Tag Archives: Book of Proverbs

February 18, 2013

No News is Better

By Anthony Baker

 Proverbs 16:27

“An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.”

Reporters

Back in 2006 two family members of ours died as a result of a tragic murder suicide. My wife’s step-sister died at the hands of her husband, who then took his own life.

The surreal fog of unbelief lay heavy over the crime scene as we got out of the car and walked into the house. By the time we arrived, the deceased were gone, but the reporters were just beginning to camp out on the front lawn.

For the next day or two, news media trucks, the kinds with satellite antennae, sat parked up and down the road. Reporters stood beside the lawn, waiting for any word, any bit of newsworthy gossip. The goal was to “dig up evil.”

Re-tellers

Don’t misunderstand me, most reporters are not ungodly men with burning lips (or are they?). But there are people who love nothing more than to dig up dirt on others. Then, when the worst is found out, they love to share it from the rooftops.

The reason Solomon calls these people “ungodly” is because love demands a different response to hearing bad news. “He who forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.” – Proverbs 17:9 RSV

Maybe, instead of having a burning desire to air someone else’s dirty laundry, what if we had a burning desire to help? Consider the words of James, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” – James 5:20 KJV

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February 14, 2013

Everyday Valentine

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 16:23

23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

As I write this, St. Valentine’s Day is approaching.

Do you know who Valentine was?

Valentine was a man who was killed by the Roman Empire on February 14 in 269 or 270. Why?

His biggest crime was helping Christians get married (which makes St. Valentine’s Day make some more sense). At that time, Christianity still was not recognized as a legal, and, in fact, it was illegal for Christians to marry.

It was also illegal for Christians to do many things.

Valentine, on the other hand, loved God more than he loved the Roman Empire.

Learned and Spoken

The more Valentine learned the love of God for people, the more he had to share it.

The closer his heart got to the heart of God, the more spoke up for people society said were worthless.

The more he attained of God’s wisdom in his heart, the more he spoke of the need for peace and grace.

The more wisdom taught his heart of God’s purity, the more he taught chastity to single men and women.

Valentine taught what he knew: God’s love and grace for all people at all times.

Will you be my Valentine?

Do you think you can live like Valentine?

It is really quite simple: Love everyone.

This is accomplished by letting the love and wisdom of God fill your heart, and “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45, ESV).

Let the love and wisdom of God flow through and out of you to reveal to others the truth of God’s love. There is no greater learning you can get. As Valentine would attest.

Loving God, teach us to be wise by Your standard: to learn to love as You love; to share Your words of love; to show love to all people.

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February 10, 2013

Honking Escalade

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 16:19

“Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

Rich and Poor

Not all poor people are humble. Not all rich people are proud. We should never jump to conclusions and assume that just because a man is poor he is humble, or prideful if he is rich.

That being said, today’s proverb addresses the heart of man, and that heart is usually more proud when he is rich, humble when he is poor. For instance, the people who blew their horn at my wife and I, as we sat at a stop sign and couldn’t go anywhere, were in a big Cadillac Escalade. They honked at us, but we didn’t honk at the little old lady in front of us who couldn’t decide where to go. (That actually happened just a few moments before writing this)

Riches and Poverty

This proverb also addresses the misconception that wealth is better than poverty. Sure, to have more money and possessions can be a great blessing, but it can also be a curse far worse than being destitute.

This verse also addresses the misguided belief that “the one with the most” wins. Many only have “the most” because they have taken advantage of those who have little.

The NIV translates this verse, “Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” It might not always be the poor and rich we’re talking about, but the oppressed and the oppressors. Either way, the one who is worse off in God’s eyes is the one who sits with those who have become wealthy by taking from others, and is proud of it.

Be Content

Let us consider Proverbs 16:19 as we observe the words of the Apostle Paul…

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:11-13 ESV

Ultimately, it’s better to have nothing and a humble heart, than have everything and be at odds with our God.

