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Trouble Trap

Ivey Rorie On October 25, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Proverb 21: 23 God’s Word

Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

What do we need to say about this verse? Most of us, when we think back on occasions where we have gotten ourselves in trouble, will acknowledge that it usually was from something we said. We are more likely to offend someone by what we say than any other way.

I think the secret to guarding one’s mouth is in getting some help. Psalm 141: 3 is just such an entreaty, “Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” In my case, it takes the power of the Almighty to keep my mouth out of trouble and even then, it can still be a challenge, but this is a worthy subject for prayer. If we don’t actively set that guard over our mouths and tongues, we are sure to stumble into trouble.

Able

Ivey Rorie On October 22, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Philippians 4: 13 Jubilee Bible

I can do all things.

You likely already know this verse and what a bunch of good news it is! There is more to this verse than meets the eye. Let’s see how it fits in the context of other verses.

In contrast to today’s verse, we find Jesus declaring in John 5: 19 he could do nothing. Where does Paul get off saying, “I can do all things,” when Jesus said he could do nothing? Of all the people in history, Jesus is the one person I believe could do anything. It leaves me thinking, “If Jesus could do nothing, where does that leave me?” How can I do all things if Jesus could do nothing? It gets worse. In John 15: 5 Jesus answers that question saying, “You can do nothing.”

That is pretty discouraging, but light begins to peek through in Proverb 10: 22 where we find that “It is the blessing that makes a person rich, and hard work adds nothing to it.” According to this proverb it is not by my labor and strength that success comes. The blessing creates success. However, many other proverbs warn about the fate of the sluggard. A good example is Proverb 21: 25, “The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.” So, on the one hand we are taught that success is not the product of our hands or even of hard work. Then, the very same author warns us not to be sluggards, but instead put our hand to the plow, as it were.

Is God schizophrenic? Does the Bible set up a dichotomy telling us one thing and then the opposite? Is the Bible intentionally confusing, cloaking its truths in mystery? Is success the product of my labor or of the divine?

As with so many topics, understanding is more clearly gained when the Bible is taken in its entirety rather than one verse standing alone. The answer to this question is in Deuteronomy 28 where we are promised that God will bless everything we set our hand to (Deuteronomy 28: 12). I am also reminded of the 23rd Psalm where we find the good shepherd who leads us in the right paths. We don’t have to find our own way. He guides us.

The way to success, in any endeavor, is through partnership with the divine. The rest of the statement from John 15: 5 is “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Paul’s statement is incomplete too. He said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul would be the first person to say he could do nothing apart from Christ. However, he understood that when he partnered with the divine, allowing Jesus to guide him and the Holy Spirit to empower him, truly nothing was impossible to him. Our labor guided by the hand of God and mixed with the blessing of the Almighty is the formula for success. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing but with him, we are well able to do all things!

Green Pastures

Ivey Rorie On October 21, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Luke 6: 38

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

If you read yesterday’s Word of the Day, you know that Jesus gives us commands and expects them to be obeyed. You will also remember, though, that he gives them in order to guide us on good paths for our own wellbeing. Today’s verse is an excellent example that very thing.

The first word of today’s verse is the command. Give. Jesus could have stopped right there. He instructs us to give. There is a promise attached to this command, but we should understand first that it is a mandate. It is not a suggestion; it is the Word of the Lord. Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6: 46), so let us not delude ourselves into thinking this is a mere inspiration. James said we should prove ourselves doers of the Word (James 1: 22). This is the doing. Give!

Jesus is not, however, an overbearing task master. He does not stand over us with whip in hand barking out orders. He is the good shepherd leading us to the still waters and green pastures (Psalm 23). We must follow Him, submit to his direction and guidance if we wish to lie down in those green pastures. In today’s verse the green pasture is people giving to you in such volume that you cannot contain it. It is running over. Now, the path to that green pasture, the path Jesus is trying to guide us onto is giving.

How fast do you want you receive your overflow? Jesus said you are the master of the measure. If you give with a teacup, your return will be measured in teacups. If you give by the gallon, your return comes by the gallon. The measure you use will be the measure of the return. Overflow comes faster if you use a gallon jug. The more you give the greater the return.

