fully back to Him today. His mercies are new every morning.

It's never too late.

Psalm 36

⁵ Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;
         Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
 ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
         Your judgments are a great deep;
         O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
 ⁷ How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
         Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
 ⁸ They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
         And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
 ⁹ For with You is the fountain of life;
         In Your light we see light.

Psalm 37

 ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him,
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday.
 ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
         Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
 ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
         Do not fret—it only causes harm.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

In My Father's House

Mansions in the sky. 

Really?

Is that what you are looking forward to?

Jesus said:

"In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

The word translated here as "mansions" in John 14:2, in the original Greek language literally means, "stayings" or "residence."

Jesus, who created the heavens, the universe, and everything in it, has prepared a place for us to dwell with Him in Heaven.  It will be our eternal abode.  But I don't think it will resemble anything like the southern mansion in "Gone With The Wind."  And unlike what I heard some 'charismaniac' say once, that he was supposedly given a 'vision' of his mansion in Heaven and in it he saw "Georgian mouldings" and furnishings, I think our abode with Christ will be unlike anything in our wildest imagination.  Whatever awaits us, it will be glorious.

A Georgian mansion?

Really?

How sad.

Personally, I am not concerned about what the eternal building that I will reside in may look like.  That is so not my focus or desire.

What I am most looking forward to in my eternal abode with Jesus Christ—is being there—with Him. 

Because in His presence, there will be no more death, sickness, sorrow or tears.

But even more than that, there will be no more loneliness.  No more sense of failure.  No more feeling ashamed.  No more rejection. No more descent into madness.  No more frustration. No more hopelessness.  No more boredom. No more failed relationships.  No more division or disagreements. No more fighting or wars. No more feeling unfulfilled, discontent or useless.

It will be a place of perfect peace—because Jesus is our peace.

I can't wait to be there, with my Lord.

For me, the absolute hope and assurance that the sense of failure, loneliness and unfulfillment that I currently feel will vanish forever, helps me focus my heart on Jesus and my eternal abode with Him, and less and less on my current situation here in this fallen, sick, mad world.

Sadly, many of us are completely enslaved to the day-to-day cares of life in the here-and-now.

The pursuits and worries of this temporary life—our finances, career and material possessions—consume our every waking thought, and cause us many a sleepless night. 

This ought not to be.

Jesus said: "Why do you worry about all this?"

God has a purpose for allowing us to go through intense seasons of trials and suffering—to prepare us for eternity. 

Our trials and suffering should humble us, and bring us to the place where we choose to thank God for the difficult times in our lives—so that we as sinners will see our desperate need for Him daily, and see His great love for us.

Enduring hardship also causes us to have compassion on other people who are suffering, and through our own suffering—as God comforts us—we, in turn, can comfort others with the same comfort that we received from God.

Finally, God allows us to endure suffering that we will not stay firmly entrenched in this present world.  The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote (chapter 3, verse 11):

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." 

"Here we have no continuing city", states the writer of Hebrews, but "We seek the one to come."

We are just sojourners, or aliens, in this fallen word.  We're just passing through.  This is not where we are meant to remain.  This is not our Home.

Eternity is what God has placed in our hearts.  Our longing should be for Him and to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us.

Jesus said:

"I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Ultimately, our destiny and eternal abode is with Jesus—in the place He went to prepare for us—in His Father's House. In the Father's House, there will be room for us. A staying. A dwelling place. It's what we were created for—to spend forever with Jesus.

So, please don't allow yourself stay entrenched and enslaved to the things and places of this world that are perishing.  We are not long on this earth.

Our true Home awaits us.

Revelation 21:3-5

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

And He said to me,“Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

   -Amen.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Our Need For Endurance

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise."

"Are we there yet?"

No.

We're not there yet. 

Our Story—though already written—is still unfolding. We're getting close to the end of the line.

But we're not quite there yet.

Perhaps, if you're like me, you have moments of getting weary in the long journey.

Dad is driving the station wagon. The family is packed in the car. You watch telephone pole after telephone pole pass you by.  The sun set hours ago, and now, after a long night, it's coming up again on the horizon.  Now it's night again, and as you lay in the back seat staring up at each passing street light, you see the faces of your sleeping siblings illuminated, as if you were watching them from an old movie projector.

It seems like this trip will never end.

We have need of endurance.

Our destination is solidly marked on the map.  It's not a question of if we will arrive there.  It's just a matter of when.

I'm so ready to be there.  It's been a long, and at times, very bumpy road.  I've taken a lot of detours and forks in the road that I shouldn't have taken.  Why don't I just let Dad drive?

