Posts
timewithgod.blog-city.com — January 2007
Proverbs 15 -- Our Attitudes and Reactions Reflect Our Relationship
God-honoring obedience
"A gentle answer will calm a person's anger, but an unkind answer will cause MORE anger....
Healing words give life, but dishonest words crush the spirit ....
Wise people use their words to spread knowledge...
People with quick tempers cause trouble, but those who control their tempers stop a quarrel...
Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing ....
Good people think before they answer...."
I can think of many times when I wish someone would have handed me a card with this on it before I opened my mouth.
Woven in between all this was a thread dealing with our relationship with God:
"The Lord's eyes see everything; He watches both evil and good people...
The Lord hates the sacrifice that the wicked offer, but He likes the prayers of honest people.
The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right...
He surely knows the thoughts of the living....
The Lord will tear down the proud person's house....
The Lord hates evil thoughts but is pleased with kind words...
The Lord does not listen to the wicked, but He hears the prayers of those who do right....
Respect for the Lord will teach you wisdom."
My commentary amplified verse 8, speaking of "the worthlessness of ritual without reality. A wicked man may bring costly offerings to the Lord but God despises them. He wants the man's life to be clean first. 'To obey is better than sacrifice.' God delights in the humble prayer of the upright person; 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart -- these, O God, You will not despise.' "
I noticed "God hates..." occurring many times. Though we know He is a God of love, we must understand that He hates sin, and He is disappointed by our disobedience.
So what do the two threads have in common? If we understand and implement the second one, we won't have to worry much about the first one. But if we have trouble with the first one, we need to seriously review our life to see where we fall short in the second one.
Father, I remember Ronnie Hill's admonition that 98% obedience = 100% disobedience. These verses help me to sharpen that image in my own mind and heart. Help me use Your words to change the way I react to people and situations. Help me to react in God-honoring ways and not in my own sinful, flesh-driven way.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Healing words give life, but dishonest words crush the spirit ....
Wise people use their words to spread knowledge...
People with quick tempers cause trouble, but those who control their tempers stop a quarrel...
Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing ....
Good people think before they answer...."
I can think of many times when I wish someone would have handed me a card with this on it before I opened my mouth.
Woven in between all this was a thread dealing with our relationship with God:
"The Lord's eyes see everything; He watches both evil and good people...
The Lord hates the sacrifice that the wicked offer, but He likes the prayers of honest people.
The Lord hates what evil people do, but He loves those who do what is right...
He surely knows the thoughts of the living....
The Lord will tear down the proud person's house....
The Lord hates evil thoughts but is pleased with kind words...
The Lord does not listen to the wicked, but He hears the prayers of those who do right....
Respect for the Lord will teach you wisdom."
My commentary amplified verse 8, speaking of "the worthlessness of ritual without reality. A wicked man may bring costly offerings to the Lord but God despises them. He wants the man's life to be clean first. 'To obey is better than sacrifice.' God delights in the humble prayer of the upright person; 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart -- these, O God, You will not despise.' "
I noticed "God hates..." occurring many times. Though we know He is a God of love, we must understand that He hates sin, and He is disappointed by our disobedience.
So what do the two threads have in common? If we understand and implement the second one, we won't have to worry much about the first one. But if we have trouble with the first one, we need to seriously review our life to see where we fall short in the second one.
Father, I remember Ronnie Hill's admonition that 98% obedience = 100% disobedience. These verses help me to sharpen that image in my own mind and heart. Help me use Your words to change the way I react to people and situations. Help me to react in God-honoring ways and not in my own sinful, flesh-driven way.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 16 Our plans, our motivations, and our hearts
They must all be focused on God
Carefulness in our planning, and examination of our motives seems to be the focus this morning. Look at these verses:
"People may make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true. You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord will judge your reasons. Depend on the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed. The Lord makes everything go as He pleases .... People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do .... Whoever trusts the Lord will be happy .... Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death."
My sidebar said it very neatly: "No matter what good we do, God knows our motivation for doing it. God judges our motives, not simply our actions..."
I had a flashback to yesterday's q.t. which talked about "the worthlessness of ritual without reality" and mentioned that "a wicked man may bring costly offerings to the Lord, but God despises them..."
