Two Verses

Two verses caught my eye today, hence the catchy title of this post. The first was Proverbs 14:15:

The simple believe anything,
   but the prudent give thought to their steps. 

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, "Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good," instructing us that even with regard to God's word, we're to test it, see if it's correct. God asks us to have faith--he never said anything about it being BLIND faith.

This verse tells us to use wisdom and knowledge and not be taken in by false prophets or others who would try to mislead us. We're not being overtly told to be skeptical, but instead to not rashly jump to conclusions and think things through. I'm as guilty as anyone of hasty judgment, but usually only in situations where I have a decent knowledge base from which to work.

This isn't an excuse to do nothing. Occasionally, we rationalize inaction by saying we don't have enough information, and while that may be true, sometimes we need to act, knowing that we'll never have ALL the information we might want, but need to at least get started while trying to gain whatever additional knowledge we may need. 

The second verse is linked with this one, and is Proverbs 15:1:

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
   but a harsh word stirs up anger. 

 
It may come as a surprise to some of you, but I don't listen to everyone. What I mean by that is while I might hear everyone who talks to me, not everyone has my full ear on every subject. I use all the tools of discernment at my disposal to ferret out the chaff from the wheat, and sometimes, people talking to me are just plain wrong, for any number of reasons. You can usually tell when I stop speaking and just nod and say "I understand" a lot, but sometimes, misinformation needs to be corrected. Will yelling "You're just plain WRONG!" at the person work the trick? Highly unlikely, although it sure feels warranted sometimes. No, I usually try to present my side of a situation, which the other person is free to accept or reject, but there's a very serious quid pro quo at work here that I'm not sure people are truly aware of, which is, quite simply:

If it's okay for you to disagree with me...

WHY CAN'T I DISAGREE WITH YOU?

There will always be disagreements in life, and to expect otherwise is to set ourselves up for extreme disappointment. All Solomon is telling us is how best to handle these situations. It won't always work and sometimes people will be mad, even when I tell them I like to be proven wrong simply for the novelty factor (that's a joke--feel free to laugh). That might happen, but if I yell "WRONG!" every time, it WILL happen.

Scott

Proverbs 16:18:24 (June 1)

My Prayer for you today is to pray and take time to read today's verses.  So many just jumped off the page and demanded at least a paragraph.  I have included some examples below.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man's inmost parts.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
                                     From Proverbs 16-18 NIV

My comment today is on our last verse of the day, Proverbs 18:24: "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." 

This verse is very reassuring to a Christian: for it points out that no matter what happens to us in life; we have a friend, Jesus Christ; who will stick to us closer than a brother.

What proverb particularly caught your attention today?

How does that proverb illuminate a point in your life?

What action(s) will you take in view of that proverb and your life?  Write those actions down on a sheet of paper.

Pray for the Spirit to guide you through changes in your life.

In Christ,

David P

Contrasts (May 31)

A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
                                   From Proverbs 14 NIV

Proverbs contain a simple, poetic, awesome beauty holding pearls of wisdom and sets up stark contrasts in only a few words.  Like other books of the Bible, the Book of Proverbs does not contradict other parts of the Bible: but rather serves to provide "PIE"; Proof, Information and Examples that illustrate, support and restate in different words other verses found elsewhere in the Bible.

The Word of God points to itself, to illustrate itself, to communicate itself and to, in itself, with the Spirit guide us through our contrasts in life.

Recall and compare 1 Samuel 2:30b where the Lord states, "Those who honor me, I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained;" with the first verse above.  In both we read a simple, poetic, beautiful that holds pearls of wisdom and contrast. 

There is a positive and negative side to these verses.  On the positive side in our verses today we read about: honoring the Lord and being honored by the Lord; holding a reverent awe for the Lord and shunning evil is a mark of wisdom; and a heart at peace giving life to the body.   On the negative side we read about: fools being hotheaded and reckless; envy rotting the bones; and the Lord's disdain of men who despise him.

The world holds many contrasts.  One of the greatest is the contrast between light and darkness, between saved and unsaved.  Consider that great contrast as you cross over this week from wandering to commissioned.

As one reads the Proverbs, one might reflect on the body part that is affected by certain actions.  One may have heard the expression, 'I have a feeling in my bones.'  Today's second verse might give a clue to where that feeling comes from.

As God's attributes are beyond what we can understand; one of them being 3 in 1, we must consider that we too, created in God's image are 3 in 1: for we have a body; mind and as believers, through baptism, are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  We need to consider that the 3 parts are related and all need to be nourished correctly or there may be an adverse effect on the other parts.  Consider envy rotting the bones as an example of the interrelationship.

What contrasts do you have in your life?

How do you approach the contrasts you have in your life?

How do you ask the Spirit for guidance through your contrasts?

Pray for the Spirit's guidance on a moment by moment basis in you and that hearts are prepared to hear the Spirit's call.

In Christ,



David P

   

The Light of the Righteous

Happy Memorial Day! I trust you took time out to commemorate the valuable service given by our veterans who helped create and defend this great country. Isaac Newton said once "If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants," his way of acknowledging the scientific achievements of the past upon which his work was based. We stand on the shoulders of our veterans, especially those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. For that, we must be forever grateful.

