Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Proverbs Reading – Chapter 12

The Purpose of Proverbs is to impart wisdom for godly living.

Solomon’s fathering advice to young people and all who seek wisdom will greatly benefit from these wise words.   Discover the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom and the benefits of wisdom.   Proverbs gives practical suggestions for effective living.   They should call a person to action.  The verses tell how you can live in close relationship to Him and offers positive advice that helps you to make good and righteous decisions. –  notes of the Life Application Study Bible

PROVERBS 12  

This chapter doesn’t have a titles but has some really great nuggets of wisdom for you.

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.  Loving instruction is loving to learn and be taught.  Part of wanting to be taught is being willing to accept correction and to learn from the wisdom of others.  If you can’t take constructive criticism then you are dealing with pride.  Pride is NOT a character trait of Christ or God.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.  Sometimes you will see wickedness bring success to some people and wonder how is God allowing that to happen.  Remember, we are given free will to choose good or bad.  The decision is ours.  But the successes we see are temporary. Dishonest people grow more and more dishonest. Evil behavior just turns to ore evil.  The Study Bible says, if you are not a success by God’s standards, you have not achieved true success.  A success that God will be pleased with.

The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.  There is  stability with God and with a righteous person.  The wicked will eventually have nothing.  That’s why we continue to hear that the righteous will last and the wicked work is temporary.

The world tells us that we should retaliate when someone talks about you, insults you, or embarrasses you; but that retaliation doesn’t solve anything.  It just encourages trouble.  Instead answer slowly and quietly.  Your positive response will bring about positive results.  We’ll read in the 15th chapter more about that.

Verse 19 says, the truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.  You can’t go wrong with the truth.  The truth is God and He is not man, He doesn’t lie.  You can count on everything God says.  He will do what He says.  Truth will last forever.  Lying is a temporary fix.  It is but for a moment.

May sound crazy, but a modest person is noticed more than a person who shows off.  Again another scenario where the modest person is more lasting than a show off person.

Waste has become a way of life for those who have plenty. But waste is a sign of laziness and it is poor stewardship.  Make good use of everything God has given you.

Death is the end of life and for those who do not know God, they may be afraid of death.  Maybe because that is an unknown place and fear of leaving people behind or the pain we are expecting.  When you know the Lord, death is just another step, it is not final; it is the first step into eternity.

Only God can judge you? ummm, that’s a lie…

Let me 1st say that I’m talking to Christians when I say this. If you don’t identify yourself as a Christian then I am not talking to you. And let me also clarify that I believe God is our FINAL judge. He is the one who will make the final decision on where you and I will spend eternity.

That statement, “only God can judge me” has been on my mind for a minute now. I see it everywhere…on Facebook, tattooed on someone, in meme’s. So I know I needed to write about it because God kept making me see it. Then one day while I was listening to the bible in my car, the story of Jethro visiting Moses came on. Exodus the 18th chapter. Can I tell you, I had to play it back 3 times! I left like God was saying, “Yes this is for your understanding.” I love how God will confirm what He is teaching and showing you. But before I go into that, I did a little research trying to find out where this phrase came from. There is no scripture in the bible that says, “only God can judge me.” That is NOT biblical.

In my research, many made mention that those who are believing and living their lives to this statement are those who do not want to be held accountable to their actions. This is a way out of being corrected, a way out of having discipline and being obedient to God’s will for your life. Humans are very good at changing the things that God established and making them fit their wants. Laws and standards have been put in place in the this world because, if we are left to ourselves…we would destroy everything and each other. It’s the sinful nature that we were born into. Now I’m not saying that you can’t be mature and make right decisions. What I’m saying is that many of us won’t govern ourselves, so the ones who choose to live right would have to contend with those who don’t.

And then I often wonder, why wouldn’t you want to be warned or re-directed here on earth? Why would want to continue in your wrong behavior and wait for God to discipline or judge you? I tell people all the time, don’t make God have to turn your life upside down to get to you because you continue to want to do life your way. He’s a loving God, yes but His wrath is no joke. When scripture tells me that He is longsuffering and wishing that none should perish, that tells me He takes time with us, He sends help, He sends people to get us back on the right path. But some are pushing their help away because they don’t to be told that their right is wrong.

Anyway…let’s get back to the Exodus story of Jethro and Moses. Jethro was Moses father-in-law and he saw Moses handling people’s disputes and teaching people the laws of God. But Moses was the only one doing it. It was becoming overwhelming because ALL the people were coming to him. Jethro tells him that he wasn’t doing it right. You will wear yourself out and these people as well. This is too much for you to do alone. Now let me give you some good advice, and God will be with you. It is right for you to represent the people before God and bring their disputes to him. You should teach them God’s commands and explain to them how they should live and what they should do. But in addition, you should choose some capable men and appoint them as leaders of the people: leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They must be God-fearing men who can be trusted and who cannot be bribed. Let them serve as judges for the people on a permanent basis.

Ahhhhh….others where brought forth to judge. Capable men and women. God set forth people in the earth to help to judge. This is why I believe and scriptures tells me that God is the FINAL judge, but He has placed people in the earth to help give guidance and direction…because we need it!

There are many other scriptures that talk about how to judge people. So the Lord, set certain people aside to help judge and then wrote how to judge. How to be fair, how to carry yourself as a judge, He gave them standards and rules on judging. When you read them, look at the context of the them, where in was happening in scripture and in what time it was happening. Because rules and laws were different during different times of the world. Just like some rules and laws many not be for this time in the 20th century, so are the rules and times of the bible.

Read the bible for understanding. Not to point what is wrong in it. If you go with that mindset, you will miss so much understanding because you’ve already made up your mind.

