Category Archives: scripture

Everything We Need to Know Him Part 3 — The Scriptures

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”You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,“ 
John‬ ‭5‬:‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God desires for us to know Him, not just know about Him. He longs for us to be in a close and intimate relationship with Him. Because of this great desire, He has given us everything we need to know Him.

One of those provisions is God’s Word, the Scriptures. God worked over 1,500 years and through more than 40 different authors to provide for us the Bible so that we could learn about who He is, what He does, and what He desires of us. God’s Word is a love letter to us, an instruction manual for a Godly life, and a map for us to find Him and His will. God’s Word is as Jesus described it, our spiritual food, “the Bread of Life.” (John 8:35) It is absolutely necessary for us if we want to experience God fully.

God’s Word is one of the ways we can have first hand experiences with Him. As we approach His Word knowing He is speaking: We can experience His truth entering our lives; We can experience His love filling the deepest nooks and crannies of our hearts and overflowing us; We can hear Him speaking to us deep within. We can have all of this but we must participate with Him. We must engage Him by opening our Bibles and our hearts to receive the Words He has provided for us. His Word is “living and active.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Now you and I know the truth about God’s provision for a relationship with Him through His Word. The question becomes, “What will I do with what I know?” When we know that it is good to come to God and to experience Him through His Word and yet we do not do it, that quite truthfully is a sin. (James 4:17) Sin always separates us from God. It always brings about death, darkness, and destruction in our lives.

If you are feeling distant and disconnected from God, could it be that you need to come to Him and seek Him in His Word? He has provided the Way for us to experience a blessed and happy life. That is a life that has a closely connected relationship with Him. He has given us His Word so that we can not only find Him but be His very own.

May we give of our time and engage with Him by participating in reading His Word. We will not regret the close relationship that will result in our coming close to God in this way. 

”Come near to God and he will come near to you…” James‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Give Me Only My Daily Bread – Reflections on Proverbs 30

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”Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.“ Proverbs 30:8 NIV

Agur was a wise teacher of long ago. He wrote the words above as a prayer. He knew of his own sinful nature and its propensity to believe lies and falsehoods. He knew his propensity to do life his way and not God’s. So Agur prayed. He prayed that he wouldn’t be so consumed with selfishly pursuing wealth so that he would forget God saying, “Who is the Lord?”. He also prayed that he wouldn’t lack so that he would feel compelled to selfishly steal and get things his own way. He simply wanted God to be his “daily bread,” His everything! He wanted God to be what satisfied him day in and day out.

There is much wisdom in that prayer. We can learn much from this prayer of Agur. We can come to God asking of Him to be our daily bread and the satisfier of our soul as well.

We are invited to experience God as our “daily bread.” We can “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8). We do this by a daily, moment by moment, intake of His Word! His Word is the Bread of Life.

We can know His Word as the Truth that will keep us far from lies. As we know the Word, we know God. Because He is His Word and His Word is God (John 1:1).

Agur was wise to pray his prayer and find delight in God’s provision of His daily bread, His Word. May we delight in His Word as well! God is the only One who will satisfy us!

Do Not Hide Sin! — Reflections on Proverbs 28

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”People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.“

Proverbs 28:13-14 NLT

Do not hide what is killing you on the inside! Sin destroys. There is no way around that truth. Verse after verse in the book of Proverbs warns of the consequences of sin. It warns of having a heart that is hardened, “stubborn.” That person is “headed for serious trouble.”

We are also warned of acting like you love God but ignoring His Word.

”If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.“ Proverbs 28:9 NIV

There is a remedy for sin, repentance. If we confess and turn from them, we will receive mercy. We are “blessed (happy) are those who fear to do wrong” or have reverential apprehension when the choice to do wrong is before us. In other words, the way to a blessed life it to love God and hate sin!

Love God — pursue Him with all that you are. Hate sin — shun sin, run from it, stay as far away from even the appearance of evil. Repent of it when it rears its ugly head within your heart. Don’t hide sin! Confess and repent! It is for your good!

The Precious Word We Cannot Live Without— Reflections on Proverbs 22

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The book of Proverbs, is like a bag full of jewels of various shapes and sizes. Each one is different and could adorn different outfits and pieces of jewelry. Each verse in Proverbs holds much wisdom on a variety of topics that are needed in our lives. In fact, the whole Bible is like this. It truly is “the sayings of the wise.” We are encouraged to study it’s Words.

”Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today, even you.“ Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV

Studying God’s Word is essential to a victorious life as a Christian. We are to “Pay attention” to it, listen to it or “turn your ear,” and “apply your heart,” or set your mind, your will, and emotions on the Word of God. We are to “keep them in our heart and have them ready on our lips.” This enables us to trust God.

If you are living a life lacking peace, joy, love, contentment,etc… examine yourself. Are you daily taking God’s Word into your heart? God’s Word has answers for every situation we face. It is precious like the jewels I mentioned at first.

We have opportunity in our lives to mine out these precious jewels as we come to God with our Bibles open and our hearts inclined to hear. However, the precious jewels in the Word are so much more than that. God’s Word is life itself! You CANNOT make it on your own without the Word!

If you are just getting by day after day, look at your life. What is missing? Could it be the daily time in God’s Word? It is the Life of God in you.

Live It… Your Children Will Be Blessed- Reflections on Proverbs 20

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Practical wisdom, Proverbs offers plenty of it: working with diligence, living in faithfulness, dealing with honesty, avoiding gossip… even warnings of being led astray by wine and beer are just a few of the topics of this chapter.

As I read it, there is a promise that stands out to me summarizing the result of practicing all the practical wisdom the entire book of Proverbs contains:

”The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him.“
Proverbs 20:7 AMPC

The righteous or Godly man is the man who lives his life set apart to God. The one who obeys what God has commanded in His Word. The promise is that his children will be blessed or happy.

As parents we want what is best for our kids. The BEST thing you can give your kids is to live your life in complete surrender to God and His ways. This comes by learning what it is that He, out of His great love, has commanded in His Word… i.e. study your Bible, and OBEY what it says. This also comes by a relationship with God. We hear Him speak through His Word, and we talk to Him in prayer throughout our day. It is a continual, moment by moment, focus on God.

Long ago, as a young mom, I heard it said, “If you want your kids to love God and know Him, you have to love God yourself. You cannot impart what you Do Not Have!” Simply put, if you want your kids to have the blessings — joy, peace , and happiness of knowing God, you must have a deep relationship with Him as well. Model it in front of them! Your children are following your lead!

The Way to Life- Reflections on Proverbs 6

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Good instruction and good teaching are priceless. Solomon admonishes his son to keep his command, and to “not forsake his mother’s teaching.” He encouraged his son to put them prominently before him at all times. Because his commands will illuminate his way showing the pathway to life.

”My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.”  Proverbs 6:20-23 NIV

This verse is very similar to a Psalm Solomon’s father, David wrote:

”Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.“ Psalms 119:97-98, 105 NIV

God’s Word is the BEST instruction! It is wholly and completely tried and true. In order to live a life of success, His Word needs to be ever before us. We cannot make it without God’s Word illuminating our way. The Word is “the way to life!”

“Take Hold” the Pursuit of Jesus — Reflections on Proverbs 4

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Have you ever watched a sprinter in the Olympics? They are all in: eyes focused on the finish line, every muscle in their body working towards the goal at hand, every thought in their mind concentrating on the race. Today’s Proverb speaks of a pursuit similar to that:

”Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.“

Proverbs 4:4 NIV

God has laid out His path to victory for our lives— the pursuit of God Himself. He tells us to “take hold of His Words with all our hearts.” We are to be “all in” in our pursuit of Him!

The spiritual heart is where our thoughts, our feelings, and our decisions originate from. It is that heart that we are to focus like a lazer beam on taking hold of God’s Words. Every bit of our thoughts, feelings and our decisions are to be set upon His Word. Why? Because God is His Word and His Word is God (John 1:1). He is to be the focus of our life.

Verse 7 states “Get Wisdom (truth in practice- Jesus the Wisdom of God) Though it cost you all you have…” Jesus is worthy of our most focused pursuit! He is worth giving up our own plans, our own desires, our own ways in order to attain! Why? Because He is life itself! All the things we prize that are not of him are only “deep darkness” that “makes us stumble.” Verse 19.

