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The Triumph of Delight
“That which a man spits against heaven, shall fall back on his own face.” -Thomas Adams, 1614. There have always been people who mock God and all those who believe in him. Sometimes we act as if unbelief is a new thing. It isn’t. The psalmist uses the very first psalm in the Bible to warn us not to listen to mockers. For thousands of years, some people have chosen, not only to disbelieve, but also to mock believers. And it’s not like we can avoid the naysayers. They are on the internet, on the television, and in our classrooms every day.
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The Light of the World
We have just passed Thanksgiving, a season of the year when we take the time to give thanks for all of our blessings. We thank God for an abundance of food, for the harvest time in the fall, and for the family and friends that we gather with to celebrate. If Christmas has a cultural theme for us here in North America, other than giving of course, I suppose it would be light. We light up our homes, we bring out the candles, and we even drag trees in from outdoors and light them up as a means of celebration. The Light of Christmas Culturally, the warmth and light of…
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Love your neighbor as yourself
As part of his teachings, Jesus reminded us of the second great commandment from the time of Moses, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I am not even going to begin to speculate as to why, but many people get hung up on the idea of what it means to love yourself. There seems to be a wave of thought in Christian circles that looks at self-love as inherently bad. The idea is that we should be dying to ourselves, and placing the needs of others above our own concerns. The thought is that love for others should overshadow or replace love for ourselves. I believe we need to find a…
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Go to the Ant – Proverbs 6
I am not very good at planning ahead. While I am great at outlining and presenting information, I tend to be very seat-of-the-pants when it comes to getting things done. I admit it. I am easily distracted, poor at prioritizing, and terrible at follow through. It is a great mystery to me how I am even able to earn a living sometimes. So, I really need to take the proverbial advice here and learn from the ant. Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.…
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Do you love the sound of your own voice? – Proverbs 18
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions. – Proverbs 18:2 Two Ears, One Mouth Just a few days ago I was at a meeting where someone brought up the old saying about having two ears and one mouth for a reason. That is, so that we can listen way more than we speak. The same point is made here in Proverbs 18:22. We need to listen in order to have the wisdom to know how to speak. Those who are mostly interested in voicing their own opinions lose many valuable opportunities to learn from those around them. Consequently, their opinions might not be…
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The Power of Cheerfulness – Proverbs 17:22
The Power of a Cheerful Heart A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22 This encouraging proverb has been around for thousands of years. Taking it at face value, it states that our attitudes can affect our health and the power of cheerfulness affects us physically. Can having a cheerful heart really influence a person’s physical well-being?
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What motivates you? – Proverbs 16
All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. – Proverbs 16:2 Actions are important. The things that we do in our daily lives show who we are. People judge us by what we do. With God though, our actions aren’t the bottom line. God has the unique ability to see beyond our actions to the motives of our heart. What does God consider to be more important? Our motives! You might ask why our motives matter so much, since other people have no way of knowing what is in our hearts. The reason is that the unseen things that motivate us will always…
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What are you feeding your soul? – Proverbs 15
The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. – Proverbs 15:14 We are confronted everywhere in the media with conflicting advice about how we should feed our bodies. Should we enjoy the feast of whole grains for their mood enhancing B vitamins, or shun the deadly gluten they might contain? Is coffee killing us? Or giving us life and energy to face the day? Are dairy foods only for calves, or are they suitable for an child or adult human? I am not a scientist, and it is pretty obvious that the scientists can’t agree completely on what we should or shouldn’t feed our…
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The Rewards of Hard Work – Proverbs 14
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. – Proverbs 14:23 Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. Don’t talk the talk unless you’re willing to walk the walk. Git ‘er done! There are a lot of everyday sayings that remind us of the truths expressed in Proverbs 14:23. Just talking about a task, or a goal, or a dream, will not get the job done. Sooner or later, you need to put in the hours, make the call, close the sale, and do the work that pays the bills, mends the relationship, or otherwise accomplishes the desired result. Of course, there…
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Less Mary, More Martha? – Proverbs 13
The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. – Proverbs 13:4 There is much in the book of Proverbs about the importance of diligence. Apart from a miraculous gift of grace, or pure dumb luck, there is really no success without it. In any area of life, persistence is key to success. Keep going, nose to the grindstone, do the work and put in the hours, get things done, and get the results you are looking for. While I have known all of this for some time, I have spent most of my life being a dreamer, a dawdler, a reader, and a procrastinator. I can identify much more with…
