Month: March 2019

Read Proverbs Chapter 31.

“Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.” Proverbs 31:25 CSB

You did it. If you read along with us all month, you have now read the entire book of Proverbs. A book full of wisdom and insight into our daily lives. You also have finished the first quarter of our year of growing in faith. How’s it going? Has your faith grown? Comment below on how your faith has changed in the first three months of 2019, or even if it hasn’t.

We end Proverbs with one of the most talked about women in the Bible. Ministries are named after her, if you own a Thirty One bag or have heard of them, this is where the name came from; the Proverbs 31 Woman: A Wife of Noble Character. And she was noble. When I think of her, I think of many of you. Women who work hard for their husbands, for their children, for their church. Women who sacrifice daily so that others lives can flourish.

I have often heard women compare themselves to the Proverbs 31 woman, saying they can’t compete. It’s not a competition. It’s a daily giving of yourself for others. Her husband trusts her, as do yours. She gives him good, not evil, as do you. She cooks and cleans for her family, just like you, often getting up early before anyone else to do it. She is strong, she works hard. She helps others in need. She helps with the family finances. She speaks wisdom into her family from a heart that overflows with love. She loves the Lord with all her heart, she does her best to serve Him and her family well. Read Proverbs 10:10-31 again. Don’t compete with her, see yourself in her. I don’t know all of you, but I know this, you’re doing the best you can and that is all God asks.

I have loved the example this woman has set ever since I met her in the pages of Scripture. I framed these words when I was single and prayed daily to have the opportunity to follow her lead. And God has given me the opportunity to do so. I’m grateful I have a husband that trusts me, that I get to do good for all the days of my life. My fear of the Lord has given me the ability to laugh at the time to come, because I know, whatever it is, He is already there waiting for me. He’s already preparing the way for me. He’s doing the same for you. Let your laughter ring loudly, being confident not in what will come, but in the One who will be there with you.

Read Proverbs Chapter 30.

“Two things I ask of you, 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. ” NIV

If you want to pray a bold prayer, pray these verses.  It was years ago that these particular verses caught my eye.  I remember catching my breath when I read them and they began to sink into my brain.  The first part is easy. God don’t let me be lied too, by anyone. That I definitely crave in this world filled with so much lying and deceit.  Help me always to see the truth.

It’s the second part that is more challenging.  Lord, let me live paycheck to paycheck. That’s essentially what Agur is asking here.

Agur’s name, by the way, means “stranger”.  There is very little known about him, very little I could find on him.  He’s writing this letter to a couple of his friends. He appears to be a man of wisdom.  He is definitely a man of courage. Of course, in his day and age, the term “daily bread” was much more real, as they had to bake it fresh every day.  We just have to run to the grocery store for our, it usually lasts a few days, even a week.

Let’s be honest, who wants to live paycheck to paycheck? None of us. We want money in the bank, retirement’s fully funded and all of our financial worries taken care of for us. That is not what grows us closer to God. What grows us close to God is our dependence on Him FOR our daily bread. Here in America, there are very few of us who have to worry about where our bread is coming from today.  Even if you don’t think you’re rich, you are, just because you live in America. If you have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in and food in the refrigerator you are in the top 8% of the wealthiest people in the world.

It’s what makes us less dependent on God, not more dependent on Him.

It’s a hard prayer to pray, let me live paycheck to paycheck so I can be more dependent on You, God.  Let’s start small, let’s start by thanking Him for our Daily Bread which He has given us in such abundance.  Let’s be grateful for His provision that provides for us to live in the wealthiest country in the world. Let’s pray, each day we draw closer to Him, no matter how much bread we have.  Let’s be grateful we don’t have to bake our bread, it comes neatly wrapped and sliced for us.

Read Proverbs Chapter 29.

“Without revelation people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy.”  Proverbs 29:18

Revelation in this verse means direct, specific communication between God and people, a guiding communication from the Lord.  It can be in the form of a vision or dream, or it can be His written word. The primary essence isn’t the way it is revealed to you, but the message that is being conveyed.  It’s God’s will being revealed to you.

One of the primary questions I get asked is this: “How do I know what God’s will is?”

Eighty percent of God’s will has been revealed to all of us through His word, the Bible.  The Bible is a collection of revelations to 40 people who wrote them down over a span of 1500 years.  Moses is the one who comes to mind for most people, as he is the one God gave the 10 commandments too.

