Proverbs 21:10 (NLT)
10 Evil people desire evil; their neighbors get no mercy from them.
The character of a wicked person has a strong inclination to perform mischief. His soul desires not only having the evil in hand, but also in seeing it and having pleasure in it. This comes from the root of sin, wickedness lying deep within ones soul and its lust conceives sin and brings it forth. There is a strong aversion against doing what is right and no man is spared that stands in his way. His neighbors find no favor and they stand closest to the path of his sinful nature.
Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister, George McDonald said, "Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it." Man always seems to think he wants the best of everything, but the problem is man does not want what is really best for him. His desires turn evil and the extremes he takes to gain what he thinks he desires hurt other people; even close neighbors and friends. But God understand exactly what we need and we need to be asking God to direct us. We need to let God intervene and change our hearts so that we desire good instead of evil. Turn your life over to God and see where He will lead you!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Not even listening to an ass
Numbers 22:27-31 (KJV)
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
God had given Balaam specific instructions to follow, yet Balaam was intent on following his own desires. As he rode off on his ass to meet others to go against God; angels of the Lord were placed in front of him as a warning. Had Balaam been able to hear and see God as he thought he could he would have been able to see the angels, but he did not. It was his ass that finally lay down and refused to go further. Even when the ass spoke to Balaam he did not see the wonder in its speech. Instead he had to admit he didn’t understand the actions of the ass. The God allowed Balaam to see he angel with sword drawn ready to strike and it was then he fell to his face in humility.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” Balaam, a supposed wise man could not see the wrong or danger before him. It took an ass to explain the consequences that lay before him. Most would be amazed an animal would talk and give reproof, yet Balaam was so fixed on obtaining what he desired he couldn’t even see the reality before him. God gives us plenty of warning signs to help us move away from sin, but like Balaam we are so wrapped up with our own desires that we would miss God’s direction even if an ass spoke to us.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
God had given Balaam specific instructions to follow, yet Balaam was intent on following his own desires. As he rode off on his ass to meet others to go against God; angels of the Lord were placed in front of him as a warning. Had Balaam been able to hear and see God as he thought he could he would have been able to see the angels, but he did not. It was his ass that finally lay down and refused to go further. Even when the ass spoke to Balaam he did not see the wonder in its speech. Instead he had to admit he didn’t understand the actions of the ass. The God allowed Balaam to see he angel with sword drawn ready to strike and it was then he fell to his face in humility.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” Balaam, a supposed wise man could not see the wrong or danger before him. It took an ass to explain the consequences that lay before him. Most would be amazed an animal would talk and give reproof, yet Balaam was so fixed on obtaining what he desired he couldn’t even see the reality before him. God gives us plenty of warning signs to help us move away from sin, but like Balaam we are so wrapped up with our own desires that we would miss God’s direction even if an ass spoke to us.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Controlling Temper
Proverbs 19:11 (NLT)
11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
There are two rules a wise man will follow. The first is that one should control their anger until they understand all the merits of the provocation. The philosopher Plato said to his servant, "I would beat thee, but that I am angry.’’ Give it time, and it will cool. When a person takes time to reflect upon and understand their feelings often the anger they are feeling will subside and reason will return to them. Second a person should not be over critical in their resentments. The person who can hold back their anger and express their emotions on pleasant terms will gain much more respect. Calmness and peace is endured much more greatly than strife and anger.
Fighting rush-hour traffic from suburban Maryland to Washington D.C., can cause its share of near misses and irritating moments. One morning, a young lady darted her compact car from a side street into the stream of traffic immediately in front of a driver, forcing him to brake sharply. He avoided hitting her by inches and was obviously furious. Within seconds, traffic stopped at a red light, and I watched him pull up behind the offender, leap from his car, and stride angrily toward hers. Clearly, he intended to give her a royal bowling out. Seeing him coming, the very attractive young lady jumped from her car and ran to meet him--a big smile on her face! Before he could say one word or know what was happening, she had thrown her arms around him, hugged him tightly, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips! Then she was back in her car and driving away, leaving her antagonist standing in the middle of the street still speechless and looking somewhat confused and embarrassed--but no longer angry! [B.R. Holt, Caldwell, ID. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."}
Perhaps the woman’s actions were a little drastic on both accounts, but she knew she was in the wrong and wanted to defuse the situation. And while her approach was a little extreme it did leave the man wondering about his anger. It is better to defuse the anger in our hearts rather than to let it fester and create damage to our hearts and character.
