Friday Thought -- February 27, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Solomon was a very experienced man. He tried a lot of things to find satisfaction from life. He tried everything he could think of and had the power to try. Because of his position as king and his great wealth, that included a lot of things. He tried possessions, pleasure, women, work, and more things than most of us ever have the opportunity to try. So, having tried it all, Solomon’s words of conclusion should have extra weight.

His conclusion is that the one thing that matters, the one thing that really does bring satisfaction in life is to worship and serve God.

It’s the same thing that Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” All the other pursuits that a man or woman might try to find satisfaction are just thieves that steal true satisfaction from them. The one place to find life, full life, satisfying life, is in taking a hold of what Jesus offers, a life worshiping and following God.

It may not have the glamour of a life pursuing fame. It may not include the baubles of a life pursuing possessions. It may not include the kinds of pleasure that a life of hedonism has. It may not include a lot of the things that the world says are real pleasure. But it does include the one thing that matters most, the one thing that all of us seek -- a life that means something, a life that when all is said and done will matter.

That’s the life that is found in worshiping and serving God. Grab hold of it. Never let go of it. Recognize the satisfaction it brings.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 26, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)

Ecclesiastes includes many aspects of the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon gives many broad principles in it, and sometimes some very specific, practical advice. Here are two items of very practical advice about what he had learned about how to handle money.

The first is the principle of generosity. Casting your bread upon the waters is an encouragement to give your money away generously. The opposite would be to hoard it, to keep it all for yourself. It’s a decision we must each make for ourselves. We can hoard what we are given, thinking that is the way to protect ourselves against the uncertainties of the future. Though that seems like a sound decision, Solomon says the opposite is actually a better practice. By giving it away, you are putting yourself in a position to receive back in times of need. It’s the same principle that Paul taught the Corinthians, “At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” (2 Corinthians 8:14)

The second is the principle of diversification. If you put all your eggs in one basket, if that basket is upset then all your wealth is destroyed. If you spread it among many baskets, what happens to one basket will affect only a portion of what you have. You thought that was a modern principle developed by financial consultants. It’s a principle from the Bible, discovered and taught by Solomon thousands of years ago.

The bottom-line is that we can turn to the Lord and His Word for advice about every aspect of life. God created life and He knows how it works best.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 25, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

Life doesn’t always work out the way it seems like it should. Many things in life are determined not by a person’s inherent talents and abilities but by what we might call chance.

Bill Gates is a very smart man, but he is not more brilliant than many others his age. There is a great deal of chance in Gates’ tremendous success.

Barak Obama is not smarter, wiser, stronger, or more politically astute than all others in America. There is a great deal of chance that has brought Obama to the presidency.

Consider your own life: is it your own brilliance, strength, or talent that has enabled you to accomplish all that you’ve done? Or is it your own weaknesses and mistakes that have kept you down? To some extent, perhaps, but much of your life has been determined not by talent, but by chance. Why were you born in the United States instead of Haiti or Afghanistan?  It’s not something that you determined, not something that came to you because of your innate abilities, it was simply chance.

Or perhaps it isn’t chance! Perhaps it is God’s sovereign choice that put you where you are. So the question is, if it is God’s sovereign choice that put Obama in the White House, Gates in the position he is in, and each of us where we are, then -- what will we do with what God has given us? How will we use the position and place in which He has put us to His Kingdom purposes?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 24, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 8:14)

Life is not fair!

Wicked men sometimes prosper. You know people whose lives are not right before God, but for whom everything in life seems to go well. They enjoy good health. Their marriage is strong. They have great kids. Their career continues to move along without a hitch. They are prosperous. Rarely does something go wrong in their lives. They seem very blessed. It is not fair. They don’t deserve what they are receiving.

