Proverbs - Bribery is Not Good

Proverbs 17:23

                                                                     

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

Bribery is not good.  It twists the mind of the one who has to make a clear call based upon what is good and right.  Gifts, flattery and manipulation can cause the person in authority to not be able to judge a matter righteously because self interest begins to play a part in the judgment.  When parenting our children we may melt with that four-year-old’s sweet smile and not follow through with the appropriate consequence.  A teenager can begin to bring to our minds some sort of exchange in the implementation of a punishment we have already instated.  When we are single, flattering words from an unsaved gentleman can confuse the judgment of not being unequally joined together with an unbeliever.  We may even be tempted to persuade our husbands away from a leading they have with our sensuality or pouting.  When we must give forth a judgment or we find ourselves under the authority of another, we must be careful to not have any sort of influence come in and disturb the signal of a righteous God giving us His direction.  Even a friendship we enjoy can be a temptation to not give the right warnings o counsel for fear of losing that friend.  Let us be women who seek first to please the Lord and do that which is right in His eyes, regardless of how it affects us.  We, will then be women who open our mouths with wisdom and affect those around us in the way the Lord intended us to.

Knowing God - He Had Done Great Things - FOR YOU!

1 Samuel 12:24

“Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart;  for consider what great things he has done for you.”

                                                                          

He Has Done Great Things  - FOR YOU!

The Lord has done great things.  We all know that.  He has created this earth.  He brought His people out of captivity over and over again.  He raised Lazarus.  He forgave the adulterous woman, but…..here we see we are commanded to consider the great things He has done FOR YOU!  Perhaps you are in a place where you believe and know that God is powerful and has done great things but you have not chosen to consider what great things He has done FOR YOU!  Stop now and consider what He has done for you.  Has he saved you from continuing in patterns that would have left your life in ruins?  Has he healed you? Has he given you abilities you know did not come from the way you were raised?  Has he delivered you from your own consequences?  Consider this today and it will help you to only fear Him and serve Him in truth with all your heart.

Proverbs - What is a Merry Heart?

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

When our hearts are merry our bodies actually function much better.  When our inner man is not working right, our frame becomes brittle and unable to support us through our lives.  A merry heart is not just an outward expression of joy but an inner state of mind.  A merry heart is within us.  A merry heart is one that is settled in as accepted and loved by no merit of its own but by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  A merry heart has a sense of purpose given by the One who dwells within it by faith.  A merry heart is feasting on promises given by the One who never disappoints.  A merry heart is considering all that the Lord has done for it.  A merry heart is not weighed down with unconfessed sin.  A merry heart is looking to be a source of blessing and refreshment to others.  A merry heart recognizes the most simple events of the day as glimpses of God’s faithfulness and love.  A merry heart connects history with the present and anticipates the future being a further revelation of God’s presence and position.  A merry heart delights in a child’s laughter, a dog’s facial expression, a cake’s decorated beauty, the smell of meat and onions being united in a hot pan, the clean, hot water of a morning shower, the soft, tender sheets that surround us as we sleep and other daily events that are often not appreciated or taken in.  By having this peace of God ruling in our hearts we are free to absorb the rich life we so enjoy and it does good like medicine.  I think of anti-inflammatory medication.  These are taken to reduce the swelling of some sort of injury that we might not have the pain.  Having a merry heart will reduce the swelling of legitimate injuries that we might move more freely and with less pain. 

Knowing God - The Lord Interrogates

Job 38:2

“Brace yourself like a man:  I will question you,

and you shall answer me.”

The Lord Interrogates

The Lord is speaking here and seems to be speaking in a tone of authority.  We can find ourselves questioning Him and expecting Him to answer us.  Here we see the Lord saying that He will question us and He expects us to answer Him.  When was the last time you allowed the Word of God to question you and you answered?  Have you ever sensed His still small voice speaking to you?  It is a good thing to sense the searching of God and respond when you hear His questions. He could be asking us why we are doing something.  He could be questioning us about our mischaracterization of Him.  He could be asking us about something we have done.  We would do well to put ourselves as the ones being questioned rather than always questioning Him.  As we give Him answers we might be surprised to find out that His questions were well directed and intended to bring out of us that which we might have been blind to.  Brace yourself.  He will question you.  You shall answer Him.

