Tag Archives: Jesus

March 7, 2017

A Nagging Wife

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 25:24.

“It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.” (KJV).

nagging wife

Which Would You Choose?

If you had a choice between living in a big house and living in the corner on a roof, which would you choose? I believe most people would choose to live in a nice big house. But as Solomon is wont to do, he puts a little twist in his Proverb and says that it’s actually better to live on the roof… if there’s a brawling woman in that house!

But – what does the word brawling mean? If you look at some of the other ways this word is translated in other versions of the Bible, it reads: quarrelsome, contentious, nagging, and bitter-tongued. In other words, Solomon is talking about a contentious wife who likes to fight, nag, and stir up strife. If that’s the case, you would be better off on the roof, out in the cold with the wind and rain. If you ask me, neither one of these options sounds like fun!

Application:

How then should we apply this Scripture verse to our lives?

To the single young men: If you plan on getting married one day, take the time to prayerfully think through the choice of a spouse. Next to giving your life to Jesus Christ, there is no more important decision you will ever make. One of the deepest, most profound thoughts on marriage is this one: “Happy wife, happy life.” It’s true! If you have a wife who is quarrelsome, contentious, nagging and bitter-tongued, you will be miserable. So take the time to get to know your prospective mate before saying “I do!”

To the married men: If you have a wife who is peaceable, then thank the good Lord above. You are blessed! Proverbs 18:22 says, “Find a good spouse, you find a good life – and even more: the favor of God!” (The Message). However, if you have a wife who tends to be contentious, then pray for her. Pray that the Lord Jesus would change her heart, and that she would have the fruit of the Spirit in her life – which includes peace, kindness and gentleness.

To the married women: If I can be so bold as to give you a piece of (Scriptural) advice: Don’t be a nag! If you criticize and complain to your husband all the time, then don’t be surprised if he wants to spend all of his time out in the garage with his tools, watching football with the guys or being anywhere but with you. It’s no fun being around a woman who fights all the time.

A Post Script: Now lest some of you conclude that the Bible is picking on the women here, know that there are many Scriptural admonitions to the husband as well: Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25), to love her and never treat her harshly (Col 3:19), and to treat her with honour (1 Peter 3:7). The bottom line? If a wife will respect her husband, the husband will love his wife, and if the husband will love his wife, the wife will respect her husband (Eph. 5:33). Amen!

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in marriage

January 23, 2017

Golden Apples

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 25:11-12.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.” (KJV).

A Word Fitly Spoken: Timely Advice

I love the Bible. Not just because it is God’s Word, giving us wisdom for living life and teaching us how to get to Heaven – but also because of the majestic, poetic symbolism the Holy Spirit uses to communicate truth with us. In Proverbs 25:11, Solomon (under the inspiration of God’s Spirit) tells us that someone who gives a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. The New Living Translation says: “Timely advice is as lovely as golden apples in a silver basket.” It’s sweet. It’s beautiful. It’s awesome.

Words are powerful! I have experienced many times the truth of Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Every word that we speak can bring life – comfort, encouragement, and hope – or it can bring death – depression, discouragement, or hopelessness. I have had people lie about me, gossip about me, and slander my name, and I know how much it has discouraged and frustrated me. How much it has caused me to want to give up.

But I have also experienced the flip side of the coin – words of encouragement, timely advice, words fitly spoken, that have been sweet, beautiful and awesome. I have people in my life who encourage me – whether it is through spoken words, handwritten cards, or an e-mail note or Facebook message. I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” That’s so true!

An Earring of Gold: Valid Criticism:

In Proverbs 25:12, Solomon tells us that a wise reprover upon an obedient ear is like a golden earring. In other words, “Valid criticism is as treasured by the one who heeds it as jewelry made from finest gold.” (NLT). Not only do we need words to encourage us when we are doing well, but there are times when we need good friends who will speak the truth in love and let us know when we’re messing up in our lives. Their goal isn’t to hurt or destroy us, but to help keep us on the straight and narrow. Such people are more valuable than precious jewels.

It would be nice if every time a wise person corrected their friend that they would be met with an obedient ear, willing to respond to that correction, but that is not always the case. Sometimes even when we speak the truth in love, people will reject that truth because they don’t want to change. That’s unfortunate!

