A proverb is a short, wise, easy-to-remember saying that calls us to action. It gives us practical advice for our everyday living. The book of Proverbs has a clear purpose and that is to impart to us wisdom for godly living. It teaches us the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom, and the benefits of wisdom.
Our actions speak louder than our words. If you learn God's ways, His morals, His values, and you learn to fear (revere) Him; you have begun your foundation for wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).
When others observe your actions, they will learn where your priorities lie. How you act and react to everyday situations reflects who you are from the inside out.
Wisdom in life is not just about knowing what to do, but actually applying it. Think of it this way, if you knew you shouldn't jump out of a plane without a parachute, but you did anyway. Where is the wisdom in that?
By learning God's word and applying it to your life; you gain much wisdom. When you allow yourself to revere God--to honor and respect Him, to live in awe of his power, and to obey His word, you are allowing others to see your dependence on God. By living out your wisdom, you are teaching others how to change their attitude, transform their minds, their heart, and their spirits.
Lady wisdom shouts out to us to "cry out for insight and understanding" (Proverbs 2:3). These are God's gift to us! However, they are only revealed in His Word and He only gives it to those who earnestly seek it. The path to wisdom is strenuous. It is a continuous and conscious choice and is discovered in our everyday decisions, attitudes, and actions. When we make it our purpose in life to truly seek wisdom, it will transform us from the inside out.
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he left Judea to travel north to Galilee where along the way He chose to go through Samaria. During those times many Jews despised speaking to Samaritan's (the mixed race) because they thought that the Jews who married these foreigners and created the Samaritans, by doing so had betrayed their people and Israelite nation.
"Eventually he [Jesus] came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink."(John 4:5-7) She was shocked that he spoke to her, given that she was a Samaritan woman and he was a Jew. She tells him "Why are you asking me for a drink?" He replied to her, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water. “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed? Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (v.10-13)
Jesus was speaking to her about feeding her soul with spiritual food and water. Just as our physical body needs food and water, so our souls need food and water. God's living and written word, the bible, can fill our BUCKETs and satisfy our thirsty souls.
Your actions or inactions answer for themselves; they allow others to see what wisdom you have gained in life. For through them, you are capable of changing, transforming, and inspiring those that surround you now and they allow you to have God's wisdom to inspire the generations to come.
As the Samaritan woman spoke with Jesus, she began to ask questions that would allow her to gain insight, understanding and eventually wisdom to apply to her life. We are nourished not only by what we receive from others, but also how we give to others.
What are you putting in your BUCKET? Others' BUCKETs? Wisdom or Folly? Transformation or Stagnation? Gratitude or Thanklessness? Glory or Depreciation? An unforgettable Legacy or one that never seem to exist? Allow God to guide your life and He will fill your bucket with things beyond your wildest dreams. Those things will also pour out to those that see your actions.
christslegacy.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Price
Over the past several months I have learned many great eye opening revelations about myself. Especially the ones that include my weaknesses. Some days I feel like Paul when he speaks in Romans 7 about his struggles with sin he says "I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate," he later goes on to say, " I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway."
Do you ever wonder why you feel that way? God has given us His word to guide us in the way we should go. He tells us what we should and should not do. His holy spirit convicts us when we are in situations that are against His will. Like Paul, we all have inward struggles of sin in our lives and the enemy is the master of tempting us to indulge in them.
It can be very difficult and trying at times do what is right and to stand for Christ and what He asks of us. Look at Peter, he denied Christ three times to try and avoid persecution, embarassment, and harassment from others. We have probably kept our mouth shut in situations where we should have said, "no this is wrong" and we probably have inflicted pain on others, intentionally or unintentionally by our actions or words. I know many of us don't always stand up for what is right in our work situations, we don't tell others about Christ because "we can't talk about church at work." We don't want to go against the popular opinion or what our culture says is "the thing to do."
When I talk about sinning it is typically because we hold other things (e.g. desires for lust, greed, material possessions, people, etc.) above Christ. We don't necessarily think of it in that way, but by giving into our own wants and desires we are essentially being selfish and doing what we want to do, rather than what we know we should do; we are denying God and His word. We gratify ourselves and give into worldly pleasures.
God's word calls us to be "obedient and to listen to his commands." It definitely isn't the easy way to live...always obeying His word. Like author Mary Kassian says, "The price of obedience is suffering and self denial. It's costly." Christ tells us ,“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)" He calls us to lie down our selfish desires and follow his ways.
Those words call us to very high standards that may very well cost us our friends, our jobs, our reputations, and maybe even our own lives. But the very price that we pay now, does not compare to the awesomeness and glory that we have in Christ.
The Lord says, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22)." Read, meditate, and memorize God's word so that you may help others deny themselves and know the true joy that they can experience in Christ by following His commands. God only wants what is best for His children; therefore, He gives us "rules" to abide by.
Do you ever wonder why you feel that way? God has given us His word to guide us in the way we should go. He tells us what we should and should not do. His holy spirit convicts us when we are in situations that are against His will. Like Paul, we all have inward struggles of sin in our lives and the enemy is the master of tempting us to indulge in them.