The verse that caught my eye today was Proverbs 13:9, which states:

The light of the righteous shines brightly,
   but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. 

It's a very self-evident verse. What kind of people do we admire, the good or the evil? This verse tells us that when we're doing the Lord's work, the world will notice--perhaps not in the way we expect, but our works will speak for themselves. We'll see that clearly when we get to the Sermon on the Mount on October 6th when Christ tells us to let our lights shine. We do when we do his work here on earth.

And, much as I wrote yesterday, the wicked will get what's coming to them. Again, it might not be in the manner or time frame we'd like, but it will happen. Consider the imagery Solomon uses--"snuffed out," which implies something quick and effortless. How hard is it for us to snuff out a candle? That's how hard it is for God to snuff out evil, and we're told it will happen.

There's some very common themes in Proverbs--patience, virtue, humility, etc. As always, the hard part isn't knowing these things, but making them integral parts of our lives, ones that will cause our light to shine brightly. Never give up--a light is the brightest when it's the darkest outside. In other words, we CAN'T shine unless we live in a dark and sinful world. 

Try to be the brightest light you can.

Scott

Giving (May 30)

One man gives freely, yet gains even more: another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
                                           Proverbs 11:24 NIV

Life is a gift.  We are stewards of our lives.  Good stewardship does include giving back or perhaps paying forward to our families, churches, communities, nation and world.

We may give of our time, talents or treasure.  When we give, there is an exchange; for someone, group, community, nation or world will receive the gift.  In response to receiving a gift, often there is motivation in the receiver of the gift to follow the example and give another gift.  We, in giving a gift are blessed; for we learn about ourselves and become more wise in the process.  We learn what we can do without, we learn our areas of special talent, and we enrich our relationships, our understanding and our character.

Gifts are very important, give freely; for God loves a cheerful giver.  God gave us a very special gift: His Perfect Son. 

What is the most special gift you have given?

What is the most special gift you have received?

Pray for a giving spirit.

In Christ,

David P

Proverbs (Finally)

I was starting to get confused. I enjoyed the reading on wisdom, but I was starting to wonder where the familiar proverbs were, the ones I described a couple of days ago. NOW we get to them, beginning with Chapter 10. These are the couplets we're all familiar with, the first line telling us what to do, and the second what to refrain from. 

The one that resonates with me is Proverbs 10:9, which states:

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
   but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. 

This takes me back to when I was obtaining my MBA, which was from 1998-2001. At that time, we studied many cases where various forms of mis-, mal- and non-feasance were  occurring, and companies like Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing and Tyco were setting new standards of corporate misbehavior. Politicians were upset, and eventually passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 that instituted new reporting rules for publicly traded companies. Whenever something really dramatic like the collapse of Enron occurs, the first assumption is that it was a regulatory failure which requires more regulation.

I've never been a fan of this kind of thinking, and Solomon's proverb is the main reason why. Whenever anything in this world, be it a company, a corrupt leader or whatever, decides to take shortcuts, it's not a matter of if they'll be caught as opposed to WHEN. I don't want to underplay the devastation Enron caused both internally and externally, but Enron took the crooked path--and they were found out and punished.

There was an ethics class offered as an elective for my MBA program, but I didn't take it. Right after I received my MBA, there was a strong move nationwide toward making ethics classes mandatory, and again, I'm not a fan. Learning ethics is light-years removed from LIVING ethics, and this simple verse tells us all we need to know to get through all aspects of life--walk in integrity, knowing full well that if you don't, you WILL get caught.

Precious (May 29)

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
                                              Proverbs 8:10-11 NIV

Wisdom, that alignment of the heart and mind, that ability to make the right or best decision in the face of incomplete or conflicting information is certainly more precious than gold, silver or rubies.  After a wise decision, there is a peace even if the outcome is less than perfect, for one is much less likely to be plagued by second guessing a wise decision.

As we study the bible chronologically, we are reading and discussing God's persisting steadfastness to protect, guide, provide for, and strengthen His people.  We are reading the accounts of individuals when they follow God and accounts at other times when individuals do not follow God.  The pattern that has emerged in our readings is that when God is followed, honored, revered, and placed in the center, abundant blessings accrue.  On the other hand; when God is forgotten, left out, or not sought after, then blessings do not occur and in fact horrible things happen; for God does turn us over to our depraved minds.

Wisdom allows us to place appropriate value on events, objects and concepts.  It is a gift that should be sought out actively.

How do you discern wisdom?

Pray for the gift of wisdom.

In Christ,

David P
  

Six Things The Lord Hates

I freely admit that even having read Proverbs and studied it in one of Jerome Nathan's classes some time back, I had no recollection of Proverbs 6:16-19, which I will leave in their poetic order:

There are six things the LORD hates,
   seven that are detestable to him:
    haughty eyes,
    a lying tongue,
    hands that shed innocent blood,
    a heart that devises wicked schemes,
    feet that are quick to rush into evil,
    a false witness who pours out lies
    and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Christians spend much time on doctrinal issues that delineate denominational differences, and these verses are about as clear a message from God as to what truly displeases him. We have the Ten Commandments, the Levitic law and Christ's two new commandments he'll introduce on October 29th, but what is RIGHT in God's eyes? We know we're not to sin, but what the heck is sin exactly?

