Hovering Near

On October 8, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 55:6

Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

This is one of my favorite verses. It is very present tense. What I like is not only the bit about seeking God. That is great stuff, of course. What draws me to this verse is that God is near. That shouts at me and just makes me happy.

I have encouraged, begged, pleaded and cajoled this congregation of believers to continually seek God and, further, to seek Him with all your heart. Today is a nurturing reminder that God is hanging around wanting to be engaged. He is like the friend who is awaiting a phone call from you. He is the Father who longs to help you but knows He cannot intervene unless invited. It sounds like a Hallmark movie, the best friend or parent kept on the sidelines of our lives awaiting the call to enter the game. Just call, just seek Me and I will immediately spring into action.

There is also a moment of trepidation in reading this verse though. There is a hint that if we do not seek Him while He is near, we may not find Him. That is a very uncomfortable thought for me, but it motivates me, not out of fear but out of a sense of urgency. I know our Father will never abandon us, but it is best to form firm bonds with Him now, while He is hovering near so that in the day of great need, He is as close as a breath.

I guess the moral of this story is seek the Lord today. I dare you to write that down on your to do list for today.

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Wise Counsel

On October 7, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 12: 15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

First things first; you need to see this verse in some other translations.

God’s Word: A stubborn fool considers his own way the right one, but a person who listens to advice is wise.

Living Bible: A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others.

Passion Translation: A fool is in love with his own opinion, but wisdom means being teachable.

Does this remind you of anyone? I remember someone said to me one time, “I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t right.” Wow! Can you say, “Fool!” Hopefully this person has grown since then and now appreciates how we are all learning and growing. Well, I hope we are learning and growing.

Does the different rendering of this verse make the meaning ultra-clear? Does it alarm you at all? It does me because I wonder if I think I have all the answers or whether I am willing to receive advice. I can tell you this, after reading this verse I am determined to listen more.

Bottom line – the wise person seeks counsel and listens to counsel. So, who wishes to be wise?

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It’s Midnight

On October 6, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 119: 62             (NLV)

At midnight I rise to thank you.

My Bible doesn’t record who wrote this psalm, but I have to guess it was David and for the purpose of this discussion, let us presume it was. The question that came to me is how and why David was awake at midnight. He didn’t set a clock. The rooster wasn’t crowing. So, did he just awaken and then because he was awake his mind turned to God?

Do you ever have trouble sleeping? Well, take some guidance from this psalm. When you awaken, pray. Literally take time to thank God. Perhaps you awaken several times in the night? Imagine if you only prayed a few minutes each time. Would it have an effect on your life? I think it would make an excellent experiment. Try it and let me know how it impacts your life and even your sleep.

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Blessing or Labor

On October 5, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 10: 4

Poor is one who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

What about this? I wrote you recently that it was the blessing of the Lord which makes rich (Proverb 10: 22). So, which is it, the blessing or the work of your hand which makes rich?

I heard an expression years ago that stuck with me, “God can’t steer a parked car.” The message was that we are to begin moving and then He will direct us. In recent years you have actually heard me teach this under the moniker, “Partnership.” Therein lies your answer.

Deuteronomy 28: 12 reads, “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless every work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.” This chapter is about the blessing and you can surely see it in this passage. If you look closely, though, you will also see our part in the partnership. Let me rephrase this combining the verses from Proverbs and Deuteronomy. It is the blessing of the Lord which makes rich as God blesses the work of our hands. We must set our hands to something. Second, we must do so in the name of the Lord, committing our work to Him.  Third, we must allow Him to steer us. The outcome is blessing. If we will allow the Father to be our partner in everything we do, He will anoint and bless the work of our hands. He will show us the way to go.

Neither looking to the might of our hand nor sitting around waiting for God to do something will result in the success we desire. It is the combination of allowing God to direct us and then putting our hand to the plow which yields results. God is waiting to bless you, but you must pull away from the curb and then let Him navigate. It is the combination of our joint labors that wins the day.

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Say What?

On October 4, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 18: 20 – 21          Tree of Life Version

From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled – with the harvest of his lips he is satisfied. Death and life are in the control of the tongue. Those who indulge in it will eat its fruit.

Of all the challenging things we are instructed about, bridling our mouths is the most difficult. It is also extremely important. Not only are life and death hanging in the balance, but our provision is constantly affected by the things we say.

To be fair, there is some debate regarding the importance of our words. Some believe that words only have power when they are charged by belief. I completely agree that the synergy between your heart and mind is as an amplifier. However, this passage does not equivocate nor make exception so while I agree about the heart/mind connection, I would warn about taking this verse lightly. I believe it means what it says, and that Solomon knew of what he wrote. Take it at face value and make your language comport to your desires.

One of the reasons I believe this is so important is that your mind hears the stupid things your mouth says. Your mind does not distinguish between careless foolishness and intelligent affirmation. It believes everything you say. If you say your toe hurts long enough you may begin to believe it. If you consistently confess something about yourself, whether or not it is a factual statement, it may become true because you will convince your heart of its veracity.

Second, what you say other people have a right and propensity to believe. If you put yourself down, whether a person agrees intellectually, they are likely to be influenced by those ideas. You are going to make it true by repeating it.