Righteous men sometimes suffer. You know people whose lives are right before God in every apparent way, yet for whom everything seems to go wrong. They go from one health problem to another. Their marriage is rocky, perhaps it has even split up. Their kids have many problems, some caused by their own behavior and some that just seem to fall on them. They never seem to get anywhere in their job. They struggle financially. It seems like problem after problem piles onto their life. They seem to have few blessings. It is not fair. They deserve something better in life.

Life is not fair! Sometimes the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. It’s always been that way, even back to the days of Solomon.

Consider Job. You won’t find a more righteous man than Job. He was right with God. He lost all of his possessions. His children were tragically killed. His wife deserted him. His health was bad. It was not fair. He deserved better.

Life is not fair! Be patient! Eternity is ahead. Of course, eternity won’t be fair either. It will be filled with grace for those who know Christ. We can never deserve all the blessings God has in store for us there.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 23, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29)

Man had the opportunity to live in righteousness on the earth. God started mankind that way. Adam wasn’t sinful from the beginning and there was no inherent necessity that he become sinful. Adam chose to scheme with Eve. They wanted more than God had given them. They wanted to be like God. In that scheming, they chose to disobey God and in that choice they lost their righteousness.

We could blame all of our problems on Adam and Eve. They started the downward spiral away from righteousness. They surrendered the opportunity to walk upright before God all their lives and leave mankind a legacy of righteousness. They chose instead to leave us a legacy of rebellion and scheming. All of our problems are their fault!

But not really! Yes, they made the first choice to scheme and plot rebellion and we do suffer consequences from their choice. But none of us has made better choices and none of us would have made a better choice than they did in the Garden of Eden. We have ratified their choice to rebel with our own scheming and plotting of rebellion against God. Freely, without coercion, we have made the same choice that Adam and Eve made and we’ve made it over and over again. We want something more than God has given, so we scheme and plot to get it, we rebel and choose sin -- and suffer the consequences.

That’s the fate of man -- all mankind -- given the opportunity to live upright before God, we’ve chosen sin.

Thank God that He didn’t leave us alone in our rebellion and sin. In Jesus, He has restored rebels to righteousness. Not because we’ve become righteous, but because Jesus was righteous!

We don’t deserve what He’s done for us – haven’t earned it in any way -- He is God's gift!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 20, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

I had a woman come to my office some time back. She was surprised that she could see sin in the life of a staff member at the church she attended. She thought the qualifications for church staff members disqualified those who were sinful. If that was true, there would be no preachers, no youth ministers, no children’s ministers, no church staff people of any kind. The only pool of people on earth that God has to choose from to do His work are human beings.

Solomon had discovered … every human being sins. There is not a single human being alive, who ever has been alive, or who ever will be alive (Jesus excepted) who has fulfilled all of the requirements of righteousness and had no sin. All of us give in to some of the temptations set before us. All of us have areas of our lives that are not yet controlled by God's Spirit.

Adam gave in to the desire to be independent of God. Noah gave in to drunkenness. Abraham lied out of fear, because of weakness in his faith. Moses allowed his pride to cause him to act in ways that brought the attention on himself, rather than keeping it on God. David committed adultery and conspired to commit murder. In every other human being that God has used you can find weakness and sin.

It’s not that they are hypocrites, it is that they are human and have not yet been conformed to the image of God. For those who come to Jesus Christ by faith, conforming to the image of God is coming -- but its fullness must wait for eternity. Although we’ll see progress toward righteousness, it won’t fully happen until heaven.

That doesn’t mean we should be satisfied with our sin. It does mean that we can’t expect to see perfection in anyone around us, no matter how long they've been in the Lord, how mature they are, or how the Lord is using them.

There is some good news. From the biography of Abraham we learn, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) From Abraham forward, all who come to God through faith are credited with righteousness. We haven’t earned it and don’t deserve it, but by the grace of God He see us as righteous through Jesus.

That’s a marvelous gift for those of us who continue to struggle with sin!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 19, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.  This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15)

“He who dies with the most toys wins.” So the saying goes. It’s wrong! The man who dies with great wealth and the man who dies penniless both take the same amount with them beyond the grave -- nothing! If the purpose you pursue in life is to accumulate wealth, you have chosen a futile pursuit.

