common sense

Courtesy and Common Sense

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.

5 “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.

6 “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. 7 You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.

8 “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.

9 “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited, the crop that you have sown and the yield of the vineyard. 10 You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. 11 You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.

12 “You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” – Deuteronomy 22:1-12 ESV

Let’s face it. These are some strange-sounding commands that appear to have little or nothing in common. They come across as a set of random rules dealing with a set of seemingly disconnected circumstances. After all, what does returning your brother’s lost ox have to do with building a parapet on your roof? And what do the verses which seem to be addressing cross-dressing have to do with the proper procedure for gathering eggs?

As Moses has revealed before, God was deeply concerned about all aspects of His chosen peoples’ lives. He has provided the Israelites with little leeway. And while many of these commands begin with the familiar phrase, “you shall not…,” they come across less as hard-and-fast prohibitions forbidding certain behaviors than they do as common-sense advice for living. And while, at first glance, they may appear to be somewhat heterogeneous in nature, they share a common theme.

Life within the nation of Israel was to be communal. God had declared the entire nation to be His chosen people. Each of the 12 tribes with each of their various clans formed a collective whole. And within that community, God expected His people to live together in unity, expressing their love for Him through acts of compassion and concern for one another.

Earlier on in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses gave the people of Israel the following command, which became the central part of the Shema, the daily prayer of the Jewish people.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV

Love for God was a central tenet to the Hebrew faith. But that love had to have an outlet. It had to be expressed in acts of obedience. And many of the commands God gave to the people of Israel were other-oriented. In other words, they dealt with the interpersonal relationships between fellow Jews. The way they treated one another would be a powerful and visible expression of their love for God.

That is why, when Jesus was asked by the Jewish religious leaders to name the greatest of all the commandments, He stated: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NLT). But then, He quickly added, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:39 NLT). Then Jesus summed up His answer with the following point of clarification: “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40 NLT).

It is impossible to love God without expressing love for others. And the apostle John makes that distinction quite plain.

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? – 1 John 4:20 NLT

That simple, yet profound message seems to be at the core of all the commands found in this section of Deuteronomy. For the most part, they are all horizontal and interpersonal in nature – they flow from one individual to another. And yet, they are concrete expressions of love for God. They display concern for His creation, whether it’s your brother who lost his ox, the ox itself, a bird in its nest, a guest in your home, or the animals used to plow your fields.

Verses 1-4 seem to be dealing with issues concerning common courtesy. If your neighbor has lost his ox, you should show concern. This is nothing more than the Golden Rule lived out in real life. Jesus Himself expressed this sentiment when He said, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NLT).

The Mosaic law put a high priority on the personal interactions between fellow Jews. In fact, Leviticus 19:18 contains the following command: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” That’s fairly straightforward and, apparently, not up for debate. To show disregard for your neighbor by neglecting to return his lost ox would be a blatant display of hatred toward God. That’s a convicting and condemning thought.

Even the verses dealing with women and men wearing the clothing of the opposite sex seem to be dealing with interpersonal relationships. It most likely has to do with deception. While there is an obvious moral component to these verses, the context has to do with love for one another. A woman dressing in the clothes of a man would have no implications unless her actions were meant to deceive others. She would be attempting to portray herself as something other than what she really was. And the same would be true of a man who dressed as a woman. For either to do so would be considered an abomination, a disgusting and immoral act. But again, the emphasis in the verses seems to be on the interpersonal relationships between individuals.

The inference seems to be that a woman who dresses as a man is trying to deceive others. She would be attempting to cover up her true, God-given identity, with a false one. And the same would apply to a man who dressed in a woman’s clothing.

Verses 6-7 veer in what appears to be a totally different direction, dealing with the collection of eggs found in a nest. This seems to deal with the proper treatment of God’s creation. God made man to be the steward over His creation.

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:28 ESV

The plants, birds, and animals were to serve as sources of sustenance for mankind, but they were to be treated with proper care and concern. Man was not free to abuse God’s creation. So, if someone discovered a bird’s nest containing eggs or recently hatched chicks, they were free to take the eggs or chicks, but they were not to take the hen. This would allow the hen to produce future eggs. Proper care for God’s creation would have long-term benefits. “Do this so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life” (Deuteronomy 22:7 NLT).