This looks like a pretty good list to determine if an action is a sin. God isn't too interested in whether we are a Lutheran/ Baptist/Catholic/Methodist/Presbyterian/non-denominational, whether we baptized at birth, adulthood or someone other specified time, when we celebrated our First Communion or any other issue along these lines. On Judgment Day, he's going to separate us into two groups (I will discuss this extensively on November 1st), and both groups will ask God the same question, but he'll have different answers for the groups. For the group that doesn't do the items mentioned by Solomon, it will be the right answer, but for the other group, chances are that they DID commit these acts, and the Lord will reject them.

One facet of wisdom is learning something you didn't know before, and these six activities are easy for us to understand, and just as easy for us to recognize if we find ourselves slipping and doing one of them. My suggestion would be to keep these verses handy so you can refer to them any time you're not sure how to act in a given situation. More often than not, the fact you have to think about it in the first place should be your first hint, and seeing how it stacks up to this list should be all the guidance you'll need--and you'll be a wiser person.

Scott

Heart and Neck (May 28)

My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck.
                                       Proverbs 6:20-21 NIV

Today we read where we are to bind and fasten commands and teaching, upon the heart and around the neck.  Somehow we might have expected commands and teaching to be held in the mind, for that is were we store and process ideas, thoughts and information leading to knowledge via learning.

By binding and fastening teaching and commands in the heart and neck, we are involving more than the mind.  We are involving our core, the seat of our personality, in what we do with our parent's commands and teaching. 

It has been said that wisdom is an alignment of the mind and heart.  By involving the heart and neck in storing commands and teaching we are, in a sense, called upon to be wise in applying those commands and teachings of our parents to our lives.

Wisdom may be needed in applying teachings and commands over time, life's circumstances, opportunities, technologies may change; but the underlying truths in parental teachings and commands remain.  Wisdom is often needed to correctly apply teachings and commands to today's opportunities, challenges and other situations.

Remember, despite life's changing over time, God does not change.  He remains the same from age to age, everlasting to everlasting, our Rock and Author of Salvation.

What does it mean to hold teachings and commands around the neck and in the heart?

How have you seen a persistant underlying truth applied differently over time?  Was the truth applied consistently over time, or was there bending of the truth over time?

Give thanks that in this world of change, God's attributes do not change.

In Christ,


David P 

The Source of Wisdom

I have two major points today. The first centers on Proverbs 2:1-4, which states:

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 

Most college students (myself excluded) will say that they worked hard to attain the knowledge they accumulated. I basically slept through college except for the material that engaged me, which was usually business case studies and statistical analysis. I wasn't that interested in learning what marketing was as opposed to implementing it. Myself aside, most people work hard in school, and are rightly proud of their accomplishment upon graduation.

Verse 4 above tells us that we should study God's word just as diligently, which is quite a challenge. We're told that just sitting in church, and even sitting in a Bible class, isn't enough. We're told we need to work HARD at understanding the Lord, with a clear payoff for our efforts. I won't ask you how you're doing, knowing full well that many are indeed doing this daily, but offer it as a reminder of what the Lord wishes of us.

In Proverbs 3:11-12, Solomon writes:

My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

One of the more enlightening moments I've had as a pharmaceutical sales representative was at a management training exercise, where the leader asked us who we would spend more time with, the good employees or the bad ones. After some discussion, he suggested we spend time with the good ones, with the expectation we would try to make them better, as opposed to the bad ones, who he implicitly suggested we replace. It was an eye-opening thought, and we see it described here. The Lord disciplines us because he loves us, not purely for punitive reasons. Consider the opposite--if the Lord DIDN'T love us, he wouldn't discipline us, because he wouldn't care enough about us to do so. It won't help us with our children, and we sure don't like it when it occurs in our lives, but these are excellent words, ones that should give us all the hope we need.

Scott

Hearts (May 27)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
                         From Proverbs 3 and 4 NIV

Webster gives us 43 definitions for heart.  One might consider the first definition: "a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left..." and infer that God is telling us to eat a cardiac diet; no red meat, no skin of fish, no skin of fowl and no shellfish; to loose weight and to exercise regularly. 

Certainly God is concerned with our hollow pumplike organ, and in His desire for the best for our bodies, his temple; we can be certain that our physiologic heart is well within his circle of concern, care and love for us.  If we do guard our physiologic heart, our paths will certainly be straighter, for our paths would have fewer trips, detours, to the doctor's office.  Somehow, doubts may arise over this being the main take home message of the passages.

Among other, more sage, definitions of heart are: the center of the total personality, intuition, feeling or emotion; the capacity for sympathy, feeling, compassion; the innermost central part of anything; or spirit, courage, enthusiasm.  Somehow, these verses seem to be more appropriately aimed at our center, our capacity to care, to sympathize, our source of courage.