As we begin to plan (and possibly to scheme), our flesh -- our sinful self -- may try to corrupt the best intentions of our heart for God. I noticed pride being brought up here several times as well, and it forms an excellent current illustration:
I could, with the best of intentions, agree to work up another treasure hunt for Disciple Now. My plan and intention and motivation should be to both entertain the youth and to have something that might draw in those who otherwise might not come so that they can hear the Gospel. But I have to be very careful that my pride does not enter the picture, because God detests pride, and if I get to a point where I let it become my motivation for doing it, then my best intentions can be corrupted or destroyed.
My sidebar mentioned having a sensitive conscience to help discern when this might be about to happen, and I agree that would help tremendously. Yet I've often seen Satan stick his hands into that as well, doing whatever he can to cause me to doubt myself or my motivation, and trying to render worthless whatever it is I'm working on. He feeds us lies at every opportunity, and just like the media today, he will attempt to ascribe a motivation that doesn't exist in order to "create a story" for himself, because neither he, nor the media, want to see (nor do they believe it's possible that) someone doing anything solely for God's glory and out of a servant's heart.
Father, help me not to plan without You. Always check my motivations, and help me to examine them, too, not just before I start, but all along the way as well. Keep my motivations pure and focused on You. And do not let Satan try to feed me lies in an effort to stop what You are doing through me. Help me to know my own heart and to put down anything in it that is not of You, for were I to attempt to do anything apart from Your will, and in an attempt to fulfill any fleshly desire in my heart, You would despise my best offerings. I only want to please You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
"People may make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true. You may believe you are doing right, but the Lord will judge your reasons. Depend on the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed. The Lord makes everything go as He pleases .... People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do .... Whoever trusts the Lord will be happy .... Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death."
My sidebar said it very neatly: "No matter what good we do, God knows our motivation for doing it. God judges our motives, not simply our actions..."
I had a flashback to yesterday's q.t. which talked about "the worthlessness of ritual without reality" and mentioned that "a wicked man may bring costly offerings to the Lord, but God despises them..."
As we begin to plan (and possibly to scheme), our flesh -- our sinful self -- may try to corrupt the best intentions of our heart for God. I noticed pride being brought up here several times as well, and it forms an excellent current illustration:
I could, with the best of intentions, agree to work up another treasure hunt for Disciple Now. My plan and intention and motivation should be to both entertain the youth and to have something that might draw in those who otherwise might not come so that they can hear the Gospel. But I have to be very careful that my pride does not enter the picture, because God detests pride, and if I get to a point where I let it become my motivation for doing it, then my best intentions can be corrupted or destroyed.
My sidebar mentioned having a sensitive conscience to help discern when this might be about to happen, and I agree that would help tremendously. Yet I've often seen Satan stick his hands into that as well, doing whatever he can to cause me to doubt myself or my motivation, and trying to render worthless whatever it is I'm working on. He feeds us lies at every opportunity, and just like the media today, he will attempt to ascribe a motivation that doesn't exist in order to "create a story" for himself, because neither he, nor the media, want to see (nor do they believe it's possible that) someone doing anything solely for God's glory and out of a servant's heart.
Father, help me not to plan without You. Always check my motivations, and help me to examine them, too, not just before I start, but all along the way as well. Keep my motivations pure and focused on You. And do not let Satan try to feed me lies in an effort to stop what You are doing through me. Help me to know my own heart and to put down anything in it that is not of You, for were I to attempt to do anything apart from Your will, and in an attempt to fulfill any fleshly desire in my heart, You would despise my best offerings. I only want to please You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 17 and ice-bound brothers
A good time to work on our patience during quarrels
There is so much about quarreling in here, and I'm probably hyper-sensitive to it after hearing a lot of it for the last 4 days as the extremely cold weather kept my boys and their friends inside, often bored and looking for something to do. The very first verse reminded me of Sunday night, after I made my boys go to their rooms to read books. Finally having a quiet house was marvelous.
Verse 14 talked about the importance of stopping a quarrel before it moved from insignificant to significant things. As I've listened to several this weekend, wanting the boys and their friends to learn how to work things out, I've discovered that, once in the heat of battle, it's almost impossible for that to happen without the assistance of a third party (particularly one with a threat of punishment). Their eyes and ears almost close up to each other in times like that.
