by Maddie Watson | Oct 30, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 10: 5-6
In life, we go through different seasons, some of which are blooming and flourishing and full of life. However, other seasons are dry and painful, it seems as though all energy and soil is depleted of all ability to grow. In the seasons that are bright, joyful, and shiny, it is easy to sit back, relax, and enjoy the abundance of the moment. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 10:5-6 of the importance of continuing to seek and gather the harvest of God’s goodness.
5 A wise youth harvests in the summer, but the one who sleeps during the harvest is a disgrace.
Even when life is good and God’s blessings are overflowing, we still must be intentional in spending time with the Father, gathering wisdom and love for Him. In doing this, it enables us to be proactive for preparing for the inevitable storms of life. How much more prepared we would be if we gather knowledge of the Word to sustain us while things were abundant, rather than simply glancing at the Lord’s goodness and moving on. It will be very evident whether or not we have harvested in the prosperous time when the drier, less plentiful seasons come around.
Solomon warns us:
6 The godly are showered with blessings, the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
When we have prepared well in continuously maintaining a relationship with the Father, our lives- even in the midst of a storm- will overflow with blessing. While no, we cannot be entirely protected from the trials of life; we will more easily see the blessings when we have been trained in looking for them. In contrast, when we hit the spiritual dry spells, it is very evident when we have not been diligent in time with the Lord. Our hearts are hard and depleted because we have not been spending time with Him, harvesting His love and turning the soil of our heart, mind, and soul.
This passage is a reminder as well as a challenge to seek the Lord through all season of life. Through the excitement and abundance of summer, the vibrant and colorful fall which then begins to fade into the cold and bitter winter, and back around to the new life of spring.
In every season of life, we have a reason to praise and worship our Creator.
He is always near, always Perfect, and always Good.
Photography: @phredman
by Priscilla Bowin | Oct 28, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 10:3-4
Proverbs is full of verses comparing the good man with the wicked, the poor verses the rich.
3 The Lord will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.
In Psalms 37: 22-23 we read, “23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
A godly person is someone who trusts God, who respects God. Godly people still make mistakes and stumble in life, but they love God and God watches out for them.
Does this mean a godly person will never be persecuted or suffer hunger? No. Apostle Paul is a prime example of a godly man suffering for Christ. He was often physically in hunger and thirsty. But he knew God was with him. Paul says in Romans 8, “35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.”
4 Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
Here again is a comparison, poor verses rich. Being poor or impoverished is not evil, unless it is the product of laziness. Laziness is the person who chooses not to work or who works but “cuts corners” to make the easy buck. Whereas hard workers are careful and industrious, who take care to mind their business and do honest transactions.
We can apply this to our spiritual lives also. We can be spiritually impoverished if we are negligent with our walk with Christ. However, those who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, are likely to be rich in faith.
Photography: @carrlosluna
by Dan A Thomas Jr | Oct 28, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 9:13-18
13 The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
Admittedly, in our day and time this sounds like a sexist statement. To appear to characterize a woman as the embodiment of folly and clamor seems to be a bit chauvinistic, but remember that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 “concubines” – 1000 women in total and he is providing his personal observations, not about all women per se, but about the folly of foolishness that he experienced in some of his dealings with them. Although this is the case his wisdom is for women and men alike. Being loud and quick to speak does not reveal what you know, but actually produces the exact opposite – what you don’t know.
14 She sits in her doorway the heights overlooking the city. 15 She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business.
Folly calls out to us all to detour us and distract us from our destiny. Notice that it “calls out” to us. The question is what does it call out to? According to James 1:14 temptation comes from our own desires and folly attempts to target the fulfillment of any desire that is not in alignment with God’s will or timing. The best thing to do in this situation is keep minding your own business.