Proverbs - What is Foolishness?

Proverbs 17:19-20

He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow:

and the father of a fool hath no joy.

All of our children are conceived in sin just as we were.  There is a sinful, foolish nature we have all inherited.  We, as parents, are instructed to train our children in the way they should go, not the way they naturally go.  If we ignore this great ministry and allow foolishness to reign and go undisciplined we do it to our own sorrow and the father will not have joy.  We must not neglect or grow lazy in this commission.  It will hurt our children and hurt us too.  We should familiarize ourselves with what God considers foolish behavior and then seek Him how to instruct and lead our children away from these things.  Here are some examples of foolishness according to the Lord and what we must train our children away from:

Not believing in the existence of God  Ps 14:1

Going after loose women, having sex outside of marriage Prov 7:22

Hating someone but pretending to be nice to them with our words Prov 10:18

Speaking evil things about someone to paint them in a bad light Prov 10:18

Doing mischievous things for fun or approval of others  Prov 10:23

Evaluating a course of action is right because you think it is apart from any sort of counsel or objective measurement Prov 12:15

Self confidence and boasting about it Prov 14:16

Being easily angered or annoyed by situations or people . Prov 14:17

Despising the advice of one’s father Prov 15:5

Trusting in one’s own heart and feelings Prov 28:26

Talking a lot without purpose and caution Eccl 10:14

These are just some of the foolish inclinations all of us go towards in our fallen nature.  We must be on the lookout for these in our children and see to it that we pray, instruct, correct and exemplify the opposite of these types of behavior.  If our children take heed to this, we can look forward to less sorrow and more joy.

Knowing God - The Lord Shows Us the Light

Psalm 118:27a 

                     “God is the Lord, which hath showed us the light…”

The Lord Shows Us

Sometimes we miss the obvious.  We can be walking in darkness and not even realize that it really isn’t dark – our eyes are closed!  Whether it be fear, lethargy or habit, we can miss the light that we need to take steps in the direction the Lord has for us.  Our God is not only the light, but is tender to SHOW us the light.  Sometimes He just lifts our heads up to see that the dawn is coming.  He has us look away from the darkness and towards the horizon of what He is doing.  The Lord knows our frames and that darkness intimidates us and leaves us unable to move forward.  If there is an area of your life that seems rather dark and colorless, be open to the Lord showing you the light today.  He loves you and understands your tendencies.  He is gentle and full of compassion.  He wants to show us the light.  Let Him be the lifter of your head today.

Proverbs - How to Have a Troubled Life

Proverbs 17:19

He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

If we desire to have a troubled life we must make sure that our hearts are kind of twisted in motives and that our tongues don’t quite say things accurately or according to God’s truth.  To have a day where we find no good, it is important that when the Holy Spirit shows us some sort of hidden agenda or haughty thought, we resist it and justify it.  To find ourselves fallen into mischief and trouble we should speak about things in a way that we stack the information to our favor or in some sort of way to get what we want people to believe to come across.  In order to have out lives continually discover things that are not good, our hearts should remain stubborn and closed to correction.  To be in the midst of troubled relationships, our mouth should repeat counsel and advice that is rooted in this world and directly conflicts with what God says is right.

Ladies, what unnecessary conflict and burdens we end up carrying when our hearts and mouths are not subjected to the Lord.  Let us find good today by asking the Lord to create in us clean hearts.  Let us avoid falling into mischief by repeating matters accurately and giving information in the most truthful and loving way possible.  Let us find good things as we are quick to confess those ugly thoughts and motives we may find within our hearts. Let us keep ourselves from falling by giving sound words rooted in God’s truth and love.  This makes for a day where we can anticipate finding good and avoiding falling.