Lord, give us people in our lives who will speak encouraging words of life to build us up and encourage us when we need it. But also give us people in our lives who will be wise reprovers, who will challenge us when we get into sin or error, and help us to have an obedient ear that is open to correction. Amen!

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January 4, 2017

Don’t Be Lazy!

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 24:30-34.

“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.” (KJV). 

The Fields Preached a Sermon:

In today’s Proverb, Solomon describes a story from his personal life. He tells about a time he was walking by the field of a simple, lazy man, and – no surprise – it was overgrown with weeds, the fence was knocked down, and there was no fruit. The lesson he learned? If you are lazy, and spend all your time napping, you will become poor really quickly, and you won’t be able to do anything about it. What a great lesson for today’s generation!

lazy

Today’s Lazy Young People:

I don’t know about you, but I have noticed that a lot of young people today lack any sort of work ethic. They don’t want to do anything, and they want everyone to do everything for them. There is a song by Bruno Mars that I think so perfectly captures the spirit of today’s generation: “Today I don’t feel like doing anything, I just want to lay in my bed.” It is aptly named simply “The Lazy Song.”

I know that I am greatly (and perhaps unfairly so) generalizing here, as I know that there are many young people who are diligent and hard-working. However, such persons are so rare that when they are seen, they are taken as a notable exception to their peers, and are looked upon as extraordinary.

The Book of Proverbs has a lot of warnings to the lazy man (or woman):

  • 12:24: The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
  • 12:27: The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence is man’s precious possession.
  • 13:4: The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Application: How Then Shall We Live?

First of all, if you’re 30 years old and still live in your mom’s basement playing video games all day long – go out and get a job! (That challenge is only partly tongue-in-cheek). God’s Word challenges us to be diligent and hard-working people, and warns against a lazy lifestyle. The Bible says, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23, NLT).

If you work hard and are diligent, God will bless you. So don’t be lazy!

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Warnings

November 21, 2016

Small Strength

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 24:10.

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” (KJV).

The Crisis:

It was the fall of 1994 in Surrey, BC, and I was 22 years old. I was involved in full-time ministry as the assistant youth pastor at Victory Christian Centre (now called Relate Church). And I had just gotten engaged to Liza. Everything was going my way. We were going to get married, have lots of children, and serve the Lord together.

And that’s when it happened.

I got called into the pastor’s office and he told me that because of the financial difficulties that the church was having, they were going to have to lay me off. I was still welcome to work with the youth on a volunteer basis if I wanted to, they just didn’t have the money to pay me anymore.

And that’s when I started freaking out. How was I going to get married in less than six months? I couldn’t start a family without a job! And so I made the decision to call off the wedding.

The Challenge:

But thank God for fellow believers in the church, amen? One of my friends shared the above Bible verse with me. He said, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Ouch! That was a Scripture spanking for sure! He was saying that if I was to give up just because of a difficult challenge, then my strength was small.

You see, it’s easy to appear strong and look like you have it all together when everything is going good in your life. But when a crisis comes up, then you find out what’s really in your heart. And so I made a decision to step out in faith, go ahead with the wedding, and trust God to provide for my needs.

Chris and Liza - March 25, 1995

Chris and Liza – March 25, 1995

The Conquest:

I’m happy to report that even before two weeks had passed and I was finished at the church, I had another job already lined up working as a prayer minister for an international television ministry. While I was working there, I learned a lot about prayer and had many great experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

I still worked with the youth in our church until the Lord called me to the youth ministry at another church down the road – Bible Fellowship Church (now called Horizon Church). We have four wonderful children, and have been married for over 20 years now. God is good!

What kind of adversity, crisis or challenge are you facing today?

Life is hard, but I want to challenge you to look to the Lord today to help you with whatever you’re going through! “I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:1-3).

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October 19, 2016

The Meaning of Life

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 23:17-18.

“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (KJV). 

I often say that Proverbs is God’s wisdom for daily living. But lest we think that the book is limited only to the here and now, Solomon reminds us to look towards the future as well. The NKJV version of that verse says, “For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.” Translation = this life is not all there is! There is life after death, and after we live our lives on planet Earth, we have the hope of everlasting life in Heaven.

I’ll never forget the fall after I graduated from high school. I was at an all-nighter drive-in with some friends and sat down with one of them and said, “You know, there’s got to be more to life than just partying, getting drunk, and dating girls.” Less than a month later, I had a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus that was the beginning of my Christian walk.