11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
There are two rules a wise man will follow. The first is that one should control their anger until they understand all the merits of the provocation. The philosopher Plato said to his servant, "I would beat thee, but that I am angry.’’ Give it time, and it will cool. When a person takes time to reflect upon and understand their feelings often the anger they are feeling will subside and reason will return to them. Second a person should not be over critical in their resentments. The person who can hold back their anger and express their emotions on pleasant terms will gain much more respect. Calmness and peace is endured much more greatly than strife and anger.
Fighting rush-hour traffic from suburban Maryland to Washington D.C., can cause its share of near misses and irritating moments. One morning, a young lady darted her compact car from a side street into the stream of traffic immediately in front of a driver, forcing him to brake sharply. He avoided hitting her by inches and was obviously furious. Within seconds, traffic stopped at a red light, and I watched him pull up behind the offender, leap from his car, and stride angrily toward hers. Clearly, he intended to give her a royal bowling out. Seeing him coming, the very attractive young lady jumped from her car and ran to meet him--a big smile on her face! Before he could say one word or know what was happening, she had thrown her arms around him, hugged him tightly, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips! Then she was back in her car and driving away, leaving her antagonist standing in the middle of the street still speechless and looking somewhat confused and embarrassed--but no longer angry! [B.R. Holt, Caldwell, ID. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."}
Perhaps the woman’s actions were a little drastic on both accounts, but she knew she was in the wrong and wanted to defuse the situation. And while her approach was a little extreme it did leave the man wondering about his anger. It is better to defuse the anger in our hearts rather than to let it fester and create damage to our hearts and character.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Listen before reacting
Proverbs 18:13 (NLT)
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Some people take pride in being quick trying to give a response before they even understand the full point of what is being said. They think the matter to be so plain they give no consideration to the person speaking. They miss the point of the words spoken and in the end they will feel both shameful and foolish.
[Sun Sentinel, November 08, 1998|ANN LANDERS Syndicated Columnist]
“Dear Ann Landers: I have enjoyed your column for a long time and always thought it would be nice if I could send something as sort of a "payback." Well, I have found what I've been looking for. The Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Journal printed the following questions actually asked of witnesses during a trial. The responses to some of the questions were given by insightful witnesses. This is not a put-on. It's for real. -- Ronita in Center Line, Mich.
Dear Ronita: What a thoughtful friend you are. My thanks for sending it on:
1. Now, doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
2. The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
3. Were you present when your picture was taken?
4. Were you alone or by yourself?
5. Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?”
Often we react before thinking through the things we are about to say. It becomes even worst when emotions are tense and angry. Instead of stopping and listening even to themselves the person blurts out a statement. Watch someone in a tense argument sometimes and you may see a person answering before they even hear the complete statement from the other person. They are letting emotions irrationally drive their statements and they are not taking time to consider the feelings or the words of the other person.
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Some people take pride in being quick trying to give a response before they even understand the full point of what is being said. They think the matter to be so plain they give no consideration to the person speaking. They miss the point of the words spoken and in the end they will feel both shameful and foolish.
[Sun Sentinel, November 08, 1998|ANN LANDERS Syndicated Columnist]
“Dear Ann Landers: I have enjoyed your column for a long time and always thought it would be nice if I could send something as sort of a "payback." Well, I have found what I've been looking for. The Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Journal printed the following questions actually asked of witnesses during a trial. The responses to some of the questions were given by insightful witnesses. This is not a put-on. It's for real. -- Ronita in Center Line, Mich.
Dear Ronita: What a thoughtful friend you are. My thanks for sending it on:
1. Now, doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
2. The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
3. Were you present when your picture was taken?
4. Were you alone or by yourself?
5. Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?”
Often we react before thinking through the things we are about to say. It becomes even worst when emotions are tense and angry. Instead of stopping and listening even to themselves the person blurts out a statement. Watch someone in a tense argument sometimes and you may see a person answering before they even hear the complete statement from the other person. They are letting emotions irrationally drive their statements and they are not taking time to consider the feelings or the words of the other person.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Justice
Proverbs 21:3 (ESV)
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
King Solomon reminds us it is better for a person to do what is right, to live by godly laws, and exhibit justice as the Lord would show. Trying to say I gave up this or I gave up that only promotes self, but doing what is right towards others lifts other’s lives up as well.