Did you know the 10 commandments are all about relationships?  The first four commandments are about our relationship with God.  The last six are about our relationship with others. It can be considered your quick start guide to good relationships:

1. You shall have no other Gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol
3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5. Honor your father and your mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false testimony
10. You shall not covet

God has already revealed 80% of what we are to do to have life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10 NIV).  If we aren’t applying that to our lives, why should He reveal the other 20% to us? Often times, when it comes to God’s will, we miss the forest because of the trees.  We’re so focused on the details of a situation, we can’t see the whole of it. The whole part of the situation means looking at our part in it, objectively, honestly, completely.

If you’re looking for God’s will in your life, start with the divine instruction He’s already given us: His word.

Read Proverbs Chapter 28.

“A greedy person stirs up conflict, but whoever trust in the Lord will prosper.”  Proverbs 28:25 CSB

Greed is something that can trap the best of us.  My husband and I watched the movie “Triple Frontier” on Netflix.  It’s an action packed adventure movie about a group of buddies who served in the elite forces in the military.  All upstanding men who had had good careers looking for one last adventure. I don’t want to give away the movie, but it involves making millions of dollars if successful.

They make their plan, just as in days of old when they were serving their country.  They timed everything perfectly. There was one slight difference in this mission versus the others they had completed, no one was watching.  They were on their own. The only ones they had to report too were each other. As the movie unfolds, everything is going according to plan.  They find the money and it’s more than they could ever imagine. It’s more than they can possibly take with them. They begin the laborious job of loading up bags full of cash, stacks of $100 bills.

That’s when greed shows it’s ugly face.  There is one pivotal moment when they have run out of time, and need to leave.  But they can’t get enough. They just want one more bag. Just a few more minutes.  That decision changes the course of the movie. Greed changes the course of the mission; conflict has arrived.

Wouldn’t we all be tempted to fill one more bag?  Wouldn’t we all risk five more minutes if it meant another million dollars?  They already had a van full of money that would of supported them the rest of their lives, but they needed just one more.

Greed comes in the form of just one more.  One more bite of food. One more pair of shoes.  One more drink. Just one more. True prosperity comes only one way, through the Lord.  Prosperity isn’t who has the most toys, it is who trusts in the Lord, for everything. All we have, all we will have comes from the Lord.  He gives us the air we breathe, the food we eat, the money we spend.

We don’t need just one more, we just need God.

Read Proverbs Chapter 27.

“Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what tomorrow might bring.” Proverbs 27:1

Did you know the origin of the word “goodbye” comes from a parting prayer?  It’s a contraction of the phrase, “God be with ye.” “Good” replaced “God” because of phrases like “good day” or “good night”.  But when you are telling someone “goodbye” you are actually blessing them.

The root of the phrase “God be with ye” is recorded as early as 1659.  A time and place very different from the world we live in today. People were much more aware that they may never see the person again.  They didn’t take it for granted there was a tomorrow like we do today. They didn’t take it for granted they would have food for the next day.  They earnestly thanked God for their daily bread. They earnestly thanked God for each day He gave them.

I recently gained this tidbit of wisdom from a pastor whose church we visited recently: “No one wastes their life intentionally, we waste it accidentally one day at a time.”

Today is all you are guaranteed.  Realistically, you don’t know what will happen five minutes from now, much less what tomorrow will be like.  Last year, on Feb. 23rd, one of my dear friends and his son went to finish a plumbing job. They only needed 10 minutes to do what they needed to do before they moved on with their day.  It was a house they were helping finish for a homeless veteran. The job was never completed. They were ambushed by two high school kids who were robbing the home. My friend was shot 5 times, his son was killed.  It all happened within minutes of arriving at their destination. They were doing nothing wrong. They were serving the Lord, serving their community, serving their church. My friend is a pastor, his son their worship leader.  In a matter of moments lives were changed forever. A wife was left a widow, a daughter lost her father. A community was torn apart and all of their tomorrow’s forever changed.

God’s presence in the midst of this tragedy has been a shining light of hope to all concerned.  He has led them through this past year and all of its dark days. One thing has become certain to anyone who knew and loved them, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Don’t boast about tomorrow, boast about today. Boast about what God is doing in your life today. Be thankful for what God is doing today.