God, in love, wants our hearts to grow in Him, to be pure, and to be prepared for the Spirit to work on and work through, so that we can reflect, show, and convey love to others in need, in loss, and in darkness. 

For this to happen, some lines (paraphrased) from hymns come to mind: we need to seek God first and then much will be added to us or things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.  Focusing on God first, will keep life in perspective and will make our paths straight.  Even healthier!

In guarding your heart there is a balance between defensiveness and offensiveness; between turning the other cheek and turning over the tables of the money changers.  Ask for the Spirit's guidance in achieving the appropriate balance. 

What are you trusting in for life, for salvation?

How are you taking care of and guarding your heart?

Pray to be given the opportunities, the strength and the courage to trust in the Lord, and not lean on your own understanding.

In Christ,

David P

Proverbs

If you're new to the reading of Proverbs, I think you'll enjoy them very much. Most are written in a very simple style:

1. What to do

2. How you will benefit

3. What will happen if you don't

Dr. Pratt wrote extensively on Proverbs 1:7, one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, so I won't repeat him here. I will add that my emphasis is on a different word in that verse, and that word is "beginning." Knowledge and wisdom (and I will use them interchangeably in this post, even though I know there are differences) are devalued in a society that considers Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert news sources and a celebrity's Twitter feed as hard-hitting news, and the Lord is clearly telling us that we should base our knowledge on the Word, and have it serve as our foundation, but it's not the only thing we'll ever need.

When we view everything we know through the lens of God's word, it gives meaning and discernment to the world. I would never tell the people of Joplin that God's word is all they need to rebuild their lives and their town--that's not just stupid, but downright cold-hearted. Our knowledge of God's word tells us that we should reach out compassionately and generously to assist those in need, and to use our skills to accomplish that. When we look at God's word as the beginning, it lays out a clear path for us to travel and the way to travel it. 

We need knowledge to get by in this world, which has always been the case. I would recommend Dr. Pratt for gastroenterological issues because he is an experienced, highly trained, board-certified gastroenterologist AND a Christian, but I'll worry about the Christian part after I've satisfied myself on the gastroenterology part. Dr. Pratt's fear of the Lord no doubt has an influence on how he practices medicine--a foundational part, to be sure, but not the only part. I'm a Christian too, but you don't want me performing colonoscopies (at least not on you).

In the end, it's our duty to get our knowledge and wisdom from solid sources, discern when and where to utilize it, and base everything on God's will. We might not end us as wise as Solomon, but we'll definitely be wiser than before.

Scott

Fear! (May 26)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
                                        Proverbs1:7 NIV

Today let us examine the above verse, it is a clear, concise, truthful statement.

Sometimes we get tripped up on a word, fear is one of those words.  Webster gives us 9 definitions for the word fear.  Most have to do with anxiety, distress or being afraid.  Definition #4, "reverential awe, esp. toward God" really stands out apart from the other definitions.  We read awe is "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God, in awe of great political figures." 

We are learning many attributes of God this year and one of them is "awesome."  By keeping in mind "reverential awe" as a definition for fear, some confusion could be removed and cleared up.

The Lord is the beginning of knowledge.  How true, but if we removed the word knowledge from the sentance or clause in the above verse, we would be left with: The Lord is the beginning of ____________.  Think of the Lord's power, creativity, order, steadfastness, justice, awesome nature, wisdom, love, mercy and in light of that consider other words that you could place in the blank. 

But fools despise wisdom and discipline.  We read in the footnote that the word "fool" often denotes one who is morally deficient.  Paul, in Romans 1:28 NIV tells us: furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not be done.  We can also consider the Lord's given words in 1 Samuel 2:30b NIV,  Those who honor me, I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.

May the Spirit keep your eyes open on a moment by moment basis clearly to the direction of the Lord's will.

How might the term "reverential awe" change your concept of word fear when used in the phrase: fear and love God?

How do you daily see God's creativity?

Pray for the Spirit to guide pastors as they develop the messages for Sunday, to prepare hearts and minds for the message, and for obstacles to be removed that might block attendance to church.

In Christ,


David P

God's Warning

It's a darn shame Solomon didn't have a modern Bible to refer to during the dedication of the temple, because the NIV heading for the section that begins with 1 Kings 9 is "God's Warning to Solomon," and maybe he could have averted the dissolution of the kingdom after his death. Then again, he shouldn't have needed it, since our text tells us that God said this directly to Solomon.

1 Kings 9:6-10 states in clear language what lies in store for Solomon and Israel if he doesn't follow the Lord's ways, and also describes who God will hold responsible. He had gifted Solomon with wisdom with the expectation that he would use it to rule Israel well and that it would remain obedient to the Lord. It may seem harsh to punish a country for the sins of its king, but this is a recognition that since Solomon is king through God's will, and if he falters, the country will go right along with him. Unfortunately, as I alluded to yesterday, this will happen within the next couple of weeks in our reading.

