Category Archives: Relationships
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. -Proverbs 20:12, KJV
There are two main things this verse tells us:
- We can know the Creator God is watching over us and listening to us, for he created us with the ability interact with our surroundings.
- We should be thankful to and give glory to God for our ability to interact with each other, our world, and God.
Please take note of how this has been worded: interact with.
Why?
I can hear the arguments from others, “But what about those who can’t see or hear?” And these arguments can include the question of suffering.
A) We must remember that we live in a fallen world, corrupted and tainted by our sin. Sometimes, people lose some ability to interact in this world, and we have no one to blame but ourselves (humanity, not necessarily the individual, say, the one who was abused).
B) Sometimes God ordains a malady to bring glory to Himself by bringing someone to faith. Look at those Jesus healed during His earthly ministry.
But, again, read the first two points! The fact that we inherently are able to interact with others including our God who knows us, we should be moved to worship!
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Psalm 34:8
Leave a comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, Creation, Creator, Ear, Eye, hear, Hearing, praise, Relationship, relationships, Seeing, worship | posted in Creation, Relationships
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. –Proverbs 19:11 KJV
For normal, every day people, it is important to remember that most people are acting out of fear. Therefore, do not take attacks (verbal, physical, emotional) personally.
Put yourself in their position, and you might see there is no need to be angry.
If you are unable to change things (politics, entertainment, some circumstances), holding onto pain or offense hurts nobody but you.
Put yourself into a position to change things or avoid them.
If you are a Christian, you must realize that most attacks are either those briefly discussed above or are attacks against the One who lives in you, Jesus.
You are in a position of honor, suffering as your Lord.
Forgive them. You may be the one who wins them to the Lord.
Leave a comment | tags: anger, anger control, Book of Proverbs, Christ, relationships, Someone else's shoes, Suffer, Wisdom | posted in Relationships, Wisdom
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. -Proverbs 18:1 KJV
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. -Proverbs 18:1, ESV
This entry is on Sunday, the day most churches meet.
If you are not attending, why?
Do not forsake the meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. -Hebrews 10:25
We have the biblical command to meet with other Christians regularly.
This does a few things:
- Gives us opportunities to encourage each other (the rest of Hebrews 10:25)
- Gives us opportunities to spur each other on to loving others and doing good works (Hebrews 10:24) It can be easy to only “seek his own desire” or be lazy apart from the Church.
- Keeps us on the straight and narrow path (Hebrews 10:23). It can be easy to stray from sound doctrine and teachings. Why do you think there are so many cults and people who believe crazy things? (How many raptures have we survived in the last decade alone?)
It is important to meet with others, if for no other reason than to keep us from getting weird ideas.
Most importantly, being together helps us grow more Christ-like.
Therefore, take me to church!
Then I know you came to!
Leave a comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, Church, discipline, Gathering, Meeting, Path of Life, paths of life, Relationship, Together | posted in discipline, Paths of Life, Relationships
Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife. -Proverbs 17:1 KJV
The last time I wrote on this verse, I talked about the families of close friends of ours who had lived with my wife and me.
Once again, I am going to talk about a friend who had lived with us.
This (grown and middle aged) friend had a girlfriend with grown kids of her own. Naturally, he was over at her house regularly. Both of them are devout Christians and attend church regularly.
However, her children pursue very worldly lifestyles, and when living at home were quite selfish, lazy, and confrontational when their wants and needs were not met to their expectations.
Our friend began telling us that he almost hated going over there. Rather, he liked coming into our home, because there was an air of peace that he did not feel when her kids were around.
We did not always have the greatest food, but he could sit in peace. We set high expectations with grace, but still with firmness.
Which home describes yours? Is your household one the promotes peace or one full of strife? Do you tolerate worldliness in your home or combat it with biblical teachings?
1 Comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, Family, Food, friends, Peace, relationships, Strife | posted in food, Peace, Relationships
He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. -Proverbs 17:9 KJV
Read the Second Letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians).
We are called to a ministry of reconciliation. We are to help reconcile our fallen world to a holy God.
How do we do this?
It is not by constantly telling people what they are doing is wrong. We should, ought to point out their sinfulness and need for a savior, but repeating it over and over and putting forth a air of judgmentalism, driving people away.
Instead, we acknowledge the sin, yes, but we make it clear that we still want to be with them and see them.
That we still love them, because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
We must cover their sins with the love of God, as He did for us with the blood of Christ. Then they will be able to see God’s grace that much more clearly.
Even with your brother or sister, your crazy mom or deadbeat dad, the customer who complains about everything or the cashier who messes up your order, and the driver who cut you off in traffic.
1 Comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, love, Mercy, Reconciliation, Relationship | posted in Love, Mercy, Relationships
When our youngest went to Peru on a month-long mission trip right before high school, I decided I would take advantage of her absence to clean her room. Thoroughly. As in a full-scale geological excavation.