Verse 19 hints that arguing may be a sign of an unyielded heart: "Whoever loves to argue, loves to sin." By linking sinning and arguing, we removed the "intellectual" aspect of it and call it what it is -- sin.
Verse 27 appeals to our "one-upsmanship" a little, I think, when we're in an argument: "The smart person says very little, and one with understanding stays calm." Verse 28 makes it clear that the best way for a fool to look good is not to talk.
My commentary said about verse 27: "Rash speech and quick temper betray a shallow character." And who wants to be accused of having a shallow character?
Probably what my boys and I need to hear the most, though, is verse 17: "A friend loves you all the time (unconditional love), and a brother helps in times of trouble." One of my biggest regrets is that I did not have a bio brother -- someone to stand by me in adversity. And with my two boys, I hope they will discover what I never knew.
Father, help me not to exhibit rash speech and a quick temper. Help me not to speak unless I have something to say that will build up. And help my boys to learn that one of the priceless gifts You've given them is a brother. Strengthen them through each other as iron sharpens iron.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Verse 14 talked about the importance of stopping a quarrel before it moved from insignificant to significant things. As I've listened to several this weekend, wanting the boys and their friends to learn how to work things out, I've discovered that, once in the heat of battle, it's almost impossible for that to happen without the assistance of a third party (particularly one with a threat of punishment). Their eyes and ears almost close up to each other in times like that.
Verse 19 hints that arguing may be a sign of an unyielded heart: "Whoever loves to argue, loves to sin." By linking sinning and arguing, we removed the "intellectual" aspect of it and call it what it is -- sin.
Verse 27 appeals to our "one-upsmanship" a little, I think, when we're in an argument: "The smart person says very little, and one with understanding stays calm." Verse 28 makes it clear that the best way for a fool to look good is not to talk.
My commentary said about verse 27: "Rash speech and quick temper betray a shallow character." And who wants to be accused of having a shallow character?
Probably what my boys and I need to hear the most, though, is verse 17: "A friend loves you all the time (unconditional love), and a brother helps in times of trouble." One of my biggest regrets is that I did not have a bio brother -- someone to stand by me in adversity. And with my two boys, I hope they will discover what I never knew.
Father, help me not to exhibit rash speech and a quick temper. Help me not to speak unless I have something to say that will build up. And help my boys to learn that one of the priceless gifts You've given them is a brother. Strengthen them through each other as iron sharpens iron.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 18 and the coming of adolescence
Striving to keep friendships strong in the coming storms
"Coming events cast their shadows before them." This old quote was cited by Charles Spurgeon in my sidebar, from a sermon where he's talking about pride and how "a haughty heart is the prophetic prelude of evil."
I wish I'd read this yesterday. So many verse in here deal with relationships with friends and how they can be hurt by careless words.
We'd had a pretty good day yesterday, with Josh staying at school until 5pm in a new TAKS learning club. Both boys got their homework with a little help. We had supper and got some things done around the house. Then it was time for Josh to practice his trumpet, which he's supposed to do for 10 minutes a day. Although he can produce good tones, he's certainly not enamored with band, wanting to do anything athletic instead. So even 10 minutes can be a lot of practice for him.
He also loves to kid and tease, and all of this seemed to combine as he began to sputter, then giggle, then sputter some more instead of playing his trumpet. Knowing the trumpet very well myself, I told him he needed to get serious so I could start timing, but instead, it just got worse.
The less seriously he took it, the madder I got. It was right at bath time and bed time and he then started claiming that he'd never been shown (in a whole semester of band) how to read the notes to know what note he was to play. Was this teasing or real? I couldn't tell. Was he egging it on for entertainment value or was he truly frustrated? He's a very good actor. I threatened both a spanking and grounding and I also easily played the song so he'd hear how it went. With much dragging, cajoling, anger, and threat on my part, we finally got the practice done, but not before I regretted a thing or two I'd said.
Where 2 days ago a proverb had said, "Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city," today's said, "A brother who has been insulted is harder to win back than a walled city."