As I've stated over and over so far this year, God doesn't appear to us as he did in the days of old because we don't NEED him to--we have his word and his called servants, and people truly rooted in faith need no more than that. Unfortunately, not having God in the physical presence can make us less fearful (in both respects), and makes it far too easy to console ourselves by saying "Ehhh, it's not important, God won't really do anything to me anyway." God's words to Solomon in verses 6-7 tell us otherwise:

But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

There is absolutely NOTHING in these words that aren't still in effect today. You know it, I know it, and our job until we meet the Lord himself will be to make sure everyone knows it, and how Christ's death and resurrection means this doesn't have to be our fate.

Scott

Praise Be To The Lord

First, props to Dr. Pratt for writing about what I was going to write about today with the concept of foreigners coming to Israel because they recognized God's glory. The only thing I'll add is that this is not a new concept--going all the way back to Genesis 12:3, where God said to Abram:

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

I alluded to it Sunday, but today's reading marks the (incredibly brief) zenith of Old Testament Israel. In Solomon's comments in 1 Chronicles 6:4-6, he acknowledges that God has chosen Jerusalem to be his holy city, and the timing of that choice coincides with the final peace that had been brought to Israel. All external enemies had been defeated, internal strife had been quelled, and after almost 500 years of non-stop war, Israel was at peace. Imagine that--500 years of conflict and strife. To put that in perspective, if we had done that, we'd be HALFWAY THROUGH fighting the Revolutionary War.

It will be a short-lived peace, and we'll see the gradual unraveling of the kingdom beginning around June 10th, but for now, everything the people had been sacrificing for was finally achieved, and that's worthy of a celebration. The people understood that everything they have is from the Lord, and everyone says the right words. I can only imagine what it was like to witness the consumption of the sacrifices described in 1 Chronicles 7:1--I'm sure that got the people's attention.

There's no grand theme in my post today, just a reminder for us to always remember the source of everything we have in this life, and to also remember that no matter what we give, it will pale in comparison with what was given us at no cost--salvation through Christ's death and resurrection.

(May 25)

The Lord said to him:  "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there."
                                      1 Kings 9:3 NIV

Solomon did work, or at least directed, and lead the work done to construct the temple.  Man's work built a building, in this case a very special building, the building for the Name of the Lord.

God works in hallowing, consecrating, making special the work.  In this case God's eyes and heart will always be there.

One might draw a parallel to what God the Father did for the temple in always being there and what God the Son, did for us in making us acceptable to God the Father and by sealing us with the Holy Spirit.

God's eyes and heart are always with us through our faith in Jesus' work on the cross and the sealing of the Holy Spirit to guide, lead, encourage and support us in our work.

Many teams were involved in making the temple "the temple."  God's plan was carried out.

How do you appreciate being a team member with Christ?

Do you have any other temples in your life?

Pray for the Spirit to show you the truth.


In Christ,


David P

Tell the Story! (May 24)

As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple,then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever this foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel and may know that this house I have built bears your Name
                             2 Chronicles 6:32-33 NIV

We read Solomon's prayer; under the old covenant, Mosaic law of dedication for the temple and learn that his prayer includes evangelism to the foreigner, "so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name."

This is a foreshadowing of our commission from Jesus under the new covenant, in this time of grace, to go to the ends of the earth with the good news of God's love for all people.

Thinking ahead; we read in Romans 14:11, that every knee will bow before me and every tongue will confess to God; and in Phillippians 2:11 that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Motivation to tell the story of the Lord's work is heightened when we read in Revelation 20 of the day of the Lord when all will be raised and judgement occurs and death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. The lake is the second death for those who's names are not found in the book of life, those who proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Hell is hot, time is short and souls are at stake.  Something to consider as we look ahead to crossing over from wandering to commissioned.  We do serve an awesome God.

How do you tell the story through your actions?

How do you respond to the gifts God has given you?

Pray to keep your eyes open to God's grace and providence.


In Christ,

David P

Abundance (May 23)

All the things that Solomon made amounted to so much that the weight of the bronze was not determined.
                                   1 Chronicles 4:18 NIV

and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
                                    1 Kings 8:5 NIV

The events surrounding the temple building reflect much abundance.  Scott has touched upon the amount of gold and other material used in construction of the temple.  It is easy to realize that building the temple for the name of the Lord was a time of abundant joy, thankfulness and celebration for the Israelites.  It is difficult to measure or compare the happiness on display at that time.

Remember, when Moses made the first request for funds to build the Lord's tabernacle, there was an abundant response.  We should consider that as a guide when we are asked to help the ministry with our time, talents and treasure.

Weight is the term used to describe the measure of bronze Solomon used to make "things" for the temple.  We read that there was so much the weight was not determined.  We can also use the term weight to describe our sin, burdens, cares and challenges we have in this life.  Often we cannot determine and sometimes are blind to the weight of the burdens we carry.

When we try to carry our own burdens alone we certainly are weighed down.  That heavy incomparable weight does affect us and may affect our health, countenance, and habits negatively.

Think of what our incomparable God has done for us by giving us his Son, who bore our burdens, sin, faults, and challenges on the cross; defeating them by his resurrection and giving to us his body and blood in Holy Communion to restore us to grace whenever we partake.  Think of His gift of the Spirit, that seals, guides, directs, and comforts us on a moment by moment basis.

