by Shelby Bland | Oct 19, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 7
This chapter of Proverbs is clearly addressed to a young man, but women, too, can glean truth from these verses. Wisdom takes many figurative forms in Proverbs, but this specific chapter paints wisdom as a protective shield against temptation.
The first five verses lay out a user guide—a battle plan of sorts—to wield wisdom against temptation. The son is told to treasure wise commands. The simple act of treasuring wisdom guards against seeing these commands as a restrictive set of rules, and allows them to be seen as a freeing guide to life.
“Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family. Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman, from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman” (2-5).
These verses emphasize the active nature of treasuring wisdom. We must set out to guard it, make outward reminders of it, and etch it deeply into our hearts so that it is a part of us, integrated into our very being. Likewise, making wisdom as close as a member of our family makes us even more loyal to it, protective of it, and it’s that much more endearing. This level of active, committed devotion to wisdom protects us from the deception of sinfulness.
The rest of the chapter tells the tale of a foolish young man who, instead of treasuring wisdom, wanders right into the most disastrous place possible—the house of an immoral woman. Instead of keeping wisdom close, he dwells close to temptation. Her adulterous bed made lavish, her pretty words spoken eloquently, the young man follows her and “like an ox going to the slaughter,” he walks into a situation that will “cost him his life.” This is a stark contrast with verse 2, which says that obeying wise commands leads to life.
The young man’s story is a direct parallel with Romans 1:25: “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself…” Passively regarding wisdom leads to neglect, which leads to trading God’s truths for the world’s lies. To live a life of wisdom, it must be actively treasured and etched into our hearts.
Photography: @phredman
by Shelby Bland | Oct 7, 2015 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3: 5-8
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”
In my bible, this section of scripture is titled, “Guidance for the Young.” Life is full of not-so-obvious “youngs.” Teenage years see us under the supervised boundaries of parents and other adults. The twenties have us continuously trying to find steady ground in school, finances, relationships, and living situations. In our thirties, we might start leading young families and find ourselves responsible for new little lives. Beyond that, we relinquish children to freedom, learn to be useful and content in an empty nest, and navigate the waters of aging bodies and figuring out where our old ideals fit into the rapidly changing world.
In all of these new transitions in life, we deceive ourselves if we think we automatically have all the wisdom possible simply because of our levels of experience. Just as a small child has few answers to a big world, we must again adopt the mind of a child and lean completely on God our Father to guide us. Jesus himself says that “Anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17. We must reenter that place of innocence, of total dependency, in order to relinquish control.
“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
The word “ways” comes from the Hebrew word that means “way, road, distance, journey, manner.” This means in your travelling, in your adventure, in your daily routine, in your attitude, in your actions, in every aspect of your life, submit to God. This is what it takes to see the path he has set before you made straight.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
This verse can be easily connected with Isaiah 55:9, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” The moment we begin relying on our own wisdom is when we begin settling for much less than is possible. Because God’s ways are infinitely higher than ours, his wisdom far surpasses our own. This leads to refreshment that revitalizes us to the core. Leaning not on ourselves, but on Him—that is when we will thrive.
Photography: @fordyates
by Shelby Bland | Sep 25, 2015 | James
James 5:1-6
A commonly heard cliché is “money is the root of all evil.” However, this is a misquotation of 1 Timothy 6:10 which actually says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” James 5:1-6 reveals the sorrows that come from a love of money. The gold and silver corrode, the fine clothes become moth-eaten, and their cries of anguish ring out.
So is James saying that all who are rich will perish? The answer is no. The aim of James is to lead first-century Christians away from hypocrisy and point them toward right Christian living. An example of this is when Jesus spoke with the rich young ruler. With an eager spirit, the wealthy man asked what good thing he could do to achieve eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, to which the ruler responded that he already does. One last thing Jesus asked of him: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21). This, the young man would not do, and walked away sad, retaining his wealth.
What we see Jesus doing is exactly the point of the book of James—marrying faith and works. Jesus’ command to the rich young ruler was aimed to reveal the man’s heart. The reason this man wouldn’t do the work of selling all of his things was because of his great love for material possessions over God. His lack of faith is revealed by his lack of deed. Further, this passage in James shows not only does the love of wealth show lack of faith, but it also can lead to taking advantage of and abusing others in the pursuit of more wealth.
Is it impossible to love God and remain wealthy? No. But the love Christians have for God must surpass the desire to accumulate wealth so much, that we are willing to give it up and share our resources for the Kingdom. We must keep a loose grip on the things of this world, and a cling tightly to Jesus’ commands.
Additional references for further study: Proverbs 11:4, 28; Matthew 6:19-24
Photography: @davidparks
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