Proverbs 3:11-12
Thoughts for the Day
If we want to become wise, we must receive God's corrections (or as the above scripture says, "the Lord's chastening") in our lives. In fact, we should pray for correction, so that we might remain on the right path, because if we go astray we can be destroyed. Notice verse 12 says that God corrects His children as an earthly father would correct his children. We know that any good father does not injure his children when correcting them. When he spanks or punishes his children, it is for the purpose of teaching or correcting them, so that they learn proper behavior to avoid trouble and pain.
The main thing we need to understand about God is that He does not send evil things to punish us. How does God teach us? God teaches us by giving us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and His book, the Bible, as our study guide. Just as children go to school to learn, they must study to pass their tests. If all a child does, is just listen to his teachers (allowing it to go in one ear and out the other); and refuses to study, he will fail his tests and could even fail to pass on to the next level of learning. He must apply what he hears to be successful. In like manner, if we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and we study the Bible and apply it to our lives, we will be able to pass the tests (trials) of this life. However, if we are rebellious or ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, we will suffer many things that God never intended for us to suffer.
When we are faced with a trial, test or trouble, we must never blame God for it; but rather turn to Him and praise Him for being there to help us through the problem. Praise God, that we can call on Him to show us the way to overcome our trouble and grow in God in the process. Now we should not praise Him for the trouble, as He did not send it; however, we should praise Him for loving us and being there to help us in the midst of our problems. Remember He loves us and delights Himself in us!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
OBEDIENCE
Proverbs 3:5-10
Thoughts for the Day
5-8 These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances. In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.
9-10 In these verses we find another wonderful promise of God. This one has to do with material blessings. We are told here that if we honor God with our material belongings and put Him first, we will be blessed with plenty. When we study the Bible we find the Word of God addresses the people of that day and their culture. Since many were farmers or herders, many of the parables or admonitions would be shared in a way that they could identify with their surroundings or occupations. In these verses, the firstfruits represented their first harvest of crops; or the first lambs of their herds; or the first fruits from their orchards. Many had grape orchards and when their fruits were gathered they brought them to the grape presses which extracted the juice for wine. Since they did not have refrigeration, their grape juice did not take long to become wine.
If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will always have the desire to give because it is the nature of God to give. Greed and stinginess are from Satan. If we are truly committed to God, giving will not be a burden, but rather a joy. God is calling us to be committed to the point where if He told us to leave all and follow Him, we would not hesitate. We find a rich man in the Bible that could not make this commitment, and he ultimately missed God's blessings for his life (Luke 18:18-25). Let us be faithful in the area of giving and we shall never lack in the things we really need as that is God's promise to us. Our barns will be filled with plenty.
Thoughts for the Day
5-8 These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances. In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.
9-10 In these verses we find another wonderful promise of God. This one has to do with material blessings. We are told here that if we honor God with our material belongings and put Him first, we will be blessed with plenty. When we study the Bible we find the Word of God addresses the people of that day and their culture. Since many were farmers or herders, many of the parables or admonitions would be shared in a way that they could identify with their surroundings or occupations. In these verses, the firstfruits represented their first harvest of crops; or the first lambs of their herds; or the first fruits from their orchards. Many had grape orchards and when their fruits were gathered they brought them to the grape presses which extracted the juice for wine. Since they did not have refrigeration, their grape juice did not take long to become wine.
If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will always have the desire to give because it is the nature of God to give. Greed and stinginess are from Satan. If we are truly committed to God, giving will not be a burden, but rather a joy. God is calling us to be committed to the point where if He told us to leave all and follow Him, we would not hesitate. We find a rich man in the Bible that could not make this commitment, and he ultimately missed God's blessings for his life (Luke 18:18-25). Let us be faithful in the area of giving and we shall never lack in the things we really need as that is God's promise to us. Our barns will be filled with plenty.
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