As a result, we can take our challenges to the Father at any time.

Reflect on God's generosity to us as you are guided by the Spirit to cross over from greed to generosity with your time, talents and treasure.  We do have an abundance.  

How are you guided as a steward of your time, talents and treasure?

How do you show your thankfulness for what God has done?

Pray for the Spirit to remove obstacles, be present and guide leadership and members at church meetings. (7pm tonight).

In Christ,

David P     

Building The Temple

First, two points of clarification and one oversight on my part:

1. When pointing out the workers in my remarks today, I totally forgot about Kim Mester sitting to my right as I spoke. I would never intentionally overlook the person who taught 8th Grade to both my daughters, and I wanted to take the opportunity to clear up that faux pas.

2. Jason Abramowski came up to me after class and mentioned that the gold collected (about 300 tons) would make a pile about 10 feet long x 5 feet wide x 5 feet high (if I heard him correctly)--quite a collection, to be sure, but not an infinite amount . Also, worldwide gold reserves today are approximately 33,000 tons, so the amount of gold described would be 1% of today's reserves, with the understanding that the amount of gold in the world at that time had to be significantly less than that.

3. In several places, I made references to how conscripted or slave labor WASN'T used, and today's reading makes it abundantly clear that I got that part wrong. Oops.

Psalm 127 is something we should read before we undertake any labor for the church. The first verse states:

     Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. 

The most dangerous thing we do on this earth is confuse God's plans with our own. One of the most sobering conversations I've had in some time was last fall, when the Board of Directors was interviewing firms to assist us in a capital campaign. One of the people we talked with was thrilled that we were looking to do a campaign for expanding ministry opportunities, which led me to ask what the other campaigns were for, to which he responded "Debt retirement." He told of one congregation that had debt of around $8 million (I might have that number wrong, but the amount was somewhere in the millions) for a congregation of 300 people. I simply shook my head, since I couldn't begin to comprehend how a congregation of that size thought they could manage debt like that. I'm sure at the time it was incurred, it seemed like a good idea...

Until we're with the Lord, we'll never be 100% certain that we're doing his will, but he has given us three tools which will assist us greatly when we're not sure:

1. Prayer--without going too deep into it (I will when we get to it on October 6th), Jesus tells us we'll get what we need to fulfill his mission for us on earth. It may not be what WE think we need or in the manner we expect to get it, but Jesus isn't an incompetent manager who tells his employees what to do without providing the resources or training to do it.

2. Discernment--we need to be able to separate our plans from God's, and the Holy Spirit assists us in that. That is clearly show when we use something we usually discuss derisively, which is...

3. Hindsight--Yes, I know it's 20/20, and in the real world, I have so little use for the "I told you so" crowd that I can't describe it. However, when we take an objective view, uncolored by prejudices, hurt feelings or other worldly interferences, we can usually separate success from failure. Hindsight is the BEST tool to review how God works not only for the church, providing resources when we need them, and usually from the most unexpected of sources, but also in our lives, if we're humble enough to give God the credit.

In Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" (which I insist should be Purpose-Driven, but that's just me), he describes an easy way to tell if your on the right path--is anyone following you? The Lord doesn't have us work in a vacuum, waiting for the final grade at the end, but constantly reinforces us and helps us when we start heading in the wrong direction. It's been that way for 141+ years at Trinity, and I have yet to find anyone who can reasonably tell me why it should stop anytime soon. As long as we're doing his will, we'll be fine, and as long as we continue to seek his will, we'll have all the support and reinforcement we'll ever need.

Scott

Blocks (May 22)

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.
                                     1 Kings 6:7 NIV

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that we were purchased at a price.  Paul continues by encouraging us to honor God with our body.

Consider our bodies as, in a sense building blocks of the temple, parts of the temple, parts of the Church, or parts of the body of Christ.  

The blocks of the temple were hammered, chisled and formed in the quarry.  When the blocks reached the temple site, the blocks were given rest.

Blocks from Herod's temple

We, like the blocks of the temple; on earth, our quarry, are hammered, chisled, stressed, challenged and worked on in other uncomfortable ways.  We, since we were purchased at a price, the full price, Christ's death and resurrection, can look ahead to rest in the "temple," in heaven.


How are you honoring God as a good steward of your body?

Where do you look for rest when you are hammered, chiseled or otherwise stressed? 

Pray for obsticles to be removed and for safe travel to church.

In Christ,

David P

 

Fair Pay

You've noticed by now that Kings and Chronicles have significant overlap in the details reported. We'll see this again when we reach the Gospels, at which time I'll paraphrase an essay in my NIV Study Bible, but for today, I'm going to focus on the events described in 1 Kings 5:10-11 and 2 Chronicles 2:8-10. Since the Chronicles citation is fuller, that's the one I'll state here:

⁸ “Send me also cedar, juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours ⁹ to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. ¹⁰ I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil.” 

