Tag Archives: learn

Proverbs Reading – January 2020

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

Solomon’s fathering advice to young people – but 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 Study Bible

PROVERBS 1                                                                                                                                                     The 3 titles of this chapter are…The Beginning of Knowledge, Shun Evil Counsel & The Call of Wisdom.

We are given a clear statement of the purpose of this book in the first verse…to impart wisdom for godly living. 

Encouraging us “to know wisdom and instruction.  To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment and equity.  To be cautious, have knowledge and discretion.  These are all simple yet, very important statements.  All characteristics that we can carry throughout our lives.  How many times can you think back to moments, and decisions that you could have made better, had you used wisdom and been cautious?  Oh how this same advice can be given and used with our young people even now.  In the Study notes, it states that wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot.  It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life.

The first step to wisdom is “fear of the Lord.”  This is the beginning of knowledge.  All knowledge comes from our Creator, God.  We can never know all that He knows.

Scripture calls a fool, the type of person who is a know-it-all.  A person who is closed to anything new and pushes their opinion in an arrogant manner and as right.  Instead, be the person who is open to learn; especially from those who can give you solid-sound advice/counsel. A fool in this book is also someone with a character deficiency.  Not someone who is dumb.  but someone who is lazy, rebellious, led by anger.  Someone who is unable to tell right from wrong or good or bad.  Be teachable.  You will be learning for the rest of your days.  God sends people to helps us walk through this life, learn to glean from them and take from them.

Be a positive and godly role model to your children.  They learn from parents and caregivers first.  We are their first teachers. They learn their morals and values from us.  Don’t confuse them with an unstable Christian life.  Show them how to depend on God and teach them right living.

Chapter 1 also talks about sin and sinners.  We are all sinners saved by grace.  Yet, when we chose to live for Christ, we have made the decision to walk away from sin.  We have to learn to NOT be enticed by it.  To not let it pull us in and make decisions that are not pleasing to God.  The study notes state, “we can’t be friendly with sin and expect our lives to remain unaffected.”  When you chose to follow Christ, there was something in you that wanted change in your life.  It’s a desire that we all have when God speaks to our heart.  Change will happen when you encounter God, but it does require you making choices and changes in your life to create order and a stable Christian walk,

God’s wisdom is something you should want to become comfortable in.

God wants us to seek out His wisdom, and is willing to pour out all that we need; but we must be willing to receive it, willing to listen, willing to humble ourselves and not be prideful in our own human wisdom.   Foolish pride is thinking we know better than God and refusing to heed His direction.

Lastly, the 1st chapter speaks of the “fruit of their own way” which is the consequences of your own decisions.  It’s simple you can either choose God’s wisdom or continue to walk in your own rebellious independence, doing things on your own.  The consequences of your own choices will be your fruit.  And it will destroy you.  Verse 31 says, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to full with their own fancies.  Verse 33, but whoever listens to me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil.

God will show you the truth and will always be with you and cover you when you chose Him!  I find comfort in knowing I have Him by my side.

I would love to hear what verses stood out to you in this 1st chapter,  Comment and let’s talk more.  Feel free to also ask questions as well.

 

 

 

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

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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.