It can be very difficult and trying at times do what is right and to stand for Christ and what He asks of us. Look at Peter, he denied Christ three times to try and avoid persecution, embarassment, and harassment from others. We have probably kept our mouth shut in situations where we should have said, "no this is wrong" and we probably have inflicted pain on others, intentionally or unintentionally by our actions or words. I know many of us don't always stand up for what is right in our work situations, we don't tell others about Christ because "we can't talk about church at work." We don't want to go against the popular opinion or what our culture says is "the thing to do."
When I talk about sinning it is typically because we hold other things (e.g. desires for lust, greed, material possessions, people, etc.) above Christ. We don't necessarily think of it in that way, but by giving into our own wants and desires we are essentially being selfish and doing what we want to do, rather than what we know we should do; we are denying God and His word. We gratify ourselves and give into worldly pleasures.
God's word calls us to be "obedient and to listen to his commands." It definitely isn't the easy way to live...always obeying His word. Like author Mary Kassian says, "The price of obedience is suffering and self denial. It's costly." Christ tells us ,“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)" He calls us to lie down our selfish desires and follow his ways.
Those words call us to very high standards that may very well cost us our friends, our jobs, our reputations, and maybe even our own lives. But the very price that we pay now, does not compare to the awesomeness and glory that we have in Christ.
The Lord says, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22)." Read, meditate, and memorize God's word so that you may help others deny themselves and know the true joy that they can experience in Christ by following His commands. God only wants what is best for His children; therefore, He gives us "rules" to abide by.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The SECRET
This afternoon, after putting Katherine in "time-out," I asked her to explain to me why she there. After a few seconds of deliberation she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know." I then explained to her that I had given her a "time-out" consequence because she had disobeyed me (and yes...I do use the word disobey with my three-year old and she has definitely grown to understand the word quite well...LOL.). I then proceded to tell her "Katherine you need to obey mommy "first time, every time" and then you will not experience the consequences of disobedience.
It was at that moment that I felt God speak those very words to my heart. He said, listen to the words that you are speaking to your daughter, listen to the expectations that you have of her. I then asked myself, "do I follow these expectations when my heavenly father tells me to comply with them, "first time, every time?" Hmmm...I thought to myself.
"No" was the dreaded answer I heard in my head. I then thought what would my world look like if I did obey his every command..."first time, every time." I once read something that shocked me after I thought about it; it said, "delayed obedience, is disobedience." Wow, to me that was quite a powerful statement(given that I was once a terrible procrastinator...not that I have perfected it by any means, but I am much better), realizing that most of the time it wasn't until push came to shove that I would do things that needed to be finished way before I ever completed them. Many times my disobedience caused me problems in many areas of my life, i.e. school, finances, and even friendships.
As I read Paul's words in Philippians 2:13, "for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him," last night and again tonight it occurred to me that all I want for my daughter to do is desire to be obedient and do what pleases me; as my Father God wants just the same.
Being obedient isn't easy by any means, but when we truly want to be as Christ was to his father; then we must pray and ask our Daddy to help us in our struggles. He wants to come alongside of us and be with us. When we ask, he helps us to desire to obey him and then he gives us the power to do what he wants. The SECRET to a changed life is to submit to God's control and let Him work.
It has been amazing to me how once I surrended my procrastination and began to obey and obey...it was then that I gained God's desire to do what He wanted me to do. Allowing God to work in my life in that way has given me the freedom to be bold, courageous and outspoken in my faith. For I am not perfect, but I strive to live my life to think and be like Christ. "First time, every time" is the obedience that our Daddy wants from us.
We are not perfect (even though in some moments we wish we were), but we must repent and begin to ask our Daddy to help us in the areas that we are weak. As Him to help you to desire and give you the power to obey when He calls upon you.
Shine brightly in this world for Christ through your obedience. Maybe there are others that struggle in the same areas of weaknesses that you do; when you begin to ask the Lord for His desires for your life and you begin to have victory after victory after victory in those areas, it is then that you can encourage others that they too can have victory in their lives. Allow your SECRET to shine brightly, so they too can be another light in this world.
It was at that moment that I felt God speak those very words to my heart. He said, listen to the words that you are speaking to your daughter, listen to the expectations that you have of her. I then asked myself, "do I follow these expectations when my heavenly father tells me to comply with them, "first time, every time?" Hmmm...I thought to myself.
"No" was the dreaded answer I heard in my head. I then thought what would my world look like if I did obey his every command..."first time, every time." I once read something that shocked me after I thought about it; it said, "delayed obedience, is disobedience." Wow, to me that was quite a powerful statement(given that I was once a terrible procrastinator...not that I have perfected it by any means, but I am much better), realizing that most of the time it wasn't until push came to shove that I would do things that needed to be finished way before I ever completed them. Many times my disobedience caused me problems in many areas of my life, i.e. school, finances, and even friendships.