I'll comment on how much Solomon paid tomorrow, but will focus instead on the fair payment for goods and services. Up to this point, the concept of paying for things has been largely overlooked--the Egyptians never compensated Israel for their slave labor, nor did Israel  compensate the residents of the Promised Land for their land. Commerce clearly happened--it's hard to have trade routes (recall Joseph was sold to Midianite merchants in Genesis 37) without trade.

In today's reading, Solomon doesn't demand the lumber from Lebanon, but assists in harvesting and is willing to pay for it. In the modern church, we tend to regard commerce as a dirty business worthy of contempt, and we over-inflate the significance of Jesus throwing out the moneychangers in the temple. The truth is, nowhere in Scripture is any instance suggesting that a fair price shouldn't be paid for what the church uses. I'll comment on this more when we get to Paul's epistles, since he had much to say on the subject.

We should never finance anything in any church by not paying the people who provide the work, nor should we expect any type of discount--if the provider wants to be generous, that's their prerogative, but it should never be considered our due. We're all aware of the wisdom of Solomon, and this is a small, but important glimpse of the extent of that wisdom--anything of value should be compensated, and fairly at that. Our church workers ARE storing up treasures in heaven, but that doesn't excuse us from paying them what they're worth here.

Scott

Rest! (May 21)

But now, the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.
                                     1 Kings 5:4 NIV

My Webster dictionary has 42 definitions over three entries for the word "rest": a word that can be a noun, a transitive verb or an intransitive verb (Maybe someone can enlighten us about what a transitive and intransitve verb is). The definitions generally have to do with refreshment; inactivity; tranquility; support; reliance; direction or termination; as in the end of the introduction of evidence, eg. resting one's case in a trial.

We have rest from our greatest enemy, death through Christ's death and resurrection on the cross.  Satan is defeated.  Satan's defeat, does not mean that we will not have challenges, adversaries, or disasters as we live our Christian lives.  God's gift of rest will allow us to persevere, to go on, to get through the day.  God's gift of rest is, in a sense what we ask for in the Lord's Prayer when we ask God to "Give us this day, our daily bread."  Jill taught that the bread is the "stuff" that allows us to make it through the day.
We are truly asking God for grace sufficient to make it today.

God gives in abundance and we have read that God is faithful and just and will honor those who honor him, not just today, a day on which some claim is judgement day (I wonder how they know and Jesus does not know: Matthew 21:36-NIV, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.) but eternally!  You are, in baptism, sealed eternally with the Spirit.

In considering the definitions of rest, a gift from God, one might reflect on another gift from God through the Holy Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  Much rest, and a recharge to allow one to tell the story, can be found in spiritual gifts.

How do you rest?

Where do you find your rest?

How can others tell that God gives you rest?

Pray for those who are being tested by challenges, trials and by infirmities of the human body.

In Christ,

David P

Love! (May 20)

Take me away with you--let us hurry!  Let the king bring me into his chambers.  We rejoice and delight in you, we will priase your love more than wine.  How right they are to adore you!
                             Song of Songs 1:4 NIV

We read in the caption today that the Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon writing about the love between a bridegroom and his bride in his early adulthood and reign as king.

Reflect on the gift of human love from God.  Consider how much has been written about love; scriptural and secular; done and said about love and how misunderstood it is by many.  Love is such a deep concept and it has many attributes that are beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13 (pg 1515 in The One Year Chronological Bible. 

Now contrast our love of each other as a mere dim reflection of God's love for us.  He gave us His Son; who took us away with him, brought us into the kings chambers, and then we may appreciate God's love much more than fine wine. We are in fact blessed abundantly in any situation by His steadfast, just, and abounding grace on a moment by moment basis.

How do you show your appreciation for God's love?

What attributes do you see in Love?

Pray to reflect God's love to others.

In Christ,

David P

The Horns of the Altar

If you haven't figured it out by now, I tend toward the obscure and little-noticed in my posts, simply because I prefer to not explain the plainly obvious to people who know it as well (and probably better) than I do. Instead, I try to add information and explanation to those items that might confuse or are just unknown, which is why I'm writing about Joab grabbing the horns of the altar as described in today's reading.

As Solomon begins his reign, he does what every ruler in history does--consolidate power and dispatch enemies. We read how Solomon dealt with Abiathar the priest and Adonijah his older brother, and after he's handled them, he turns his attention to Joab, David's military commander. Winners write history, and losers become not only footnotes in history, but typically PART of it, usually sooner rather than later, and that is Solomon's intent as he sent Benaiah to handle the matter.

In 1 Kings 2:28, we read how Joab grabbed hold of the horns of the alter. Back in Exodus 27:2, we read about the horns, but we're only given the description, not the rationale. My NIV Study Bible suggests the horns were symbols of help and refuge and served as a safe haven for someone seeking justice. This is a parallel concept to the cities of refuge described in Numbers 35:6-8 which acted as a buffer to vigilante justice or rash and hasty reactions before guilt has been established. As such, Joab was seeking asylum as described in Exodus 21:13-14, verses which describe how to adjudicate instances of accidental death.

