Due to health reasons, I'll be taking a break from my blog for a few weeks. Please check back in early May, as I plan to resume my weekly blogging then. Thank you!
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
One Way to Honor God
As I read Psalm 16:4 today I was reminded of an incident in San Francisco. In my early twenties, I was the pianist for a young group of musicians who were excited to go on a road trip from California to Oregon.
In San Francisco’s wharf area, we separated into groups, agreeing to meet back at a certain time and place. Just as my friend and I were ready to catch a cab and return, a Hare Krishna member approached.
When we said we weren’t interested, he surprised us by asking, “Can you say Hare Krishna?” Puzzled when we shook our heads and said, “No," he asked again. To our "no" that time we added, "We need to be on our way.”
David lived by the Torah. He was probably familiar with Exodus 23:13 where God specifically said His people were not to call on any other god or even speak their name.
I didn’t know that scripture, at the time. I just didn’t see any reason to speak the name of another god.
God’s name is holy. Too many Christians today use God’s name in an empty way, saying “Oh, my God!” as an expression of shock or surprise. It’s even been reduced further to “OMG,” as if that makes a difference.
Perhaps we need to consider more carefully the words in this brief *worship song, written and recorded by Rich Mullins in 1988.
Our God is an Awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, pow’r and love
Our God is an awesome God
People substitute other slang words for God’s name, but I’m not here to judge. I’m here to encourage people to honor God by being conscious of how we use His holy name.
Consider this meaningful prayer of David: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my (firm, immovable) rock and my Redeemer. **Psalm 19:14, AMP
*Our God is an Awesome God, credited to Rich Mullins in a Wikipedia article about him.
**All scripture marked AMP is taken from the Amplified Bible and is used by permission of the Lockman Foundation.
Illustration by Pixabay, Used by permission: Speech Bubble Icon, TheDigitalArtist.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
One Mouth, Many Words
Words float through the air with the greatest of ease but have a great impact. They can be used positively or negatively - - - to build up another’s self-esteem, or tear it down. That applies even to our self-talk.
Here’s an example of a lasting impact. While in high school, I made a call to a friend’s church. I don’t remember why I was desperate to contact her, but at the time it seemed extremely important.
When someone answered, I asked if I could get a message to my friend. When I gave my name, I was shocked to hear the person answer roughly that since my dad was a pastor I should know better than to call a church on Sunday. End of story.
Interest in words is nothing new. The Apostle James wrote, “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing . . . these things ought not to be so (James 3:30 *NKJV). So, let’s consider two varieties of words.
First: Wise words. You’ve probably heard that a word to the wise is sufficient. That’s good, but I think it’s better to remember that from a wise mind comes wise speech (Proverbs 16:23 **NLT). Don’t allow just anyone to speak into your life.
Wise words, like those of the godly, can bring healing, make knowledge appealing, and act like a life-giving fountain (Proverbs 12:18, 15:2, and 13:14 NLT). What a lovely illustration. A bubbling fountain is pleasant to hear, besides being refreshing if we choose to enjoy it further.
Second: Unwise words. These negative words come from the wicked, rather than the wise, and can conceal violent intentions, be perverse (deviating from what is considered right or good), and even act like a murderous ambush (Proverbs 10:6, 10:32, and 12:6 NLT).
Your words are two sides of the communication coin. It’s a flip of the coin whenever you speak; however, it’s not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of intent.
Yes, it’s one mouth, many words. Your words will impact others . . . so why not think before you speak?
*The New King James Bible (NKJV), Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Students, 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
**Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Photo: Pixabay, Silhouettes, People, by geralt.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
A Well of Wisdom
Wells are only valuable if they contain life-giving water. People come to be refreshed, whether prepared with a bucket or a cup. At some wells, you simply dipped the bucket in, but others required you to muscle a pump. In either case, water was worth the effort.
Dehydration can become a life-or-death matter. My Goddaughter was just sharing with me her experience as a young child with food poisoning. She vomited so much that her parents finally took her to the hospital. They were shocked when the doctor said, “If you had waited much longer, she could have died.” She said she was in the hospital on IVs for two days.
Wisdom is on my mind since I just completed the Book of Proverbs. It’s easy to review my list of thirty-one stand-out verses. Take Proverbs 23:23 *(NLT) for example: Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.
Wisdom comes from the wise. I did a little side study in Proverbs on the “words of the wise.” Here are four out of fifteen entries.
THE WORDS of the WISE:
Bring healing (Prov. 12:18b)
Satisfy like a good meal (Prov.
18:20)
Come from the lips of people with understanding (Prov. 10:13)
Are like deep waters (Prov.
18:4a)
Deep waters bring us back to the idea of wells. The Book of Proverbs is like a waiting well of wisdom, but are we thirsty for it? Reading a chapter might be like coming to the well with a bucket. Choosing a verse might be like coming with a cup. Either way, water has a life-giving effect.
Proverbs gives us powerful truths through contrasts. It is a practical book; it doesn’t require deep studies in theology. For example, the contrasts between the wise and the foolish are as clear to the man on the street as to the king in his palace.
