Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
What does it mean to pluck something? Dictionary.com says plucking is "to pull off or out from the place of growth" like a flower or seedling. The bible has several illustrations of good and bad ground. We are that ground. Good ground ready for the gospel and bad ground refuses Christ.
So this scripture means this:
Wise women prepare the ground so it will be good and produce fruit in its season for the Kingdom of God. She plants good seeds into her children and family, her friends too she pours good into her friends. She talks kindly with coworkers and always helps strangers when she can. She plants good seeds of love, and kindness into the people around her and she edifies the ground with truth. A wise woman knows there are consequences to actions; and that consequences can be good or bad...there will be an outcome and she does the work to secure good things for her household. She is a builder not a plucker.
A foolish woman does the opposite, because she is selfish. She cares only for the moment and cannot see afar off. Her eyes are filled with delusion and she is very needy. She plucks up good seeds and tramples the beauty in her children and family. Her unsatisfied heart leads to broken relationships as she attacks those who hold her dear. She uses her hands for destruction rather than construction. She is a plucker not a builder.
Are you a plucker or a builder? Do your words build up those around you or pluck them down? We are responsible for our words though we try not to be, lo, we are. I've come to a specific juncture where I can see how pluckish I can be. I see that my builder tools are a little rusty sitting in the garage collecting dust, but I have determined myself to walk in love like Paul instructed us to in Ephesians. You see, the wise woman walks in a selfless love...abandonment of self for the building of others for the benefit of Christ. Wow, what an amazing thing to be! A wise builder!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Question Answer
Question of the Week: What is grace?
A. It's just like mercy.
B. It's our inherited right to be like Jesus.
C. It's a female name.
D. It's not important.
Well that was impressive I must say, everyone who took last weeks question survey got it 100% correct. Grace is in fact our inherited right to be like Jesus. It is not mercy...if it were mercy why would there be two words grace and mercy? Why wouldn't it just be mercy then? Yep, they are different good job!
Grace is walking Jesus out everyday in you thoughts, words and actions. Grace is you pushing a little each day to behave a little bit more like Jesus than you did the day before, and understanding who you are in Christ by inheritance.
A. It's just like mercy.
B. It's our inherited right to be like Jesus.
C. It's a female name.
D. It's not important.
Well that was impressive I must say, everyone who took last weeks question survey got it 100% correct. Grace is in fact our inherited right to be like Jesus. It is not mercy...if it were mercy why would there be two words grace and mercy? Why wouldn't it just be mercy then? Yep, they are different good job!
Grace is walking Jesus out everyday in you thoughts, words and actions. Grace is you pushing a little each day to behave a little bit more like Jesus than you did the day before, and understanding who you are in Christ by inheritance.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Salvation
There is only one Savior and He is Jesus Christ. No one else can save you…not good works, not being a ‘good’ person, not having money or speaking in tongues. There is only one and His name is Jesus.
Isaiah 43:11
I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Sometimes we look for other things to save us. I used to think religion could save me and when that didn’t I thought money could, but money couldn’t. Then I thought for sure relationships would make me whole, but that made a bigger void. The only real salvation comes from a risen Savior who conquered life and death to set the captive (you and me) free.
It is as complicated and as simple as the gospels say: Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross and rose from the dead and now is at the right hand of the thrown of God continually praying for you to know Him. His heart never ceases to pray in agony for the lost ones whom He adores.
Colossians 1:19
For it pleased the Father that in him (speaking of Jesus) should all fullness dwell.
So in Jesus all fullness dwells. To me that means everything comes from Christ and is from Christ. When you’re saved it’s not a weak thing…He has all fullness and all abundance. You just have to choose to serve Him and mean it. It’s not a game. Christ it real. Christ is big. Christ can change your world.
If you want to know the Lord just tell Him you do. Here’s a prayer you can say, but you could do your own too there is no recipe. Just say, “Jesus I know you are the Son of God and that you died for me. You rose from the dead on the third day. Please forgive my sins as I forgive those who have hurt me. Please be the Lord of my life. I choose to serve you.” See, it’s very simple to do, but you’ll never be the same again.
Isaiah 43:11
I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Sometimes we look for other things to save us. I used to think religion could save me and when that didn’t I thought money could, but money couldn’t. Then I thought for sure relationships would make me whole, but that made a bigger void. The only real salvation comes from a risen Savior who conquered life and death to set the captive (you and me) free.
It is as complicated and as simple as the gospels say: Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross and rose from the dead and now is at the right hand of the thrown of God continually praying for you to know Him. His heart never ceases to pray in agony for the lost ones whom He adores.
Colossians 1:19
For it pleased the Father that in him (speaking of Jesus) should all fullness dwell.
So in Jesus all fullness dwells. To me that means everything comes from Christ and is from Christ. When you’re saved it’s not a weak thing…He has all fullness and all abundance. You just have to choose to serve Him and mean it. It’s not a game. Christ it real. Christ is big. Christ can change your world.
