August 11, 2019
OUR NEED FOR ONE WHO SHEPHERD’S THE HEART This proverbs speaks to the reality that sin is more than an action, but is preceded by an attitude and heart condition. Jesus addressed this reality in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5) when he connected the outward prohibitions of the Decalogue with the attitudes of
August 9, 2019
HAVE YOU RECEIVED THE RESULTS FROM GOD’S HEART EXAM? We all love our own opinions, especially opinions of ourselves. We tend to judge others harshly, but we always have an excuse for our own shortcomings and sins. In our hypocrisy, we declare ourselves righteous in our own eyes. Yet the Lord knows us better
July 31, 2019
THE GIFT OF SPIRITUAL RECEPTIVITY One can have ears and eyes, yet still be deaf and blind. The Lord has made both the physical and the spiritual ability to hear. Both are grace. The physical we all understand, but few recognize the spiritual. The first offers wisdom of the physical world, the second makes one
May 17, 2019
HEART CONDITION DETERMINES PERCEPTION Our heart condition determines how we perceive life. Yet, how do we have a “happy heart?” David knew something about this. When life circumstances turned from bad to worse around him, the Bible says that he “encouraged himself in the Lord” (1 Sam. 30:6). His circumstances didn’t immediately change, but his
May 13, 2019
THE GENTLE WORDS OF MOTHERS In our One Year Bible reading today I was looking for something to say to bless and encourage our mothers. This passage from Proverbs seemed appropriate. I often remember the gentle words of my mother. She always sought to encourage her children and grandchildren with her words. What made
March 23, 2019
GIVERS ARE GLAD, BUT MISERS ARE MISERABLE Generosity is a blessing both to the recipient and to the giver. But misers are miserable. This is a spiritual principle that reverberates in the physical world, although its effect is often slow to see. The wealth of the generous is paid in dividends that include more than
February 18, 2019
NEED OR GREED The righteous look to the Lord for provision. They sow and labor for the harvest, yet they look to the Lord for the increase. They know that both the seed and the fruit are from the Lord, so they work while trusting God for their food. The Lord meets their needs, so
January 24, 2019
HOW DO WE GUARD OUR HEARTS? Solomon instructed his son to guard his heart. In other words, he wanted his son to be careful about where his passions and desires led him. Certainly Solomon was an example of a man who ultimately let his heart overrule his head. He started out well with God, leading
December 30, 2018
WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS AND CAPABLE WIFE?
This is a proverb made more timely by the current culture’s low view of marriage. Neither the art of being a wife, nor a husband are held in high regard today. Yet, for those who would have a marriage as God designed, desiring to experience the joy and bliss of such a divine estate, the Proverbs 31 description of a godly wife, is well… more precious than rubies!
As a young man, I was overwhelmed by the prospect of finding a wife. How can you find the right one? As most men, my eye was attracted to outward beauty. Yet, I soon found this an uncertain indicator of inner grace (as my mother had warned). Even listening to my pastor’s sermons, who taught us not to date those outside the faith, I struggled with uncertainty. How could I be sure that I had found the right one for me? I mean, this whole “two shall become one” stuff is a pretty big deal and then you add on “till death do us part,” and I was terrified of making a mistake.
That’s when I began to pray for a Proverbs 31 wife, wherever she was out there, that God would take care of her and prepare her for me. I would go through the list of attributes and pray them for her. In the process of doing this, I began to think about whether I was worthy of having such a wife. Didn’t I need to be a Proverbs 31 husband too? “Where’s that list?” I wondered. So, I began to pray a two part prayer: “Lord, make me worthy of such a wife and help me find her when the time is right.”
This coming June will mark 40 years of marriage to my Proverbs 31 wife. This is a thing that God has done. He prepared us for each other before we ever met. He led us to find each other. And He has knit us together through many joys and sorrows along the way. I don’t think either of us would have fit the Proverbs 31 description when we first started. But in our commitment to God and to one another, the Lord has done this work in us.
If you are looking to find a Proverbs 31 wife (or husband), first learn to be satisfied in your relationship with God, asking Him to make you more and more like Jesus, which is His purpose for you. Pray for your future mate, that God is doing the same for them. Then, ask God to lead you to one another when the time is right.
September 29, 2018
PRESSURE TESTS STRENGTH
Solomon wrote this proverb concerning the real test of strength. It’s what happens to you when you’re under pressure. Pressure exposes the true size of your strength.
Testing under pressure is also God’s method of proving the strength of our faith. As the apostle Peter wrote, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold” (1 Pet. 1:7).
How has pressure affected the strength of your faith?