Solomon mentions several reasons why the pursuit of wealth is an unworthy pursuit.

A person who makes the pursuit of wealth his goal will never have enough wealth to be satisfied. There is always more that can be sought.

The more a person accumulates, the more he has to take care of. Vast wealth brings vast responsibility to protect it and make decisions about it.

The more wealth a person has, the more worries he has, too. The poor man can go to sleep with few things to worry about, but the rich man stews over all the things that can take away what he has accumulated.

The accumulation of wealth brings the temptation to the owner to hoard it for his own selfish reasons.

Wealth is not meant to be accumulated, hoarded, and worried over. It is meant to be enjoyed and used in the ways God desires us to use what He has entrusted to us. Recognize that what we gather while on earth does not belong to us. It belongs to God and is given to us in trust to use for His purposes. Pursue wealth for its own value and you pursue that which is worthless. Understand that wealth is a trust from God and it can bring great joy and satisfaction in using what He has given to please Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 18, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the [temple] messenger, ‘My vow was a mistake.’ Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

We should treat God with the kind of reverence and awe that He deserves.

There are those who attempt to tell God what is right and what He is to do. That’s the wrong approach to the Creator and Ruler of all things. The right approach is to recognize our own ignorance and lack of understanding and so to listen carefully to try to hear and understand what He is saying. It is presumptuous to think that we can teach God anything or set Him straight. It reflects a proper attitude when we come humbly to Him ready to listen, ready to acknowledge that what He says is always right, and ready to obey what He asks.

When God spoke from heaven at the Transfiguration to confirm that Jesus was His Son, His concluding instruction to the apostles was, “Listen to Him.” (Matthew 17:5) The Transfiguration comes shortly after Peter’s attempt to tell Jesus that they would never allow Him to be killed. Jesus rebuked Peter with the strongest rebuke He ever used, “Get behind me, Satan.” God is confirming that Peter’s attitude is the opposite of right. We aren’t to correct God and try to assert that we know what’s best for God to do. An attitude of humility and submission is the right attitude in approaching God. Come with confidence of His love and power, but come with humility and a willingness to listen and obey.

God deserves our worship. He deserves our submission. He deserves our reverence and awe.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 17, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Solo is lonely and difficult.

When Jesus sent out the apostles to spread the news of the Kingdom, He sent them two-by-two. When He sent out a larger group of disciples, seventy or so, He did the same, each was assigned a partner for the task. Jesus knew that the chance of discouragement was much greater if He sent them out alone. He knew that together they would be bolder and be more likely to stay the course that He had set for them. They would support each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable.

For many, marriage provides that same kind of help. God puts a man and a woman together to support each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable. In marriage, He creates a team of partners with common goals and direction. He establishes a partnership that is to the benefit of both parties. Each is stronger because they are tied together.

A football team is more than the sum of the individual abilities of the various players. In a team that is working right, the team is stronger because they work together. They make up for each other’s weaknesses and capitalize on each other’s strengths.

Teamwork … partnership … that is God’s design for improving what happens in the world He has created.

Thank God for the partners you have in various aspects of your life. Remember how important they are to what God wants to accomplish in you and through you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 16, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Solomon learned that God has “set eternity in the hearts of men.” There is an emptiness in the heart of mankind that is only filled by connecting with God.

It was Blaise Pascal who made the same point when he talked of the “God-sized hole” in the hearts of men that can only be filled by God.

People attempt to fill that emptiness with many things other than God. They try hard work and career advancement. They try giving themselves to all kinds of pleasure. They try accumulating wealth. They try drugs and alcohol to extremes. In all of these ways and many more, men and women are trying to dull the feeling of emptiness that they feel.