If you want to know the Lord just tell Him you do. Here’s a prayer you can say, but you could do your own too there is no recipe. Just say, “Jesus I know you are the Son of God and that you died for me. You rose from the dead on the third day. Please forgive my sins as I forgive those who have hurt me. Please be the Lord of my life. I choose to serve you.” See, it’s very simple to do, but you’ll never be the same again.
Perfect Law of Liberty
The Perfect Law of Liberty - is Christ hanging on a tree beaten and abused never thinking a cuss word or evil thought, but contrary to what sensual wisdom does He walked in forgiveness for His abusers. The perfect law of liberty says your actions and your thoughts are equally sinful or equally righteous. If you think something evil, but don’t act it out physically you are still guilty for the sin, because you entertained the thought in your heart. Every action comes from a thought, and there is a spirit behind everything thought. The words of your heart are of greater value than the overflow of them from your mouth, because out of the abundance (overflow) of your heart your mouth speaks. What flows out of your mouth is very little in comparison to the river that dwells in your heart.
God hates false balances, because they are deceitful. In the spirit, a false balance is when the spirit behind an action doesn’t line up truthfully. A foolish man moved by a mocking spirit will move in actions that say “I am of God,” but it is of the devil, and people who have not prepared the way of the Lord in their lives can be drawn away by their lack of knowledge in Jesus Christ because they were too busy to put in the time to know the Word in truth.
The Perfect Law of Liberty says, ‘Let the Holy Spirit be lined up with every thought, word and action you do; thereby, you will walk in the wisdom that is from above moving contrary to sensual wisdom, which is foolishness, even as Christ Himself did.’ By this your faith will have works, because the Holy Spirit will prompt you to good works yielding good fruit.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Why is it sin? Because in his heart he had the thought to behave righteously, but actively chose not to do what the Holy Spirit prompted him to do. He chose sensual wisdom above Godly wisdom, and according to Proverbs 8:36 sinning against wisdom wrongs your own soul, when you do it enough times it builds up to a state of hate for wisdom. By hating wisdom you love death, because you are preferring your own understanding.
Proverbs 8:36
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
We have to trade our sensual understanding for God’s holy understanding, which usually doesn’t make sense to us at first. That is, until we see the fruit of obedience in our lives and realize that God is way smarter than us, and trust to obey and to walk in Wisdom from above is developed. If we are willing to be reasonable and begin to understand understanding then we will come to a cross road and forsake foolishness for wisdom gaining life.
Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
God hates false balances, because they are deceitful. In the spirit, a false balance is when the spirit behind an action doesn’t line up truthfully. A foolish man moved by a mocking spirit will move in actions that say “I am of God,” but it is of the devil, and people who have not prepared the way of the Lord in their lives can be drawn away by their lack of knowledge in Jesus Christ because they were too busy to put in the time to know the Word in truth.
The Perfect Law of Liberty says, ‘Let the Holy Spirit be lined up with every thought, word and action you do; thereby, you will walk in the wisdom that is from above moving contrary to sensual wisdom, which is foolishness, even as Christ Himself did.’ By this your faith will have works, because the Holy Spirit will prompt you to good works yielding good fruit.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Why is it sin? Because in his heart he had the thought to behave righteously, but actively chose not to do what the Holy Spirit prompted him to do. He chose sensual wisdom above Godly wisdom, and according to Proverbs 8:36 sinning against wisdom wrongs your own soul, when you do it enough times it builds up to a state of hate for wisdom. By hating wisdom you love death, because you are preferring your own understanding.
Proverbs 8:36
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
We have to trade our sensual understanding for God’s holy understanding, which usually doesn’t make sense to us at first. That is, until we see the fruit of obedience in our lives and realize that God is way smarter than us, and trust to obey and to walk in Wisdom from above is developed. If we are willing to be reasonable and begin to understand understanding then we will come to a cross road and forsake foolishness for wisdom gaining life.
Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Unspoken Leadership
God has given everyone a portion of leadership. Small or large, you have a portion of leadership in you. You can lead your families, your friends, your coworkers…you, yes you, have the potential to lead anyone and everyone around you.
“How?” You might ask, well I’ll tell you, by YOUR example.
“What? My example?” Yep that’s right, you can lead and influence the people around you by your thoughts, words and actions. You can build them up, teach them, encourage or tare down and discourage.
Simple truth can be life changing if you let it be, and here’s my simple truth of the day: Lead yourself and in so doing you will lead others.
“How?” You might ask, well I’ll tell you, by YOUR example.
“What? My example?” Yep that’s right, you can lead and influence the people around you by your thoughts, words and actions. You can build them up, teach them, encourage or tare down and discourage.
Simple truth can be life changing if you let it be, and here’s my simple truth of the day: Lead yourself and in so doing you will lead others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