It’s still a command that we give, and that should stand alone, but Jesus commanded it because he is trying to get blessing to you, and he understands how his Father’s kingdom works. Give and you shall receive, good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The commandments and the blessing are tied together. Follow the instructions of your Lord and be blessed.

Lordship

Ivey Rorie On October 20, 2021 / Word of the Day / 1 Comment

Luke 6: 46

“Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Do you remember that Jesus’ brother, James wrote to us, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves” (James 1: 22). We see today from where he got that idea. When you read these words from Jesus, does it sound a bit harsh? Perhaps it is a bit easier on us when we picture him in a crowd speaking to others. At the end of the day, though, we must ask ourselves the same question. Are we living our own expectations?

This sixth chapter of Luke is very instructive, but there is something else here worth noting because it shows the nature of Jesus’ Father. Although all of Jesus’ teaching is commandment simply because he is the Lord, he attaches promises to them. Not only are these commands paired with promises, but Jesus explains why God gives us the direction He does. In all cases, it is for our betterment. God’s nature is love and so love is guiding us to a better way.

I think of it this way. You may tell your small child, “Don’t touch the burner on the stove!” Is it a command? Of course it is, but it is given to protect, not deprive. That is the way of our Father. Look at verses 47 and 48, “Everyone . . . hears My words and acts on them, . . . he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Jesus doesn’t demand you obey him because he is an egomaniac who wants subservient followers. He requires compliance because he protects us with his words. Acting on Jesus’ words builds a strong foundation for our lives, and that strong foundation can weather the storms of life.

The fact that Jesus said to do something ought to be enough for any of us because he is Lord. However, we now know the command is for our protection and the improvement of our lives. Perhaps that increases the understanding of our relationship with the Father and encourages us to do as we are taught, even if we do not always understand.

What was Once Golden

Ivey Rorie On October 19, 2021 / Word of the Day / 2 Comments

Luke 6: 31

Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is the way many of us learned this adage. We were taught it is the “Golden Rule.” Perhaps many of you have also taught it to your children and grandchildren. I am thinking of it today in conjunction with “The One Commandment.” Both were spoken by the same teacher. I think of it too in light of James telling us to be doers of the Word, not mere hearers.

The Golden Rule is the fulfilment of the One Commandment to love one another as Jesus loved us. In a very practical sense, the Golden Rule is the extension of the One Commandment. When we put love at the forefront of our lives, we treat people well. One might say, Love requires us to treat others at least as well as we would have them treat us.

These are such simple lessons. They make perfect sense and are easy to teach others. The hard part is in remembering these lessons in everyday life. It is so easy to get caught up in our heads and thoughts that we forget to apply life principles. We are too busy “thinking” and orating that we forget to search our hearts and listen to the voice and teachings of our Lord. It is not that we intentionally minimize Jesus’ principles. We just fail to intentionally apply them. We are so busy in thoughts and philosophical ruminations that we don’t remember to check in with our Lord. We don’t ask him what the guiding principle is in a given situation.

We can think ourselves into a black hole. God has not taught us to be reasoning beings. We are to be believers and not of any philosophy or doctrine but of Jesus alone. We are supposed to follow him and his teachings. That means following the Golden Rule and the One Commandment. They should overshadow our thoughts and philosophies. It sounded so simple when we were children being taught this rule. It made perfect sense. Why now, as adults, do we find it challenging? Have we gotten too smart for our own good? Do we follow our reasoning instead of following Christ?

In these days which are increasingly complicated, the best advice we may hear is to go back to our roots in faith and lean, not on our own understanding and wisdom (Proverb 3: 5), but on that of the Lord; to follow in childlike fashion the words of Jesus. Most of us would relish some simplicity in life right now so here is my contribution to that end, follow the teachings of your youth in simple faith and trust. Call upon God to be the wisdom of your life and to provide answers. Be childlike in your following of the Lord. Let the Golden Rule guide your words and deeds. Keep it simple. Love others as Jesus has loved you. Treat them as Jesus has treated you. Give as Jesus has given. Now, doesn’t that uncomplicate things a little?

Living Lamp

Ivey Rorie On October 18, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Proverb 20: 27 TPT

The spirit God breathed into man is like a living lamp, a shining light, searching into the inner most chamber of our being.

There is so much in this little verse I hardly know where to begin, but let us begin with breath.

The beginning of this verse is the Genesis story of the creation of humans. God breathed life into us. He breathed a bit of Himself into us and we came into being as spirit beings. There is much to be appreciated in a discussion about God and breath as well. You can search the Word of the Day online at Ivey Ministries for some insightful ideas. Here is one titled Creative Breath which will get you started.

The spiritual breath is only the beginning to understanding this verse. It is the foundation, but I want to move on to the idea of the lamp. When we understand that the spirit of a person began with the Spirit of God layers of revelation unfold before us. Of course, the spirit is like a lamp or a shining light. I cannot separate in my own mind the spirit of the person from the Spirit of God. Going forward from that premise, I am reminded that Jesus is the light (John 8: 12). The light shines bringing everything into the light, even the darkest recesses of our being.

I am amused at myself often. One of the humorous bits is that in my past I thought I could hide something from God. He inhabits my innermost being and illuminates every space. Darkness cannot survive where there is God. We try to keep God out of some of the sensitive spots, rooms where we tend to leave the light off. These are usually rooms where we house our hurt and/or our insecurities. The really funny thing is that when we expose them to God, He isn’t surprised. This great revelation is anything but for Him. Second, it is in the invitation for God to enter these forsaken chambers that healing occurs. In truth, it is from ourselves we attempt to hide the truth. We cannot hide from Yahweh because He is that shining lamp within us. When we finally stop running, we can, ourselves, take a deep breath of healing.

Some people may find the thought that God illuminates every chamber of our being uncomfortable. I find it comforting, but I didn’t always. Now knowing that He is occupying even the spaces I may not be ready to confront reassures me that I am fully in His hands. His intimate knowledge of all of me allows Him to lead me in ways that I may not understand but which are for my ultimate good. There is nothing I can hide from the Father and that is okay because He even takes my ugliness and turns it to good. So, let the light shine!

Doing Christianity

Ivey Rorie On October 15, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

James 1: 22

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.

You might like The Passion Translation of this verse, “Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception.” You should read the NIV version too. They are all getting to the same point but by a little different route. Jesus’ brother shows us that Christianity means discipleship of Christ. In being disciples of Christ, we do what he did and follow his ways. Surely a key part of that is in doing the Word.

I think if I moved to another state it would be Missouri, The Show Me State. I love their slogan. Perhaps I live in that state of mind now. I think about our Christian practice and think it should be less about telling people about Christ and Christianity and a whole lot more about showing them. Hopefully, when we live our Christianity, it opens up doors for us to tell people about the goodness of God and his son.

James said we are deceiving ourselves when we call ourselves Christians but don’t do what the Word says. For example, we saw last week a proverb that told us not to lie. So, that one is pretty easy. When we “do” the Word, we become truth tellers. We install that verse into the mechanics of our lives. How about another example? Matthew 5: 15 – 16, “Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.” This one seems pretty simple too but the point we might miss is that we are to do good unto others. In other words, Jesus is not leading us to showing off or bragging because he explicitly told us not to practice our righteousness in the sight of others in order to be noticed by them (Matthew 6: 1). Instead, let our light, the light of Christ, shine by showing the kindness of Jesus and Yahweh to others. One more? “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on (Matthew 6: 25). Don’t worry! When you practice Christianity, you must divorce yourself from worry and fear. These are an insult to God who is our provider and strong fortress. Jesus wants us to put our faith in our Father and not worry nor fret.

I could go on and on. Many verses are direct, explicit instruction. Others may need more meditation to discern how they should affect your life. Each Word of the Day is an invitation to see what God is saying to you. You can ask yourself, how should this change my life?

The bottom line is that as Christians we should demonstrate the meaning of Christianity. What are disciples of Christ? People ought to be able to look at our lives and see Jesus. Of course, the number one principle Jesus taught us is that in showing love, we prove ourselves to be disciples of Christ.

Let your light shine for all the world to see. Help others to light their candles. Let us stand up and be counted as followers of Jesus, the Christ, who gave his life that none should perish.

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