Today's Reading: Proverbs 4

 

Growing From A Glimmer

God used this verse from Proverbs to finally get ahold of me and deal with my chronic self-condemnation. When I first received Christ and was born again, I became aware of God’s righteous and holy standards for human behavior. Simultaneously, I became suddenly aware of my own unrighteousness and unholiness. As I looked at my own heart and mind and actions, I became acutely aware of my personal failings. I lived in a constant state of “not-good-enough.” I was trying to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” but I was just so far away from God’s ideals. My mind was occupied with thoughts of my shortcomings and my heart was burdened with the impossible task of meeting God’s standards.

Then one day, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” In that moment I realized that the Christian life was not one of instant perfection, but rather one of slow and steady growth. God did not expect me to be perfect! And I did not need to occupy my life with self-condemnation and thoughts of failure. Just as the sun begins to shine brighter as the dawn approaches and the day begins, the path of the Christian is one of spiritual growth – starting out as barely a glimmer and growing day-by-day into the righteous and holy person God intends me to be.

What a freeing experience. I learned that I was not alone struggling with my sin. I was in this Christian life side by side with the God who loved me, and saved me, and will one day bring my spiritual growth to completion in eternity. The Holy Spirit had been dispatched to my spirit to bring me closer and closer to the image of Christ. The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. The Message paraphrase puts it like this, “The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.”

So… Don’t be so hard on yourself! You are not yet what God wants you to be and that’s OK. As you follow Him, and trust Him, the longer you live, the brighter you will shine. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Today's Reading: Proverbs 3

 

Be God's Hand

How generous are you with your time, your talent, and your treasure? Is it your pattern to keep as much of it as you can for yourself? To hold onto your resources with a tight fist? If so, then God has a message for you… the resources in your possession are not actually yours. Everything you have – everything you own – belongs to the Lord. God has given you of His resources so He, through you, can meet the needs of others around you.

God has called you to be His hands reaching out to a needy world. It is not your place to withhold His resources when it is “in your power to do it.”

Do you have time? Are you using that time wisely in service to others? Or is your busy schedule so filled up with personal pursuits and activities that you can’t spare a moment to help another person? God has given you time so you can be His hand reaching out to someone in need. The simple act of sharing your time with another person is one of the most God-honoring things you can do. You can be His hand reaching out to someone in need.

Do you have talent? Or skill? Or know-how? Are you using your skills wisely in service to others? Perhaps someone nearby needs your skillset for some particular situation – are you sharing your know-how with them? Or, are you consuming all of your talents and skills on yourself and your personal success? God has given you certain talents and abilities not so you can keep them to yourself, but so you can be His hand reaching out to someone in need.

Do you have financial resources? Is it your practice to generously share your treasures with others in need? Or, have you adopted the mindset of the world around you by getting, and getting, and getting some more? Remember, God has placed His resources into your hand so you can manage them for His glory. You don’t have to give more than you have the power to give. Verse 7 urges you not to withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. God has given you financial resources so you can be His hand reaching out to someone in need.

Remember, there are people all around you praying for God’s help to meet their need… don’t miss the opportunity to be the answer to those prayers! Never walk away from someone who deserves your help; your hand just might be God’s hand for that person.

Today's Reading: Proverbs 2

 

The Voice of Truth

There is more information available today than at any other time in human history. There are literally millions of libraries with billions of books, magazines, newspapers, reports, articles, and commentaries at our fingertips. And, with the advent of the Internet, this information is now available to billions of people around the world with the click of a mouse. Tragically, however, this overabundance of information has not resulted in a reduction of human stupidity. We live in world where people are woefully lacking in sound knowledge and wisdom.

Why do so many people lack true knowledge and wisdom? Because they are listening to the wrong voices. And, believe me, the voices among us are rampant. Those who are peddling their ideology speak loudly. They are hard to miss. Politicians promote their social agenda. Scientists endorse faulty science (falsely so-called.) Popular preachers promote their “flavor” of Christianity which, in reality, does not resemble true faith in Christ. Advice columnists and radio talk show hosts dole out their misguided philosophies. And so many people listen to and, tragically, take their advice – even when it is far from truth. People everywhere are listening to the wrong voice and obtaining faulty or incomplete information. This is why it is so important to qualify your source when listening to someone’s voice.

