Knowing God - He is the Guide of Our Youth

Jer 3:4

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me,

My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

The Lord asks His people will they, from now on, cry unto Him.  Will they not call Him their personal father and their guide in their youth?  The Lord is reminding us that we need a Father at all ages.  He wants us to call Him “MY Father”.  The Lord wants us to remember how He guided us when we were young.  Because He is our Father and has been our guide, we need to cry unto Him as a Father and as our guide.  We can take the time today to address Him in this way and watch ourselves rest as His children.  As we tell Him how He has guided us when we were young, we can be confident that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The same God who guided us in the past, is the same God who will guide us today.  He is my father and the guide of my youth.

Proverbs - The Inner Man

Proverbs 20:27

The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

The spirit of man in this verse is most likely referring to the inner man – that which considers and determines the course we take.  It involves motives, values and perspectives.  This is the candle of the Lord.  He uses our inner man to show us who we really are and why we do what we do.  It is comforting to know that the Lord can use our inner man to show us things and change us.  We must yield our past and our disposition to Him and allow Him to use this to show us deeper reasons for why we do the things we do.  He is our Wonderful Counselor and we can trust Him to do some deep work within us.  Listen to His Spirit speak to your spirit.  He will redirect your perspective.  He will define truth.  He will dispel doubt. He will clarify confusion.  He will lead you to a rock that is higher than yourself.  May the Lord take hold of our spirits today and search us.  He will do good things.

Knowing God - In Him Are Treasures

Col 2:3

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.  This is not a hide-and-seek game.   To those who are in Christ, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are no longer hidden.  If I were to hide your birthday presents in a room and I told you that ALL of your presents are hidden in a room you haven’t been in, those gifts would be unknown and mysterious.  If I opened the door and you came into that room and had access to that room, the gifts would be plainly available and obvious to you.  If you are in Christ, look around!  There are treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Him.  Enjoy discovering them and having them available to you.  God has put these treasures in Christ and if you are in Christ, you can enjoy wisdom and knowledge for they are found in Him.

Proverbs - Using Our Position of Authority

Proverbs 20:26

A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

The Lord is showing how to handle a position of authority.  A wise king will handle wickedness like a farmer would handle his grain.  When grain was harvested it would be brought to a threshing floor and go under a crushing.  This large stone wheel would break the stalk from its own stature and identity and bring out what was really in it.  If it was a true stalk of grain, the contents would fall to the threshing floor and that which was not of substance or that which came from a weed in the midst would blow away.  When we are even discerning what kind of friends we should have around us we must take the wheel of the Word and run it over and through our relationships.  What kind of fruit comes from time spent with them?  Do we have to ‘blow’ things away after getting off the phone with them?  When we are dealing with discipline with our children are we sure to use a standard beyond our moods and feelings?  Do we roll the weighty stone of the word over the situation and find that which we should affirm and that which we should renounce?  A king must use something objective by which to judge.  As we face each day may the Lord run His wheel even over any wickedness within us!

Knowing God - He Speaks Directly to Us

Luke 5:4

 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Jesus had been teaching the multitudes.  He gave them wonderful instruction about their lives, the Lord and truth.  Then Jesus stopped speaking to the multitudes and spoke a directive to Simon.  The Lord loves His people and has so much to say to us as a flock, as a body and as His children, but He loves to speak to us directly as well.  Our God speaks to us about our individual lives.  He talked to Simon about Simon’s boat, Simon’s net and Simon’s profession.  Do you know that your Lord loves you and wants to speak to you about your possessions, your responsibilities and your day?  Do you ever place yourself as just one of His sheep instead of realizing that you are His individual lamb as well?  How wonderful to know that our Lord loves us and desires for us to hear Him leading our individual decisions and course! 

Proverbs - Make Inquiries BEFORE

Proverbs 20:25

It is a snare to the man who devoureth

that which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry.

Our lives are holy unto the Lord.  We have been set apart as His vessels and He has purposes and works for us.  Our days are to be used to accomplish His will and all that we do in His name is holy.  We must be so careful not to barge into commitments without considering if we have enough to finish it.  Like a wise builder, we should assess our resources and see if we have enough to finish it.  Like a strategic military leader we should take note of our troops and supplies to be sure we can go to battle with a plan and a commitment.  Our vows, our commitments should be entered into with the questions being asked before hand. This way, we can enter in prepared for the obstacles and difficulties that await us in any commitment.  In our marriage vows, the commitments to being a mom or a job or ministry responsibility all require perseverance and endurance.  If we ask questions after the fact that we should have asked before we entered into the commitment, we might find ourselves vulnerable to the enemy’s suggestions to quit.  Let us be those women who anticipate a season and prepare for it.  Let us ask the Lord the questions we need to ask and trust His answers will equip us for the task at hand.

Knowing God - The Lord Gives Some Difficult Commands

John 4:16

                              

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The Lord Gives Difficult Commands

Jesus tells the Samaritan woman to get her husband and come back.  The woman is unable to do this because she is not currently married to anyone but, rather, living with a man.  Could the Lord have been referring to her first husband because that is the one the Lord would have considered her husband?  Or could He have been giving her a command she was unable to keep to show her the incredible need she had for the One who was truly the companion she had been looking for in the many lovers she had had?  The Lord may, indeed, give us directives we find ourselves unable to meet.  This should not lead us to discouragement or dismay but lead us to Him.  The Lord has the right to pose any sort of question or command to us and He has purposes behind these.  If we are unable to carry out His command, we need to be frank and honest with Him allowing the dialogue to continue and do the work He wants to do in us.  When the Lord gives us a command let us be sensitive to our inadequacies and bring them to Him.  He knows it all.  He has reasons for asking. Let us respond with honesty and humility trusting He is wanting to reveal Himself as the answer for all things.