Category Archives: Christianity

June 7; The Meaningless Life

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I Kings 11; Ecclesiastes 1-2

As wise as Solomon was, he was a fool when it came to sin. Does anyone think sleeping with 1,000 women was smart? And just like God had warned, sleeping with the enemy led to bigger problems.

It’s a sad fact that this great king, so blessed by God, has this said about him at the end of his life:

So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely as David his father had done. (I Kings 11:6)

This man, who had everything you and I ever dreamed of having, and more, hated life. Everything, he concluded, is meaningless, like chasing after the wind.

Of course it is, Solomon. Life IS meaningless when you chase the wind. Whether you are pursuing happiness, knowledge, wealth, fame, self-fulfillment, or relationships, your pursuit is meaningless.  This life is a drop in the eternity bucket. And everything that drove you in this life will be gone.

The only thing eternal is God. The only thing that you’ll take with you when you die is your soul. The only worthwhile pursuit is Jesus. Life is only meaningless for those who are not in God’s family. The thing is, some people who are trying so hard don’t even know how meaningless are their efforts

But I will tell you with confidence, life is anything BUT meaningless. The pursuit of Jesus, of holiness, of fellowship with God makes this life beautiful and full. And this is only a glimpse at what is in store for us who know Jesus as our Savior.

Life doesn’t have to be meaningless. Jesus himself said this:

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10b)

Doesn’t sound like a meaningless life to me!

June 6; One Wealthy Dude

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Proverbs 31; I Kings 4:20-28, 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 1:14-17, 9:13-28

I imagine Solomon’s wealth might rival that of Jeff Bezos in today’s market. You read about the king’s use of gold, his articles of silver, the robes, weapons, spices, horses, etc. and know the man was loaded.

Yet Jesus, in Matthew 6 says not even Solomon in all his splendor had anything on the wildflowers in the field.

Really?

We seem to place a lot of emphasis on the material, don’t we? People like the founder of Amazon.com, who is said to be worth 150 billion dollars, are looked up to, considered successful. On the other hand, we look at people in line at the unemployment office as losers. But are we looking at the wrong things?

So many times we lose sleep over unpaid bills, where our next meal is coming from, or with a closet full of clothes, we lie awake and wonder what we should wear to work in the morning. Jesus reminds us that non-Christians do that, too.

Then Jesus encourages us to look around at this amazing world He created. If God dots the fields with colorful flowers, if He causes a tree to burst forth with beautiful flowers before it produces luscious fruit, if birds sing, and stars twinkle, and the ocean pulls back at the shore, how much more thought and care is He going to take on the only part of His creation created in His image? How much more is He going to provide for those who accept what Jesus died to give them?

Our Lord tells us to seek Him first. Take our focus off the temporal and look toward the eternal, His kingdom, and all the things we need will be given us. That’s His promise. Even more than we ask or think.

Oh, our bills might still be overdue, and our place in the unemployment line might be way at the back. But even if we had the riches of Solomon as described in the verses we read today, it could not surpass the riches of knowing Jesus.

Are you God’s child through the blood of His Son? Do you trust Him? Then quit worrying and keep your eyes on Him. God is not unaware of your circumstances, and He has a solution that will knock your socks off.

My friend who knows Jesus as your Savior: YOU are one wealthy dude.

 

June 5; It Might Be You

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Proverbs 28-30

Well, thinking about the government is exactly what I wanted to be thinking about first thing this morning. Ugh. I hate politics.

I hate the lies so many politicians present as fact. I hate more that so many people believe the lies without question. I hate the division politics has produced in our country.

So now you know what I think. What does God say about  politics?

28:2 – When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

28:4 – Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.

28:5 – Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

28:9 – If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable.

29:4 – By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

29:12 – If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

I just picked out a few of the things God has to say about rulers, about law… politics. I hope you’ll read it all and see if you don’t see us in there.

That’s why I want to encourage you to get involved. We need men and women who understand justice, who keep the law (of God and of the country), and most importantly, we need people who fear God.

We need Christians who will step up and, with God’s power, turn this country around. We are witnessing a push by Muslims to turn this country their way through our political system. We are witnessing people who want to throw out democracy and change our republic. We are watching our freedoms being hijacked, and citizens cheering on the hijackers. Does that concern you at all?

Do you feel the call of God to run for a political office? Do it! People all over this country are praying 2 Chronicles 7:13. But for God to answer that prayer, he is going to need His children to get busy, to get involved in the decision-making at local, state, and national levels. He needs someone who will hear the call and obey.

It just might be you.

June 4; Cutting Ties

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Provers 25-27

Solomon doesn’t have anything good to say about fools, lazy people, or troublemakers. In fact, he advises us to avoid them, not to get caught up in their drama, and certainly not to try to debate them into changing. In fact, sometimes old Solomon is pretty harsh when he talks about these folks.

But there is wisdom in what Solomon says. We can expend our energy, our resources, and our time on people who are toxic and who have no intention on changing. We end up enabling their poor attitudes and unhealthy lifestyles. Solomon warns us about the likelihood of their sin rubbing off on us.

That’s kind of contrary to the wisdom of the day. We’re told to be inclusive, tolerant, accepting, welcoming anyone and everyone into our lives, and in turn, our fellowships. Jesus, however, did say that if someone isn’t interested in hearing the Truth, walk away. Cut ties. Shake the dust off your feet and move on. Then, I believe He would tell us to pray for that person, and ask God to soften that hard heart and prepare that person to accept the Truth in the future.

What kind of people have you surrounded yourself with? Fools? Sluggards? Troublemakers? It might be time to be cutting some ties.