Don’t waste your life accidentally one day at a time.  Live your life intentionally today. Let God be your guiding light.  In Him you will find life and find it to the fullest (John 1:10 NIV).

Read Proverbs Chapter 26.

“Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.”  Proverbs 26:2 CSB

I’ve waited 26 days to talk about this verse with you.  It is one of my absolute favorite verses in the Bible. Do you know why?  Because it’s talking about what other people think of you. We all worry about what others think.  It’s innate in all of us. But we can’t control what others think of us. In fact, let them think whatever they want to think, because according to this verse: if it ain’t true, it won’t land.

There is someone you do have to worry about though: God.  

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians puts it this way, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10).  Here is the hard truth in this verse, if you’re pleasing God, you probably are not pleasing man. The reason is simple, if you’re doing what God wants you to do, you’re not doing what people want you to do.  But don’t worry, because an undeserved curse has nowhere to land.

C.S. Lewis, in his book “The Great Divorce” said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’

It’s up to you.  You can choose to focus on what God thinks or you can choose to focus on what people think.  The choice is yours. Whose opinion matters more to you, God’s or people? That is what it really comes down too.  It is hard not to care what people think about you. If you spend more time worrying about that, you’ll miss out on what God thinks.  What others think won’t stick, but what God thinks, that will change your life.

Read Proverbs Chapter 25.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”  Proverbs 25:21-22 CSB

Here is how I paraphrase this verse:  Kill them with kindness. That is what my mother always taught me.  Her words still ramble around in my head when I’m faced with a difficult situation.  The burning coals he is talking about in this verse, that is guilt. I can attest from my own life, my mother was the queen of making me feel guilty.

On my 21st birthday, I worked.  I didn’t go out and celebrate because a friend of mine had been killed when he celebrated his.  After a night of drinking too much, he crashed his car into a tree. I decided I wanted to live past my 21st birthday, so I worked.  I chose to celebrate a few days later. Funny the notions we get in our heads. I went out, and I drank too much. I was leaving the bar with someone I should not have been leaving the bar with when I heard my name being called from across the parking lot.  It was my mother. She knew what I had been doing; she had waited in the parking lot for me so she could drive me home.

I realize you would not think my mother and I were enemies, and we truly weren’t.  But on this particular night, I was the enemy of her heart. I was in direct contrast to her hopes and dreams for me.  I was being young and stupid as we all have been at one point. It broke her heart what I was doing to myself. She heaped on the burning coals to my head with her love.  She killed me with kindness.

That night, the love she showed me changed my life.  I don’t remember her yelling at me. I don’t remember her berating me.  I remember hearing my name being called across the parking lot. I remember her love for me.  I remember her kindness. I’m not going to say that was the last night I ever did something stupid.  I will say that it made me stop and think about what I was doing with my life. I will say, to this day, it helps me stay grounded in the reality that my actions do affect other people’s lives.  It helped me learn that it really isn’t just about me. I have faltered many times since then, but I have never forgotten the lesson she taught me by showing me love. She showed me love when it was the last thing I deserved.

Kill them with kindness, it is never the wrong thing to do.

Read Proverbs Chapter 24.

“Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me; I’ll repay the man for what he has done.” Proverbs 224:29 CSB

On October 2, 2006 Charles Roberts walked into West Nickel Mines Amish school  outside of Lancaster, PA and shot 8 of the 10 girls in the classroom. They were between the ages of 6-13.  Over the past 20 years there have been over 200 school shootings in our country. It has, unfortunately become a part of our culture.  The response the Amish society had to this incident sets it apart from all the others.

Within days of the shooting they tore down the school house and rebuilt it on a new location.  They called for quick and immediate forgiveness of the shooter. Amish neighbors visited the widow, parents and parents in-law of Charles within hours of the shooting to offer comfort to them in their grief.  Over 30 members of the Amish community, including parents and grandparents of the victims attended Charles Roberts funeral. They were instructed to not think evil of Charles. They wanted to forgive quickly and offer comfort to all those involved in this tragedy.

It was a very controversial response in the media.  How could they not want justice for what this man had done to their families and their community?  As one Amish member said, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he’s standing before a just God.”  They understood it wasn’t up to them to exact justice, justice is God’s.