God will judge you when you die. And then it will be too late to change your ways do things differently. Don’t put yourself in that predicament. Choose Christ today so you know where you will spend eternity.

Some of us don’t want to be judged because we are all over the place and need to make the decision to choose Christ and stick with it. You have gone back and forth with Him for a long time, but you haven’t been consistent. That is not how the Lord wants you to live. He wants your foundation to be strong and stable. God wants you to be like a tree planted by the water where the roots are deep and you can not be moved, because your source of life is right there next to you. God is your source of life.

One thing I am learning in my Christian walk is that God is re-teaching me. There were some things that I believed that were not really Him. My thinking was wrong. I also learned that the word hits us all differently. It is the same Word of God but it will speak to us differently according to our spiritual maturity and where we are in our walk. Be open to learn from the Holy Spirit, be open to grow and mature in Christ. And if you disagree, don’t throw it away. Bring it back to God and ask if it is for you. He will let you know and He will deal with you in that area. Be ok with God correcting you and showing you a new and different way of understanding Him. His way will ALWAYS be the better way! Trust!

If you were one of those people who people who believed that no one could judge you…make a comment and lets pray that you will see and receive the people and the help that God is sending you to make your crooked paths straight.

Do a word search and look up every scripture that talks about “judge or judging.”

I pray this was good reading for you.

Control yourself…

Can’t control yourself regarding anger

Can’t control yourself regarding sex

Can’t control yourself regarding gossip

Can’t control yourself regarding telling lies

Can’t control yourself regarding drugs

Can’t control yourself regarding spending money

Can’t control yourself regarding cussing

Can’t control yourself regarding procrastination

Can’t control yourself regarding temptations

Can’t control yourself regarding men

Can’t control yourself regarding women

Can’t control yourself regarding gambling

All these things and then some others will eventually create problems in your life if you have no control over them. I have the feeling many of us have allowed situations to run free with no boundaries and no restraints that now it has become almost a norm in our lives.  We’ve allowed it so much room and dominion that we have lost control of it.  It rules us.

In 1 Corinthians 9:27: Paul is talking to the people of the Corinthian church and telling them that he must discipline himself, and keep his body under control. He does that to be an upstanding example to the people he is preaching to.  He won’t tell you to do it and he doesn’t restrain himself also.

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection” (KJV)

“Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control” (ESV)

But this also shows you that there is a solution to this issue. You can control yourself by keeping your body under subjection, disciplining yourself.  Saying…NO

Then there is Galatians 5: 22-23, that says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

Here we are shown that the Holy Spirit gives you a gift of SELF-CONTROL. So if you didn’t have it before, when you give your life to Jesus Christ you will receive the self-control you need to withstand the temptations of the world.  You will now have the Holy Spirit power within you to say NO.

Learn to use this power to crucify the affections of lust and regain back control over your life.

Remember, not all lust is sexual, meaning the things you want are not always sexual things, i.e. gambling, money, status.

Take some time to think about your life….are there situations, things, people that you have lost control in? You can’t function without them? It’s becoming unhealthy?  People mention or complain about it to you often? You lose time, sleep, and major moments in life because of it?

Take it to God. And find someone you trust that you can talk to you about it.  Someone who can give you godly advice.  I say that because if you are seeking the things of God….a worldly person cannot give you those godly answers.

Self-control is very important to your Christian walk. Because the devil uses temptation as a way of getting us off course, we need to learn early how to say NO.  And control ourselves so we don’t go back to old habits that kept us in sin.

I am praying with you.

Why am I here?

Listening to a Persicope live recording really can get you to thinking. Carla R. Cannon asked us this morning that as followers of Jesus Christ…why we are here?   She said “God reveals His will to us and communicates with us so we can fulfill His assignment in the earth.”

That was awesome to me!

Have you ever thought about why am I here? You may have it in your mind that you didn’t ask to be here…but there is a purpose for you being here on this earth.  Remember, Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that before you were formed in the womb, God knew you.  You were set apart.  Do you understand what that means?  God had already predestined a place for you before you even came to the earth.  He already had plans for you, a purpose ready for you. He was already thinking about you.

Carla says in the Periscope that you are not here just to build a great business, or a great ministry or to make a great name for yourself.

I wonder about that often, do we know why we are here. I believe if people really knew their purpose for being on this earth, we would do some of the things we do. We would plan better. We would take care of what we had better. Our outlook on life would be better.

The Lord does want you to have an abundant life, HERE ON EARTH. But also know that He has called you to a life that includes Him. A life that brings glory to Him. We are all called to one specific thing…

You are here to do your Father’s business!

So here is the big question…do you know what your Father’s business is?

Did you know that you are to live a life that worships God? Live a life that pleases God? Did you know that you are to imitate Christ, be Christ-like? Did you know that you are to share the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Tell someone about Him.  Lead others to Him.  Share your life as a Christian with them.  Help someone get closer to Him. And be an example of Him. Many have told themselves that their life with Christ is only for them. But that is not so….as a follower of Christ, we share our lives with others. Someone…everyone should know that you love the Lord and you live a life in line with His will.

But most importantly…be in a personal relationship with Him. Be intentional about making Jesus a part of your life.  It is in Him that we live, move and have our being.  He needs to be a priority in your life.

Why am I here?

Not for your own selfish pleasures, dreams, aspirations.  But to give God glory in those dreams and aspirations.  To give all honor to Him for showing favor in those dreams and aspirations.  To acknowledge that without Him you would not have these dreams and aspirations.  And then living out a life that gives Him honor, a life that imitates His life, a life of righteousness,  a life of holiness.  The Lord says, be ye holy for I am holy.  It’s not a suggestion…it’s a command.  And if you love the Lord you will obey his commands.

Why am I here?