Whose voice are you listening to? If you are listening to the voices of these scientists, politicians, preachers, advice columnists, self-improvement books, astrological prognosticators, etc. then you are bound to be confused and lacking in true wisdom. This is why it is so important to listen to the ONE TRUE VOICE - the voice of the Yahweh our God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

The LORD doesn’t really have a “mouth” as we know it. When He speaks, it is not usually in the form of audible words. When the LORD speaks, He generally does so in three ways. First, and foremost, through the verses of Scripture. People have said, “If God wants to speak to me, let Him do it by writing in the sky.” They want to “see it to believe it.” The reality is, everyone of us can see the words He has spoken simply by looking in our Bible. God’s word can cut through the confusion and chaos of today’s “voices.”

Second, God speaks to our hearts thorough the “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit communicating intimately to our innermost being. Finally, the LORD can speak through the wise counsel of the other mature Christians in our lives. If you are “schooled” in the voice of God, you will easily recognize the voices of error that come your way. For the LORD gives wisdom. You can trust His voice as the voice of truth.

Today's Reading: Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

The Bible emphasizes that one of the greatest qualities we can possess is wisdom. The book of Proverbs begins by teaching us the value of knowledge and wisdom and how to obtain it. True wisdom involves not only growth in knowledge, but also the ability to use that knowledge in discerning what is right and true, then acting accordingly. The result of true knowledge will be purity in personal behavior and justice in dealings with others. Proverbs 1:7 contains the major premise of the entire Book – that true wisdom and knowledge in life can only be found by those who fear the Lord.

The Hebrew word for “fear” in this verse is “yir’â”. When used of God, this word means to have a deep and somber respect and reverence for Him. The idea behind the phrase, “fear of the Lord,” is that God is such an awesome and terrifying Being that you don’t want to fall into disfavor with Him. You must, therefore, treat Him with utmost respect and deep reverence. Tragically, in our world today, so many people have lost this sense of fear and respect of God. They arrogantly go about their lives as though the Lord does not exist and as though are no consequences for their rejection of Him. If you long to see spiritual revival in your community and nation, then pray for the fear of God to return to people’s hearts.

This deep respect and reverence for God is, according to Solomon, the beginning of knowledge. The Hebrew word for “beginning” means not only to be the starting point, but also “the principal element.”  It carries the idea of being “the chief ingredient.” The fear of the Lord is the foremost and most vital ingredient in obtaining wisdom and knowledge. Other ingredients are important as well, such as humility, a teachable spirit, and a desire to learn. But no element of gaining wisdom and knowledge is as primary as the fear of the Lord. Many learn-ed men and women have passed through history. But where did their knowledge go in the end? For some (those who feared God), they gained true and permanent wisdom. Others tragically never gained that true eternal wisdom. Their so-called “knowledge” only lasted for a season. The fear of the Lord is the principal thing that separates temporal knowledge from truth that last for eternity.

Your quest for wisdom and knowledge must begin at the same place – by fearing God and maintaining a deep and abiding reverence for His awesomeness. Submit yourself to His greatness and, with utmost respect, seek Him. All worldly wealth and education will one day lose its value, but true knowledge and wisdom maintains its value for all of eternity.

 

Today's Reading: Song of Solomon 7-8

Unquenchable Love

Song of Solomon is THE love song above ALL love songs, for it is the love song inspired by God to give us His perspective on love and romance. It is also a powerful allegory which presents the love of God for His Bride, the Church. The kind of deep love which a man and woman feel for each other is a remarkable (albeit inadequate) hint of the love which God has for you and me.

Here in verse 7, Solomon presents the permanence and value of love: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.” With these words, Solomon is saying that no amount of money can create or buy love, and no amount of misery or hardship can kill true love.

Christ’s love cannot be purchased for any price. His Love can’t be bought, can’t be sold—it’s not to be found in the marketplace. If a man gave “all the wealth of his house” it would fall infinitely short of obtaining God’s love. This covers any and every attempt to “earn” or “merit” God’s love. It is an impossibility that any amount of human effort could ever be enough to warrant God’s love. The good news is that this truth brings great freedom to those who understand and accept it. It is because we cannot purchase or earn or merit God’s love, that we can quit trying to and simply rest. When we recognize that God’s acceptance of us is the free and heartfelt expression of His love, we are set free from the tyranny of religion and of “being good enough” or “rich enough” or “holy enough.” We can cease our labor, and enter into His rest and leap into His loving arms.