But none of those pursuits will ever fill the emptiness. The hole will remain until they surrender their lives to God. In that surrender, and only in that surrender, the emptiness is filled. That’s the way God has created us. He has created us to need Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 13, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

Solomon tried pleasure thinking it would bring fulfillment and satisfaction to his life. But he did not find it there.  Instead, in the end he found pleasure to be meaningless.

“I thought in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless. ‘Laughter,’ I said, ‘is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?’ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly - my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3)

Can you find pleasure in a bottle of wine? Perhaps it will dull the pain for a short time, but the pain comes back with greater strength when the effect of the wine grows dim. To stay in a drunken stupor robs you of all of life. Wine isn’t the answer to purpose and meaning in life. It doesn’t add meaning, it takes it away, glass by glass.

Can you find meaning in laughter? The life of the jokester seems happy, but nothing is accomplished. The laughter fades and the jokes grow cold and there is no meaning left in that path.

Choose your pleasure, pursue it with all the fervor you can muster. It only leads to a dead end. The path of pleasure is filled with lights and noise and nothing more.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy life. God has given us all things to enjoy. (1 Timothy 6:17) What it does mean is that we shouldn’t make the pursuit of pleasure the goal and purpose of our lives. To do that really does make life meaningless.

There must be something better than pleasure to pursue --- and there is!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 12, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

The old saying goes, “All work and no play makes Tom a dull boy.” That’s a saying about balance and priorities in life. So is what Solomon says above!

There is a time to give yourself to work, to work hard and to focus on your job. But a person who works too many hours or focuses too much on work is a workaholic and he damages other aspects of his life. It’s not healthy to work too many hours or to focus too much on your job. Family suffers, spiritual life suffers, health suffers, fun suffers.

The opposite is also true. There is a time to give yourself just to having fun, to play. But a person who plays too many hours or focuses too much on play accomplishes nothing in life. Such a person damages other aspects of his life. His family and friends grow weary of the playaholic. He has a hard time financially supporting himself and his family. His spiritual life suffers.

Solomon goes on and on listing other aspects of life. They each have their place. None of them is meant to be the total focus of life. None of them is intended to dominate time, energy, or thought.

It’s about priorities. It’s about putting everything in proper perspective. It’s about a well-ordered life.

If an unbiased observer were given total access to your life -- to how you spend your time, your money, your energy, even your thoughts -- would he find balance and perspective? Or would he find things all out of whack?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 11, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: ‘Meaningless!  Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2)

Solomon had the opportunity to sample most of what the world has to offer.

He was wealthy beyond anyone else in his time.

He knew power, ruling over a larger section of the world than any other king of Israel.

He knew pleasure, with hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines and any kind of pleasure he wanted.

He knew the results of hard work, laboring to build a great Temple and to accomplish

much in his life.

He knew fame, with word of his wisdom and glory spreading throughout the world.

He had tasted most of what the world has to offer -- all that it offered in his day. And this is his conclusion, “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.”

None of what the world has to offer means anything in the long term. At the end of life, the accomplishments of this world seem small and worthless.

Even the greatest wealth eventually turns to dust and none of it can be taken with you.

The most powerful man in the world can do nothing to overcome death and all his power ends as he grows weak and dies.

Pleasure feels good for the moment, but the moment passes and the pleasure passes with it.

Hard work accomplishes something in the short term, but the most glorious result of man’s work crumbles with time.

Even the most famous of men and women fade from memory over the years after their passing.

What the world has to offer just isn’t worth giving your life to. To find something meaningful you’ll have to look beyond this world.

His. by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 10, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31:30-31)

What characteristics make a great wife?

King Lemuel provides a whole list of them in Proverbs 31:

She’s a great shopper, that is, she knows how to get the most out of her money. (Prov. 31:13)

She works hard to provide for her family. (Prov. 31:15)

She’s generous with anyone in need. (Prov. 31:20)

She’s ready for any emergency. (Prov. 31:21)

She has good taste in the way she decorates her home and in what she wears. (Prov. 31:22)

She makes her husband look good. (Prov. 31:23)

She is strong and dignified and not afraid of the future. (Prov. 31:25)

Those who find such a woman are very blessed.

