Proverbs - Slothfulness - OUCH!

Proverbs 15:19

                                                                                        

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:

but the way of the righteous is made plain.

When we handle our responsibilities in a lazy way our paths seem to have so many obstacles and become very unpleasant.  A hedge of thorns in our path would mean that we would have to keep track of every movement so that we won’t be poked and hurt by this bush.  When we are half-hearted at work or home our paths become filled with things we are trying to avoid and we are not enjoying our journey.  Here the Lord equates diligence with righteousness.  Did you know that hard work honors the Lord and diligence is to be an attribute of those who follow Him?  When our hand finds something to do we should do it with all of our might.  When we are asked to do something we should do it heartily as unto the Lord.  Ladies, the life of ease and pleasure propagates a life of depression and purposelessness.  We will feel like we are dead while we are living if we become women who sit down to eat and drink and only rise up to play.  Sisters, honor the Lord, remove the hedge and enjoy a plain path as you seek to avoid laziness for His glory.

Knowing God - He Wants You to Ask

Psalm 2:8

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

The Lord Wants Us To Ask

The Lord wants us to ask for things.  Sometimes we don’t have certain things in our lives because we haven’t asked.   In this text, the heathen were threatening God’s people and trying to take them over.  They were encroaching and threatening with armies and pagan practices, God’s own people.  The Lord was instructing this king to ask Him for those very people as an inheritance rather than a threat.  Have you ever asked the Lord to take those situations, people and problems that seem to be threatening you and cause them to be a valuable inheritance for you?  Have you placed those problems before Him, asking Him to touch them in such a way that you will inherit incredible blessings out of them?  Ask of Him, that He may give you the heathen for your inheritance.

Proverbs - Anger May Be Rooted in Guilt

Proverbs 15:18

 A wrathful man stirreth up strife:

but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

If we find ourselves in constant conflict with anyone we might be in a state of being a wrathful woman.  A wrathful woman is pent up with some sort of anger related to judgment.  The interesting thing about this anger is that it may be even related to us.  It is important that we come before the Lord and confess and forsake behavior that He has told us to forsake.  This will result in finding mercy and our inner man will rest in His grace.  If we are either not confessing or not forsaking our sin, we will sense the inner conflict with our Lord.  This often manifests itself as impatience, a critical spirit or snappy tongue with those who are around us.  Is there something the Lord has shown you to confess AND forsake? 

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:

but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.“

            (Proverbs 28:13)

Knowing God - He Decrees

Psalm 2:7

I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me,

Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

The Lord Declares Decrees

It is a good thing that the Lord will speak to us about our position and calling.  He reminds us about who we are and what His plans are for our lives.  Are we still enough to listen?  Do we come before Him in the beginning of our day to reestablish ourselves as His children and His servants?  Do we take time to know what He has declared in His Word about us so that when others label us, our identity is clearly defined by His mouth?  The Lord declares decrees.  He speaks that which is law.  He is the King!  His Word is final.  You are His child, if indeed you are in Christ, and it is by His Holy Spirit you have been begotten of God.

Proverbs - Better is a Little

Prov 15:16-17

Better is little with the fear of the LORD

than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,

than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

In our desire to accumulate more or better things we might be tempted to do things in haste and not consult the Lord for His plan concerning such ventures.  We must move carefully when considering that source of income, putting something on credit or asking our husband to take on side jobs.  We can end up with a treasure of trouble.  We should seek the Lord regarding financial decisions moving with the fear of Him.  This means that our own desires and plans are laid before His feet and we seek His final confirmation or denial of our pursuits.  Considering the last part of this verse, we can relate to making dinner.  If we strive to produce the ‘perfect meal’ out of a pride or strife, we can end up snapping at our children and husbands and the food doesn’t even taste good.  Perhaps a simple dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup with a happy mom served with love would be much more impressive than the homemade lasagna accompanied with complaints.  Let us be women who move carefully in the accumulation of things and presentation of our meals.  

Proverbs - A Merry Heart

Prov 15:13-15

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:

but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge:

but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

All the days of the afflicted are evil:

but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

Again we see the Lord addressing our inner man – our heart. There will be times, when our inner man is touched by the inevitable pain of some sort of tragedy.  Our spirits go through times of heaviness and brokenness.  This is healthy and a time to draw near to the God of all comfort.  This is a time to seek knowledge and grow in understanding.  There truly is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven.  There is a time of famine and a time to cry.  We grow through these times in empathy, compassion and the ability to give others the very comfort we have received.  The Lord does comfort those who mourn and will bring us back to a place where the joy of His salvation is restored and we find our hearts merry again.  Our countenance is revived and we begin to taste and see that the Lord is good.  Be careful, dear sister, when you have sorrow of heart.  Do not feed on foolishness but cry out to the Lord for knowledge and understanding.  You will come through this time and once again feast continually.  The joy of the Lord is your strength and the merriness of your heart will return through His healing and comfort.

Knowing God - He Sits

Psalm 2:4

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:

the Lord shall have them in derision.

He Sits In the Heavens

The Lord sits in the heavens.  It is good to know that the Lord is above all.  He is not limited to the perspective we have here on this earth.  He is above it all and is not shaken by men’s efforts to fight against him or determine truth by their own councils and reason.  He is absolutely higher than these waves of self rule and He scoffs at the attempt of his creation to subvert what is eternally settled and mandated.  So, what does that tell us?  For one thing we are awakened out of a minority status in our world and drawn to a place of security and confidence.  Our God is seated in the heavens. He isn’t pacing the throne room.   He isn’t standing in panic.  He is seated and if we are in Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places too!