*Photo by Pixabay: Clean Countryside Drink, Public Domain Pictures.
*All scriptures are NLT from the New Living Translation/Life Application Study Bible copyright 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Listening Beats Hearing
Hearing is one of our five senses. It’s a blessing in its own right, but if we train it further into listening, we have an even greater blessing.
I enjoy interview shows. Some great listeners and interview hosts, in my opinion, are Dr. Phil, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Sheila Walsh. I mention them because of how they focus on the speaker, listen carefully, and ask follow-up or clarifying questions.
There are many others, but I want to focus on the value of listening, not the lives of the examples I’ve shared.
As I reviewed my verses this week, I kept returning to Proverbs 18:13, NLT: Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Perhaps you also noticed that verse, plus two supporting verses below it: (1) Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. Proverbs 18:15; and (2) The first to speak in court sounds right---until the cross-examination begins. Proverbs 18:17.
Notice three basic principles: (1) Get the facts before you speak, (2) Don’t cross off new ideas, and (3) Remember you want to hear both sides of an issue before making a response.
In my younger years, someone greatly challenged me. Although I don’t remember the details of our conversation, I do remember where we were standing when they said, “It must be nice to be right all the time.”
I knew I had been corrected. I had rushed in with a reply before I listened or asked any clarifying questions.
Social media makes quick communication possible. But sometimes it seems simply an easy platform for uninformed opinions. I’ll admit that trying to get more information, even by texting can become tedious.
It’s a pleasure to talk with friends and family face to face, or at least by phone. It allows for give and take, questions, and clarifications.
Listening beats hearing. Do yourself a favor and step it up a notch. You might be surprised at how listening improves your relationships.
Photo from Pixabay: Word Image/Transformation by johnhain.
Sunday, February 18, 2024
An Unexpected Word Search
I’m always interested in words. Perhaps it comes with being a writer, but Mom was into words, too. She loved playing Scrabble and excelled at Crossword. I enjoy Word Search.
While writing I often refer to a dictionary or a thesaurus, but I didn’t expect to do that on my quest for a proverb today. I was enjoying an overview of chapter seventeen when one word called a halt to my thoughts.
The word was detestable. Not the word itself, but the way it described a couple of things detestable to God. This show-stopper was Proverbs 17:15, NLT: Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent - - - both are detestable to the LORD.
Anybody who joined me on this month’s quest for a personal daily proverb might remember that Proverbs 6:16 says, “There are six things the LORD hates - - - no, seven things he detests.” All seven are listed, yet it didn’t stop me in my tracks like today’s simple two-liner.
I reviewed Proverbs 6:16 and decided the word hate softened the blow a little. I wasn’t too far off. I took time for a detestable word search and something called vocabulary.com turned up below another search claiming that the words hate and detestable are interchangeable. Hate is more common, but detest was considered an expression of such powerful dislike that no other word would do.
Some people read through the Bible each year in a different translation. Mom used to do that. I prefer to use a translation in studies for a few years. I’m currently using a *New Living Translation (NLT).
Perhaps your Bible translation says, "abomination, abhorrent, repulsive, or hateful." The idea is the same as detestable. Not one of these words indicates something in which God delights. Clearly, there are some things that God neither desires nor takes any pleasure in.
I became interested in finding other things that are detestable to God, or that God detests. As I quickly reviewed the previous chapters of Proverbs, I noticed that some of the detestable things listed in Proverbs 6:16-19 are repeated individually in two-line Proverbs in the chapters that follow.
Life improvement comes with reading the Bible to learn. It’s not as rewarding when you just read a chapter so you can mark it off your list.
Sunday, February 11, 2024
An Unexpected Challenge
I took the Proverbial challenge last week. But finding one verse that speaks to me more than all the others in the chapter for the day is not a snap.
I keep a list of my chosen verses, then for good measure, I put a small checkmark beside them. I’m on a quest, but this will not be the last time I read Proverbs. Future readings might draw my attention to something new, or I may be reminded to work on what I know now.
Once you get through the first few chapters, the verses start to pop. Whether scriptural or cultural, proverbs are short sayings or moral truths that encourage us to make wise choices.
If you want to have some fun with this, Google “cultural proverbs” and you’ll see examples from around the world. God’s word is for all cultures, but I’m sure it presents a challenge for translators.
One verse I marked this week was *Proverbs 9:12, (NLT):
If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
According to Proverbs 3:13-18 (NLT), the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding is joyful. It also says those who hold wisdom tightly are happy. Did you notice joy and happiness are not automatic? We are to find and hold on to wisdom and understanding.
Solomon has convinced me they are worth the effort. Read these five verses in your Bible, computer, phone, or tablet, and ponder them for yourself. Proverbs 3:13-18 lists nine (9) positive results provided by wisdom.
If you’ve found Proverbs to be an unexpected challenge, don’t give up. Personal conclusions are always the most meaningful.
If you're new to this, just read last week’s blog. It’s never too late to do something good for yourself.
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