Unfortunately, Joab wasn't innocent at this time. Amongst David's last words to Solomon as recorded in 1 Kings 2:5-6 were instructions to deal forcefully with Joab, and clearly describes his guilt. So when Joab grabs the horns and asks for mercy, he's not entitled to it, and when he says to Benaiah, "No, I will die here," Solomon makes it so. As always, this may seem harsh, arbitrary and perhaps even unjustified, but consider fully what Joab had done--he had conspired with Adonijah to usurp the kingdom God had promised to Solomon. In other words, he had ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE, attempted to derail God's plans for his people. There is usually no upside to this type of behavior.

I try not to brag about my own work, but I've put the finishing touches on my notes for presenting this Sunday, and I think it's going to be pretty good. Actually, I think it's going to be outstanding, so if you think you won't be in attendance in class, I'm giving you a heads-up to possibly rethink that. I'll be discussing Solomon's Temple, and I hope you'll find it both enlightening and enjoyable, and, as I wrote at the beginning of this entry, I'll try to do it in a manner that expands and augments what we've read this week. I hope to see you there.

Scott

Ask for Wisdom (May 19)

God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.  And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."
                                               1 Kings 3:11-12 NIV

We are so abundantly blessed, we have much data and information available to us.  We read of Solomon's request to the Lord for knowledge and wisdom.  Data, information, knowledge and wisdom are varying levels or degrees of facts or ideas about a situation.

Data is "out there" and data may be relevant, irrelevant, and in fact, may not be available when needed.  Information is available, but it too may not be appropriate in every situation.  Knowledge and wisdom are germaine to a given situation and it is wisdom that allows us to make the best, most correct response when there is conflicting or imperfect data and/or information.

We will learn more about wisdom's attrbutes when we read the book of Proverbs later this month.

How do you discern wisdom in individuals?

What steps do you take in an attempt to gain wisdom?

Pray for wisdom.

In Christ,

David P  

"Show Me Your Ways"

I've mentioned before that if you ever find yourself stumbling in prayer, pick a psalm, almost ANY psalm, and you can simply use that as your prayer. Indeed, Psalm 25 is titled "Prayer for Guidance." Verses 4-5 state:

⁴ Show me your ways, LORD,
   teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long. 

If you think you need to pray non-stop for 30 minutes or something like that, I kindly suggest you take a good look at these words of David and see if anything is missing. Anything we'll ever need in this life is covered in these two verses.

Scott

Direction (May 18)

Today, several verses lept off of the page and caught my eye, these verses pointed me from the Garden of Eden ot  Golgatha.  I invite you to read on and decide if you agree or disagree...

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord.

For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenants known to them.

...and observe what the Lord your God requires:  Walk in his ways and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.

Is not my house right with God?  Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arraigned and secured in every part?  Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?
                                        From Psalm 25, 1 Kings 1  and
                                                  2 Samuel 23 NIV

The above verses in today's readings show us many attributes of God; forgiver, neighbor, confidant, law giver, and planner of salvation. 

One might see in this sequence of the above verses a progression from our fallen state, to our realization of God's power, to a closer understanding by His instruction of his nature, to obeying his nature and finally to salvation and abundance.

In a sense, these verses might portray man's journey from the fall in the Garden of Eden, through Israel and Moses' old covenant of the Law ending at the new covenant provided by Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection on Easter morning.  Jesus' work certainly did make a unilaterial everlasting covenant arranged and secured in every part.

How do you see our readings thus far pointing us to the cross?

How do you show your thankfulness for the gift of salvation?

Pray for those lost in darkness.

In Christ,

David P

"Everything Comes From You"

I will discuss this in great length both next Sunday and other times, so this is a heads-up to the four readers. The title comes from 1 Chronicles 29:14, which states:

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand."

Couple this with the letter the pastors sent this week and you'll get an excellent preview of the direction of my remarks on Sunday. If we acknowledge that everything is the Lord's and came from him, is it possible to give too much? 

In life, the answers aren't hard to determine, but implementing the answers is. We know what David said is true, but how do we translate those words into our lives and make it an integral part? The best way is in small, consistent steps. Consider the following example-what if I want to increase offerings at Trinity by $100,000 a year (actually, I'd like more, but this will illustrate my point nicely)? 

I could ask the congregation for $100,000 and see what happens. I don't want to sell anyone short, but I don't think we have any individuals who can increase their contributions by $100,000 a year consistently (keep in mind, I want this year to year, not just as a one-time gift), or even $10,000 or $5,000 a year. I'd be setting myself up for failure.

Or I could recognize that we have 500 giving units and ask them for $200 a year. I might get that, I might not, but I'd get some response, but I suspect it would be less than $100,000. Many people would tell me they couldn't give $200 at once, and who am I to argue?

Or I could ask for $5 a week more from the 500 giving units, which would be $2500 a week, or around $130,000 a year. I won't  speak for others, but I'd be hard-pressed to notice $5 a week. I will never ask someone for what they don't have, but all I'm trying to show is how small steps made by many people can turn into large results. David had large amounts of gold and silver that he gave to the temple, yet the people outgave David. There's always more with the masses than the few.

I'll save my concluding remarks until Sunday, but never underestimate the effects that small steps taken by many people can accomplish. Pray on it and see how you can become one of those small steps.

Scott