Another book that Solomon wrote is Ecclesiastes, where he takes his readers on a search to find the meaning of life. He writes:

“I said to myself, “Come now, let’s give pleasure a try. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless… After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves… I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. And with it all, I remained clear-eyed so that I could evaluate all these things… I did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work, an additional reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11).

Solomon looked for meaning and satisfaction in pleasure, drinking, possessions, money and hard work, but didn’t find it there. After twelve chapters searching for the meaning of life, he writes: “Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in desire, Paths of Life

August 13, 2016

Dealing with Troublemakers

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 22:10.

“Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” (KJV). 

Building the Church:

I don’t know where it has come from, but we’ve got this idea in the church today that we need to keep everyone who walks through our doors. “We don’t want to lose anyone!” However, I would like to suggest to you today that maybe this isn’t the healthiest perspective to have when it comes to building the church.

Every church is full of good people and bad people – those who love the Lord and want to honor and obey Him, and those who don’t. However, the seeker-driven church model today is so anxious to get more and more people to join the church that they give no thought to lifestyle concerns, and will let anyone in if they would simply make a profession of faith. However, this leads to all sorts of problems!

If you let people join your church who don’t believe in your mission or vision, they’re not going to help fulfill God’s purpose for your church. In fact you might even find them fighting against what the Lord is calling you to do. (Incidentally, the word division comes from two words: di meaning two, and vision. Two visions). This is one of the many different situations that wise King Solomon is addressing in today’s Proverb.

Kick out the Troublemakers:

In the Message paraphrase of our Bible verse, Eugene Peterson writes: “Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down; you need a break from bickering and griping!” In other words, if you have someone in your church who is a troublemaker, then it’s probably best to ask them to leave – for the good of the church!

One of my life verses is Psalm 133 which says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious (anointing) oil… For there the Lord commanded the blessing– Life forevermore.” In other words, when a church (or a family) lives in unity, that’s where God’s anointing (presence), blessing, and eternal life can be found. But where there is strife, there is every evil work. That’s why it’s better to remove the troublemaker, for the sake of the unity in the church.

The Pruning of the Lord:

Now – this isn’t easy! As a pastor, I am thankful that I have never had to actually do this, although there are times where we have had troublemakers in our church. Thankfully, the Lord in His graciousness did some pruning and removed them from our body before they could to any more damage than they already had. And in every circumstance where the Lord brought about a pruning and removed a troublemaker, we found that the church always grew again in a better and a healthier way. So maybe a good starting point in dealing with a troublemaker is asking the Lord to do the pruning, so you don’t have to!

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August 1, 2016

Counsel God?

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 21:30

“There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.”

Intelligent

I am a half-way intelligent guy. There are degrees hanging on the wall of my study, a few awards, and a lot of books on the shelves that I’ve actually read. But don’t be too impressed; I don’t have a doctorate (yet) and I still have problems with math and spelling restuarant.

What’s worse is I’m supposed to be a “spiritual leader,” a pastor, a Reverend. Along with those degrees on my wall, there is also a piece of paper that says I’ve been “Ordained to the Gospel Ministry.” According to some, that puts me on God’s speed dial. Riiiiight.

In actuality, I am only human, and a flawed one at that. This past weekend my daughter had to take the spiritual lead and call me to the carpet. She has no degree or title, but she does walk with God and loves the Word. So, when she saw me making a mess of things she exercised spiritual wisdom, understanding, and counseled against me. “Daddy,” she said through tears, “you told me to be bold, so I’m going to do that now…we haven’t even prayed!”

Infinite

Then there’s God.

No degrees. No diplomas. Only 66 books to His credit. Never been graded. The ultimate Self-Starter.

His library is limited to some scrolls, but He invented language and the light by which to read. He even provides the Light that illuminates the mind.

He is Wisdom. He is omniscient (knows all). He is the Judge of Heaven and Earth before who’s bar only one Counselor has the right to intercede.

I can be questioned. I can be challenged. I can be corrected. No matter how wise or spiritual I become, I am still just a wisp of mist in the air; human.