Christ’s love cannot be quenched by “many waters” or “floods.” In Scripture, the word “floods” is often used of the miseries and trials and troubles which people face in life. The words of Song 8:7 express God’s great truth that His love is permanent and absolutely nothing can cause Him to stop loving you!  Isaiah the prophet wrote, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2). Note the promise contained here… that He will not leave you when the floods of misery and difficulty come into your life. He never promised life in Him would be easy, but He promised His life and love will be with you the whole way.

His love for you is permanent and unchangeable! You did nothing to earn this love, and you can do nothing to terminate it. Even the greatest challenges of life are no match for the permanent and undying love God has for you. 

 

Today's Reading: Song of Solomon 5-6

You Belong to Him

One of the most intimate books in the Word of God is the Song of Solomon. In this book, we learn something of the love of Christ for His Bride, the Church which is vividly portrayed by the love of a shepherd/king for his lovely bride. The nine words in verse 3 sum up the message and theme of the whole book. Someone said, “This verse is the happiest verse in the Bible.''

Notice the sense of possessiveness in this verse. I am His and He is mine! I belong to Jesus and He belongs to me. What a wonderful place of pure love and security. When we realize who the Lord Jesus is, and we meditate upon the glory of His Person, and when we remember the extent and sufficiency of His work, how incredible it is that, sinful though we are, we belong to Him!

In what sense, and why is it really true, that you “belong to Him”? First of all, you are His because He created you. “Behold, all souls are mine,” declares the Lord in Ezekiel 18:4. He is the rightful possessor of all He has created – including you.

Second, you are His by election. You belong to Him because He elected you and chose you for Himself. Ephesians 1:4 says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” You are His because He chose you!

Third, you belong to Him because the Father gave you to Him. John 6:37 tells us, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” As a human father “gives away” his daughter at the altar of marriage, your Heavenly Father has given you to Jesus.

Fourth, you are His because He bought you and redeemed you. He paid the price of your redemption. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Finally, you belong to Him because you presented yourself to Him by faith. Romans 12:1 urged you to “present your body to Him as a living sacrifice,” which as a follower of Christ you have done. You are His because you presented yourself to Him.

These are the cords of love by which our Bridegroom has drawn us to Himself and has made us His own. We are His by creation, by election, by donation, by redemption and by presentation. The Apostle John wrote in his First Epistle, “Behold, what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:1) What love! You are His and He is yours!

Today's Reading: Song of Solomon 3-4

No Flaw in You

If someone were to call you “flawless,” how would you react? For many of us, our reaction would be something like, “Oh yeah, right - you certainly don’t know me if you think I’m flawless.” So often, the way we view ourselves is dramatically different from God’s view of us. We are so prone to seeing our failures, weaknesses, sins, and flaws. But that’s NOT what God sees!  Did you know that your Heavenly Father says, “there is no flaw in you”?

Listen to these words from Song of Solomon 4:7: “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” That is Jesus’s voice speaking to you! There is nothing but admiration in God’s heart toward you. He looks at you with “googly eyes” as Someone who is entirely smitten with love for you.

The word for “flaw” here is used only 22 times in the Old Testament (also translated “spot” “blot” or “blemish”). It is used to describe the perfect sacrificial animals which were required. Leviticus 22:19-20 says, “You must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.” The Jews were commanded not to sacrifice an animal with a blemish because the sacrifices represented the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, which had to be perfect and pure. As Jesus was without blemish, so too, the Old Testament sacrifices had to be without blemish.

The amazing thing here is that God describes you as flawless, without blemish, blot or defect of any kind, just as Jesus was flawless and without spot or wrinkle. That is the power of the blood of Christ. As we place our trust in Christ, God no longer sees our sinfulness or weaknesses or failures. He sees one thing – the flawlessness of His Son and His blood sacrifice on our behalf.

That’s how He can call you “altogether beautiful” and without “flaw.” Because He sees you in Christ. So, stop viewing yourself through your tainted human eyes, and start seeing yourself the way He sees you – perfect and flawless in every way. When you begin to see yourself this way, you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your relationship with Jesus will deepen to a depth you never thought possible.