The building of a parapet or safety wall around the roof of a home was just another common-sense practice that expressed concern for others. While it might require added construction expense, it would be the right thing to do. If it could prevent the inadvertent death of an innocent individual, any additional cost in money or time would be well worth it. What price can you put on a human life?

In verses 9-11, we have a series of commands prohibiting the mixing of seeds, animals, and fabrics. Again, at first blush, these rules seem odd and unnecessary to us. But they display God’s concern for every aspect of Israelite life. While these restrictions may come across as petty to us, there was a method to God’s seeming madness. All of these things are tied to the pagan practices of the Canaanites. So, while these restrictions have practical applications tied to them, they are really designed to separate the Israelites from the nations around them. The blending of two types of seeds was a common practice among the pagans, because they believed doing would have a mystical benefit to crop production. The combining of dissimilar things was thought to have magical benefits. But God would not allow the Israelites to do things the world’s way. And from a practical standpoint, the combining of these things was ineffective and unhelpful. An ox and donkey will not plow well together. Two different types of cloths will not wear well together. Two different types of seeds will produce a less-than-perfect harvest. So, the Israelites were to do things God’s way.

The final command contains a reminder, not a prohibition. This verse sums up all that Moses had just told them by reminding the Israelites to live their lives set apart unto God.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God.” – Numbers 15:37-40 NLT

Every area of their lives was to be different and distinct. From the way they treated one another to the way they interacted with God’s creation. As His chosen people, they were to live distinctively different lives – for their own good and His glory.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Proverbs 26e

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

No Honor For Fools.

“Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.” – Proverbs 26:1 NLT

Why would you praise someone who is essentially worthless and unworthy? Why in the world would you elevate to high position someone who has shown themselves incapable of making wise decisions and using sound judgment? According the the NET Study Bible, “‘Honor’ in this passage probably means respect, external recognition of worth, accolades, advancement to high position, etc.” It seems ludicrous that anyone would want to bestow honor on someone who is undeserving, but the truth is, we do it all the time. A few areas in our society where it is rampant are professional sports, politics and entertainment. Every day we see young men being honored, praised and rewarded for their athletic prowess, while they live like fools. They are children in the bodies of grown men. They lack discernment, common sense, understanding and wisdom. They live as if they are invincible and spend their money like it is inexhaustible. We cringe at their antics and demand that they be role models for our children, but they lack the capacity. We cheer them, pay good money to watch them, and pin our sports hopes on them. Then we are shocked and disappointed when we read of their latest escapades. How about politics? As a society, we regularly elevate men and women to high positions who, while perhaps better educated, are just as foolish and lacking in wisdom as any professional athlete. Some of these career politicians have perfected the art of lying and, while elected as representatives of the people, have become much more concerned about their own well-being than the needs and wants of their constituents. They are self-aggrandizing, power-hungry fools who have no desire to rule according to God’s terms and in keeping with His commands. Yet we regularly re-elect them and give them another chance to prove their foolishness.

And then there is the entertainment world, filled with countless individuals who model the life of foolishness, living in a fantasy world filled with money, power, and popularity. Their lives are followed faithfully by adoring fans who watch their every move and listen to every word that comes out of their mouths, as if they were oracles spouting wisdom directly from the throne of God. Yet their lives are marked by lack of self-control, poor decision making, promiscuity, selfishness and self-centeredness, broken relationships, financial mismanagement, emotional instability and more. And yet, we honor and esteem them. We hold them up as icons of virtue and wisdom. We listen intently as they share their opinions on everything from gun control to world peace. They are rich and influential, but they lack wisdom, common sense, and discernment. And yet, we honor them.

