August 12 2009
Proverbs 12:1 →Gee, uh, don't be stupid. It's not just enough to love knowledge, but you have to realize the chance you could be wrong. Even as smart as you are. No matter how great or intelligent you are, you must not hate being corrected when wrong.
Proverbs 12:3 →I think this proverb should have been brought to the attention of many of our previous Presidents. Security cannot come through wicked means. Those means will always fail us.
Proverbs 12:10 →Having cats, I struggle with this verse. I'm not sure that the cat is really 'my animal' as much as, perhaps, a dog or a horse. So do I still have to care? I'd care more if they were cuter. But they're just monster cats.
Proverbs 12:12 →Don't desire the wealth and fame of those who don't honor God. It's not helpful.
Proverbs 12:4 →(Hah! Out of order!) Men: do you encourage your wife to be as capable as possible? Do you seek to see her grow and be known as capable? Or do you want to keep her hidden and helpless? It's not a good sign to seek out a wife that isn't capable or to keep your wife from growth. Ladies: Do you show your capabilities? And accept that it makes your husband look good? Do you act in a manner that causes shame and then wonder what's wrong with him? Unmarried ladies: Don't marry a man that doesn't want you to be capable. He should want that for both of your sakes.
Proverbs 12:15 →If you refuse to consider counsel or other people's viewpoints, then you are in danger of being the fool mentioned here.
Proverbs 12:25 →Bring a good word to someone today. Cheer them up, lift their heart. Help them measurably remove anxiety.
James 3:7-12 →No man can tame the tongue, but the Holy Spirit can. The Lord Jesus Christ tamed His, and His followers are made new and empowered by God. So, it is possible. That's actually James' point, as I take it. When you see vv. 11-12 talking about springs and vines only producing what they are, he's talking about the tongue of the believer. It ought to produce what we are. Just as grape vines produce grapes. Just as the source of a spring determines what type of water it provides, so the source of your life should be reflected in what comes out of you.
Romans 10:5-15 →v. 9: If you confess and believe: if your outward and inward match up to show Christ is Lord, then you're in great shape. v. 10: At some point, it has to come out of our mouth that we believe in Christ and that He is our Lord. Or it can come out in print, writing, an email! Tweet it, for cryin' out loud! Don't hold it inside. It may be costly, but let it out.
1 Peter 4:1 (Can't believe I skipped 1 Peter yesterday!):Ouch—since Christ has suffered, arm yourselves with the same purpose: make it my purpose to suffer in the flesh? Why, that's just hard. That can't be God's wonderful plan for my life! It has to be that everything will go well!!
Psalm 86:8 ->There is no one like the Lord. Anywhere. It's no wonder that non-believing research tries to make our faith into a conglomeration of various other religions. The uniqueness of God is hard to grasp sometimes.
Daniel 1 →How do we handle being put in the position of serving pagan kings? Especially when, by extension, that king takes your efforts and uses them to strengthen pagans against your beliefs? How much syncretism do we add in those situations? How many times would we refuse to serve at all, and profit nothing but our deaths (which would be gain for us)? I've seen, for example, a conservative writer and preacher call for Christians to consider not serving in the military at all, even as Chaplains, because of the risk that we'll find ourselves serving a corrupt ungodly president. Same observation for law enforcement. (This is coupled with a sense of concern that our president will become a king.) I'm struggling with the idea in light of Daniel 1. What better way to influence the corrupt government than to excel and rise to prominence? Of course, you've got to excel at what you do while insisting that you do nothing to compromise God's standards. And you've got to be ready for fiery furnaces and lions' dens.
It's frequently part of the homeschooling/government schooling debate. Where proponents of government schooling ask “What happens if all Christians abandon government schools? Shouldn't we try and straighten them out?” It's a great question. And it's legitimate for mature believers to take on the challenge. But the point remains that you must be willing to excel and insist that you do nothing to compromise God's standards. And realize that you'll get thrown to the lions as much as you'll be honored. As a parent of elementary age children, I don't think they're mature enough for that decision. In High School they might be. I pray that my church members that work in school systems have the maturity to take that stand.
Just as I pray that we'll continue to serve our nation in whatever capacities God calls us to. Some it will be in uniform, some on the line, some as chaplains. Some in government, some outside. But we need to get past thinking it's our decision when it's about being obedient to God's commands.
Marriage thought today: Did you make a promise to your spouse? Or to God? Or both? If you are a married Christian, remake those promises, not just to each other, but to God. Let His faithfulness be what holds your marriage together and not your spouse's faithfulness. And certainly don't rely on your own ability to be faithful. Rely on God alone.
Doug
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