March 24th – Proverbs 24: RESCUE!

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” – Proverbs 24:11-12

The Bible is explicit in its instruction to those who have found the path of life. We’re not to selfishly enjoy our little party with Jesus keeping it only for us, our family and friends. We’re called to bring as many people to the river of life as possible during our time here on earth.

Many are, as this proverb states, “being led away to death” or “staggering towards slaughter”. They are being led to death by the raging rapids of this world with its perversion and lusts. They are tortured by spirits of torment, sickness and death. They are being led away to death by false teachers and false prophets that deny the most basic tenets of the faith, including eternal judgment and hell. They are being led away towards death by a secular humanism that has permeated our culture and even the church. They are staggering like a drunken man towards their own destruction. The pied piper is playing his fell tune and still asleep, they head towards certain damnation.

Most telling in the proverb is the uncovering of the classic excuse, “But we knew nothing about this!” Ignorance will be no excuse on the Day of Judgment, first for the person who has fallen into destruction and then secondly for the one who had the truth, but didn’t help his fellow man. Jesus’ idea of saving the world was to serve humanity with every breath, healing, delivering and teaching anyone and everyone that would listen. He then gave his life as a ransom for many, not so we could escape a similar fate, but rather to show us the way.

He then told us,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

Make no mistake about it, we WILL be judged (and rewarded) according to what we do here on the planet.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” – II Corinthians 5:10

I’ve made my decision. My family and I are giving ourselves to rescue as many people as possible from certain death and destruction, laying our lives down for our friends.

LIFE LESSON:
Be like Jesus, HELP OTHERS.

March 23rd – Proverbs 23: Don’t Envy Sinners

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.” – Proverbs 23:17

In our culture of misplaced values and celebrity worship, it can be quite easy to find yourselves doing exactly what this proverb warns us against. We’re cautioned to never envy, be zealous for or jealous towards sinners, but instead fear the Lord. Christians fall to this terrible deception and envy sinners when they lose an eternal perspective.

This life is but a vapor and a shadow, a rest stop on the way to our eternal destination. When the TV programs and media coverage show us the “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” they display the wealth, the riches and the preferential treatment that these sinners “winners” receive, putting a spotlight on and highlighting only the temporal and material wealth they possess. But there is more to life than the stuff we possess.

Jesus said,

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16:26

Our values have to match the Lord’s values. We have to place a premium on that which is eternal and not only on temporary things. When we do this, we are given an amazing capacity to look past things that are temporary into the heart of the matter. Sinners can rack up quite a collection of wealth, material possessions, power and influence here on the planet, but the acid test of a life well lived is NOT “How much did you acquire?” but rather “Will you hear "Well Done" at the judgment seat?”

Living in the Fear of the Lord is living life in the light of eternity. When you do that, it’s hard to be jealous of the man that will have NOTHING to show for his opulent lifestyle here on earth in eternity.

LIFE LESSON?
Don’t envy someone that will spend eternity in the lapping flames of hell.

March 22nd – Proverbs 22: The Hurt Rod

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” – Proverbs 22:15

I LOVE the Bible. It’s so practical and NOT Politically Correct. (While we’re talking about that, may I just say that political correctness is a DEMON!) The Word of God simply tells it like it is. No more, no less. The REALITY of the situation is that foolishness (folly, perversion) is held captive in the heart of little children. No one has to teach a child to be foolish. They are that way on their own. Anyone who believes in the inherent good of mankind has never had children. Pretty much before they can talk or barely even walk, they are capable of deception, lying and trickery. It’s absolutely amazing! With each of my kids I have watched in amazement as they naturally do foolish and unwise things that no one has taught them.

So kids are born that way; all of them. Deal with it. Move on. The antidote that the Word of God gives is simple, straightforward and to the point. Foolishness is in there and you have to beat them to make it come out! Not striking them in anger, but disciplining them in love. Not striking to hurt, but spanking to teach. Not randomly hitting them willy-nilly all over their bodies, but spanking them on the perfect little area God created for spankings, their butts! It’s like magic. Before the spanking they are angry, belligerent little devils, after the spanking they are humble little angels.

But these days it’s not very popular to spank or discipline your kids. Christian “leaders” call spanking “violence” and would encourage you to manipulate reason with your children to manage their behavior. But what they forget is that you might be able to coerce talk your children into doing the right thing, but until they are struck with that rod of discipline, the foolishness remains in their black little hearts. You have to forcibly eject the foolishness so the light of the Gospel can fill them.

If you don’t, you end up with what we have today; pretty people that are pretending to be Christians on the outside, but full of the devil on the inside.

LIFE LESSON?
Discipline is deliverance, not punishment.

March 21st – Proverbs 21: Why We Do Dumb Things

“Every man's way is right in his own eyes; But the LORD weighs the hearts.” - Proverbs 21:2

I used to really be perplexed and struggle over why people do such stupid things to wreck their lives. I would look for reason or logic that leads to such a bad decision. Then I read this Proverb and it all made sense.

People do things because they are convinced that it’s right… in their own eyes. This is why it’s unwise to only keep your own counsel and not seek out wisdom and advice from other people. That’s why we need to live our lives out in the open, not under a blanket, covered in darkness. We have an amazing capacity to deceive ourselves. Sometimes you need an outside source to hear your great plan, your “castle in the sky” only to shoot it down. Sometimes you NEED a little rain on your fell parade. We have this amazing ability to convince ourselves that the particular course we have chosen is correct, even when we know it’s wrong.