(I hope the horn on that Escalade breaks and starts blowing when they’re behind a State Trooper)

 

 

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February 9, 2013

… and in the darkness bind them

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 16:18

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Fantastic

G. K. Chesterton once wrote in the book Heretics, “We all believe fairy-tales, and live in them.”1

Think about it: our lives are based on dreams we have of our future, movie theaters bring in billions of dollars every year, and even Jesus spoke with fictional stories. We call those stories parables.

One of the greatest parables of the Twentieth Century was written by a friend of Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, and is titled The Lord of the Rings.

Bound

The main antagonist of the book, though barely ever seen, is Sauron. He considered himself pretty important.

To attempt to control the world, known as Middle Earth, he created rings for each of the species that had power: Elves, Dwarfs, and Men.

He had one more for himself, The One Ring. Inscribed in magical letters on the ring was this:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

Sauron used the one tool to control others that he possessed and that he knew the other races possessed: pride.

There was just one thing he never expected: two little creatures with no agenda other than to protect their comfortable lives. He expected great armies to attack him, because he is so great there is nothing less they could do.

He did not expect two little hobbits to walk quietly through the back door, destroying all of his hopes and dreams in one quick second.

His pride trapped him in a way he never expected.

Satan’s Trap

That old Devil, Satan, attempted to take the rightful place of God. It was his pride getting in his way that caused him to be cast out of God’s presence. Eventually he will be cast into the Lake of Fire of eternal destruction.

He realizes it is not enough to attack God, so he created rings to give the (seemingly) most powerful beings on Earth.

Each ring looks different, but they use the same trick as Sauron’s: our pride.

Every time we give in to our pride, we side with Satan. Every time we side with Satan, we guarantee our destruction.

Great God, help us overcome our pride. Teach us true humility, that we may not fall away from Your grace and forgiveness but into Your loving arms.

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February 7, 2013

Get Wisdom!

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 16:16

“How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”  

What is your purpose? What do you live for, and seek after in your life? So many people are just trying to make a living – making money, getting successful, and prospering. But is that the most important thing? So what if you are able to become the richest, most famous and successful person in the world? The Bible says that getting wisdom and understanding is better than gold or silver, or any other riches the world has to offer. But – how do we get wisdom?

1.         Read your Bible:

The Bible is the Word of God, and being inspired by God, is the ultimate source of wisdom. Someone described the Bible once in terms of this acrostic: B.I.B.L.E. = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I like that. If you want wisdom, turn to the book of wisdom – the Bible. God’s Word gives us wisdom for our relationships, family life, work, finances, and so much more. I am so thankful for God’s gift of the Bible, and I have found much wisdom, guidance, direction and understanding in my life ever since I started reading it when I first became a Christian over twenty years ago.

2.         Seek for wisdom diligently:

If you want wisdom, you’re not likely to discover it as you sit in your easy chair in front of the TV eating a bowl of popcorn. In Proverbs 8:17, Solomon personifies wisdom by saying, “I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.” (See David’s post on this Scripture HERE). In other words, if you want wisdom, love it, seek it, pursue it, and you will find it.

3.         Spend time with wise people:

Elsewhere in Proverbs, Solomon writes, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (See Jason’s post on this Scripture HERE). One of the best things you can do – if you want to become more wise – is to hang around with wise people. You become like the people you spend most of your time with! You will talk like them, walk like them, think like them, and ultimately, you will be like them. So, if you want to be wise, hang around with wise and godly people.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be wise. To be wise, I know I must read my Bible, seek wisdom diligently, and spend time with wise people. I want to challenge you to do the same! If you don’t have a regular Bible reading program, start one today! If you have never purposed in your heart to be intentional about seeking wisdom, begin now. Pray that God would give you wisdom, and lead and guide you in your life. And finally, spend much time with people wiser than you, and glean from their godly life experience, knowledge and wisdom.