16 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says 17 “Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
Growing up I used to hear this phrase, “Forbidden fruit always tastes better.” Then my grandmother told me it also causes a stomachache. Folly and foolishness look like acceptable paths in life to those who do not possess the ability to make good decisions. Anything you have to obtain in secret (do in the dark) or manipulate to procure will always end turning sour. It’s the simple route for the simple.
18 But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.
The bible says that sin has pleasure for a season. No one would ever get caught up in anything if it wasn’t fun or enjoyable. But the fun and the joy don’t last. Not only does it not last it deceives. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief (the devil) comes only to kill, steal, and destroy.” The catch is that he never looks like a killer when he comes. He never looks like a thief when he comes and he certainly doesn’t look like a destroyer. He appears in a package that appeals to your desire, but it’s nothing but good ole okie-doke. Just mind your business.
Photography: @sheasalz
by Morgan Lunsford | Oct 27, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 10: 1-2
The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother. Proverbs10:1
This may seem like kind of a random thing for Solomon to point out. It almost seems too obvious. Of course, a child who is wise brings joy to a family, and a child who is not so wise brings grief. I think it is important not to overlook who the child is that Solomon is referring to. We are the children and God is the father. When we are wise with our choices and wise in the way that we live our lives, we are living in such a way that brings joy to our Father. When we choose to live in such way that is foolish or unwise, making decisions that dishonor God, we bring grief to our Father. In our Father’s grief, we should feel guilty. It should be the worst thing in the world to dishonor our Father. “It adds to the guilt of those that conduct themselves ill that thereby they grieve those whom they ought to be a joy to”
Tainted wealth has no lasting value, but right living can save your life. Proverbs10:2
“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing.” It does us no good to gain wealth that is not pure. What good is wealth if it separates us from God? If we desire wealth because we are greedy or envious, what good does that wealth do us? We should strive to live our lives right and fully surrendered to God and to his plan for us. God is so much more valuable to us than any material richness. Live your life in such a way that values God and who he is and he will bless you with all the wealth you could ever imagine. It may not be money or jewels, but it is and everlasting, never changing wealth that only he can give us.
“Proverbs 10 Commentary Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete).” Bible Study Tools. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
by Hannah Watson | Oct 26, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 9: 10-11
How often do we fear someone/something because of negative self-perception? –believing the lies of inadequacy, rejection, worthlessness, and so on and so on. Fearing circumstances, people, responses, and opinions, simply because we don’t know, or haven’t quite taken enough time to remember, our right standing before the Lord.
Loved. Accepted. Righteous. Enough.
When we remember love, and let it purify the lens of ourselves, fear is dismantled and cured. Jesus’ standard for us becomes ours; to be children of promise, loved and whole. As we’re journeying through the book of Proverbs and diving into what living alongside wisdom looks like, we see Solomon outline and personify wisdom in depth, to be a guide for believers in how to seek and operate within wisdom’s promise.
Proverbs 9:10-12 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you scoff, you alone will bear it.”
Why does Solomon choose the word fear, and why is fear the beginning of wisdom? It seems odd, because fear is something we fairly easily associate with the lies that can fuel negative self-perception. Solomon’s use of the word fear in verse 10 is not that kind of fear. It’s actually the opposite, because this fear requires us to remember love. This fear is reverence. It’s awe. It’s wonder. It’s thanksgiving. The fear of the Lord is remembering love and the mountains it moved to free us and position us in right standing before God, once more. It’s remembering the majesty God and the sacrifice made at the cross. It advocates and believes for a redeemed self-perception, not a negative one riddled with lies and whispers of the enemy. The fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy one are the beginning of wisdom. It’s the beginning of having love purify our lenses of Jesus and of ourselves.
I love how The Message puts 11 and 12, “It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.” Living within that fear, reverence, wonder, of the Lord and knowing his heart is where our life deepens and matures. If we give wisdom permission to fill our lives, she will. As we remember love as wisdom instructs, we’ll grow in our knowledge of the heart of God and our paths will be made straight.
Recent Comments