Being a pastor, I’ve had the opportunity to interview lots of people after they have made life altering bad choices. I’m talking about losing tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars on unwise purchases, gambling or bad business deals, cheating on their spouses, driving drunk and getting busted, etc. So far, EVERY SINGLE ONE of the people I have talked to KNEW that their actions were wrong; they just BELIEVED that it would work out or somehow they were justified in their actions. They had convinced themselves that it would be OK, in the end.

But here’s the kicker: we are not our own judge, God is. He ultimately determines what is right. He has told us through His word and He’s shown us with His example when He walked the earth. He sees deeper than our actions and looks at the motive and intent of our hearts. You can snow people forever, but the Lord knows what is motivating you. We can try and avoid Him or we can face Him and own the mess that is in our hearts. When we do, He reveals to us the true intent behind our actions and turns our heart towards Him.

LIFE LESSON:
Every dumb thing you ever did, you did because you thought it was the right course and failed to get God’s opinion on the matter.

March 18th – Proverbs 18: Foul Air

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” – Proverbs 18:2

Just in case there is any ambiguity to this verse (and there really isn’t), the literal translation of this scripture from the Hebrew goes a little something like this: “A foolish and unwise person is not inclined or predisposed to reason, discretion or understanding. Rather, the fool finds great joy in uncovering and exposing his thoughts, feelings and opinions.”

OUCH.

Wise people listen to and actually seek out understanding and wisdom. You can always spot a wise person; they are the ones asking questions. Only in asking a question can you get an answer. No one has ever learned anything by stating their opinion. Conversely, a foolish person leads every conversation by stating their opinion. They may try and appear like they are asking a question, but questions that lead with opinions aren’t really questions, are they? But this is where foolish people really get excited. They take GREAT delight in airing their opinions, thoughts and feelings. In their minds they are thinking that they want to help “people” by publishing their vast knowledge and wisdom. What they forget is that they brand themselves as fools by constantly revealing their thoughts, feelings and opinions.

Some time ago, I found myself in a lecture conversation with some VERY zealous young people. The conversation was far ranging and covered a wide range of important topics like marriage, evangelism and missions. The problem was that each topic began with an emphatic statement of their opinions concerning the issue discussed. Then, almost as an afterthought, they would look at others in the room and half-heartedly ask the question: “Isn’t that right?” In reality, most of their conclusions were completely insane. What they didn’t know is that I had personally experienced many of the things they were passionately theorizing about and could have really helped them avoid some major pitfalls. I had facts, experience and dare I say it, “wisdom” concerning the issues they were discussing. But they weren’t talking to understand, they were just taking turns sharing their opinions.

When they finally did get around to the "question", “What do you think?” I just smiled and nodded, keeping the answers they needed to myself. Why? You don’t throw pearls to pigs. (Matthew 7:6)

LIFE LESSON?
If you would take a breath while venting your foul air, you may discover that he answer to your problem is quietly sitting next to you on the couch.

March 17th – Proverbs 17: Level Headed

“A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” – Proverbs 17:27

The first thing that strikes me from this proverb is the statement that a man of knowledge will use words with restraint, or sparingly. Basically this is saying that people who talk LESS possess MORE knowledge. Holding your tongue and not necessarily saying everything you know is a sure sign that you possess knowledge and wisdom. The flip side is the fact that those who talk too much have less knowledge. Isn’t that funny? Many people try to impress you with their vast knowledge by TALKING your head off. But according to the Bible the way you prove you know nothing is to say EVERYTHING!

Secondly, this proverb tells us that possessing understanding has a direct effect on your temper. Flying off the handle and losing control of yourself is a sure sign that you LACK wisdom! Some angry people like to think that they are just high strung, Type-A go getters that sometimes lose their cool. Well, your friends or family may overlook it and your therapist may support your dysfunction to the tune of $300 an hour, but the BIBLE says that you simply lack wisdom. Wise people don’t lose their cool.

I am always aghast when I hear Christians claim character deficiencies as their personality. They OWN defects of their personality as if it what makes them. In fact, we should take our character defects and give them to the Lord, asking Him to change them. Being fearful, anxious or angry is NOT who God created you to be. It’s something that needs to be healed and corrected by the power of God!

LIFE LESSON?
People that know the most, say the least. Wisdom makes you reasonable.

March 16th – Proverbs 16: What's Better Than Gold?

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” – Proverbs 16:16

When Solomon, David’s son became King, he had a powerful encounter with the Lord. (II Chronicles 1:7) The Lord God appeared to Solomon as he slept and asked him a simple question: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon didn’t ask for great wealth. He didn’t ask for great power or the death of his many enemies. He asked for Wisdom. Why?

Solomon knew that wisdom and knowledge would cover every area of need in his vast Kingdom. He knew that when war needed to be waged against the enemy, wisdom would know what to do. He knew that if he was faced with a difficulty in ruling the people of God, wisdom would know what to do. God was pleased with Solomon’s answer. He was so pleased in fact that He gave Solomon everything he didn’t ask for! He had the wealth, he defeated the enemies and he had great power. The source of this power, wealth and victory was the wisdom from above.

Paul also prayed for wisdom:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” – Ephesians 1:17

His prayer for the church was that through the spirit of wisdom and revelation we may know Him (the Lord) better! Surprise Sithole told us: “Wisdom is knowing the solution before the problem happens”.

LIFE LESSON?
Many want wealth, many more want knowledge, but we NEED wisdom.