Okay, that didn't last long. I'm not much of a going through verse by verse gal. But I can spend time in the Word and ponder it. Hey, it's a method!
Most days (at least when I'm the captain of the car) I listen to Miles McPherson from the Rock church here in San Diego, good stuff! He often makes me think and ponder how God is working in my life and am I working hard enough or just gliding. I want to be invested in my life as a Christian, a do-er not a be-er. You know what I mean? God has a job or a mission for me and I haven't found my sweet spot yet. I know it's because I don't spend enough time invested in Him, the Word, and of my spiritual life.
But I am moving forward, not backward, and that is something to have hope in. I'm trying hard not be just a "works" girl. I want my inner spiritual life to be evident to the world that Hey, I'm not perfect, but Jesus is my focus and all else pales in comparison to His love and friendship. So bear with me, I'm a work in progress, but beware-I always will be.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Proverbs 2:9-19
v9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path.
v10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
v11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
v12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
v13 Who leave the straight paths to walk in dark was,
v14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
v15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.
v9 We all know what is right, just, and fair. The Holy Spirit never hesitates to say "Whoa, do you really think you should be doing this?" We just drown out the sound of his admonition so that we might delight in whatever evil we plan. But since we understand it and we are trying to model ourselves on Jesus example, we should listen and obey, in all things.
v10 If we do follow Christ's path and allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. His wisdom and knowledge will also work within us and we will enjoy it instead of fight it.
v11 We will guard our tongues, minds and actions mindful of what fruit they show the world.
v12 Wisdom, God's wisdom, will spare us from foolish decisions and keep us off the path of unrighteousness. It will make the nastiness of the world and it's unholy display it offers it's inhabitants repulsive to us.
v13 Their lifestyles are so far off from God's desires and they seek to pervert things as often as they can.
v10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
v11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
v12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse,
v13 Who leave the straight paths to walk in dark was,
v14 who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
v15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.
v9 We all know what is right, just, and fair. The Holy Spirit never hesitates to say "Whoa, do you really think you should be doing this?" We just drown out the sound of his admonition so that we might delight in whatever evil we plan. But since we understand it and we are trying to model ourselves on Jesus example, we should listen and obey, in all things.
v10 If we do follow Christ's path and allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. His wisdom and knowledge will also work within us and we will enjoy it instead of fight it.
v11 We will guard our tongues, minds and actions mindful of what fruit they show the world.
v12 Wisdom, God's wisdom, will spare us from foolish decisions and keep us off the path of unrighteousness. It will make the nastiness of the world and it's unholy display it offers it's inhabitants repulsive to us.
v13 Their lifestyles are so far off from God's desires and they seek to pervert things as often as they can.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Proverbs 2:1-8
v1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
v2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
v3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
v4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
v5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
v6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
v7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
v8 for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.
v1 If you hold true God's word and "stock against a future time" His "direct authority" with in you
v2 listening to wisdom and "to employ diligently or with close attention" your heart to understanding
v3 and if you call out for "apprehending the inner nature of things" and cry out loud for understanding
v4 and if you search for this understanding as if it were precious metal or treasure
v5 then you understand the "reverential awe" of the Lord and find the "the body of truth" of God
v6 For the Lord gives "ability to discern inner qualities", and the knowledge and understanding comes direct from His words
v7 He holds "achievement of mastery or success" in store for the "marked by strong moral rectitude", He is a "one that protects or defends" to those whose walk is blameless,
v8 for He "the act or duty of protecting" the "way of acting" for His faithful ones.
Word searches can be soo cool!
v2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
v3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
v4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
v5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
v6 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
v7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
v8 for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.
v1 If you hold true God's word and "stock against a future time" His "direct authority" with in you
v2 listening to wisdom and "to employ diligently or with close attention" your heart to understanding
v3 and if you call out for "apprehending the inner nature of things" and cry out loud for understanding
v4 and if you search for this understanding as if it were precious metal or treasure
v5 then you understand the "reverential awe" of the Lord and find the "the body of truth" of God
v6 For the Lord gives "ability to discern inner qualities", and the knowledge and understanding comes direct from His words
v7 He holds "achievement of mastery or success" in store for the "marked by strong moral rectitude", He is a "one that protects or defends" to those whose walk is blameless,
v8 for He "the act or duty of protecting" the "way of acting" for His faithful ones.