Our God is the LORD; His children stand in awe.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in advice, counsel, Parenting, Wisdom

July 8, 2016

Working to Give

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 21:25-26

“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.”
“Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work. Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!” – NLT

Work

As I sit here typing this “thought” for the day, my body is aching and my eyes are still blinking hard trying to bring the world into focus. Trying to make ends meet, I have been getting up early and going to bed late as I work on several different jobs and projects. Visiting, studying, making calls for work, painting cabinets, attending meetings, practicing music for a recording, and preaching have worn me out.

But if the truth be known, I would rather be tired from working than worn out from doing nothing. I would rather have a paycheck in a blistered hand than nothing in a soft, weak hand. I would rather say my bills are a little behind than say all my bills are paid by the government. I’d rather die from working than die from being lazy.

Giving

There are few things more enjoyable than to be able to give to others. The problem with the “slothful” is that he is always wanting, always greedy, always talking big and promising bigger, but never giving.

The reason the godly love to give is because they love to see others happy. As a matter of fact, Jesus says when when they give unto the least of His brothers and sisters, they give unto Him (Matt. 25:40), so giving becomes an offering of praise.

The slothful only care about themselves. They have nothing to give as a true offering, for nothing they have has any true value – they haven’t worked for it (See 2 Samuel 24:24).

Now, time to get back to work. I have some giving I’d like to do.

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June 21, 2016

Addicted to Thrills

By Chris Jordan

Proverbs 21:17

“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” (KJV).

Living in the Last Days:

In a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a pastor named Timothy, he described the signs of the times of the last days: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

Those words aptly describe the world we’re living in today! People love themselves, they love money, and they love pleasure – more than they love God. Paul says that we need to turn away from such people, because bad company corrupts moral character. The reason for the warning comes through clearly in the Proverb: If we love pleasure, we will become poor.

The Pursuit of Pleasure:

The Message Bible translation of the above Proverb paraphrases the text: “You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.” (Message). Now does this mean that Christians can’t enjoy life? That the call to follow Jesus is equated with joyless boredom and drudgery? Sadly, some people have interpreted the Christian life in such shallow terms. They say that Christians can’t have fun, because anything fun is sin. But nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus said that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus comes to give us an abundant, joy-filled life.

Sadly, many people think of the Christian life as being comparable to this scene from Monty Python:

It reminds me of one of my favourite quotes by C.S. Lewis: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” You see, the Bible never says that pleasure is wrong; rather it condemns the love of pleasure. When we love pleasure more than God, when we love the gifts more than the Giver, we’ve missed the point.

The Pleasure we seek:

Before I became a Christian, I loved pleasure and looked for satisfaction in the bars, at parties, and in relationships with girls. For the first 18 years of my life, that’s where I sought pleasure. But after coming to know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I experienced a joy I had never known before.

The Bible says: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11). When we seek God first, and His kingdom, we experience fullness of joy and rivers of pleasure. Don’t be satisfied with the world’s cheap substitute of drunkenness, sex and drugs, when God offers indescribable, glorious joy. He offers His very presence. That’s the pleasure we seek!

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June 18, 2016

Justice

By Daniel M. Klem

Proverbs 21:15

“It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.”
When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. (NIV)

Following the Rules

It is very easy to not fear a judge if you are obeying all the rules and living a consistent lifestyle.

It should be common sense that to avoid trouble, do not break the rules! Be nice to people!

How hard can that really be? We even expect children to behave and treat others with respect!

God’s Justice

We have made it hard in our world. We see evil being committed and tend to live by the mantra of “an eye for an eye” (Exodus 21, Leviticus 24). We want to get even!

As a world, there is certainly an increase in people who want to live better. The new (and old) mantra is that we can be nice to each other.

The dangerous consequence of this increase in being nice to others is that many people think that doing enough good to others will get them into heaven.

However, according to God’s justice, we can never earn our way into heaven, because one blemish on our record is enough to keep us out. It took God coming to cleanse us of our sin for us to be seen as innocent and righteous. God helps us believe through the Holy Spirit that His Son, Jesus, lived a perfect life, died for the forgiveness of our sins, and rose back to life.

When Jesus returns to the world, He will enact His justice on this world. Without His forgiveness in our lives, we are still seen as “workers of iniquity” and evil. All that will be found in that day is terror and destruction.

With the Holy Spirit leading us in all righteousness, we will find joy in that Day!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your justice. Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Help us to live in Your justice and grace, that we may be found righteous in Your sight!

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