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February 4, 2013

The Business of Truth

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 16:13

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

Today’s Kings

As David said yesterday, (as far as I know) I have never met an earthly king. At least, I have never met a national royal.

It would appear that a new royalty has arisen in our world. These are the people who make people move, change the course of fortunes and of societies.

The kings and queens of today are those who move the most money: the CEO’s of large corporations and companies.

This new royalty requires one thing to thrive in the world of business: information

The information they desire will help in deciding which product to release, which service to offer, and which way to brand their new product and/or service.

The people who work for them and they want around them are the people who give them the most honest and truthful information.

If you give them bad information for the simple desire to look good in their eyes, you will be the one they remove from their sight first!

With God

God does not remove us from His sight for spreading lies, at least not until the end of history! Yet, He still desires righteousness and truth.

The evidence of this is found in the first explicitly written laws found in the Bible:

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Truth and righteousness are found in confessing the truth of who God is and allowing Him to lift you to His standards.

Righteous God, give us Your righteousness. Help us through Your Holy Spirit to speak truth and live with integrity.

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January 30, 2013

Better to Stink …

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 16:8

8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

Madoff Made Off?

Do you remember Bernie Madoff?

A few years back, right after the economy tanked, news came to light that this man was not running as fair a business as many had been led to believe.

Mr. Madoff told investors that he could take their money and grow it very quickly. Some people received exactly that, while with the rest of the money he and his family lived very, very well.

It turned out he had been running his business as a giant Ponzi Scheme, a system in which many people put in money in hopes of a great pay-off, but only a small few benefit from all of that money. When it was all revealed, thousands of people combined lost many billions of dollars.

Today Bernie Madoff sits in a prison cell, and he will be there for the rest of his life. His family has to live with the shame and guilt of what he has done.

Smelling to High Heaven

On the other hand, there are people who struggle to get by from week to week at their jobs.

What is truly amazing is that, while they my grumble about the fairness of the world from time to time, they tend to be rather happy with life. They know they are earning an honest living, and it is their hard work that provides for their loved ones.

One of my favorite quotes from the film Bruce Almighty was said by Morgan Freeman playing God: “Some of the happiest people in the world go home smelling to high heaven at the end of the day.”

Speaking of going to high heaven, Jesus said to those who follow Him:

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29, ESV)

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, ESV)

We may have very little in this life, but if our life is lived for the sake of Christ we will one day get to have Him! There is nothing better.

Wonderful God, thank You for all You do and have done for us. Help us to live our lives entirely for You, that no matter if we have much or little, we have lived righteously and will one day see You face to face!

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January 27, 2013

Hand in Hand Pride

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 16:5

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”

We Are the World

Michael_Jackson_1984How many of you were even alive when Michael Jackson came out with a song to unite the world in a spirit of giving? “We are the world…we are the children…we are the one’s who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving…” It was 1985, the year I graduated high school.

The memory I carry to this day is the sight of just about every big-time musical artist of the day taking turns, each sing a measure of two, and all swaying together for a cause. What was the cause? Hunger in Africa. They wanted to feed the starving.

Sadly, even though the recording sold over 20 million copies, hunger continues to this day. They barely made a dent on the problem, but they felt good trying. They could be proud.

Pride Abhorred

If you don’t already know, God hates pride (Prov. 6:17). Pride is the attitude that sets someone apart as better than his creator. It is the opposite of humility, and it is sin. It is the sin that tells God, “I don’t need you…I can do this myself!”

As a matter of fact, pride is a sin that demands recognition. It is not a sin that settles with obscurity; it must be seen and heard. Pride is the praise and worship chorus sung by humanity in the Church of Self. Is it any wonder the Lord hates it? Pride is idol worship.

Rights and Wrong

Pride leads the rebellious to demand his self-perceived rights. He demands of God what is pleasant, but refuses to bow a humble knee. He even finds others to band together, hand-in-hand, to sing “we are the world, and You can do nothing to us!”