To this day, this example of extreme grace impacts my life.  I pray I never face such circumstances. I don’t know if I would have the Godly reaction this community had.  When someone hurts us, we want to hurt back. Rick Warren says, “Hurting people hurt others.” That helps me remember, we are all walking wounded.  It may not show on the outside but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Letting God handle our hurts  is difficult. Releasing our offender to Him, letting Him be the judge may seem impossible.  It may take time, you may have to do it over and over again. But it is the way to freedom from the hurt.  Exacting revenge won’t make the hurt go away, it won’t even make you feel better, it will only compound an already difficult situation.

Give it to God.  Try not to take it back.  Let Him heal your heart.

Read Proverbs Chapter 23.

“ Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.” Proverbs 23:12

I recently came across a book on habits.  “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear.  The inspiration for this book began in the author’s sophomore year of highschool when he was hit in the head with a baseball bat.  It was the last day of school. A classmate was up to bat, he took a full swing, the bat slipped out of his hands and hit him directly between the eyes.  As a result, his brain swelled, he had to have a coma induced to preserve his life. Months of rehab lay ahead of him. Baseball was no longer an option according to the doctors.

But not according to him.

He was determined to play baseball again.  After long months of rehabilitation he went out for varsity the following year and was cut.  He did manage to make the team his senior year, but didn’t have much playing time. He never gave up, no matter how hard the fight.  He was determined to play ball in college. He managed to make the team, but he knew unless things changed drastically he would never play.

That’s when he learned the power of habits.

While everyone else was out partying, he went to bed early and developed good sleep habits. He kept his dorm room clean as a way to get his life in order.  He made exercise a habit, lifting weights several times a week. He developed strong study habits. As a result, by his senior year, not only was he a starting player, he was named ESPN Academic All-American, and had broken 8 different records.

All because of his habits.  He defines habit as a “routine or behavior that is performed regularly.”  I call it discipline. Small changes that over time cause amazing results.  This group has been teaching you discipline. It’s a small habit of checking in with God each day, connecting with other believers, reading His word that will result in God sized changes.  Changes you can’t even imagine at this point in your life.

God notices the discipline you’re developing, it won’t go to waste.  Before you know it, you’ll be the one starting the game, collecting the rewards, breaking the records.

Read Proverbs Chapter 22.

“Rich and poor have this in common; the Lord makes them all.” Proverbs 22:2 CSB

This verse has a very special place in my heart.  Two years ago when I went on my first mission trip to El Salvador, I was a nervous wreck.  I had never been out of the country, other than Canada. Going to a third world country was especially intimidating for me.  I didn’t know how I would react to what I found there. I didn’t know how I would react to the people. Their lives are so different from the privileged life I have led, I didn’t know how I would connect with them.  I began a prayer journal specifically for the trip. Every doubt, every fear, I would write it out in prayer and lift it up to Him.

That is when this verse jumped off the pages at me.  But I couldn’t quite understand what God was telling me.  I can’t help but smile when I think of the person He used to explain it to me.  A wonderful friend God brought into my life a few years ago. A non-believer.

We were at breakfast one morning a few weeks before my trip. I’m intentional about our relationship.  We bond over food and tennis, and of course God. Believer or not, she loves to bring Him up in our conversations.  I was sharing this verse with her, explaining I couldn’t understand what God was trying to tell me. I’ll never forget her response.  She said, “It’s simple, you both have your faith in God in common. Doesn’t matter how much money you have.” God really can use anyone He wants to get His point across.

She was right.  We did have our faith in God in common, it doesn’t matter how much money either of us have.  In fact, their faith was and is one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. In the midst of poverty like I have never seen before they had the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7 NIV).  I will never forget the home visit we did. They had a small room attached to their house, a house that had no doors, no air conditioning. A house that had no bathroom, no running water, just a cistern that sat beside it.  But that small room was their church. We ate lunch there that day, and they sang worship songs to us. Their faces were beaming, they welcomed us into their home as if it was a palace. They shared with us all they had. The most precious gift they shared, their faith.  

My friend was right, we did have God in common.  The rich and poor do have that in common, a bond that surpasses all worldly wealth. They taught me more than I could ever teach them.  Their riches weren’t materialistic, their riches were in their faith.