Why are we so quick to abandon the road map? The road is narrow and difficult, but it's the only road that leads to my destination.

Not to worry. We'll get there. Dad is driving. 

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Be patient."

The writer of Hebrews recorded this encouragement and exhortation (Hebrews 10:35-37):

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
      

    “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry."

Who is your confidence in today?

Let it be only in "He who is coming." 

Our confidence should not be in the temporary things that are perishing; the government, the economy, our jobs, our 401-K plans, or our material things.  These things are fleeting, and as many of us have seen, these things are here today, gone tomorrow.  The Bible says for good reason: "Do not trust in uncertain riches."

Our only confidence—our hope—is in God.   

The promise of God's Word is that He will come and will not tarry. 

We're going to be home soon.  This current long journey will end, and a new, incredible journey will begin, and will majestically and wonderfully unfold, over the next thousands of millennia.

We simply cannot comprehend.

In the meantime, we have need of endurance.  The source of our endurance is Christ. 

The writer of Hebrews also states:

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,  and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  (Hebrews 10:19-25)

We're not in this alone.  

We have been set in God's family.  We are to stir up one another by loving others with the love that God loved us with, through His Son. 

Family spends time together, enjoying a meal together, and encouraging one another, and all the more so, as we see that Day coming, in which this present, difficult journey will come to the end of the line.

"Let us consider one another."

If you are listening, and your heart is open, God will put those people whom He has placed in your life on your heart, so that you will consider them, and then reach out and encourage them. 

Are you listening?

Reach out to at least one person today that God has placed in your life, and encourage them.  Don't wait. Pick up the phone, write them an email.  But reach out.

Spend some quality time with someone.  Everywhere around you, there are people who are struggling and hurting, who need God's love and encouragement today.

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another—and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Waiting

   "See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains."  (James 5:7)

We don't wait well.

That's always been one of my greatest struggles—the waiting—not knowing what's going to happen, or, when it will happen. 

For me, if I understand "why" I must wait, then I can usually make some sense of my long periods of having to do so.  But when I am struggling to understand the "why" it is extremely painful for me when I must try to just be patient—and wait.

Author Tommy Tenney wrote: 

"We're into microwaving—but God's into marinating."

We're an instant gratification society.

We grumble when there are two cars ahead of us in the drive-thru line at our favorite coffee shop or burger joint.  The 'One-hour-photo' is just not fast enough.  Sixty seconds of waiting at a red light kills us.  And having to wait a few seconds for our internet browser to open?—forget about it!

We want what we want, and we want it right now.

So why are we so doggone impatient?

May I suggest it's because we don't fully trust God to manage our lives.  We want to be in control of everything.  And coming to the painful realization that we are ultimately in control of nothing, can be a rude awakening indeed.

In the next verse, James gives us the answer: 

"You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

That's the answer:  "establish your heart."

"How can I do that?" you ask.

You have to settle in your heart and in your mind, by the gift of faith that God has given you as a believer, that God is sovereign—that He is in control—of all things.  That God is faithful.

Nothing can happen in this life unless God either allows it to happen, or He directly causes it to happen.

Nothing.

You must stand on the truth that God really does cause all things to work together  for our good, for those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (See Romans 8:28)

Do you truly believe that?  

Sometimes, I think I believe that, but it's little more than an intellectual understanding of the passage.  But this is a Promise from God our Father. 

In your times of trying to make sense of what is happening in your life, if you don't really believe God will keep His promises to you, like me, you need to pray, "Lord, help my unbelief."

We either believe that God is faithful—or we don't. 

And lately, my actions and attitudes have been those of a person who doesn't fully trust God to manage my life. 

That's what faith is—trusting fully in the Lord—no matter what.

Lord—help my unbelief.

The writer of Hebrews states that faith is having certain hope for what we cannot see.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  (Heb 11:1).

Paul also writes in Romans:

"For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." (Rom 8:24-25)

Faith settles in our hearts that God is faithful.  He has brought us this far and has helped us get through things that we didn't think we could ever endure.  Faith is assured that God will keep His promises, and even though we cannot see the outcome in our long seasons of waiting—God sees and knows the end from the beginning. 

And I either choose to believe that—or I don't.

The endurance and perseverance that we need to patiently wait for what God has promised can only come from Him.  And we can only receive that strength to the extent that we draw close to Jesus and cling tightly to Him—fully trusting in Him because He is faithful.

Because He is God.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.