The world has no idea what makes a wife great. Charm and beauty are the characteristics that receive the most applause from the world. But those characteristics are far from the most important. They aren’t anywhere near the top of the list.

Knowing and respecting the Lord is the most important characteristic of all. Find a woman with that characteristic and you will have found a great wife.

If that’s the kind of wife you already have, then thank God for her ... and tell her you thanked Him!

If you’re a wife, make your spiritual life the priority. If your husband is smart, he’ll thank God for it!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 9, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

It goes against our nature to get involved in situations that do not involve us. It’s not natural for us to speak out to help others who face danger that does not affect us. Most of us prefer to keep to ourselves. We are taught to mind our own business.

Minding our own business while others suffer is not God’s idea of loving our neighbor! God’s will is that we come to the aid of those around us that we see hurting. That’s the principle that is taught in the story of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite did the natural thing, they passed by without stopping to help because they were focused on their own business and concerned for their own safety. The Samaritan, however, put himself at risk to come to the aid of the injured man. For that act, Jesus praised him.

James taught that pure and faultless religion looks after orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:27) Religion that has had a real impact on our lives motivates us to come to the aid of those in need around us. It opens our eyes so we see the distress of those in need. It moves us to action even though there is no benefit that accrues to us. We are motivated to act in ways that are best for others and not just consider what is best for us.

Are there people around you who are needy and cannot speak up for themselves? Don’t sit idly by and watch their distress. Instead, come to their aid, speak up on their behalf. In doing so, you’ll be going against the natural tendency and you’ll walking in a path that pleases God.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- February 6, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” (Proverbs 30:18-19)

God’s creative design is amazing!

The writer of Proverbs mentioned four things about God’s creation that amazed him. You can probably think of a thousand others that you would be tempted to add to the list.

Consider the variety of God’s creation. From solid rock to thinnest fog and a million other consistencies in between them. The Grand Canyon to Mount Everest. The peacock and the wren and the duck and penguin and how many other fowls can you think of and describe. The elephant and the mouse, the poodle and the dachshund, the lion and the kitten, the whale and the goldfish. Those examples are just a drop in a pool of variety as large as a swimming pool.

Consider the complexity of God’s creation. Consider what it takes to create an animal that can live underwater and another that has all the tools needed to burrow underground. Consider the complexities of the human eye and the kind of nerves required to make a finger work. Consider the miles of arteries and veins that it takes to send blood to every tiny part of your body and the power of the pump required to send the blood coursing through those veins. Consider the brain, with its memory, its emotions, its thought processes. Consider how alike every human being is -- and how different, too.

Consider the size of God’s creation. Stars without number. Space, the end of which has not yet been mapped, or even identified. Go the other direction, to atoms and molecules and neutrons and quarks and even smaller specks that go into the makeup of every created thing.

Explain how an eagle flies with so little effort. Explain how a snake slithers so effortlessly along the rocks. Explain why a ship the size and weight of an aircraft carrier can sit atop water. Explain what attracts one man to one woman and explain the emotions that make that relationship work.

Creation is more than amazing.  It’s miraculous.

His. by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- February 5, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7-9)

If God granted you two wishes, what would you wish for?

God did appear to Solomon and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon asked for a “discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 3:9) God was pleased with that request and granted it for Solomon. God was pleased that Solomon didn’t ask for long life, riches, or the destruction of his enemies. (1 Kings 3:11)

If granted a wish, or two or three, many of us would ask for the things Solomon did not ask for. We daydream about being wealthy, powerful or famous. Yet, to request wealth or honor from God would demonstrate the selfish nature of our heart. Solomon asked not for something selfish, but something that would help him serve the Lord better.

You see the same kind of desire in today’s passage from Proverbs. Solomon did not want to dishonor God and the things that would help him not dishonor God were the things he asked for. That shows something about Solomon’s heart. He wasn’t a perfect man. In fact, we know of some of Solomon’s weaknesses and sins. But his heart sought God and desired to please Him, obey Him, and honor Him.

