Proverbs 20:30 – “Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” This is not a verse most of us would put on a coffee mug or hang on our wall. In fact, if we're honest, we spend much of our lives trying to avoid exactly what Solomon is describing. We pray for comfort, convenience, and relief. God often gives us something different: difficulty, correction, and discipline. Why? Because God is more concerned with our holiness than our comfort. A few verses earlier, Solomon writes, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts” (Proverbs 20:27). God sees every hidden corner of our hearts. He sees the pride we excuse, the selfishness we justify, the bitterness we conceal, and the sins we have learned to tolerate. Nothing is ... Read More about Don’t Waste Your Pain
The Fruit of Righteousness
Proverbs 11:30 – “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” If you read through Proverbs you will find a lot written about the righteous and righteousness, but in chapters 11 and 12 you will find the ‘motherload’. The word for righteous in the Hebrew means innocent or just. It refers to a person who is living their life according to God’s standards. Now, you and I know that trying to live a righteous life is impossible. We are all too broken and messed up, just like the Apostle Paul who said in Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?” While we can all relate to that, Paul doesn’t leave us hanging. He answers his on question in the next verse. “I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord.” ... Read More about The Fruit of Righteousness
Finding the Path of Life
Proverbs 10:17 – “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path of life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.” Stupid decisions— my life has been plagued with them. My kids, especially my sons, tease me relentlessly because when they were teens and even when they went to college, one of the last things I would say to them was, “Make good decisions.” I think the reason I did that was because I made so many bad ones. Unfortunately, age hasn’t freed me from that curse. As I was reading Proverbs chapter 10 yesterday, God allowed my eyes to fall on verse 17, and it stung my heart. The path of life, God’s path for me, has always been right there in front of me. Sometimes He has been able to coax me onto it. Sometimes He took away my other choices. But sometimes I simply missed it ... Read More about Finding the Path of Life
The Worth of Godly Wisdom
Psalm 9:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” How would you like to receive some of God’s best and most precious blessings? How would you like to have God watch over you, guard you, and deliver you from evil people and their plans? What about living your life in security while at the same time avoiding fears, anxious thoughts, and the dread of disaster? Does that sound appealing? All of these things and many other amazing blessings come to the person who acquires God’s wisdom. (Proverbs 1-3) So how do we get God’s wisdom? Is it only for “special” people like Solomon? God had Solomon write Proverbs to explain to us that His wisdom is for anyone who wants it. He even explains where to start. Proverbs 9:10 quoted ... Read More about The Worth of Godly Wisdom
I Have a Purpose
Psalm 138:8 – “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Sometimes I feel incredibly insignificant. The majority of things I get to do in life seem small, slight, and of no importance except to just get through the day and meet its demands. I don’t think I’m alone in that feeling. All of us have a longing for our lives to matter, but on the surface of our routine and occasionally mundane existence it’s honestly sometimes hard to find significance. I was very encouraged when I read Psalm 138 today. The promise that ‘The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me,” confirms to me that God absolutely has one for me. Thank God, I have a purpose and He will make sure that He (not I) will fulfil it! That is ... Read More about I Have a Purpose
Finding Hope in Hopeless Situations
Psalm 131 – “O Lord, my heart in not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” Hopeless is an absolutely devastating place to find yourself. Even as a follower of Jesus I have been in situations that felt utterly hopeless, and I can say from experience, that having no hope is crushing and leads very quickly to despair. In my own experience I found it helpful to remind myself that my feelings can and quite often will lie to me. In fact, as Jesus said in John 8:32, it is only the truth that will set you free. The truth for us in those ... Read More about Finding Hope in Hopeless Situations