Category Archives: Truth
Proverbs 3:3-4
“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”
Write it Down
I don’t know about you, but I can’t leave the house without a list in front of me. Well, that’s not totally true. Leaving without a list is easy, but getting everything done is not. It’s important to write things down.
Every once in a while my wife will send me on an errand to the grocery store. She will say, “Anthony, would you pick up a, b, c, and d, but only 1 of b, and 4 of a. And DON’T forget to get the c with the blue lid.” Are you kidding me? Write it down!
Necklace and Stone
In the proverb for today we read the suggestion to bind mercy and truth around one’s neck, even to write them “upon the table of thine heart.” In effect Solomon is saying, “Son, write these things down; don’t forget them.”
Unlike the “goodness and mercy” that David described following him all the days of his life in Psalm 23:6, the mercy and truth that we are to exhibit toward others is quick to flee. Solomon instructs his son (and us) to not only remember them, but bind them to us and write them in stone. Otherwise, we may forget.
When Mercy and Truth Forsake
The times when mercy and truth are apt to flee is when we are faced with situations in which we are tempted to be unmerciful and to lie. Have you ever been tempted to get even? To lie on your time sheet? Have you ever been tempted to what is wrong in order to get ahead? Don’t.
Even if you have to wear mercy like a necklace; carve truth into the stone of your heart; never let them out of your site. If you let them get away, then you will not find favour with men, nor please God.
A Prayer
Dear Jesus, never let me forget to be merciful and truthful in my actions toward others. Help me to be an example of the mercy you showed at the cross, and a conduit of the Truth that sets men free. Write your law upon my heart so that I may find favour in your sight.
Leave a comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, David, devotional, faith, God, Lord, Mercy, Psalm, Solomon, thought, truth | posted in Mercy, Temptation, Truth, Warnings
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. -Matthew 3:7-9, KJV
It is not enough to come from a Christian (or Jewish) home.
With Jesus’ first Advent, it was mostly the religious leaders who refused to change, because they “knew it all” about faith.
As we await Jesus’ second Advent, it is not enough to have grown up in church or attend church regularly. It takes repentance and a willingness to actually listen to the teachings and commands of Jesus, to show love and compassion to others and commitment to God’s truth.
Do not trust in your ancestry or upbringing. Do not rely on the faith of your parents, siblings, or friends. Turn to Jesus for yourself, and believe.
Saving God, do not let me rely on my own knowledge, skills, or history. Give me a passion for You, Your Word, and Your Church.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Christ, Christmas, Coming, faith, Faithfulness, Family, Jesus, Knowledge, Ownership, Path, paths of life, Repent, Repentance, Second Coming, truth, Vipers | posted in Jesus, Knowledge, Paths of Life, Truth
Welcome to the second week of Advent!
Tradition holds that the second week of Advent is about preparing ourselves for the coming Messiah, with John the Baptizer being our model. This is when our focus turns from the promises to fulfillment of Messiah. Obviously, there is a connection between each week, as we begin by looking out our need for the promised Savior, and then we move to finding the truth of the living Savior.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. -Isaiah 40:3, KJV (see Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4)
John was prophesied centuries before either he or his cousin, Jesus, lived. John is also the final of the Old Testament Prophets. He was the last to prophecy the coming Messiah before Jesus began His ministry.
He was an ascetic – someone who separates from society in many ways through denying comforts and desires, including diet and habits, for religious purposes. (See Numbers 6 to understand more of John’s asceticism, known as the Nazirite vow.) He seemed pretty crazy and weird, but he laid the groundwork for the Messiah.
What did this mean?
He called out sin, decried fame, and [literally] pointed to the Lamb of God, the Messiah.
As Christians – believers in the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus – we are likewise called to point to the Savior. We are to prepare the the way for His return and encroaching Kingdom.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. -Matthew 28:18-20
How are you pointing others to Jesus?
Good Lord, give us a passion for sharing the Good News of Jesus – to call out sin, love people, and glorify Your Name.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Baptist, Baptizer, Christ, Christmas, Coming, Jesus, John, Lord, Messiah, Path, preparation, Prepare, Second Coming, Sin, Warning, Warnings | posted in sin, Truth, Warnings, Word of the Lord
Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way . . . –Hosea 10:13a, KJV
The first week of Advent focuses on the Prophets, which begins with the reminder that we are sinners in need of salvation.
Hosea reminds us that our sin comes from following our own path, a path built on lies, injustice, and counterfeit claims of truth.
But the Lord of Truth is coming to right wrongs and redeem, so let us prepare ourselves!
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord , till he come and rain righteousness upon you. -Hosea 10:12, KJV
Lord of Truth, guide us in all truth, revealing our sin and removing it, and lead us in righteousness and mercy to see where Uou are moving.
1 Comment | tags: Advent, Coming, Deceit, Iniquity, Jesus, lies, Lord, Lord of Truth, Mercy, Messiah, righteous, Righteousness, truth, Wickedness | posted in Mercy, The Righteous, Truth
There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. -Proverbs 30:11-14, KJV
These words may have been true throughout history, but they do seem especially true today.
Most of the world appears to be on the same page of seeking personal fulfillment, attaining personal gain, willfully ignoring or forgetting the past, assuming their own righteousness, and condemning anyone who disagrees with them.
When we disregard the lessons of the past, we curse our parents.
When we claim we have all the answers and vilify those with whom we disagree, we declare ourselves righteous as we commit the exact same sins (in different ways).
We become dreamers and idealogues who ignore the sinfulness of humanity and the need for God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.
And the solution? Either attempt to eradicate the lower class (poor and needy) or make everyone the lower class. (Or, worse, killing them off literally.)
