Blog 11-30-2011

Wednesday

PRaP 11-30-2011

 

“Wisdom” part 7 of 31

Proverbs 7

 

Warning against the adulteress.  We have been seeing warnings against adultery several times and now a warning about the adulteress and how she works.  Seems that men even back then were not thinking clearly either and were easily swayed by women of the time.  I really like the first part of this Proverb verses 1-5

 

¹ My son, keep my words
   and store up my commands within you.
² Keep my commands and you will live;
   guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
³ Bind them on your fingers;
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
   and to insight, “You are my relative.”
⁵ They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
   from the wayward woman with her seductive words.

 

Guard these teachings as if they are the apple of your eye, a child or sibling that you will protect with your very life.  Wisdom and understanding gain them and embrace them and never stray from them for they are like a fine wine a beautiful woman or for you women a handsome man that you love and would protect from harm.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-29-2011

Tuesday

PRaP 11-29-2011

 

“Wisdom” part 6 of 31

Proverbs 6

 

Warnings Against Folly and Warnings Against Adultery again.  There are a couple things in here that just jump right out at me that are so overlooked today and so many fall under.  Proverbs 6:16-19:

 

¹⁶ There are six things the LORD hates,
   seven that are detestable to him:
    ¹⁷ haughty eyes,
      a lying tongue,
      hands that shed innocent blood,
    ¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,
      feet that are quick to rush into evil,
    ¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies
      and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

 

These are serious folks!  It will go well with you to avoid that list and the people who live that list.  The other part of this is again with adultery it is so important to not have another mans wife or another wife’s husband.  This part even starts out with, beginning with verse 20, My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.  Bind them up in your heart forever; fasten then 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.  Much wisdom in these words bind them in your heart for your walk is important to the LORD.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

 

Blog 11-28-2011

Monday

PRaP 11-28-2011

 

“Wisdom” part 5 of 31

Proverbs 5

 

This chapter is called “Wisdom Against Adultery”.  There is great wisdom here for you to stay away from adultery.  I want to bring attention to verses 21-23 that say:

 

²¹ For your ways are in full view of the LORD,
   and he examines all your paths.
²² The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
   the cords of their sins hold them fast.
²³ For lack of discipline they will die,
   led astray by their own great folly.

 

The LORD see all we do in this life there is no place we can hide from Him.  Many people think they are doing things in secret yet one day those things we think we are hiding will be revealed to our own shame if we do not repent and stop doing them.  If we continue to do things in secret they will one day be shouted from the rooftops.  Be wary young people of the adulterer for their ways are for self-pleasure and not the things of God.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-18-2011

Friday

PRaP 11-18-2011

 

“Wisdom” part 4 of 31

Proverbs 4

 

This Proverb is titled “Get Wisdom at Any Cost” and calls wisdom a “her” as if a woman.  Sounds important because I know Christ tells us that we are to love our women as He loves the Church.

 

¹ Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. ² I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. ³ For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. ⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. ⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^[a] wisdom.  Though it cost all you have,^[b] get understanding. ⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”

 

She doesn’t come cheap and we are told gain wisdom at all cost.  Give up all your worldly ways to gain the wisdom that is spoken of here.

 

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; ²² for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. ²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. ²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶ Give careful thought to the^[c] paths for your feet  and be steadfast in all your ways. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

 

Allow no evil to pass through your lips and do not turn right or left of wisdom stay the course of wisdom and you will be fine.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-17-2011

Thursday

PRaP 11-17-2011

 

“Wisdom” part 3 of 31

Proverbs 3

 

The book of Proverbs tells us about people who have wisdom and enjoy its benefits.  For example a person who has wisdom is loving, faithful, trusts in the Lord, puts God first, turns away from evil, knows right from wrong, listens and learns, does what is right, possesses knowledge and discretion, hates pride, arrogance, and evil behavior, respects and fears God, gives good advice and has common sense, loves correction and is teachable, and knows God.  He who has this wisdom receives these benefits.  Long, prosperous life, favor with God and people, has a reputation for good judgment, success, health, vitality, riches, honor, pleasure, peace, protection, justice, righteousness, life, God’s favor, constant learning, and understanding.

 

I don’t know about you but I would love to have all that and a bag of chips but I know it will take patience and agility to stay the course and I picked up a wisdom from Proverbs 3 that will help me do just that.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

 

The words “make your paths straight” means that He will direct your path in life and steer you in the right directions of wisdom.  Not only has God given us written instruction on wisdom but promises to help steer us to wisdom.  Why would you need anything else?

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-16-2011

Wednesday

PRaP 11-16-2011

 

“Wisdom” Part 2 of 31”

 

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

 

Now “there” is some wisdom!  Proverbs 2 is about the moral benefits of wisdom.  I think this is needed for all people of the world not just for you and me.

 

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

 

There you have it wisdom!  From Him who is wisdom gives knowledge and success is for the upright and He protects the way of the faithful, whose walk is blameless.  I don’t know why anyone would need all these self help books and motivational speakers just read Proverbs and find all you need to know about how to walk in life and be successful in Christ.