But Solomon warns us, “Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot” (Proverbs 26:8 NLT). What a vivid picture. Imagine the stupidity of tying a stone to a slingshot and expecting anything useful to happen as a result. It would be idiotic. And that’s exactly his point. When we honor those who are undeserving of honor, we are making a mockery of not only honor, but of the value of wisdom. The entire Book of Proverbs is filled with admonitions and reminders about the value of wisdom and it’s non-negotiable role in our lives. It is the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of this world. It is understanding, insight, discipline, discernment, common sense and wise living right from the throne of God Himself. Those who reject it are not to be honored and esteemed. They are not to be given places of responsibility and power. We shouldn’t elect fools or employ them. “An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random” (Proverbs 26:10 NLT). Fools are a menace to society. They are a danger to themselves and dishonoring to God. We are not to honor them, esteem them, elevate them, or to desire to be like them. Wisdom is God’s measuring stick. It is His standard of judgment. And it should be ours.

Father, forgive us for honoring fools in our lives. We make a mockery of wisdom every time we do. Give us the determination to live wisely and to look for others who do the same. Help us raise the standard and expect more from those who lead us. May we be a wise people who value wise living. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 7d

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Prone To Wander.

“Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path.” – Proverbs 7:25 NET

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Those are the lyrics from one of my favorite old hymns and they go well with today’s topic. Prone to wander. That’s a big problem for all of us as Christians today. We have happy feet. We just can’t stand still. Constantly on the move, because we grow quickly dissatisfied and discontent, we find ourselves prone to leave the God we say we love. We stray off the path and start to pursue other temptations, other delights that promise us more and offer to satisfy our passion for pleasure. This proverb is a warning from a father to his son regarding the danger of sexual promiscuity and immorality. It was a problem then, and it remains a problem today. And the enemy knows that we still can’t seem to control our most basic urges and animal instincts. We are far too often driven by the desires of the flesh. If not for sex, then for some other sensual pleasure, whether for food, a good buzz, a momentary thrill, sleep, entertainment, or our insatiable need for acceptance.

It’s interesting that the young men in this proverb are described as naive. They are lacking in common sense and good judgment. They are in the wrong spot at the wrong time. They have put themselves at risk by being where they had no business being. They’re in the wrong neighborhood and after dark. Not a good combination. Spotting her prey, the immoral woman approaches one of them and begins to ply her craft. She is “seductively dressed and sly or heart.” She’s a pro. In her day, before she went professional, she was “the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home” (Proverbs 7:11 NLT). On other words, she was a wanderer as well. Now she plies the young man with all kinds of tempting tools of the trade, appealing to his sensual side. She applies false flattery and butters him up with offers of sensual pleasures and forbidden fruit. And before he knows it, he’s hooked, like a striped bass to a lure.

And it all began with a simple step off the path. He wandered away from the truth. He took a dangerous detour and it led to a dead end. But isn’t that always the way sin works. The problem is that it almost always begins with a wandering heart. We find ourselves somehow dissatisfied with life as it is. Unhappy or discontented with our lot in life, we begin to look around. We get off the path. It could be as simple as surfing the Internet while in a state of boredom or mild depression. Or what about channel surfing late at night while everyone else is in bed. Your guard is down. Your sensual side is on high alert. Your body tells you it needs more. It is unhappy and dissatisfied. Pretty soon, you find yourself somewhere you don’t need to be – off the path and in for an attack from the enemy. And he will use all the subtle, seductive and yet sinister resources at his disposal to lure you in and trap you.

So what are we to do? Simple. Don’t wander. Recognize the fact that you are prone to wander and ask God to bind your heart to Him. You see, it’s always a heart issue. It’s about love and misplaced affections. When we begin to fall out of love for God or doubt His love for us, we wander. We start to look for love in other places and from other people. And we all do it. We turn on the TV to anesthetize and numb us, or simply take our mind off our problems by distracting us for a few minutes. Some feel unloved or unwanted, so they turn to the false allure of pornography or sex outside of marriage. Some attempt to shop their way to satisfaction and happiness, or they work themselves to death in an effort to feel a sense of worth and accomplishment. But in the end, all these things turn out to be wrong turns that lead to dead ends and disappointment. Don’t let your hearts stray. Don’t wander. Let the goodness of God bind your wandering heart to Him.