The Real Solution
Paul warned us such days would come (2 Timothy 3). We have been moving boundaries, reinterpreting Scripture, disobeying authority through declaring it obsolete and even harmful, and throwing out Scripture as antiquated, uninspired, powerless, error-filled, and merely written by men.
But the way forward is to pursue godliness through repentance, faith in Christ, the reading of Scripture, fellowship with the saints, prayer, and allowing the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of the Son to the glory of God the Father. (2 Timothy 3 and 4 expound on these, too!)
Leave a comment | tags: Believe, Book of Proverbs, Disobedient, Last Days, Read, Rebellious, Repent, Scripture, truth, Warnings | posted in Truth, Warnings
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. -Proverbs 30:5, KJV
Scripture reminds us time and again that it is the very word of God, and He does not lie nor change. Therefore, we can know that what we read (when faithfully translated for us!) is trustworthy and true.
If it is not pure, it is not true. You may come across passages and verses that are difficult to understand or seem contradictory. We must remember a few things:
- We typically are separated by culture and thousands of years of time from when they were written. There may be:
- euphamisms and figures of speech we no longer use,
- historical references that seem out of place, or are practices that only make sense when seen/experienced, or
- descriptions that seem odd to us;
- Concepts are beyond our understanding (like the Trinity or free will with God’s sovereignty);
- Authors frequently seemed to play loose with details, but it was to make a specific point (such as the gospel writers putting orders of events in slightly different ways to highlight different details);
- Other portions of Scripture help fill in details not apparent in other portions (Why does God say “we/us/our” in Genesis? Jesus helps us see the unity of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit).
Jesus helps us see the truth and reliability of Scripture, because His life, death, and resurrection verify it. If any part is untrue, the entire thing falls apart. But He has shown us that He and His Word are trustworthy for the salvation of our souls.
Leave a comment | tags: Book of Proverbs, God, God's Word, Jesus, salvation, trust, Trust the Lord, truth, Word of the Lord | posted in Trust the Lord, Truth, Word of the Lord
He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue. -Proverbs 28:23, KJV
This verse reminds me of a couple different people today.
One is many pastors today who preach a message of happiness, comfort, and/or wealth. They are quick to speak well of others, yet they hesitate to speak of sin.
The second are those who do a better job of calling out wrong behavior, such as Jordan Peterson and Simon Sinek.
I bring them up because they are popular. Why are they popular? Because of what I just said: they are not afraid to tell people that something is wrong and needs to change.
Regardless of whether you agree with them, these men (and others like them) show that people are hungry for direction.
Simon Sinek in particular has very few detractors, and all he basically says is stop being lazy, stop making excuses, and interact with people in this world … in person, not online!
I have met many people who used to belong to one of those churches in which they were taught that God wants us happy. They left when the only response they got to difficulties in life was that they lacked faith or hadn’t go en enough money to the church.
It was people like Peterson and Sinek that turned their lives around.
We, as Christians, should not be afraid to lovingly call out sin while drawing others to faith in Christ. If we have the truth, we should be bold in proclaiming it, not worried that we might offend someone.
This is the truth that will change their lives, both now and for eternity.
Are we being more like motivational speakers, or are we motivated by the power of Christ to change our world?
Leave a comment | tags: advice, Book of Proverbs, Church, Counsel, Disciple, Discipleship, flattery, Jordan Peterson, Motivated, Motivation, Motivational, Pastor, Prosperity Gospel, Rebuke, Simon Sinek, Speaker, truth | posted in advice, counsel, Truth
A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. – Proverbs 27:15
One has to be very careful these days when he says anything – and I do mean anything – negative about any female.
I’m glad the Holy Spirit was able to inspire Solomon to record this proverb when He did.
On the other hand, how many thousands of years does it take for the statute of limitations to kick in? Senator Dianne Feinstein may have a copy of Proverbs stashed away in her office.
2 Comments | tags: #metoo, Book of Proverbs, Diane Feinstein, Politics, women | posted in Truth, Warnings, Wisdom
Humility
Jesus calls on me to be humble. God is God. God is great. I am not. I am a slave. That is all. I must be content in serving, not being served.
The Bible describes humility as meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. The Greek word translated “humility” in Colossians 3:12 and elsewhere literally means “lowliness of mind”.
I see that humility is a heart attitude, not merely an outward demeanor. I may put on an outward show of humility but still have a heart full of pride and arrogance.
Don’t call attention to yourself; let others do that for you.
~King Solomon | Proverbs 27:2
Jesus said that those who are “poor in spirit” would have the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
Being poor in spirit means that only those who admit to an absolute bankruptcy of spiritual worth will inherit eternal life.
Humility is a prerequisite for the disciple of Jesus. I must get it in my heart and soul.
1 Comment | tags: Humble, humility, Proverbs 27 | posted in Truth
I’m not an Aristotelian philosopher…thankfully.
However, it doesn’t follow that the old guy didn’t have some decent ideas. Here’s one of most famous (i.e., it must be since even I’m aware of it):
“Virtue is in finding the mean.”
In other words—balance. Since I need things in fairly simple terms, I’m thinking of one of the mainstays of children’s playground equipment, the teeter-totter, (a.k.a., the see-saw). I believe one of the basic properties of physics (which I never took in high school) has to do with the placement of the fulcrum, or centerpiece for the plank on top—it must be in the center, or someone will have an unfair advantage at play.
A bully, for example, who wants to keep his poor playmate suspended helplessly in mid-air. Continue reading
Leave a comment | posted in conversation/speech, Knowledge, Love, Truth, Uncategorized, Warnings
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Proverbial Thought 