2 Chronicles tells us the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. God desires to see justice properly administered, not twisted and perverted. King David said God would judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The same justice would be given to orphans, widows, the poor and the afflicted. David knew God loved justice and hated evil. Solomon his son said it was not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent. Solomon also encouraged us to speak up for justice and to ensure it is administered properly. In Ecclesiastes Solomon said, “Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. “
Think about today, who seems to receive pardon when justice is put away, the rich or the poor, the famous or the unknown? Man has forgotten how to administer proper justice. We can even see it in our laws. There was a time a judge could hand down a proper sentence for the crime committed, but now judges are required to hand down a sentence based upon a strict law (red tape and bureaucracy). A student who innocently takes a knife to school in their lunch box is punished just as harsh as someone who takes a knife with the intent to cause harm. We have watched as the rich and famous manipulate the court systems, which the poor face harsh times. We all need to be praying God would restore the justice of the land so that all might receive that which is fair and just. May God extend His love, mercy, grace and justice to all!
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
King Solomon reminds us it is better for a person to do what is right, to live by godly laws, and exhibit justice as the Lord would show. Trying to say I gave up this or I gave up that only promotes self, but doing what is right towards others lifts other’s lives up as well.
2 Chronicles tells us the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes. God desires to see justice properly administered, not twisted and perverted. King David said God would judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The same justice would be given to orphans, widows, the poor and the afflicted. David knew God loved justice and hated evil. Solomon his son said it was not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent. Solomon also encouraged us to speak up for justice and to ensure it is administered properly. In Ecclesiastes Solomon said, “Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. “
Think about today, who seems to receive pardon when justice is put away, the rich or the poor, the famous or the unknown? Man has forgotten how to administer proper justice. We can even see it in our laws. There was a time a judge could hand down a proper sentence for the crime committed, but now judges are required to hand down a sentence based upon a strict law (red tape and bureaucracy). A student who innocently takes a knife to school in their lunch box is punished just as harsh as someone who takes a knife with the intent to cause harm. We have watched as the rich and famous manipulate the court systems, which the poor face harsh times. We all need to be praying God would restore the justice of the land so that all might receive that which is fair and just. May God extend His love, mercy, grace and justice to all!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Hold firm even when others are weak
Revelation 2:24-25 (The Message)
24 -25"The rest of you Thyatirans, who have nothing to do with this outrage, who scorn this playing around with the Devil that gets paraded as profundity, be assured I'll not make life any harder for you than it already is. Hold on to the truth you have until I get there.
In these verses Jesus is speaking to the Thyatira church. He notes there are many who are doing impressive work and are persistent in their love and faith for Him. Yet there are some who have allowed immoral acts to be brought into the church. Jesus tells those who are faithful to hold on.
In his book The Unexpected Journey, Thom Rainer shares the story of Kathi, a woman who left behind a life of witchcraft and Wiccan paganism to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Immediately after her decision to become a Christian, she describes to Thom how God delivered her from the powers of evil in her life, as well as her physical deafness (Kathi had been suffering progressive hearing loss for years).
That next day [after I accepted Christ], we left on our family vacation, camping on the beach. I found a small … church for us to attend. Most of the time when I lip read, I am able to follow less than half of what someone is saying. But I was able to understand every word of the preacher at this church.
When the service was over, I spoke to him and asked him how he was able to speak so well for lip readers. He was puzzled, as he had done nothing special. I explained to him my condition of deafness, and he asked to pray for me. No one had ever done that before, but he did pray for my hearing to be restored.
After Kathi and her family returned to their camp site, Kathi fell violently ill. She was confined to the camp site's bathhouse for hours, vomiting to the point of dehydration. "It was at that point that I sensed God was speaking to me again," she says. "He told me that the other gods I had been worshiping had to go. Up to that point, I had seen my conversion as a lateral move. I still had my other gods. I wasn't convinced they were evil or that paganism was wrong. But now God said they had to go. I hesitated at first because I had become so comfortable with these other gods. They had been with me for many years."
Thom writes an account of what happened next for Kathi:
Kathi soon obeyed. She started calling each of the gods by the Egyptian names she knew and telling them in Jesus' name they had to go. There were many of them, because the ancient Egyptians had a deity to represent every facet of life. Kathi also told anything she had worshiped as a Wiccan and anything she had remembered from the folklore of her childhood that it had to go, too. "They resisted at first," she said. "But once they heard the name of Jesus, they left. As each god left, I saw them as they were, no lovely masks anymore. Instead, they had horrible, evil faces. It scared me witless. I knew then that these were no gods at all, but demons."