Father, I am prone to wander. I tend to forget all that You have done and are doing in my life and begin to think that something is missing. Then I begin to look elsewhere for something or someone to provide what I think I need to have. But You are all I need. You are sufficient. Bind my heart to You, Father. Continually remind me of just how much You love me. Keep me from wandering off the path and away from Your love. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 2d

/ kdmiller55 / 2 Comments

An Inside Job.

“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.” – Proverbs 2:10 NLT

Imagine being able to make wise decisions without having to stop and think about it. Consider what it would be like to avoid wrong choices or costly moral mistakes, because you instinctively knew what to do and did it without hesitation. Take a minute to think what your life would be like if you always knew what was the right, just and fair thing to do. What if you always knew the right path to take in life? That is exactly what God offers those who learn to fear Him and who pursue an intimate relationship with Him. He promises to put His wisdom in their hearts, providing them with a capacity and capability to live wisely and godly in the midst of a fallen world. Rather than His wisdom being some outside commodity that we have to consult and search for every step along the way, He wants to make His wisdom resident within us. He wants to provide us with the capacity to choose wisely, act justly, behave righteously, think purely and live godly. And the more we fear Him and grow in our knowledge of Him, the more we will recognize the wisdom of God motivating and guiding our lives on a daily basis.

God is out to change our hearts, not just modify our behavior. Christianity is not some list of rules or standards for us to attempt to keep. It is about the Spirit of God coming to reside within the hearts of men, providing them with the power to live in a way that honors God and goes against their own sinful predispositions. As a result of the fall and the presence of our sin natures, all men lack wisdom within. They may have intelligence, but they are devoid of godly wisdom and lack the capacity to make wise decisions. But God offers to change all that. He has provided a way in which men can exchange their foolishness for wisdom. As a result of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, men can now receive the Spirit of God and the capacity to live lives that are pleasing to God. Not based on human effort, but on the very power of God living within the human heart. This is an inside job. God renews us from the inside out. He places within us the power to live wisely and righteously. He changes our desires. He alters our motivations. He refocuses our values and provides us with new incentives. He plants within us a desire for His will in place of our own. His Spirit opens up the Scriptures to us in ways we never understood before and gives us the capacity to live out the tenets of the faith in a strength we never had before. We find ourselves becoming wiser and wiser, capable of understanding what is right, just and fair. We instinctively know the right way to go, the right path to take. God’s wisdom is resident within us, guiding and protecting us along the way. And the result is a joy and confidence we never had before. Our hearts have been changed and our lives will never be the same.

Father, thank You that You are out to change my heart, not just require me to alter my behavior. Help me to understand that it has to start from the inside and work its way out. I need Your wisdom to know how to act, what to say, how to behave. I need Your power to live the life You’ve called me to live. But I need my heart continually transformed so that I can love what You love and see life the way You see life. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 18c

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Heart Smart.

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” – Proverbs 18:15 ESV

We’ve all heard of hearth healthy living, but what about heart smart? The Book of Proverbs puts a lot of emphasis on the heart. In fact, in chapter four we’re warned, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). In the Hebrew way of thinking, the heart is the central part of our very being. It is the core of our existence. It refers to our inner man, and includes our mind, will, heart, and understanding. It encompasses our moral character and is the seat of our appetites, emotions and passions. So the heart is a huge part of who we are. Which is why Solomon warns us to guard it. And the prophet Jeremiah warns us that “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT) That word, “deceitful” can mean twisted, sly, slippery and insidious. It is NOT to be trusted. Left to its own devices, the human heart is a dangerous thing. Unless it has been “educated” by God. Which is why Solomon also encourages us to make the acquisition of God’s wisdom our highest priority. We’re to search for it like silver. We’re to cry out for it, tune our ears to it, and concentrate on getting it. But when we get the wisdom of God, He doesn’t place it in our heads. No, God puts it in our hearts – in our inner man. “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy, wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe” (Proverbs 2:10-11 NLT). God places His wisdom inside us. He makes our deceitful hearts trustworthy and true. He equips us with the tools we need to make wise choices, to “understand what is right, just and fair” (Proverbs 2:9 NLT). We “will find the right way to go” (Proverbs 2:9b NLT). God makes our hearts wise. And wise hearts are extremely beneficial and helpful. “The wise in heart accept commands” (Proverbs 10:8a NIV). “The one who is wise in heart is called discerning” (Proverbs 16:21a NIV). A child with a wise heart will cause his parents to rejoice (Proverbs 23:15). A heart with a high God-IQ will guard us, guide us, and has the capacity to save us from making wrong choices and will keep us on the path that God has for us. And when we’re heart smart, we’re always willing to learn. We crave knowledge about who God is and who we are. We love to learn about our faults and gain insights into our deficiencies. Knowledge of our sins allows us to acknowledge them to God. We’re able to stay confessed up and enjoy complete forgiveness from God. The smart heart is a listening, learning heart. It depends on God as its source of wisdom, and relies on Him to equip us with knowledge and understanding of His ways. We gain common sense and learn how to apply the truth of God to the realities of life. The smart heart is malleable and in a constant state of transformation at the hands of God.