I really suspect that, in his own way, he's testing dear old dad to see, when it comes right down to it, what he's really made o
f --whether this Christianity thing is skin deep or all the way to the core. I started to point out the verse, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." I do end up apologizing on occasion, when God speaks to me and pricks my conscience. I want Josh to know that, yes, a father can and will make mistakes, and when I do, I sincerely regret them and repent before God and make things right. Yet I also want him to admit his part in causing me to sin. It's a tough line to draw, and the sand is constantly shifting.
Father, more than anything else, I want my sons to both be men after Your own heart, and I want them to see You in me. When I fail at that, I want them to see David saying, "I am the man. I have sinned." At the same time, though, I want my sons to be supporters and not attackers -- men who encourage and lift up rather than set up to fail. Please help me to teach them that. Forgive me for failing last night. Help Josh to see that I mean it, and in this process of growing up and breaking away, help him to never ever doubt my love for him. Keep us close friends in spite of it, Father. Don't let Satan use his coming adolescence to ever drive us apart. My heart beats for him as it does for You, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
I wish I'd read this yesterday. So many verse in here deal with relationships with friends and how they can be hurt by careless words.
We'd had a pretty good day yesterday, with Josh staying at school until 5pm in a new TAKS learning club. Both boys got their homework with a little help. We had supper and got some things done around the house. Then it was time for Josh to practice his trumpet, which he's supposed to do for 10 minutes a day. Although he can produce good tones, he's certainly not enamored with band, wanting to do anything athletic instead. So even 10 minutes can be a lot of practice for him.
He also loves to kid and tease, and all of this seemed to combine as he began to sputter, then giggle, then sputter some more instead of playing his trumpet. Knowing the trumpet very well myself, I told him he needed to get serious so I could start timing, but instead, it just got worse.
The less seriously he took it, the madder I got. It was right at bath time and bed time and he then started claiming that he'd never been shown (in a whole semester of band) how to read the notes to know what note he was to play. Was this teasing or real? I couldn't tell. Was he egging it on for entertainment value or was he truly frustrated? He's a very good actor. I threatened both a spanking and grounding and I also easily played the song so he'd hear how it went. With much dragging, cajoling, anger, and threat on my part, we finally got the practice done, but not before I regretted a thing or two I'd said.
Where 2 days ago a proverb had said, "Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city," today's said, "A brother who has been insulted is harder to win back than a walled city."
I really suspect that, in his own way, he's testing dear old dad to see, when it comes right down to it, what he's really made o
f --whether this Christianity thing is skin deep or all the way to the core. I started to point out the verse, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." I do end up apologizing on occasion, when God speaks to me and pricks my conscience. I want Josh to know that, yes, a father can and will make mistakes, and when I do, I sincerely regret them and repent before God and make things right. Yet I also want him to admit his part in causing me to sin. It's a tough line to draw, and the sand is constantly shifting.
Father, more than anything else, I want my sons to both be men after Your own heart, and I want them to see You in me. When I fail at that, I want them to see David saying, "I am the man. I have sinned." At the same time, though, I want my sons to be supporters and not attackers -- men who encourage and lift up rather than set up to fail. Please help me to teach them that. Forgive me for failing last night. Help Josh to see that I mean it, and in this process of growing up and breaking away, help him to never ever doubt my love for him. Keep us close friends in spite of it, Father. Don't let Satan use his coming adolescence to ever drive us apart. My heart beats for him as it does for You, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 19 & 20 -- Who's in control?
God is
It's amazing to see all of this advice in these two chapters, yet 19:21 and 20:24 seem to trump it all. I read through these chapters, struggling to find what God was wanting me to focus on this morning. There was so much that fit in with what's gone on over the last few days -- how to discipline a child, avoiding people who willfully sin, being honest and upright .... but those two verses above seemed most important: "People can make all kinds of plans, but only the Lord's plan will happen .... The Lord decided what a person will do; no one understands what his life is all about."
I thought of the man in the New Testament who decided to build bigger barns to hold his wealth, and God's reply that he was foolish, for his life would be demanded of him that very night.
And in these verses, just about every human way to exhibit greed seems to be mentioned. Yet again, in the middle, is this verse, "Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord; He will reward you for what you have done."