As I read Paul's words in Philippians 2:13, "for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him," last night and again tonight it occurred to me that all I want for my daughter to do is desire to be obedient and do what pleases me; as my Father God wants just the same.
Being obedient isn't easy by any means, but when we truly want to be as Christ was to his father; then we must pray and ask our Daddy to help us in our struggles. He wants to come alongside of us and be with us. When we ask, he helps us to desire to obey him and then he gives us the power to do what he wants. The SECRET to a changed life is to submit to God's control and let Him work.
It has been amazing to me how once I surrended my procrastination and began to obey and obey...it was then that I gained God's desire to do what He wanted me to do. Allowing God to work in my life in that way has given me the freedom to be bold, courageous and outspoken in my faith. For I am not perfect, but I strive to live my life to think and be like Christ. "First time, every time" is the obedience that our Daddy wants from us.
We are not perfect (even though in some moments we wish we were), but we must repent and begin to ask our Daddy to help us in the areas that we are weak. As Him to help you to desire and give you the power to obey when He calls upon you.
Shine brightly in this world for Christ through your obedience. Maybe there are others that struggle in the same areas of weaknesses that you do; when you begin to ask the Lord for His desires for your life and you begin to have victory after victory after victory in those areas, it is then that you can encourage others that they too can have victory in their lives. Allow your SECRET to shine brightly, so they too can be another light in this world.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Restoration
God sees your anguish; He hears your cries. He brings hope where there seems to be none. As David said in Psalm 38 "You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh...For I am waiting for you LORD, You must answer for me O Lord my God."
You may be as David was "on the verge of collapse" and "facing constant pain", but know that our God is a God of restoration. He promises us that He will restore us, but we must repent and obey. In Jeremiah 30, the Lord says "It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end, they will be saved!" Scripture says, "I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the LORD." He loves us so very much. He promises to "give rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing."
God restores our hurts. He heals our hearts, our bodies, and our souls, and brings us the greatest joy. He hears our prayers for they never come back void. Even though in our moments of sorrow and anguish it doesn't seem to be that way; He hears us as He heard David in his times of immense fear, pain, and anguish. He hears you; I know trust doesn't come easy. It wasn't easy for David to believe that He would one day become king, even after he was annointed; it wasn't easy for Moses to believe that he and his people would escape Egypt, even after God spoke to him from a burning bush; it definitely was easy for Daniel to be in the lion's den to trust that God would save him. As for many of us, life can seem like a dark tunnel leading to more darkness and we may not be able to see the light, but trust that God can fulfill his "impossible" promises. For what God has done for those before us, he can still do for us today!
Allow God's grace to embrace you today. Allow him to restore your heart, your body, and your mind. Trust in Him, no matter how difficult your cirumstance seems for the God of all creation loves you and when you turn to Him. He will embrace you, love on you, and overwhelm you with His supernatural grace and peace. Do as Mark 11:24 says, " I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours."
Encourage someone today with these words. It may be just the perfect words that they need to hear today. These words maybe the perfect words that you needed to hear. I pray that the Lord uses these words to encourage your heart in whatever situation you or your loved ones are facing. Know He hears your cries, your sighs, and your sorrows.
Thank you my Father for hearing our hearts and restoring back to us what you have promised. Allow us to receive your peace, your love, and your grace today. We love you Daddy. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
You may be as David was "on the verge of collapse" and "facing constant pain", but know that our God is a God of restoration. He promises us that He will restore us, but we must repent and obey. In Jeremiah 30, the Lord says "It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end, they will be saved!" Scripture says, "I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the LORD." He loves us so very much. He promises to "give rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing."
God restores our hurts. He heals our hearts, our bodies, and our souls, and brings us the greatest joy. He hears our prayers for they never come back void. Even though in our moments of sorrow and anguish it doesn't seem to be that way; He hears us as He heard David in his times of immense fear, pain, and anguish. He hears you; I know trust doesn't come easy. It wasn't easy for David to believe that He would one day become king, even after he was annointed; it wasn't easy for Moses to believe that he and his people would escape Egypt, even after God spoke to him from a burning bush; it definitely was easy for Daniel to be in the lion's den to trust that God would save him. As for many of us, life can seem like a dark tunnel leading to more darkness and we may not be able to see the light, but trust that God can fulfill his "impossible" promises. For what God has done for those before us, he can still do for us today!
Allow God's grace to embrace you today. Allow him to restore your heart, your body, and your mind. Trust in Him, no matter how difficult your cirumstance seems for the God of all creation loves you and when you turn to Him. He will embrace you, love on you, and overwhelm you with His supernatural grace and peace. Do as Mark 11:24 says, " I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours."
Encourage someone today with these words. It may be just the perfect words that they need to hear today. These words maybe the perfect words that you needed to hear. I pray that the Lord uses these words to encourage your heart in whatever situation you or your loved ones are facing. Know He hears your cries, your sighs, and your sorrows.
Thank you my Father for hearing our hearts and restoring back to us what you have promised. Allow us to receive your peace, your love, and your grace today. We love you Daddy. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
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