“In Proverbs, wise people guard their hearts, not only keeping harmful influences out but, more important, by putting wise teaching in and keeping them there.” – Paul E. Koptak, The NIV Application Commentary, Proverbs

“He that has true wisdom in the inward part; who knows his heart and the haughtiness of it; who has the fear of God in it, which is the beginning of wisdom; who is wise unto salvation…who has not head knowledge and wisdom only, but heart knowledge and wisdom, and behave wisely in his life and conversation,…such a man is called, reckoned, accounted, and spoken well of, as a prudent man among all wise and knowing persons.” – Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

 

Father, I want to be wise of heart, not just wise of head. I want Your wisdom to permeate my entire being so that I live according to Your standards and in keeping with Your will at all times. I want to be educated of heart so that I know what is right, just and fair; and inherently know the right way to go. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 8b

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Danger of Simplicity.

“You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding.” – Proverbs 8:5 NLT

Simple Simon met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
Let me taste your ware.
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
Show me first your penny;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
Indeed I have not any.
Simple Simon went a-fishing,
For to catch a whale;
All the water he had got,
Was in his mother’s pail.
Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.

Kids are simple. Their thinking is simple. The world in which they live is simple – at least from their perspective. They are simple creatures driven by very simplistic emotions and urges. A hungry child knows no better than to want to eat. A sad child cries. A happy child laughs. They are inherently trusting of just about everyone, to a fault. If given the right motivation, like candy or the promise of a toy, they will follow a stranger – gladly, willingly, confidently. Children lack discernment and good judgment. They are pleasantly open-minded and easily deceived. But the sad thing is that many adults have these same child-like characteristics. They never grow out of their innocence and simplistic way of thinking. Forty year olds can be just as guilty as four-year olds of being naive, simpleminded and lacking in good judgment.

Then there’s the fool, who is slightly different than the simple person. He’s actually another form of fool, a more advanced version you might say. The Hebrew word is kecîyl and it refers to a sensual fool, that individual who is driven by his passions. Like a child, he tends to focus on whatever brings him immediate gratification. He glories in that of which he should be ashamed. He’s learned to justify his actions and defend his choices as right. This is no longer a case of simple thinking, but willful disobedience. He rejects the instruction and discipline of parents and all other authorities in his life. So Solomon pleads with this person, “Show some understanding!” Live your life like you know better. Have some common sense.