We are to be like the Olympic runner I mentioned at first. Focusing all we are on the race towards attaining Him. It is the only way to have life that is full of joy, peace, and contentment. Because joy, peace and contentment are only found in Jesus, the Wisdom that the book of Proverbs speaks of pursing.

Jesus the Wisdom of God: Reflections on Proverbs 3

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Proverbs is a book of Wisdom or applied truth. In scripture, wisdom is knowing God, seeing Him for who He is, loving Him, and obeying Him fully. Paul refers to Jesus as being the wisdom from God. (1 Corinthians 1:30) When we see Jesus for who He is, God, we love Him and desire to obey Him. We will experience Him as the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“ (Colossians 2:3 NIV)

Today’s Proverb describes the benefits of wisdom: long life, riches and honor, pleasant ways, peace, the tree of life to all who take hold of her, a blessed life… Solomon admonished his son to “not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight…” Proverbs 3:21. This admonition applies to us today. We come to God in need of wisdom. We need to know how to apply the truth in our lives. We apply the truth when we receive it and act upon what it says. The most practical way we can experience wisdom in our lives is to see Jesus for who He is, accept Him into our lives, and act upon what He says.

We are told in Proverbs 3:13 that we are “Blessed” when we find wisdom. To be blessed is to be happy and prosperous. Simply put the way to true happiness and true prosperity is to seek God’s Wisdom from above, Jesus! He promises to be found by us when we seek Him with all our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Once we experience God’s Wisdom from above, we must not let Him out of our sight. Our focus must be Jesus! As Solomon told His son, wisdom and understanding are life to us. (Verse 21). We cannot truly live happy and fulfilled (i.e. blessed) lives unless Jesus is the center!

The New Life is a Life of Knowing God!

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We can KNOW God! That statement seems to be a little out there if we only look at it through our human eyes, but it is so very true. In fact, to KNOW God is what we were made for, anything short of KNOWING Him will end in death and eternal separation, or hell.

What is KNOWING God? It is first hand experiential KNOWING. It is living a life of intimacy/ closeness to Him. This is the kind of KNOWING that Jesus spoke of:

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 NIV

This KNOWING is the New Life. It is eternal life. It is the kind of life we all long for and desire. But it will not be realized within us unless we allow Jesus into our lives. If we keep Jesus at a distance and are content to just do good deeds or live a “good” life, or be a good person, we really don’t know Him.

Jesus warned us of us “trying to be a good person” on our own without really knowing Him.

“”Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

What a sad outcome to a life! They never KNEW Jesus! The truth of the matter is what we do to make ourselves feel and look good are described as a bunch of “filthy rags” in comparison to a Holy sinless God. (Isaiah 64:6)

That is why if we want to experience the New Life that is eternal life, we must know God through a close and personal relationship. We must come to Him, believing in Jesus His Son, asking Him to forgive us for and cleanse us of our sinful lives. We must invite Him to come and live in us so we can KNOW Him. Then the New Life of knowing Him will grow. As we seek Him in His Word, He will change us to be what we needed to be all along. As we pray to Him, listen to Him, and OBEY Him, we will KNOW Him!

That KNOWING produces the promise in us New Life that is eternal. We will live connected to Him with no fear of eternal separation from Him or death in hell because we will KNOW our God and and His eternal life!

The New Life is a Life of Faith.

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Jesus has offered us the New Life, His own life that is abundant. The New Life is more than we could ask, think or imagine. It is His life working in us!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 NIV

This Life is a life of faith. Faith is defined by Andrew Murray as being, “Nothing other than the certainty that what God says is true.” It is believing the truth of the Word. It understands that each and every promise in the Bible is for the one who believes, as well as each and every command. If we want to live the New Life and experience it’s fullness we must receive the Word by listening, reading, studying, memorizing, etc. Faith comes by the Word of God. We must believe it is true through faith.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV

When we truly receive the New Life in Jesus, we experience His intimacy and closeness, His power to break the chains of sin off of our lives, His freedom. When we are born again we have new desires. That desire is to no longer do things our old way following ourselves, but we desire to follow God. We want to please Him. We want to OBEY! This requires Faith. It requires seeking God in His Word.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV

The New Life is a life that is a life of Faith that seeks God first. It is not a passive life. It is a pursuit! It grows as we seek God and believe what He says in His Word: The New Life of Faith!