Father, help me to remember that Your economy works very differently than the world assumes. And You are the One in total control of it all. Help me to mold my life and my personality to fit Your world and not mine. As You bless me, help me to bless others.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
I thought of the man in the New Testament who decided to build bigger barns to hold his wealth, and God's reply that he was foolish, for his life would be demanded of him that very night.
And in these verses, just about every human way to exhibit greed seems to be mentioned. Yet again, in the middle, is this verse, "Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord; He will reward you for what you have done."
Father, help me to remember that Your economy works very differently than the world assumes. And You are the One in total control of it all. Help me to mold my life and my personality to fit Your world and not mine. As You bless me, help me to bless others.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 21 God never loses
He is sovereign and in control of everyone and everything
I used to have a bumpersticker that read, "I know the future -- God wins!" What I saw in this chapter was the same thought. God controls everything, and despite the best efforts of man to warp or destroy God's plans, He is still sovereign. It starts with verse 1: "The Lord can control a king's mind as He controls a river; He can direct it as He pleases."
Verse 12 says, "God, who is ALWAYS RIGHT, watches the house of the wicked and brings ruin on every evil person." Those first five words should be engraved on our minds, because that is the first unbelief Satan tried to instill in Eve.
Verses 30-31 say, "There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the Lord. You can get the horses ready for battle, but it is the Lord who gives the victory. In my commentary, a man named Plumptre rephrased them as: "Nothing avails against God" and "Nothing avails without God." The sum total of everything on earth is as nothing to Him, and for us to dare to believe that we can fight Him and win is sheer folly.
Father, when circumstances overwhelm me, remind me that nothing is outside of Your control. And when I'm tempted to grab the reins myself, help me to understand that apart from You, I can do nothing.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Verse 12 says, "God, who is ALWAYS RIGHT, watches the house of the wicked and brings ruin on every evil person." Those first five words should be engraved on our minds, because that is the first unbelief Satan tried to instill in Eve.
Verses 30-31 say, "There is no wisdom, understanding, or advice that can succeed against the Lord. You can get the horses ready for battle, but it is the Lord who gives the victory. In my commentary, a man named Plumptre rephrased them as: "Nothing avails against God" and "Nothing avails without God." The sum total of everything on earth is as nothing to Him, and for us to dare to believe that we can fight Him and win is sheer folly.
Father, when circumstances overwhelm me, remind me that nothing is outside of Your control. And when I'm tempted to grab the reins myself, help me to understand that apart from You, I can do nothing.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 22 & 23 Shining the light on anger and the self-control needed to vanquish it
Something not to be passed on to your children
"Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding," it says in chapter 23. It's an absolute shame that it seems we can't start with it.
There's so much here about raising children, and the verses about mischief and lack of self-control in them only serve to prove that we are all born as sinners. I'm also reminded of the admonitions about taking care in what we do, because 90% of what our children learn is gathered by watching what we do.
God gently pricked my conscience this morning in a combination of two things. First, Josh woke me up at 5:20 this morning yelling something in his sleep. It was clear that he was angry in his dream. Then I read 22:24 -- "Don't make friends with quick-tempered people or spend time with those who have bad tempers. If you do, you will be like them. Then you will be in real danger." My oldest son (11) already has an anger problem, and quite often I have to "talk him down" from a red face and clinched fists. Unfortunately, I find myself in that same situation. And I remembered last night jumping on them for 3 relatively minor things. As I train my children, I have to be certain that I do it in love and not in anger. If there is one thing I don't want them to emulate in me, it's anger. It's been addressed a lot in Proverbs and it seems to be the self-control issue God is pinging me with this month.
Father, help me to make progress in not reacting in anger when I become frustrated. Remind me that young eyes are watching and learning. Help them not to intentionally push my buttons, and in my reactions, do not let me sin against You by displaying unrighteous anger. I don't want the verse about to be said about me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
There's so much here about raising children, and the verses about mischief and lack of self-control in them only serve to prove that we are all born as sinners. I'm also reminded of the admonitions about taking care in what we do, because 90% of what our children learn is gathered by watching what we do.