But here’s the problem for both the simpleminded and the fool. They both lack the ability to show good judgment or display understanding. They don’t have it within them to do what they need to do. They are deficient. They are operating at a disadvantage. Which is exactly why God offers His help. He says, “My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge. Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold” (Proverbs 8:8-10 NLT). God offers them both wisdom, good judgment, knowledge, discernment, and common sense. In other words, He offers them exactly what they need. He says, “Whoever fins me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:35-36 NLT). This is serious business. Simplicity in a child is expected. But we also expect them to grow out of it. Continued simplicity in an adult can be deadly. A life devoid of good judgment and understanding is ultimately a dangerous one. It will not end well. A life marked by foolishness, driven by immediate gratification and sensual pleasures is one that lacks a clear understanding of what we were made for and where true joy comes from. That person will never find fulfillment and lasting joy. But when we turn to God, we find all that we need. We discover an endless source of wisdom, good judgment, knowledge, discernment, common sense, insight and understanding. We find what it means to walk in righteousness and justice. making good choices, living lives that are honoring to God and a source of blessing to our fellow man. But it all begins with acknowledgment of our insufficiencies and inadequacies. We have to admit our simplicity and confess our foolishness. We have to recognize our need for God, humbly coming to Him for His assistance. When we do, we will find life and favor. It’s as simple as that.

Father, continue to open my eyes to the simplicity in my life and the foolish behavior that threatens to destroy me if I leave it unchecked. I need You more and more each day. I want to grow in my recognition of that need as I see the characteristics of simplicity and foolishness in my own life. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 3c

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Fantastic Four.

“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! … don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them.” – Proverbs 3:3, 21 NLT

From reading the Proverbs we know that wisdom is beyond value. It is priceless. It is more profitable than silver and pay better dividends than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies and there is nothing in the world you could pursue that can even remotely compare. But Solomon gives us a few other “treasures” worth getting our hands on. But these commodities tend to get overlooked and undervalued. They seem cheap and pedestrian, common place and easy to come by. But like wisdom, they are actually in short supply. The first is loyalty and the second is kindness. The Hebrew words are checed and emeth, and while they are two separate words, in the Hebrew language they form one idea or concept. They could actually be translated “faithful covenant love” or “loyal [covenant] love and faithfulness.” The word “faithful” acts as an adjective helping to describe the kind of covenant love we are to exhibit. It is to be faithful, consistent, loyal, steadfast, unchanging, reliable, and trustworthy. Why is that so important? Solomon tells us. If we tie them around our neck for safekeeping, like a valuable ring, and write them on the tablet of our heart, we will “find favor with both God and people…and earn a good reputation.” These two things will result in grace and favor with not only those around us, but with God Himself. The word translated “reputation” in the New Living Translation is actually “understanding or insight” in the Hebrew. But it conveys the idea that both God and men will have a good understanding of who you really are, they will see and understand you clearly. As a result, you will have a good reputation. All because you practice faithful covenant love. What does that look like? Well, with God is appears as trust, as Solomon explains in verses 5-8. It is loving God enough to trust Him and rely on His wisdom instead of your own. It is doing His will and not your own. It is honoring Him with your earthly income and accepting His loving discipline. With people, it is being a loyal, faithful friend regardless of the circumstances. It is not giving up on someone just because it appears they have given up on you. It is what will keep a struggling marriage together. It is what will help a friendship survive hardship. Faithful covenant love.

The second two things Solomon encourages us to pursue seem even more ordinary and common place. He says, “don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them” (Proverbs 3:21 NLT). Why? Because they will refresh your soul. They are like the jewels on an expensive necklace – small, but the very things that give the necklace its value. They will protect us as we live life. They will keep us from stumbling along the way. They will let us sleep without fear, not having to worry about ever having to face the disaster and destruction coming upon those who do evil. The first of these two is “sound wisdom” or wisdom that is effective. It applies to everyday life and makes a difference. The second word has to do with discernment or discretion. It is craftiness, or the ability to navigate the ups and downs of life successfully. Both come from God. They are an extension of the wisdom we receive from Him. God’s wisdom is not ethereal and useless. It is practical and applicable to everyday life. These things will keep us out of the ditch, helping us make wise choices, and showing us how to stay on the path that God has prescribed for us. Loyalty, kindness, common sense and discernment. Four things we can’t live without. Priceless, precious, treasures from the very hand of God.

Father, continue to show me my need for these four things in my life. May I continue to grow in my estimation of and appreciation for them. Thank You for making them available to me. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 23b

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Don’t!

“Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.” – Proverbs 23:23 NLT

When our children are young, one of the most common words they hear come out of our mouths as their parents is “don’t!” It seems like we are constantly having to tell them what NOT to do. Why? Because they are young and lack the ability to know right from wrong. They are self-centered and live in a world that they think consists only of them. Their desires come first. If they see something they want, they simply take it, regardless if someone else is using it at that moment. If they desire something and someone denies them access to it, they find a way to get it anyway, even if it means disobeying the authorities in their life. Kids have to hear the word, “don’t” because they don’t know any better.

In chapters 22 and 23 of Proverbs we have a list of 30 wise sayings, most of which are prohibitions or restrictions against particular behaviors or attitudes. They address everything from drinking to the dangers of gluttony. We’re told not to cheat our neighbors and not to make friends with someone who has an anger problem. But why do we need to hear all these warnings and commands? Because many of us still lack the ability to make wise decisions on our own. Remember, the book of Proverbs is very practical, providing divinely inspired input for daily living. This is Monday-morning relevant stuff. No religious mumbo-jumbo or spiritual speak here. This is relevant counsel for real life. But if we try and apply these principles to our lives like self-help tips, we are going to be highly disappointed. Oh, they might work for a while, because they are truths from the very throne of God. But we will be incapable of keeping them long-term because we really don’t understand their value and we lack the convictions necessary to stick with them. We will be like a child who knows all the rules, but fails to keep them because he doesn’t understand the reasons behind them.

The key to all of this is understanding the truth. If we look at these wise sayings without an understanding of the truth behind them, we will simply see them as restrictions that keep us from doing the things we want to do. We will see them as road blocks to our self-satisfaction. We may keep them for a time, because someone bigger and stronger than us told us to, but as soon as we have the chance, we will rebel and reject them. That’s why we are told to “get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.” The 30 wise sayings are not wisdom in and of themselves. They are the byproduct of wisdom. They are wise because they have come from a wise God and through the life experiences of wise men and women. We are told to get discipline, because without it we will never be able to follow the counsel in this book. We need good judgment, because without it we will never understand or appreciate the value of following the advice found on the pages of the book of Proverbs, or anywhere else in the Bible for that matter.

There comes a time when we no longer have to say, “don’t!” to our children as much as used to. Why? Because they have grown in wisdom, discipline and understanding. They have reached a point where they understand the reason behind the restriction. They have grown wise in the ways of the world. For some of us, reading this list of 30 wise sayings leaves us nodding our head in agreement because we already know the truth found in them. Others of us may read them and think, “This is hard stuff, I don’t know if I can pull it off or if I even agree with it.” They sound restrictive and unattractive to many of us. Because we lack wisdom. We need understanding. We are short on discernment. And all these things come from God. We need to get to know Him better. We need to know His heart so that we can see the truth contained in His Word. When our children are young and we tell them “don’t!,” they think we’re mean. But as they grow older and get to know us better, they realize just how much we love them and have their best interest in mind. The same is true with God.

Father, at the end of the day, I need to understand just how much You love me. I need to see life through Your eyes, with the help of Your wisdom, with Your understanding, and assisted by Your discernment. While so much of what this world offers up seems attractive and appealing, it is dangerous and could do me harm. I need to trust You when You say, “don’t!” I need wisdom, understanding and discernment to see life and your rules for living life in the right way. I need to know Your heart. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 8

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

 

All You Need.

“I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.” – Proverbs 8:12 NLT

Wisdom, the very personification of God, calls out indiscriminately to anyone and everyone who will listen. Wisdom stands at the very crossroads of life, calling out to everyone who passes by. The simple and foolish get special attention. Their very nature prevents them from having good judgment and making wise choices. They are naive, incapable of seeing their own inadequacies and their vulnerability to danger because of their lack of wisdom. They pride themselves on their open-mindedness, unaware that this trait leaves them susceptible to all kinds of lies and deception. Wisdom offers them truth in place of falsehood, wholesome advice instead of the unhealthy counsel of this world. The benefits of God’s wisdom are priceless and far more valuable in the end than any kind of earthly treasure man could pursue. And wisdom comes with a bonus offer. Get wisdom and you also get good judgment, knowledge, discernment, common sense and insight – all at no extra cost!