Immediately after they were gone, Kathi felt better. She left the bathhouse and went to her family and began to tell her husband what had happened. When he responded, she heard every word he said—but she did not have her hearing aids in her ears. She was able to hear everything—the ocean, the birds, and her children's voices. Kathi has never stopped thanking God for what he did for her.
[Thom S. Rainer, The Unexpected Journey (Zondervan, 2005), pp. 121-122]
24 -25"The rest of you Thyatirans, who have nothing to do with this outrage, who scorn this playing around with the Devil that gets paraded as profundity, be assured I'll not make life any harder for you than it already is. Hold on to the truth you have until I get there.
In these verses Jesus is speaking to the Thyatira church. He notes there are many who are doing impressive work and are persistent in their love and faith for Him. Yet there are some who have allowed immoral acts to be brought into the church. Jesus tells those who are faithful to hold on.
In his book The Unexpected Journey, Thom Rainer shares the story of Kathi, a woman who left behind a life of witchcraft and Wiccan paganism to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Immediately after her decision to become a Christian, she describes to Thom how God delivered her from the powers of evil in her life, as well as her physical deafness (Kathi had been suffering progressive hearing loss for years).
That next day [after I accepted Christ], we left on our family vacation, camping on the beach. I found a small … church for us to attend. Most of the time when I lip read, I am able to follow less than half of what someone is saying. But I was able to understand every word of the preacher at this church.
When the service was over, I spoke to him and asked him how he was able to speak so well for lip readers. He was puzzled, as he had done nothing special. I explained to him my condition of deafness, and he asked to pray for me. No one had ever done that before, but he did pray for my hearing to be restored.
After Kathi and her family returned to their camp site, Kathi fell violently ill. She was confined to the camp site's bathhouse for hours, vomiting to the point of dehydration. "It was at that point that I sensed God was speaking to me again," she says. "He told me that the other gods I had been worshiping had to go. Up to that point, I had seen my conversion as a lateral move. I still had my other gods. I wasn't convinced they were evil or that paganism was wrong. But now God said they had to go. I hesitated at first because I had become so comfortable with these other gods. They had been with me for many years."
Thom writes an account of what happened next for Kathi:
Kathi soon obeyed. She started calling each of the gods by the Egyptian names she knew and telling them in Jesus' name they had to go. There were many of them, because the ancient Egyptians had a deity to represent every facet of life. Kathi also told anything she had worshiped as a Wiccan and anything she had remembered from the folklore of her childhood that it had to go, too. "They resisted at first," she said. "But once they heard the name of Jesus, they left. As each god left, I saw them as they were, no lovely masks anymore. Instead, they had horrible, evil faces. It scared me witless. I knew then that these were no gods at all, but demons."
Immediately after they were gone, Kathi felt better. She left the bathhouse and went to her family and began to tell her husband what had happened. When he responded, she heard every word he said—but she did not have her hearing aids in her ears. She was able to hear everything—the ocean, the birds, and her children's voices. Kathi has never stopped thanking God for what he did for her.
[Thom S. Rainer, The Unexpected Journey (Zondervan, 2005), pp. 121-122]
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Wisdom
Proverbs 12:1 (NLT)
1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
This proverb makes the point that one should enjoy the wisdom discipline brings to a person. For when one hates to be corrected they miss out on the opportunity to learn and grow from their mistakes.
The proverbs were given to us in the Bible so that we would learn how to live in a wise manner. They allow us to live well in this world that God has created for us. The major theme in this proverb is we all need to be open to advice. There are some who will close off the thoughts of others before they even speak. There are some who will pretend to listen while ignoring the wisdom being shared. I once heard a parent say I did the best I could do, when in actuality they “did the best they knew how to do.” There is always room to learn and grow in God’s wisdom. Be quick to listen and slow to speak so that you can hear the wisdom in the words of others.
1 To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.
This proverb makes the point that one should enjoy the wisdom discipline brings to a person. For when one hates to be corrected they miss out on the opportunity to learn and grow from their mistakes.
The proverbs were given to us in the Bible so that we would learn how to live in a wise manner. They allow us to live well in this world that God has created for us. The major theme in this proverb is we all need to be open to advice. There are some who will close off the thoughts of others before they even speak. There are some who will pretend to listen while ignoring the wisdom being shared. I once heard a parent say I did the best I could do, when in actuality they “did the best they knew how to do.” There is always room to learn and grow in God’s wisdom. Be quick to listen and slow to speak so that you can hear the wisdom in the words of others.
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