I found a full laundry basket, only it was stratified with layers of clean, dirty, clean, etc. I unearthed underwear from elementary school, and (if I recall rightly) a hard, green mass under the bed reputed to be petrified Jello—lime, I think. Continue reading
2 Comments | tags: children, Cross, endurance, God's love, great harvest, housecleaning, inconvenience, love, pain, parenting, proverbs, Sacrifice, teenagers | posted in Animals, blessing, Relationships, Uncategorized
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
Proverbs 14:10, KJV
A well-known (to this site) pastor recently wrote about the struggles pastors face. Pastors have such a weight they carry that can lead to bitterness that many other people may never understand.
Remember: we pastors hear everyone’s struggles, hurts, wrongs, and sins. We deal with the issues of everyday life for most people we know.
It is easy to see all that is wrong with the world when dealing with everyone else’s issues.
Intermeddling Joy?
The plus side, though, is that most people never feel the joy of seeing God work in those issues, seeing lives change, problems redeemed, and grace and love shine through hurt people.
You may have struggles and pains.
You may know your sin better than anyone, how it affects everything you do.
But if you want real joy, trust God to use you to help another. They may never know how blessed you are by their success over sin and pain, but you will find that joy that only comes from the Lord.
Choose joy by overcoming bitterness. Your own and others’.
Leave a comment | tags: Bitterness, blessed, blessing, Book of Proverbs, Christian, love, Overcome, Pastor, Pastors, struggles | posted in blessing, Relationships
My wife and I have taught in schools. She has almost only ever taught Kindergarten (about 4 months of not in eight years), and I taught 7th Grade Mathematics and further back in Special Education.
I tell you what, working with a lot of kids can teach a lot about life! Especially how cruel and mean people can be.
A recent movement in the past few years is called “Be Kind”. The name is pretty self explanatory, and they do some good work helping teach students to simply be nice to each other.
Proverbs chapter 12 can be summarized this same way: Be Kind.
Think about it: it starts with advice for controlling yourself (discipline, vv. 1-4), transitions through recognizing it starts with our thoughts (vv. 5-8), moves to our actions toward others (including animals! vv. 9-12), and the majority focuses on what we say (vv. 13-26).
Words probably get the most time because of how much we tear each other down with our words. Sometimes it is unintentional.
But we must remember that kindness starts internally, with our thoughts and beliefs. So, to be kind means we start by changing our thinking, and ultimately it happens by trusting in God.
He first showed His kindness by coming to us lowly sinners to reveal truth and die for our forgiveness. The ultimate kindness is leading others to life in Christ.
The path of the righteous is life, and in its pathway there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28
Leave a comment | tags: Be Kind, Book of Proverbs, discipline, Jesus, kindness, Life, relationships, Speech, Thoughts | posted in conversation/speech, discipline, Relationships
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. -Proverbs 12:10, KJV
I love my dogs. We even sometimes call them our “fur babies.” Sometimes I spoil them with a trip to the coffee shop that has Puppaccinos for dogs (whipped cream with dog biscuits on top). I feel bad when they do not get their regularly timed walks or step on a sharp rock or hot asphalt during those walks.
Even though I love these guys, if my wife or another human were in trouble, I would choose the human over them.
Have Mercy
Some people, however, only view animals as property, at best. Their idea of mercy on their dogs is not kicking them very hard or remembering to feed them today.
Oftentimes, these are people who tend to treat many humans similarly. Whether it is being verbally abusive, deceptive, or simply not caring, this type of person would rather record you having a problem than help you.
This thinking infects most of us in some way, ever since the beginning when Cain asked God about Abel, “Am I my brothers keeper?” In other words, “How is this my problem? What has it to do with me?”
Jesus turned this thinking on its head, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). To be fondly and righteous means to make others’ problems our own. It means not thinking too highly of oneself, but as a servant to others. It means having compassion and showing mercy on others.
It might even mean caring about what happens to animals. (But always in regards to human life.)
Leave a comment | tags: Animal, Animal welfare, Animals, Book of Proverbs, Dog, dogs, Dutch Bros., Human, loving others, Mercy, Pets, Puppaccino, Puppaccinos, Wicked | posted in Animals, Mercy, Relationships
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. -Proverbs 10:12, KJV
Hatred holds a grudge.
Hatred causes problems for others.
Hatred causes division.
Hatred is taking things into your own hands.
But hatred is not the opposite of love.
The opposite of love is fear.
Fear is often the motivator for everything hatred becomes.
The best remedy comes out of love and is the definition of covering all sins:
Forgiveness.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting the wrongs.
Forgiveness does not mean trust.
Forgiveness is saying, “I will not let fear control me.”
Forgiveness is saying, “I will not focus on what you did to me.”
Forgiveness is saying, “You are more important than that to me.”
Forgiveness is letting God take the wrong and change your heart. Maybe to change theirs.
Leave a comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, Fear, forgiveness, Hatred, love, relationships | posted in Love, Relationships
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Proverbial Thought 