God gently pricked my conscience this morning in a combination of two things. First, Josh woke me up at 5:20 this morning yelling something in his sleep. It was clear that he was angry in his dream. Then I read 22:24 -- "Don't make friends with quick-tempered people or spend time with those who have bad tempers. If you do, you will be like them. Then you will be in real danger." My oldest son (11) already has an anger problem, and quite often I have to "talk him down" from a red face and clinched fists. Unfortunately, I find myself in that same situation. And I remembered last night jumping on them for 3 relatively minor things. As I train my children, I have to be certain that I do it in love and not in anger. If there is one thing I don't want them to emulate in me, it's anger. It's been addressed a lot in Proverbs and it seems to be the self-control issue God is pinging me with this month.
Father, help me to make progress in not reacting in anger when I become frustrated. Remind me that young eyes are watching and learning. Help them not to intentionally push my buttons, and in my reactions, do not let me sin against You by displaying unrighteous anger. I don't want the verse about to be said about me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 24 -- The importance of building solid character
How to be a man after God's own heart
Several different lines of thought in what I read today seem to all be pointing in one direction -- toward a man's character. Verses 3 & 4 say, "It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong. It takes knowledge to fill a home [note: not a house] with rare and beautiful treasures." By gaining wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God, we strengthen the family God gives US. I thought of my two rare and beautiful Ukrainian treasures that God saw fit to fill my home with, and how each day He is guiding me to shape them and polish them to bring out the beauty He designed into their lives, that might have never been discovered had He not sent me to them.
Another character builder is remaining strong in tough times, rather than operating from the sidelines. My commentary quoted Dante: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a time of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality."
Perhaps one of the toughest things is not to gloat or be happy when an enemy gets what he deserves. Verses 17 & 18 say that God won't be pleased with that behavior. My commentary added: "A man of good character should never rejoice when trouble catches up with his adversary, or be happy to see him stumble. If the Lord sees anyone harboring a gloating, vindictive spirit, He will consider that spirit more punishable than the guilt of the enemy."
Verse 27 caught my eye since I'm adding on to my house right now. My commentary had something great to add: "Just as a man must clear away the trees and cultivate the land before building a house, so he should get his own life in order before having a family. Thus, the proverb may be a warning against rushing into marriage with all its responsibilities before a person is spiritually, emotionally, and financially prepared."
Although I would have loved to have had a traditional family, I can see now that God was working to prepare me spiritually and emotionally, and until that time, He was wise in holding me back from having a family, for a father's character is one of the most important treasures he can pass on to his kids.
Finally, the laziness spoken of in verses 30-34 has a spiritual application as well, according to my commentary: "When we succumb to laziness in spiritual matters, our life (vineyard) becomes infested with the works of the flesh (thistles and nettles). There is not fruit for God. Our spiritual defenses (the wall) are down, and the devil gains a foothold. The result of our coldness and backsliding is poverty of SOUL."
Father, thank You so much for working on me, helping me to infuse these traits into my own life. I know that I'm not nearly done, but I'm glad You got me as far along as You did before leading me to my sons. As the song says, "I want to be more like You, because they want to be just like me." Don't let me steer them wrong, Father. Build up my character every day as You build theirs.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Another character builder is remaining strong in tough times, rather than operating from the sidelines. My commentary quoted Dante: "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a time of great moral crisis maintain their neutrality."
Perhaps one of the toughest things is not to gloat or be happy when an enemy gets what he deserves. Verses 17 & 18 say that God won't be pleased with that behavior. My commentary added: "A man of good character should never rejoice when trouble catches up with his adversary, or be happy to see him stumble. If the Lord sees anyone harboring a gloating, vindictive spirit, He will consider that spirit more punishable than the guilt of the enemy."
Verse 27 caught my eye since I'm adding on to my house right now. My commentary had something great to add: "Just as a man must clear away the trees and cultivate the land before building a house, so he should get his own life in order before having a family. Thus, the proverb may be a warning against rushing into marriage with all its responsibilities before a person is spiritually, emotionally, and financially prepared."
Although I would have loved to have had a traditional family, I can see now that God was working to prepare me spiritually and emotionally, and until that time, He was wise in holding me back from having a family, for a father's character is one of the most important treasures he can pass on to his kids.
