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