June 3; Train Up A Child

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Proverbs 22-24

We as Christians have a serious charge. We know the truth. We have had an encounter with the living Jesus. And we can know for sure that we will see Him face to face when this life is over. Life – eternal life – is ours.

However, we Christians also know that people without that encounter with Jesus have no hope. Their eternity promises to be more awful than any of us can imagine. Solomon tells us we need to rescue those being led away to death. (23:11)

In other words, share what you know. Introduce people to their only Savior. None of us can say we didn’t know the seriousness of their choice to reject God. The question is, what are we going to do about that knowledge?

Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. (22:6)

Our church is having Bible School this week. Starting today, about 80 kids will come and sing songs, play games, make crafts, and hear about Jesus. (and this from a church that has about 5 total kids who regularly attend Sunday School with us.) Will you pray with me?

We take this responsibility very seriously. There may be children who have never heard that Jesus died to save them from the penalty their sin deserves. There may be children who will make a decision this week to follow Jesus, or reject Him. We are praying that as we train up these kids in the truth of Scripture they will accept it, and cling to it the rest of their lives.

May Proverbs 22:6 be true for every boy and girls who hears the Word this week as we look at “The Incredible Race.”

June 2; Character

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Proverbs 19-21

Rich, poor. Honest, dishonest. Righteous, wicked. Humble, proud. Wise foolish. Lazy, industrious. God has a lot to say to us through Solomon about these characteristics. What we assume is success, or a good heart in someone, may only be a smokescreen for a sinful heart. And just because we see someone who seems to have it all together, it doesn’t mean that person isn’t going to face serious consequences for sin.

“All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2)  Only you know if you truly love and fear God, if you’ve given that heart to Him by repenting of sin and accepting what Jesus died to give you.

I hope your character is above reproach. More than that – I pray your heart is.

 

June 1; Who Are You?

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Proverbs 16-18

Solomon gives us a chance to do a spiritual exploratory surgery on ourselves. When you read these Proverbs, when you make each of them about you – what do you find? Who are you?

Proverbs 16 has us looking at our hearts, our motives, and attitudes. Are we committed to God, humble, loving and faithful, kind, honest, wise and discerning? Is what is in our hearts pure, so that what comes out of our mouths, and through our actions also pure?

Chapter 17 takes a closer look at our speech. Do we say wicked things? Do we lie, mock, gloat? Are we arrogant, gossips, quarreling people, perverse? Solomon says, “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” Have we learned that truth for ourselves?

Proverbs 18 explores humility. Solomon calls prideful people unfriendly, fools, wicked, foolish. “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.”

God, through Solomon, tells that what is in our hearts is revealed by what we say and do. If I am prideful, is my heart pure? If I use vulgar language, or gossip, is my heart pure? If there is any wicked way in me, can my heart be pure?

I’ve had several surgeries in my lifetime, and I know it’s not pleasant. It hurts. But sometimes you just have to find what is making you unhealthy, and cut it out.

I hope you’ll do some spiritual exploratory surgery today. Who are you?

 

May 31; Joy and Health

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Proverbs 14-15

My prayer for you today is Proverbs 15:30. May you have joy in your heart regardless of circumstances. May you be surrounded by people who love you and love the Lord. May their smiles put a smile on your face. And may you be encouraged and strengthened with the Good News that your sins are forgiven, that Jesus is your Savior, that God is your Father, and that His Spirit lives in you.

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

May 30; The Loving Kind Of Parenting

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Proverbs 11-13

I read an article posted by a former student who is now the director of a large pre-school. In the article, the author cited numerous studies that say bad behavior in a toddler is a cry for help, an unspoken emotional crisis that needs to be met with kindness, calmness, and gentleness. The author claims that studies prove that sitting the child down and speaking in a soft, mono-tone to explain which behaviors are acceptable, and why their behavior is harmful to them and others, results in behavior change. Reasoning with a toddler produces the desired behaviors, the author claims, even though that flies in the face of other studies that say humans are unable to reason until their brains are more highly developed than that of a three-year-old.

Isn’t what the author proposes kind of like teaching Algebra 2 to a child who can’t recognize the number “1” yet?

Once again, I ask who is the authority on which these opinions are based? Because THE AUTHORITY has a lot to say about rules, about right and wrong, and about discipline. Here are just some of what God said through Solomon:

He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored. (Proverbs 13:18)

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. (Proverbs 13:24)

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

Make no mistake about it, discipline according to Scripture involves a swat on the bottom. The Bible tells us that’s the loving kind of parenting.

May 29; The Wisdom Cycle

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Proverbs 8-10

Solomon seems to talk a lot about the relationship between wisdom and righteousness. First of all, he says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the love of the Lord. Not doing things for the Lord. Not a cleaned up life. And not the philosophy of today which tells us love of self is the beginning of wisdom.

Fear of God.

For those people who don’t know Him, that fear ought to look like the cowering, petrified, scared to death kind of fear that ends up in the attempt to escape Him. He is THAT God.

For those who recognize that, who realize the fearfulness of God, PLUS His great sacrificial love, their’s is a fear that looks more like obedience, respect, and awe. Now that’s the beginning of wisdom!

Solomon says that kind of wisdom leads to righteous living. Righteous living is blessed by God. One of those blessings is more wisdom which leads to more righteous living, then blessings, and wisdom, etc.

The “wisdom cycle.”

It’s the never ending cycle of the sanctified life, growing  in grace and knowledge of Jesus. It’s the yieldedness that produces a vital, productive life blessed by God, and used by Him to share the wisdom with others.

Do you fear God? You should. That fear should make you want to resist Satan in every way like I talked about yesterday. Living a righteous life is blessed by God, draws us closer to Him. Living a righteous life is wisdom – with benefits.

Jumping on the “wisdom cycle” is the wise thing to do.