But even though they join hand-in-hand; even though they hold conferences; even though they gang up and flood the airwaves; even though they speak as one voice and say, “There is no God”; the wicked will be punished. God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7).

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January 26, 2013

Sovereign God

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 16:4

4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. (ESV)

4 The Lord works out everything for his own ends— even the wicked for a day of disaster. (NIV)

What is God’s Plan?

Do you know what has caused much division within the Church for at least the last 500 years? Really, it existed long before Jesus came to Earth as a baby.

The answer is another question: How much control does God have in the world and with our eternal lives?

The major beliefs fall into three major categories (though, I can assure you there are more, but most fall under these three), and I will use the traditional names from Protestantism: Calvinism, Arminianism, and Molinism. (And please excuse the butchering they receive in this short space)

Calvinism Calvinism’s big thing is God’s sovereignty. God is in complete control, and many Calvinists believe this to the point that He ordained from eternity who was going to Heaven and to Hell. His grace essentially is offered to those He wants to come to Him. In His sovereign power, God controls everything to this end with the goal of glorifying His Name.

Arminianism Arminianism’s big thing is God’s love and freedom. Put another way, God is in control of events in that He guides them toward His desired goal of His glorification. He goes about this by allowing us, through His prevenient grace, to freely choose whether or not to accept the offer of grace and forgiveness for our sins. He gets all the glory from those who have accepted His redemption.

Molinism A friend calls this “Calminianism”, because Molinism focuses primarily on God’s justice, His sovereignty and love working together. Basically, God was able to see all of the possible timelines, but He chose the one timeline in which His He gets the most glory. This allows for our freedom to choose, but God ultimately made the choice proving His sovereignty.

Still Sovereign

Interestingly, no matter what (except for a few sub-beliefs) God’s sovereignty plays a role. It is His plan of which we are all a part. The righteous will eventually receive glory with the Son which glorifies God, but in God’s sovereignty even the destruction of the wicked brings glory to God.

Sovereign Lord, awaken our hearts and minds to Your power and control and to Your love and grace. Help us to realize that You are the only in control. Help us to trust in You alone.

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January 25, 2013

Who’s the Boss?

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 16:3 

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (KJV). 

The Secret to Success:

What is the secret to success? The world tells us that we just need to “be positive, focus, be persistent and work hard!” Is that all it takes? Or is there something else that we can do if we want to do well in life? Eugene Peterson paraphrases today’s Scripture with these words: “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.” (The Message). 

Here are two important keys from the Scriptures that will help your plans to come to pass: 

  1. Delight Yourself in the Lord:

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.” If we want our thoughts to be established, and see our goals accomplished, the first thing we should do is spend time with God, and ask Him what His plans for our lives are. Too many Christians come up with their own ideas and plans and go to God and say, “Lord, will you bless my plans?” But those plans are not always His will for our lives, and so He may not bless them. 

One of my favourite comic strips characters Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes went to his dad and said, “Will you buy me a flame thrower?” His response was, “No.” Does that mean that his dad didn’t love him? Of course not! But he knew his son well enough to know that if he gave into his request, it would have disastrous consequences. So, if we want to see our thoughts established, we must first spend time with the Lord and ask Him what He wants us to do. 

This is one of the reasons why the ministry of Jesus was so successful. He only did what the Father told Him to do! Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” (John 5:19). I was in ministry for several years before I learned this important principle: Instead of going to God with my plans and saying, “Would you bless them?” I now go to God and say, “What’s your plan for today, Father?” 

  1. Walk in Obedience:

If we want God to see our plans succeed, we need to walk in obedience to the Lord. The first part of that is obedience to the general will of God as recorded in the Scriptures. James 1:25 says, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” The second part is obedience to the specific will of God for our lives, which is revealed to us in prayer. God has blessed us to be a blessing – who does He want you to bless today? 

What is God calling you to do? Do it and it will be blessed!

Calvin & Hobbes - flame thrower

(Calvin & Hobbes (c) 2013 Bill Waterson).

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