Word searches can be soo cool!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Proverbs 1:28-33
v28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
v29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord,
v30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
v31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
v32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
v33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
I take this to mean that if I don't listen to the truth of what God expects and wants from me when I clearly understand it, I am either being simple or foolish, I'm thinking it's more foolish than simple. Whatever I continue to do that I know is not what God wants; or if I don't bother to read and seek to understand what it is He wants then I am being complacent. Waiting for God to spoon feed, no, force feed me knowledge is just as bad as well. I need to constantly seek understanding, then apply it so that it is not knowledge just for knowledge sake.
And if I do seek, find, and apply that knowledge to best of the ability the Holy Spirit provides me with, then I can rest easy in the knowledge that God will see and honor my efforts.
v29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord,
v30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,
v31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
v32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
v33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
I take this to mean that if I don't listen to the truth of what God expects and wants from me when I clearly understand it, I am either being simple or foolish, I'm thinking it's more foolish than simple. Whatever I continue to do that I know is not what God wants; or if I don't bother to read and seek to understand what it is He wants then I am being complacent. Waiting for God to spoon feed, no, force feed me knowledge is just as bad as well. I need to constantly seek understanding, then apply it so that it is not knowledge just for knowledge sake.
And if I do seek, find, and apply that knowledge to best of the ability the Holy Spirit provides me with, then I can rest easy in the knowledge that God will see and honor my efforts.
Monday, August 11, 2008
v20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares;
v21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
v22 "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
v23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
v24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
v25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
v26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
v27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
I made you, I put you in your mother's womb and yet you do not heed Me, your Maker. Listen for My voice heed not your own. I want only good for you, riches beyond your imagination or understanding. Place your faith in Me and I will in turn show you what I desire. Your life has meaning only because I give it to you. My desire is to lift you up, glorify you, put your feet on the path of righteousness. Listen and obey.
What I wrote in this last paragraph was with my eyes closed listening to the small quiet voice I hear when I am waiting on the Lord. I typed as I "heard" the words and what you see is what I heard. I was having trouble understanding the passage as I tried to take it a part and asked for the meaning that was applied to me from it. So I kept my eyes closed after I prayed that and heard "Type as I speak." I thought, why not? And that's what popped out. I understood riches meant His type of riches, not necessarily earthly ones. No lotto wins or worldly desires fulfilled, you know, ones that can't be bought.
Okay, am I nuts? Is this normal? I know this is from the Lord, an innate knowledge. Spooky.
v21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
v22 "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
v23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
v24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,
v25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,
v26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-
v27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
I made you, I put you in your mother's womb and yet you do not heed Me, your Maker. Listen for My voice heed not your own. I want only good for you, riches beyond your imagination or understanding. Place your faith in Me and I will in turn show you what I desire. Your life has meaning only because I give it to you. My desire is to lift you up, glorify you, put your feet on the path of righteousness. Listen and obey.
What I wrote in this last paragraph was with my eyes closed listening to the small quiet voice I hear when I am waiting on the Lord. I typed as I "heard" the words and what you see is what I heard. I was having trouble understanding the passage as I tried to take it a part and asked for the meaning that was applied to me from it. So I kept my eyes closed after I prayed that and heard "Type as I speak." I thought, why not? And that's what popped out. I understood riches meant His type of riches, not necessarily earthly ones. No lotto wins or worldly desires fulfilled, you know, ones that can't be bought.
Okay, am I nuts? Is this normal? I know this is from the Lord, an innate knowledge. Spooky.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Proverbs 1:8-19
v8Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
v9They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
v10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them....
v15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
v16for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.
v17How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!
v18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
v19Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.
My dad and mom were really good about teaching us right from wrong. The Golden Rule was quoted often in our house. I have been enticed into doing wrong, not wrong against others per se, but other things I knew were wrong. I've always felt horribly guilty afterward, as it should be.
The meaning here is: Yes, those who do wrong against others, steal and cheat, do achieve some amount of wealth here on earth, but even as they do it, they are just finding a more fiery spot in hell for themselves. Nothing here on earth is worth the momentary gain it might bring if it is not received through a worthwhile pursuit. Besides, God provides all we need if not all we want.
v9They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
v10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them....
v15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;
v16for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood.
v17How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!
v18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves!
v19Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.
My dad and mom were really good about teaching us right from wrong. The Golden Rule was quoted often in our house. I have been enticed into doing wrong, not wrong against others per se, but other things I knew were wrong. I've always felt horribly guilty afterward, as it should be.
The meaning here is: Yes, those who do wrong against others, steal and cheat, do achieve some amount of wealth here on earth, but even as they do it, they are just finding a more fiery spot in hell for themselves. Nothing here on earth is worth the momentary gain it might bring if it is not received through a worthwhile pursuit. Besides, God provides all we need if not all we want.
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