Wisdom is far more than just some kind of knowledge or ability we receive from God so we can live more successfully. It is the very essence of God. It is part of His nature. God used His wisdom to create the world. The wisdom of God was instrumental in forming the oceans, heavens, mountains, and even mankind. “I was the architect by his side. I was his constant delight, rejoicing always in his presence” (Proverbs 8:30 NLT). Wisdom and God are inseparable. One does not exist without the other. The wisdom talked about in these Proverbs is the very wisdom of God – eternal, divine, endless, complete, inexhaustible, and unavailable anywhere else. God is offering us His wisdom – the same wisdom He used to form the world and the universe. Find it and you have everything you need for life. “For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35 NLT). God’s wisdom calls to us from the pages of Scripture every day of our lives. He offers His divine wisdom through His inspired Word. As believers we have His Holy Spirit living within us, helping us understand and apply the wisdom of God to our everyday lives. But receiving the wisdom of God begins with a healthy awe for God and a willing obedience to do what He says simply because of who He is. If His wisdom resulted in the universe and all that’s within it, surely it can help us navigate the affairs of everyday life. The wisdom of God is all we need. But are we truly convinced of that fact? Until we are, we will really never seek it or value it in our lives.

Father, Your wisdom is all I need, but I confess that there are far too many times when I think I need other things more. Whether it’s pleasure, or money, or popularity, I can find a lot of things I value more than Your wisdom. I can find a lot of things to do rather than spend time in Your Word searching for Your truth and seeking Your wisdom. Help me understand that there is nothing else I need in this world than what I can get from You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

 

Proverbs 2b

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Benefits of Godliness.

“For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.” – Proverbs 2:6-7 MSG

Proverb 1:7 tells us fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The Message reads, “Start with God – the first step in learning is bowing down to GOD.” And now, in Proverbs 2 we read the why. Because He grants wisdom. He is the source of all knowledge and understanding. Only God can give common sense. But all of these things are granted based on a relationship with Him. It says He grants common sense to the honest. He is s shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. This is not talking about a performance-based relationship. In other words, Solomon is not telling us that we have to earn the right to receive wisdom by being honest, by living with integrity, being just and faithful. This is speaking of a reciprocal relationship in which, as followers of God, we receive His character and nature when we seek Him and serve Him. We become like the One we worship. Solomon begs his child to turn their ears to wisdom, concentrate on understanding, cry out for insight, ask for understanding, and to search for them as if they were silver and seek them like they were hidden treasures. But we have to seek them from the only source for them – God. Solomon says that when we make the pursuit of God our highest priority in order to receive wisdom, understanding and knowledge from God, THEN we will understand what it means to fear the Lord. In my desire to receive wisdom, understanding and knowledge from God, I will have to listen to Him. I will have to develop an intimate relationship with Him. His Word will teach me, convict me, reveal the truth about me, and clearly communicate His expectations of me. I will discover more and more about His holiness and my own sinfulness. I will learn to fear Him for who He is. The relationship will become the priority and wisdom, knowledge and understanding will become the byproduct of that relationship. We tend to want wisdom for our own selfish purposes. We desire knowledge so that we can benefit from it. We think greater understanding will somehow benefit us in this life. And they will, but the real point of it all is that we are receiving wisdom from God that will protect us from the foolishness of this world. We receive the understanding of God so that we have a clearer picture of life lived with Him as the center, not me. We get a healthy dose of godly knowledge so that we can see the world and our lives from His perspective, unhindered by the warped perspectives of sin.

When we seek God, we always benefit. When we make Him our highest priority, He gives us more than we could ever expect. We gain an understanding of what is right, just and fair. We inherently know the right way to go. Wisdom enters our hearts, knowledge fills us with joy, wise choices watch over us, and understanding keeps us safe. The life of godliness has its rewards. There are tremendous benefits from seeking and serving God. He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Start with God.

Father, thank You for all the benefits and blessings you give to those who make You the highest priority in their lives. We bring nothing to the table but our humble faith in You, but You give us so much in return. It pays to start with You. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org