Third, there is an entire spiritual realm that none of us fully understands. In that realm, God spoke and created. We do understand that right now, even though we are seated on earth, we are also connected with the spiritual realm. It is a part of life on earth. It is the Kingdom. Jesus taught us that one of the ways to interact in the Kingdom is through our words (Mark 11: 24 – 25). When you read that passage you will find that what you believe when you speak is important, vitally important, but he said to speak to the mountain, and it would move. He was showing us the power of our words.

I am not trying to argue with anyone about the importance of belief. We are looking for truth. There is no value in being right, only in God’s truth. I am, however, trying to get us to take seriously the things we say. Saying that you are “scared to death” certainly has no positive value. Right? You can argue it won’t kill you, but I will argue it does not add anything positive to your life. Further, it just makes sense to me that a person wouldn’t speak death over their life or body.

Words are power vessels. Use them with wisdom and discretion. Anything else would seem foolish.

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Alone . . . Not!

On October 1, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 16: 32

Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

This conversation takes place just a short while before Jesus is betrayed into the hands of the priests. Jesus told his followers what was to come. He was fully aware of just how alone He was to be very shortly. No one, not even Peter or John, would stand with Him. Peter denied Him three times in fact. Jesus knew that He was going to be left all alone before it happened and yet He had a revelation of never being alone. His Father, and ours, was with Him and He was confident in that.

All that Jesus ever had He bequeathed to us. Actually, he said that it was to our advantage that He leave so that we could have even more than was available at that time because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out (John 16:7). He took everything that was bad with him and left all that was good from Him. He gave us all he had. You, therefore, can have the same confidence of never being alone that Jesus had. Jesus’ mission on the earth was one of reconciliation. He reconciled us back to the Father so that we could enjoy the close, meaningful relationship with the Father that was always the Father’s intention. You never have to be alone again, and you never will be. Do not mind your feelings, i.e. feeling alone. The feelings are false, and the fact is that the Father will never leave you nor forsake you. Jesus bore that burden for us. No matter how desperately alone you feel, understand that you are never alone. Know it with the same confidence that Jesus knew. Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are with you to the end of the age.

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Page Two

On September 30, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 14: 7

Leave the presence of a fool, or you will not discern words of knowledge.

I borrow today from Paul Harvey who used the expression “Page Two” to denote the other side, or the conclusion of a story. Today I want to use that model to reveal another key element towards guarding yourself.

As I wrote yesterday it is quite easy to confuse foolishness with faith. How are you to choose right path? Well, we know the first step is always to inquire of the Lord. The reality, I find, is that we choose to listen to men rather than to God. Frankly, it is easier to hear the voice of a person than to hear the voice of God. Listening to God requires some quiet and some patience. Hearing humans requires only that you stop moving for a moment. Everyone has something to say and they will gladly burden you with their brilliance. The key, though, is don’t listen to fools. The verse is more specific than that, however. It says, “Leave the presence of a fool.” Other versions say, “Stay away from a fool.” This is strong language. I suspect Solomon wrote in this declaratory style to prevent any confusion or misreadings.

How do you know a fool? This can be very challenging because they come in sheep’s clothing. Many are even well intentioned. They are just foolish. They rely on their own wisdom. That is a key sign. They believe themselves to be smarter than experts. I knew someone who always acted and spoke like he knew more and better than lawyers. He knew more than ministers and he knew more than doctors. In fact, I don’t know that he thought anyone was better informed than he despite the disparity in education and experience. He is probably the biggest fool I have ever known.

Here is another test, look at the fruit on their tree. Pay less heed to what people say and more to what they do. I don’t mean do they sit on a pew on Sunday. Whoa but that is a bad test. Look at the fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5: 22). If a person is not demonstrating or growing in these characteristics, then not only should you not listen to a single word they have to say but you should “leave the presence of a fool.” I have one other test I use which is imbedded in all of the fruit above. I look at a person’s generosity. If they are not givers, then I know they are not intertwined with Jesus. God so loved that He gave. Love causes one to give. If one is a taker and not a giver, then that is a significant character defect and an absolute clue as to their foolishness.

Last, what do you do when you think the fool is a minister? This is hard and it has absolutely challenged people in the last two years. We have had ministers of the gospel saying the craziest things! Alright, let me see if I can help with this. The first thing I have noticed is that they often quote odd sources. I have listened to them quoting crackpot doctors or even non-medical personnel about medical issues. That is a clear sign. Second, look for love. If there is anger and rancor it could be because they too are frustrated, but here is what I know beyond doubt. When I become frustrated and angry to the point that it begins to show it is a clear indication that I have not been spending enough time with my Father. Next, does this person’s speech tend to edify or tear down? God’s Word teaches us to only speak that which edifies others. Now, I know it has been a tough two years on everyone and I have not always maintained my composure either, but we must be wary of these foolish people even if they are ministers.

I hope this helps you. I know you have been challenged and haven’t known in whom you could trust. Follow me as I follow Christ but only as I follow Christ. That’s a recharacterization of something Paul said. First, follow our Lord and our God. Second, if you are going to listen to the voices of humans, I strongly advise that you make sure first that they are listening to God. These truly are perilous times and the advice of a fool can kill you. Solomon knew how dangerous foolishness was and how hazardous the presence of a fool can be. That has not changed. So, judge wisely.

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