Finally, the laziness spoken of in verses 30-34 has a spiritual application as well, according to my commentary: "When we succumb to laziness in spiritual matters, our life (vineyard) becomes infested with the works of the flesh (thistles and nettles). There is not fruit for God. Our spiritual defenses (the wall) are down, and the devil gains a foothold. The result of our coldness and backsliding is poverty of SOUL."
Father, thank You so much for working on me, helping me to infuse these traits into my own life. I know that I'm not nearly done, but I'm glad You got me as far along as You did before leading me to my sons. As the song says, "I want to be more like You, because they want to be just like me." Don't let me steer them wrong, Father. Build up my character every day as You build theirs.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 25 & 26 Gossip and other problems Christians struggle with
Until we shed this body, we will struggle
The vast majority of verses in these chapters deal with foolishness and gossiping. What's bad is that becoming a Christian doesn't cure these ills. In fact, Christians can be bigger gossips than anyone else in their supposed "concern" for their neighbor or in their rush to judgment.
It's that thought that I picked up on in my Bible's sidebar about chapter 26. It said, "If it were not for the restraining presence of the Spirit, you and I would be the personification of wickedness. No sin would be too extreme. No act of disobedience too rebellious .... keep in mind that our old nature remains just as dark and depraved as [that of an unsaved person], even though the Spirit resides within us. Were it not for the presence of God's Spirit, our wickedness would know no bounds .... only by turning the controls of our life over to Him who lives within can we begin to model the life Christ modeled when He lived a walked on earth."
How well we ought to know this, yet how often we fail. I get really tired of having to come back to God again and again asking for forgiveness -- even wondering if He will find me sincere in my asking. It reminds me of when my youngest son had been in America about 6 months and he'd quickly say "I'm sorry!" the instant I got on to him about something. I responded, "No you're not! You're just saying that to get out of the punishment. If you were truly sorry you'd stop that behavior."
I know, God......me, too....
Another thing that stuck out was a reminder about foolish talk:
"Think before you respond....
Never just blurt out an answer....
Don't insult someone or carelessly criticize....
Never be sarcastic, and...
Be careful how you tease."
Wise words, Father!
Finally, there was a nugget of gold tucked inside my commentary this morning. It said, "Beyond God's 'enough' lies nausea, not ecstasy." That's so true, no matter what the sin.
Father, I know that my old nature -- my sin nature -- will still be around until I shed this body. But I want Your Spirit to totally overwhelm it. Help me to release the reins to You. Help me not to crawl back to any part of that old life. Help me particularly with what I say and with what I should not say. Make sure my mind and spirit are running before I put my mouth in gear.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
It's that thought that I picked up on in my Bible's sidebar about chapter 26. It said, "If it were not for the restraining presence of the Spirit, you and I would be the personification of wickedness. No sin would be too extreme. No act of disobedience too rebellious .... keep in mind that our old nature remains just as dark and depraved as [that of an unsaved person], even though the Spirit resides within us. Were it not for the presence of God's Spirit, our wickedness would know no bounds .... only by turning the controls of our life over to Him who lives within can we begin to model the life Christ modeled when He lived a walked on earth."
How well we ought to know this, yet how often we fail. I get really tired of having to come back to God again and again asking for forgiveness -- even wondering if He will find me sincere in my asking. It reminds me of when my youngest son had been in America about 6 months and he'd quickly say "I'm sorry!" the instant I got on to him about something. I responded, "No you're not! You're just saying that to get out of the punishment. If you were truly sorry you'd stop that behavior."
I know, God......me, too....
Another thing that stuck out was a reminder about foolish talk:
"Think before you respond....
Never just blurt out an answer....
Don't insult someone or carelessly criticize....
Never be sarcastic, and...
Be careful how you tease."
Wise words, Father!
Finally, there was a nugget of gold tucked inside my commentary this morning. It said, "Beyond God's 'enough' lies nausea, not ecstasy." That's so true, no matter what the sin.
