Knowing God - God Agonizes

Luke 22:44

 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus was agonizing the night before His crucifixion.  During this agony, he prayed more earnestly.  We learn from Him that agonizing times call for more earnest prayer.  We must find a place to pour out our hearts to the Lord; a place where we can cry out, weep and perhaps even raise our voice in His presence.  Agony is painful and agony can produce a great sense of being drowned or suffocated.  Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus took His disciples with Him.  In those times of agony, find a Garden of Gethsemane.  In those times of great trepidation, take some friends who love you and the Lord with you.  Pray more earnestly in order to get the strength you may need for what is about to happen.  Your will, will catch up to His when an earnest prayer is made in the midst of agony.

Proverbs - Lying About Someone

Proverbs 25:18

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul,

and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

Lying about or giving a biased slant on someone is very serious.  Here is likened unto three different types of weapons, a maul(club), a sword and a sharp arrow.  We end up bruising our neighbor’s heart, piercing his heart and causing pain that penetrates and remains.  When we are speaking about someone we should think of our words as if we are using clubs, swords and sharp arrows.  These are never to be casually handled and thrown about.  They are to be used with purpose and not to hurt the innocent.  We are capable of this and we must be very cautious when speaking about another.  Let our words be those that build this person up and help the person listening to admire and love them.  Let our words be full of grace and kindness upon our tongue.  This way we won’t go around bruising, cutting and piercing someone by relaying the wrong message.

Knowing God - God Shuts the Lions' Mouths

Dan 6:22

 My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths,

so that they have not hurt me,…

Daniel was in that lions’ den.   He was surrounded by these lions all night long.  The Lord didn’t deliver him from being thrown into the lions’ den.  The Lord has Daniel receive the punishment the king had authorized concerning those who would pray to any other god than the king.  The king’s law had to be kept.  The governing authorities had established this law and Daniel was subject to the consequences.  The law didn’t say that whoever broke this law should be eaten by the lions, but rather, that they would have to be thrown into the lions’ den.  Our God is not intimidated or obstructed by temporal governing powers.  Our God is the King of kings!  He had no problem allowing Daniel to receive the consequences.  He shut the mouths of the lions – ALL of them!  Our God can see us through some crazy consequences and shut the lions’ mouths.  Our God is not restricted by the laws of man in order to deliver us from any sort of crafty scheme.  Are you facing lions?  Trust that the Lord is able to shut their mouths.  You may have to have them around you for a while, but don’t worry about their ability to devour you – He can shut their mouths so that you don’t even see their teeth!

Proverbs - The Annoying Neighbor

Proverbs 25:17

Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house;

lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

This is great relationship advice.  We shouldn’t overstay our welcome.  This includes calling a friend, hanging out with a friend or going to someone’s home.  It is our responsibility to pace relationships so that we don’t cause our friend to grow weary of us.  People can be a bit too much when there is just too much of them in our lives.  Marriage is different.  Children are different. Using the word neighbor here denotes a relationship outside of the home where the other person has their own home and family.  Before you pick up that phone to call that familiar friend, pray.  Ask the Lord if this is an appropriate time to call.  When you are at someone’s house be sensitive to yawns and stretches and initiate your departure out of love and concern for this schedule.  We want to help our friends love their neighbor as themselves.  Let us know when to withdraw our feet.

Knowing God - The Lord Speaks Sudddenly

                                                      Num 12:4                          

And the Lord spake suddenly

unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam,

The Lord spoke suddenly.  Miriam and Aaron were speaking about Moses behind Moses’ back.  Then, the Lord spoke.  He spoke to all of them at once.  He didn’t take it lightly that these two were deciding whether they thought the Lord should be using Moses.  They challenged his personal life and came to the conclusion that Moses couldn’t really be the man of God everyone thought he was based on their own analysis and conclusions.  Moses most likely didn’t even know they were talking behind his back, but the Lord heard it and addressed it suddenly.  The voice of the Lord can come suddenly especially when he is provoked.  It is good to know that the Lord is provoked when His servants that are doing what He asked them to do are judged wrongly.  The Lord will speak suddenly.  May we be attentive to hearing His sudden rebuke as well as avoid being a Miriam or Aaron in critiquing those He has directed.  

Proverbs - Too Much of a Good Thing

Proverbs 25:16

Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.  Lusts are unbridled appetites.  Lust always asks for more and outside of the boundaries of self control.  We are told here that when we find something we enjoy we must stay very sober that we don’t take more than we should or we might just vomit from it.  The very thing that went down sweet will come up rancid.  If you sit down to eat something delicious, enjoy what is there and thank the Lord for it.  Don’t dream of seconds and what else is in the buffet.  Eat as much is sufficient for you.  If you find a hobby, enjoy it, but only spend the appropriate time in it or it will make you sick.  Anything we enjoy we should enjoy, but we must be cautious that a blessing doesn’t turn into bondage.

Knowing God - His Ways Involve Practical Ways

John 13:4-5

He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.  After that he poureth water into a bason,….

Jesus got up from the table after eating dinner and got things ready to refresh his disciples.  He took the necessary steps in preparing himself and all that he needed to be a source of refreshment to his disciples.  Jesus shows us that practical steps are holy steps.  When we get dinner ready, vacuum the living room or go to the market to buy milk, we are being like Jesus.  Jesus served his friends not just with deep wisdom and teachings, but in using his own hands to bring them comfort and cleansing.  As we go throughout our days seeking to be like Jesus, we can take great comfort in knowing that the practical is spiritual.  It is through the practical that so much of His love and care is experienced.  The Word was made flesh so that we might hear, touch and see God!  May all we have learned in the Word, come out through our fleshly lives.  As we serve those we love today, remember that you are following in His footsteps!