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 Priscilla Bowin | Oct 15, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 5:1-14
We all have seen the warning labels on items not good for human consumption. WARNING!! CAUTION! HAZARDOUS to your health! It usually is followed by ways to treat someone if they have been exposed to that poison or chemical.
In Proverbs, Solomon is the voice of wisdom, the warning voice. Teaching and instructing in order to spare the listener pain and even possibly death. Today as we read the warnings that Solomon wrote we MUST pay attention.
1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. 2 Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
LISTEN carefully! Pay attention! Here comes a warning. . .
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
Proverbs includes many warnings against prostitutes and sexual sin. It is an example of being charmed to do wrong or being led away from God’s wisdom. Sexual immorality destroys what God has deemed to be right and good. It destroys families, it degrades human beings, it causes some to lose the ability to love. Most importantly it comes between us and our relationship with God.
Solomon continues to plead with young men:
7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: 8 Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! 9 If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
One of the saddest scriptures in this portion of Proverbs is vs. 13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
Brothers and sisters, listen, be on guard! Prepare yourself for temptation long before temptation comes.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
Photography: @mattglenn
by Priscilla Bowin | Oct 2, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 1:8-19
LISTEN!
Have you ever had someone, a father, mother, or pastor, come to you, in love, with a warning or concern, trying to speak truth into your life? How did you react? Did you listen and turn from what you were doing? Or, were you filled with your own wisdom to the point of not being able to hear, being defensive, stubborn?
It takes a humble heart to heed instruction, to listen. I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Learn by others mistakes.” It is a father or mother saying, “Child, don’t go down that path it only leads to destruction, I know, because I have been there.” Or maybe it’s a friend saying, “Don’t buckle under to that peer pressure, it’s not worth it, it will only bring pain.” We must LISTEN to the wise and take action.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are enticed by sin, turn your back on it! Do not keep company with sinners. (Prov. 1:10) Stay far away from their paths. (Prov. 1:15) These are clear instructions. Turn around! Do not even consider their paths! Stay away! In James 4:7 we read, “Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
WALK WITH GOD!
As we walk in the fear and knowledge of the Lord, we will humble ourselves to listen to instruction from those around us. We will be able to run from sin and from Satan’s darts. As we press into God, Satan must flee! Don’t be a fool, walk with the wise!
by Priscilla Bowin | Sep 20, 2015 | James
James 4:1-3
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? James talks about this in the previous chapter, the wisdom from earth, which is unspiritual and demonic. “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” (James 4:2) You want what you do not have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have.
Jealousy and hatred towards others is what prevents us from drawing close to God. Let’s be honest, if we even try to talk to God when we are in that state of mind, we find ourselves asking for our own wants, things that only bring us pleasure. Or, our approach to God is ceremonial, just scripted words rather than heart felt communication with Him. Perfect words offered up without much feeling, instead of saying what we really feel. We treat God politely as a stranger instead of confiding in Him our secrets. He is far away.
So how do we draw close to God? James says, “Come close to God, and He will come close to you.” He loves us so much that He wants us to seek a personal relationship with Him. Through prayer, confessing our sin to Him and turning from our selfish sinful ways. Sin is what robs us from prayer, from closeness to God. Confessed sin draws us back to our Maker. We read in Luke, where Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” God also wants us to align our will with His. As we align, our wills to His, we will not have room for envy and strife. But we will be filled with the wisdom from above, the wisdom that is peace loving, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others, drawing us close to God!
by Priscilla Bowin | Sep 9, 2015 | James
James 2: 8-13
In our culture today, much of what we hear or see screams favoritism, partiality or judgement calls. We can find ourselves getting caught up in the frenzy of the latest news clip, social media post, or even at times church drama, falling into the trap of favoritism and partiality. We begin to judge others without mercy. Little word bubbles floating over our heads with thoughts like, “My favorite pastor is not speaking today, I think I’ll stay home,” “I can only worship with that other worship group,” “Look at the way he is dressed, he must be poor,” “Look at that homeless guy, what a loser!” You get the idea. We most likely all have had these types of thoughts at different times in our lives. So we ask, “What is so bad about showing partiality?”
Well in James we read what God says about favoritism, “But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.” Because His royal law is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Great King is love; He “is no respecter of persons.” So for us to show partiality is at a variance against God and His royal law, a law of love and liberty.
Mercy triumphs over judgement! We need to receive God’s mercy to the extent that we can demonstrate it to those around us: the less privileged, the stranger, the friend that “unfriended” you. God will show mercy to those that show mercy to others.
May today be a day we let mercy triumph in our lives, a day that we obey the royal law, “Love your neighbor as yourself!”
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