Father, I know that my old nature -- my sin nature -- will still be around until I shed this body. But I want Your Spirit to totally overwhelm it. Help me to release the reins to You. Help me not to crawl back to any part of that old life. Help me particularly with what I say and with what I should not say. Make sure my mind and spirit are running before I put my mouth in gear.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 27 and handling correction from a friend
Count it as a direct blessing from God
Any kid in middle school or high school would just about "kill" a friend who failed to tell them if they had a large piece of spinach wedged between their front teeth. That's part of "watching each other's back". And it's a mark of true friendship.
But so often, if it's a warning about our behavior rather than our appearance, it becomes a whole other matter. We might take offense to being corrected, or say that it's none of their business.
This chapter really hits on the value of true friendship and accountability. Verse 5 says, "It is better to correct someone openly than to have love and not show it. Yesterday, I was asked to send out my adoption story as a reference for the woman who helped me adopt, which I regularly do. But for the first time ever, I received a reply from a woman who was appalled that I would use "violence" (spanking with a ruler) to discipline a child, and she suggested that I remove that reference from my story. I politely replied that it wasn't "doing violence" , but in fact I was showing love and that my boys knew that. It goes right along with this. But more than urging us to do our duties as friends and say something to others, I think today it's saying, "If you are the one needing correction, don't get mad at your friend for bringing it up. Realize what courage it took for them to risk the relationship to tell you.
In the same vein, verse 6 says, "The slap of a friend can be trusted to help you, but the kisses of an enemy are nothing but lies. Who wants a "yes" man around all the time, telling us what we want to hear, instead of what we need to hear?
Verse 9 says, "Good advice from a friend is pleasant." We shouldn't think of a friend's correction as anything less than a direct blessing from God Himself.
Finally, verse 17, a little modernized, says, "As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other." Who doesn't want to be improved? Yet sometimes it takes a little "abrading" -- a wearing down of the buildup of sin in our lives, to give us back our edge. It's important, too, that like substances be used to do that. In the same way that you wouldn't use a cotton ball to sharpen a knife, it's important that, as Christians, we have other Christians as our accountability partners, so that as a team we are equally yoked, with equal expectations and a like mindset.
Father, let me never take exception to correction coming from a Christian brother. Don't let me bristle if I ever hear it. Instead, help me to realize that I'm having a divine appointment with You. Also, give me courage to risk a friendship and not withhold my love for someone by failing to correct them, for Your word says that the only way to have a friend is to be one.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
But so often, if it's a warning about our behavior rather than our appearance, it becomes a whole other matter. We might take offense to being corrected, or say that it's none of their business.
This chapter really hits on the value of true friendship and accountability. Verse 5 says, "It is better to correct someone openly than to have love and not show it. Yesterday, I was asked to send out my adoption story as a reference for the woman who helped me adopt, which I regularly do. But for the first time ever, I received a reply from a woman who was appalled that I would use "violence" (spanking with a ruler) to discipline a child, and she suggested that I remove that reference from my story. I politely replied that it wasn't "doing violence" , but in fact I was showing love and that my boys knew that. It goes right along with this. But more than urging us to do our duties as friends and say something to others, I think today it's saying, "If you are the one needing correction, don't get mad at your friend for bringing it up. Realize what courage it took for them to risk the relationship to tell you.
In the same vein, verse 6 says, "The slap of a friend can be trusted to help you, but the kisses of an enemy are nothing but lies. Who wants a "yes" man around all the time, telling us what we want to hear, instead of what we need to hear?
Verse 9 says, "Good advice from a friend is pleasant." We shouldn't think of a friend's correction as anything less than a direct blessing from God Himself.
Finally, verse 17, a little modernized, says, "As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other." Who doesn't want to be improved? Yet sometimes it takes a little "abrading" -- a wearing down of the buildup of sin in our lives, to give us back our edge. It's important, too, that like substances be used to do that. In the same way that you wouldn't use a cotton ball to sharpen a knife, it's important that, as Christians, we have other Christians as our accountability partners, so that as a team we are equally yoked, with equal expectations and a like mindset.
Father, let me never take exception to correction coming from a Christian brother. Don't let me bristle if I ever hear it. Instead, help me to realize that I'm having a divine appointment with You. Also, give me courage to risk a friendship and not withhold my love for someone by failing to correct them, for Your word says that the only way to have a friend is to be one.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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