If God were to grant you a wish, or two or three, what would your requests demonstrate about your heart?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- February 4, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Proverbs 30:2-6)

Through the generations of man’s history we have gained a great deal of knowledge. We know a great deal about space because we’ve seen far away with our powerful telescopes, explored planets with our rockets, and even put men upon the moon. We know a great deal about the small things of the universe, too. We’ve built powerful microscopes to look at some of the tiniest pieces of what makes up our world. We’ve unraveled much of the DNA that makes us who we are.

We know so much -- but there is still so much we do not understand!

Though we know so much about the human body, there are many things that are still a mystery even to the finest physicians. We know so much about the tiny pieces of the universe, but every time we build a more powerful microscope we find even tinier things that we had never seen or known of before. We know so much about space and have seen places unimaginably far away. But every time we build a more powerful telescope or send a satellite further away than we’ve ever sent one before we find there is more to the universe than we knew was there. We have yet to find its end!

Then there are areas of life that we can do such little research into. Scientists have tried to explore the human soul and understand the human need for a connection with God. Yet, spiritual things are still such a mystery to even the most learned of humans.

Thank God He has revealed much about Himself to us. Without God’s intervention to show Himself to us, we’d never be able to find God or know God. God loves us so much that He has shown Himself to us and revealed all that we need to know about Him now.

What a marvelous gift that is!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- February 3, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (Proverbs 29:18)

Without a word from God, when left to our own devices, man is doomed to destroy himself and those around him.

Adam and Eve started with a knowledge of God and a relationship with Him. They cast those things off when they rebelled against God’s clear instructions. Their descendants reaffirmed Adam’s and Eve’s choice by continuing to ignore God. The result is that the world was filled with sinfulness. People were unrestrained and did as they pleased. Eventually the situation grew so wicked and out of control that God destroyed the world in a flood.

Even after God gave the Law through Moses, the people did not always listen to it. Time and again they rejected God’s authority over them and went their own way.  Judges 17:6 speaks of a time when, “Israel had no king, everyone did as he saw fit.” And it wasn’t a pretty sight! People were out of control, wickedness reigned until God sent His discipline through an oppressor. That is what was required time and again and when oppression came the people cried out and returned to God.

Man doesn’t naturally want God’s authority in our lives. We want to think that we can handle our lives, make our decisions, be our own kings. And God gives us the opportunity to live like that. Always when we make that choice, the results are not pretty. Wickedness and its awful consequences overtake us and those around us.

We need God’s direction in our lives. We need His word, or we are doomed to destruction by our own foolishness.

Thank God that He has given us His Word. Recognize what a gift it is!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- February 2, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” (Proverbs 28:13-14)

God is looking for honest and open hearts before Him. Like his father, David, Solomon learned this lesson the hard way. I think we all do! We try to hide our sin from others, even from the Lord. We think if we hide it that we’ll get away with it and it will do us no harm. How foolish!

Guilt gnaws at our spirits and makes us miserable. Sin interferes with our relationship with God. Sin keeps us from experiences God’s fullest blessings on our lives. God knows our sin -- and so do we. Trying to hide our sin from God just complicates our problems.

But when we own our sin and acknowledge it honestly to the Lord, God is quick to forgive and wipe the slate clean. He wants to forgive, it is in His very nature. No matter how grievous the sin, God’s forgiveness waits only for our confession of it.

David expressed this same truth from his own experience: “Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” (Psalm 32:2-4)

When he tried to hide his sin there was misery for him. Confession brought quick forgiveness from the Lord, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)

Follow Solomon’s and David’s advice -- keep a short account with the Lord. As soon as you are aware of your sin, confess it to the Lord. You, too, will find His forgiveness quick and sure. Hide your sin and you’ll find only misery!

His, by Grace,

Steve