 

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

 

Now look at that He who is Wisdom will save you from the ways of the wicked and perverse.  Wonder how you can get in that?  Oh right faith in Christ and walking with Him daily.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-14-2011

Tuesday

PRaP 11-15-2011

 

“Wisdom” Part 1 of 31

 

Where does one find wisdom?  For those of you who are new to the Word wisdom is something learned and gained through life and its trials.  Listening to people who have been there and done that and some who have bought the t-shirt and sold it at a garage sale.  Watch the local news and see where people have made mistakes and learn from those mistakes.  Watch your parents and listen to them as you grow up because many can impart wisdom.  As you listen to these people who share wisdom line it up with God’s Word to be sure of that wisdom.  The best place is in Proverbs and if you will study and memorize the Proverbs you will be successful in life.  There are 31 Proverbs one for each day.  Read one a day every day and soon you will find yourself in a place of using that wisdom.

 

Proverbs begins with a clear statement of its purpose and that is to impart wisdom for godly people to live by.  The first few chapters are Solomon’s advice for young people but is for all who seek wisdom and will greatly benefit from these wise words.  This is where one can discover the source of wisdom, the value of wisdom, and the benefits of wisdom.

 

Here is some wisdom found right off the bat in Proverbs:

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

 

The first chapter of wisdom can be broken into 3 parts, the purpose and theme, a warning against enticement, and a warning against rejecting wisdom.  I think that is a very wise place to start the book of wisdom, don’t you?

 

Proverbs 1

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-14-2011

Monday

PRaP 11-14-2011

 

“Armor”

 

Was playing paintball with the kids yesterday, note to self, don’t play paintball the day before you have to go to work, but it was fun and the pain will go away in a couple days.  The bruises may take a week but that’s ok I can deal with those too.  Anyway in one of the maps that we played we played a game called slap stick and basically it is a “T” pole where one side of the “T” is red and the other blue and you must push the opposing teams color in so that your teams color is most exposed on the pole.  We had about 18 people on each team and we were in the woods and there were sand bag bunkers in strategically placed places around the slap stick and trails where you have to hike into the map area.  I told my team that I was just going to walk up the middle and hit the stick and would likely be eliminated immediately and they would have to defend the stick area so the opposing team wouldn’t change the color.  Several of them thought I was nuts and would be tagged before I even got to the pole.  So I casually proceeded to the pole down one of the paths waiting to be shot and nothing happened so I walked over to the pole and pushed our color and kind of stood there waiting to be bombarded with paint.  I could hear them in the bushes headed towards me but no shots were fired.  I knew that my team wasn’t quite in position so I paused until I could see masks and I began to fire and tag people but all at once there were 15 people shooting at me.  I thought I was going to be slammed to the wall but they were firing at me from the brush and paint was breaking all around me so I just played one of those old movie scenes and began to spray paintballs and tagged 3 before I got hit once.  My team was shocked as they defended the pole and that I only got tagged once.  One of the guys on my team said I must have had the Armor of God on.  I told them I don’t leave home without it.  They all laughed I did it like one for those famous credit card commercials.  “The Armor of God… Don’t leave home without it!…

 

Ephesians 6:10-20

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-10-2011

Thursday

PRaP 11-10-2011

 

“So Many Things”

 

In John 21 it says that Jesus did so many things that if every one of them had been written they would fill the earth.

 

John 21:25

²⁵ Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

 

This begs the question have you done so many things that if they were all written down would even fill a book?  Will it fill a full page?  How about a Post It note?  Do you even journal?  You don’t have to publish a book on what you have done because that would be boasting.  Write about what the Lord has done through you.  A blessings book if you will.  Make sure that when you write a book boast of the Lord and His goodness not of what you consider to be your works for your works are like filthy rags to God.  For you could do nothing of good without Him.  Also nothing done in general is done without His knowledge of it being done.  You can’t hide from His eyes.  You could go to the deepest darkest cave and God is still there.  So write a book or a journal of what God has shown you or done for you or shared with you to share with us.  Mine is called the PRaP and that means Pray Read and Pray.  Pray about the subject, read the subject, and pray about what you have read and see where God leads you.  Who knows maybe something you have read in this is exactly where you needed to be or exactly what you needed to hear at that moment.  Only you and God know.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 11-09-2011

Wednesday

PRaP 11-09-2011

“The Little Children”

Jesus says to let the little children come to Him for heaven belongs to such as these.  Meaning that unless we become as innocent as a child we will be struggling to enter His kingdom.  I know Salvation is through a relationship with Christ alone and there are no stipulations to that Salvation and it is freely given but when we seek Him we need to be as a curious child seeking Him and His knowledge and His plan for our lives.  We must leave behind the things of this world and become as little children.  We try to get our kids to grow up so fast so they can be successful in this world but are we taking away their ability to become like little children in the presence of Christ?  We need to be sure that our children never forget how to be child like in the presence of the Father.  How do we do that and help them to be successful in this life?  Well obviously the answer is we have to teach them that in Him we can be like a child and still be who we need to be in the world.  We are not to be of the world but in the world.  I know a lot of people who need to learn to be child like before they could ever teach their children.  Jesus also tells us that in order for us to be able to help our brother we need to get the plank out of our own eye before we can get the speck out of our brothers eye.  I too struggled with these things yet have found a balance that I could have only found through the relationship I have with Christ.  I am not special anyone can do this through prayer and just living life in His way through that real life relationship with Christ.  There are growing pains and struggles and trials that go along with it but it wouldn’t be lasting if there wasn’t.  Think about it!

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve