Archive for Uncategorized
February 10, 2010 at 6:51 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #280: Our Attitudes and Actions Affect Others
Woe to those enacting crooked statutes and writing oppressive laws to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless. What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from far away? Who will you run to for help? Where will you leave your wealth? [There will be nothing to do] except crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised [to strike]. Isaiah 10:1-4 (HCSB)
Have you come to the point in life where wisdom has revealed to you that you cannot live upon a remote island in total isolation from others? And, have you realized that no matter the cause or motive, your self-serving attitudes and actions affect others in your daily life, whether you intended to impact them or not? God created people to interact and to socialize directly or indirectly with other people. Even when we try to not impact others by our lives and leave family, friends, and neighbors for a retreat – they take notice of your absence. You impact people even in your absence you have an impact upon others.
However, in today’s passage what is the worst kind of affect that you can have upon others is intentional, planned and self-serving attitudes and actions. Whether or not the laws are necessary or the taxes that are needed, when they cause harm to those who cannot defend themselves against such unjust and unfair laws and taxes, God steps in!
Under normal circumstances governments are held in check by the will of the people – that is called the social contract theory of man in relationship. Men create governments to provide security and order among men by consent of the men that created the government, and when that government begins to forget their authority and approval comes from the men they are governing, rebellion and removal of that government is a reasonable and often necessary option that men can take to reestablish a rightful and just government to govern over them. In the case of God’s people, God is the final authority for the government because often the helpless are the ones who were taken advantage of in the days of Israel and Judah – even in the shadow of the temple where they worshiped God. The original 10 commandments and precepts that God gave to His people in His Word to them turned into over 600 laws about living that were constructed by men’s interpretation of those commandments and precepts. However, many of them Jesus confronted the injustice of many of them, because man had lost the purpose and principle behind God’s Word and they applied their own interpretation because they were empowered to do so, even when it burdened the people that God meant to protect and preserve through His commands and precepts. And, God stepped in and made His opinion known through the prophets and actions that occurred in history. He even sent His Son to set them straight, but jealousy and greed of power in men crucified God’s Son. So God took harsher action upon the government. History reveals the impact of God’s judgment upon the people of Israel and Judah, and later the Jewish people after Jesus’ death.
You may say that you are not held to the same standards as those in power to make to make laws and levy taxes, but I believe God says otherwise. When our attitudes and actions adversely affect others, especially the helpless, then you are at risk from God’s intervention in your life. His judgment and actions will serve to protect the helpless and discipline the offender. How can you avoid such action by God in your life? Live your life by the light of God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word and certainly you will be far more sensitive to how you impact others by the way you live your life everyday. You will begin to see how your attitudes and actions can serve to build up or tear down others around you.
Are you a builder or wrecker of lives? God is watching and seeking to help you to help others around you.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matt 12:33-37 (HCSB)
January 19, 2010 at 6:35 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #265: When the Lord Comes What Security Do You Have?
Observe this: The Lord God of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah every kind of security: the entire supply of bread and water, the hero and warrior, the judge and prophet, the fortune-teller and elder, the commander of 50 and the dignitary, the counselor, cunning magician, and necromancer. “I will make youths their leaders, and the unstable will govern them.” The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the youth will act arrogantly toward the elder, and the worthless toward the honorable. A man will even seize his brother in his father’s house, [saying:] “You have a cloak—you be our leader! This heap of rubble will be under your control.” On that day he will cry out, saying: “I’m not a healer. I don’t even have food or clothing in my house. Don’t make me the leader of the people!” For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they have spoken and acted against the Lord, defying His glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom, they flaunt their sin. They do not conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. Isaiah 3:1-9 (HCSB)
As a people who claim to be God’s people, how would we respond if that day was upon us? What would happen if the greatness of our land was taken away, how would we trust in God? Would we still trust in God, or panic? It is easy to say we live in God’s country when we are safe and secure, and do not fear the threat of the enemy invading our land. However, what would happen if the Lord allowed our land to fall into the enemies’ hands and all the leaders we have trusted are swept away from the land. Who would lead? Who would stand up in the face of the enemy, trust God and try to bring stability once again to the people?
If we truly were “One Nation Under God” would there ever be a shortage of leaders who God could draw upon to lead His people even in the face of the enemy? Or, do we claim it because we are counting on God’s grace to keep us secure like the Israelites? However, the ten northern tribes were driven into exile and ultimately extinction, and Judah, along with Jerusalem dismantled and exiled. When our claim to be God’s people is a false claim, we stand on shaky ground and our future is at risk to reveal our real standing before God. There will be many who call out Lord, Lord, but the Lord will say go away, I never knew you! Is our nation headed towards that sad state? As I have advised others, there is a difference of an acquaintance and a friend. There are a lot of people who are acquainted with God, but there are far less who truly can claim to be friends of God. When the going gets tough and the enemy is at the door acquaintances scatter to save their own lives, while friends stand their ground to support and care for one another. A friend never abandons a friend. That is the relationship the Lord desires with us.
In the face of the enemy what will you reveal? Will you reveal your acquaintance with God that has been self-serving and you will flee for your own life? Or, will you stand your ground along side the Lord trusting your relationship with Him and face the enemy together? Will you prove yourself a true friend of God?
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
“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 in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’ Matt 7:21-23 (HCSB)
July 18, 2009 at 7:00 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #116: How to Recognize the Truly Wise
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.
Prov 10:13-14 (HCSB)
Wisdom is the greatest treasure in life…
Pursue it and your life will have purpose…
Ignore it and your life will become a tragedy…
These words of wisdom about the pursuit of wisdom have been shared in my classroom for several years now. They share a powerful warning that come from the proverbs and wise sayings dating back into biblical days. And, in my classroom I share with the students that the “pursuit of wisdom” is not merely the knowing of more facts or basic knowledge. Wisdom is learning how to learn so that you become your own teacher and can discern for yourselves what is worthy of learning. Wisdom is also learning to invest in right and relevant knowledge for the benefit of yourself; otherwise you become burdened down by mere trivia.
So how do we recognize the truly wise person – the person who has prospected and searched diligently for the greatest treasure in life? Well, according to the passage from proverbs, it is found by listening to the words of someone who is discerning about what they say. This means a wise person does not engage in idle chatter, nor does a wise person in other worthless speech, such as gossip, murmuring, and other unproductive vocal expressions. The wise person understands their responsibility to build up and not tear down relationships with others. There is a worthy purpose in all the knowledge the wise person pursues in their life. And worthiness is measured by the lives impacted in an uplifting and positive manner.
So how can we recognize the unwise person – the person who has ignored the pursuit of the greatest treasure in life? Well, their words provide witness to their selfish ambitions and are filled with useless efforts to exalt themselves and tear down others. They have no hesitation to fill silence with words that are spoken obviously without careful thought. Their words are like barbs to snare others into idle gossip and rumor-mongering. Destruction is their purpose and their path is obvious, especially to the wise person who can discern the tragedy that lies ahead for such an unwise person.
Where are you today? Are you in pursuit of the greatest treasure or …? Where will you begin seeking wisdom, start with the author of all wisdom – seek His right ways and enter His Kingdom first and most often, and all that your needs will be given to you. (Matt. 6:33) Invest in the storehouse of treasures found by pursuing faithfully and regularly God’s will, God’s ways, and certainly God’s wisdom according to God’s Word.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Praise of the author of all wisdom and knowledge: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (HCSB)
July 6, 2009 at 7:07 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #104: Beware of Entangling Yourself in the Obligations of Others
My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor or entered into an agreement with a stranger, you have been trapped by the words of your lips — ensnared by the words of your mouth. Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor. Don’t give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, like a bird from a fowler’s trap. Prov 6:1-5 (HCSB)
This passage can be confusing because as Christians we are called to extend a helping hand where and when you can to a neighbor; however there is an added factor in this situation that puts you, your family, and your neighbor at risk. What seems like a good thing to do, the neighborly thing, can do more harm than the good intentions on the surface. The setting is you have placed yourself up as the guarantor of an agreement or contract that your neighbor has made with another person – someone you do not know anything about.
- First of all, the Bible declares you are not to be a debtor to others, because it enslaves you to that person until the debt is resolved. Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8 (HCSB)
- Next, your family is made a party of the commitment, because you have offered to guarantee to the agreement with your resources which are to be used to care for and support your own family. Therefore, your spouse and children have unknowingly been made a part of your decision. Is it wrong to help a neighbor in a time of need by sharing what you and your family have – certainly not! However, the caution is when you base your guarantor position upon your faith in your neighbor and not in your ability to meet the debt if something should happen that would require you to fulfill the debt obligation. Even Jesus did not trust the hearts of men because He knew what was in their hearts. Jesus, however, would not entrust Himself to them, since He knew them all and because He did not need anyone to testify about man; for He Himself knew what was in man. John 2:24-25 (HCSB) Your role on behalf of your neighbor should be to help him or her to find a way to eliminate their debt obligation, and then to remain debt free in their life.
- Finally, should you stand in the place of a guarantor of the neighbor’s obligation, you take your neighbor’s place, and thus he or she now has you under their power. They no longer have any vested interest in meeting the obligation except their relationship with you. You have enabled your neighbor to not realize the consequences for their choices, because you have placed yourself in the position of assuming the consequences that they should have faced. It is far better to help your neighbor to overcome their debt, their obligations to others, so that they would honor God in their life. Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law…You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-10 (HCSB)
I know your instincts are to be willing to help your neighbor, but this proverb encourages you to do so in the light of what God desires for you and your neighbor. Also, remember that the only person you should be in debt to be God Himself. Certainly, love your neighbor… but do so in the light of God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 (HCSB)
July 5, 2009 at 7:14 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #103: Enjoy Your Unique and Personal Relationship
Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. Should your springs flow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares? They should be for you alone and not for you [to share] with strangers. Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful fawn—let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever. Why, my son, would you be infatuated with a forbidden woman or embrace the breast of a stranger? For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and He considers all his paths. A wicked man’s iniquities entrap him; he is entangled in the ropes of his own sin. He will die because there is no instruction, and be lost because of his great stupidity. Prov 5:15-23 (HCSB)
This is a passage that can easily be directed to the marriage relationship between a man and his wife, and certainly the advice is one of fidelity according to God’s covenant of marriage, however in the context of the advice given so far it has a broader message. Remember in reading the Bible, one must consider the context it is written. The Middle Eastern mind enjoys using a play on words to paint a picture to try and get their real meaning across, much like the parables of Jesus. The subject so far in the advice of the father to his son in Proverbs has been related to being true to adhering to God’s wisdom, versus the seduction of sin or the wicked ways of the world. Considering this fact, read once again this passage to consider the meaning which has equal instruction for young men and young women alike.
Fidelity or remaining completely faithful to your committed relationship with God and His will, His ways, and His wisdom according to His Word is in view here. Just as there is a marriage covenant in which there is a commitment to fidelity and faithfulness, the covenant that God offers all His chosen children requires your unadulterated faithfulness. God desires a personal relationship with you and you alone. It is a relationship that is very personal because in God’s eyes you have been uniquely made by Him for His purposes. And, one of those purposes is to discover God’s love for you. Thus, you are warned here to not try and have a relationship with Him while being receptive to other relationships that will come between you and God. And do not think you can have it both ways because God is omniscient and He is aware of all your comings and goings in life. He knows when you have been unfaithful to Him. And God issues this warning through the words of a father who knows: “A wicked man’s iniquities entrap him; he is entangled in the ropes of his own sin. He will die because there is no instruction, and be lost because of his great stupidity.”
Stupidity is knowing where to go to make the right choices in life and knowing there are consequences for making wrong choices, but you still ignore the advice and go your own way anyway. And turning from God once you know Him and His ways for you is very STUPID!
Thankfully, God knows the struggle you face within yourself and He offers you Himself through His Spirit and a personal relationship with His Son, Christ Jesus, to help you to remain faithful and true to His will, His ways, and His wisdom according to His Word for you. All He asks is that you seek to be faithful only to Him, just as you should be 100% faithful to your spouse in marriage! Remember, adultery means you have placed an obstacle between you and the one you have committed to love above all others. Adultery is losing your focus upon what God has intended for your life, and the consequences are dire indeed, even death if you fail to continue on that path of destruction. Thankfully God is a gracious and loving God and will forgive and forget our sins, if you will seek Him and turn away from any wrong relationship of adultery you have found yourself entangled.
Thank you Lord for your faithful love, even when I was stupid enough to stray from it…
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers. Heb 13:4 (HCSB)
July 3, 2009 at 7:00 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #101: Be Totally Committed
My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil. Prov 4:20-27 (HCSB)
Many people can talk the talk, but are they able to walk the walk to back up what they committed to do? Your words have no value unless you have totally committed to back them up by all you believe and are focused upon in your life.
In this passage, you are encouraged, even urged to live according to God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s Wisdom found in God’s Word, because if you not only listen but also totally commit to living your life guided by them, you will be blessed. In God’s Word you can discover the formula for living life to its fullest and discover health for your body. Further, the total commitment specified means going beyond just listening and acknowledging the words. The words should be securely placed into your heart, as well as your mind. The words of your mouth should constantly witness to your commitment, and your eyes should reveal a vision that is guided by a life totally committed to pleasing God by following His Wisdom for your life. Likewise, with that total commitment, you should filter all your choices in life by His Wisdom, and then commit totally to your decision, never floundering in indecision. Nor should you be swayed by others from the choice you have made. When God is behind your decision, you have chosen rightly, and any other path would be in opposition to what God has intended for you to do.
Finally, fathers (and mothers) are to be not only the models of this lifestyle, but also the encouragers and mentors for their sons (and daughters). Therefore, as a father (or mother) your total commitment to live according to God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s Wisdom found in God’s Word not only serves a healthy benefit for your life, but also will impact the future life and health of your children as well. This definitely defies the old adage that many parents espouse: “Do as I say, not as I do!” Your children will mirror their parents long before they listen to their advice. Thus, your best form of instruction is a life well-lived before them, guiding them by example of word and deed.
Does your life testify to the instruction you would want for your children?
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which [leads to] reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music to the Lord in your heart, giving thanks always for everything
to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the
fear of Christ. Eph 5:15-21 (HCSB)
July 2, 2009 at 8:18 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #100: Choose Carefully, God’s Ways or the World’s Ways!
Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked; don’t proceed in the way of evil ones. Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by. For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. Prov 4:10-19 (HCSB)
The Bible is clear: Life is about making choices and then realizing the consequences that come from making those choices. When God created you and me, He gave us a free will to make the choices necessary in life. When you choose rightly, there is life and light upon the ways you have chosen. When you bypass God’s many warnings about choosing the ways of the World, then you will likely discover nothing but grief, troubles and darkness – even death!
The Bible refers to making the wrong choice as turning to evil ways or the ways of the wicked. Both are synonymous with seeking ways that are not God’s ways for you. The Bible also points to Satan or the Devil as the villain who exists to deceive you away from the right ways that God has for you. However, understand carefully, the Bible clearly states that God has given you the power of choice, and you will only choose wrong because you have decided to do so, on your own. The “deceiver,” or Satan, is merely a creation to give an excuse for our self-centered decisions that oppose going in the ways that God desires for you. This rebellious decision is what is called “SIN!” And, it is nothing more than when “Self Is Noticed” and the “Savior Is Neglected.”
If only you will invest time in the Wisdom of God found in His Word. As you invest in His wisdom, you will realize that God’s Will is that you discover the light and life found following God’s Ways. Jesus pointed to this fact during His life, and His words are recorded as God’s encouragement and testimony to the love that He has for you.
As you read this passage and others like it in God’s Word, how many times in your life have you found yourself choosing between God’s ways and the World’s ways? What was the outcome of your decision? Did you always choose the right ways to follow? Or, were there times, for some reason, you chose the world’s ways?
How do you know when you have chosen the right ways? First, there will be no hesitation in your decision. Next, no one will be hurt along the ways that God has intended for you. Thus, if you have to offend or turn your back on someone by taking your chosen path, you likely have taken the wrong path to follow. And, thirdly, if the way seems uncertain and you feel uncomfortable, causing you to stumble, you are definitely on the wrong path. God will never take you down a path that will cause you to stumble or to be a stumbling block for others.
Begin today, filtering your choices in life by seeking God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom according to God’s Word.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
[Ananias testified to Paul at his conversion]… ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of His voice. 15 For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’ Acts 22:14-16 (HCSB)
July 1, 2009 at 6:43 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Words of Wisdom #99: Father to Son Responsibility
Listen, [my] sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, he taught me and said: Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words of my mouth. Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will place a garland of grace on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty.” Prov 4:1-9 (HCSB)
What our country needs today is more fathers involved and engaged in their families. Sons need strong role models to guide them as they grow and mature in the important stages of their life. However, many families today are being forced to develop without a father active in the daily lives of the children. The mothers who are left to raise the children are overwhelmed and are ill-equipped to provide the father’s role to their children, and the results are children who grow up without the solid foundation of parental support that God intended from the beginning of time.
Isn’t it interesting that long before governments and nations were established, God ordained marriage and the raising of families as the foundation of society. Even the earliest nations were nothing more than extended families supporting one another for common good and security. However, as government and religious institutions were established the pressure for power, prestige, and pleasure received from those man-made institutions became far more important than maintaining God’s intended role of parents in the family setting, which offer the benefits of proper power, prestige, and pleasure that the family relationship offers. Instead men sacrificed their parental roles and the benefits that came in the family and they pursued what is perceived as greater power, prestige, and pleasure that can be sought climbing social and secular ladders. The applause of men becomes more important than the applause of their wives and children. And, to add to that reality, in recent years there has been the movement that promotes that women should not be left out of this definition of true success, and the family itself has been further crippled, with the children losing out from almost any consistent parental guidance and support. The mothers and fathers for their selfish designs have shuffled their responsibilities onto the shoulders of schools and churches and other social activities.
Fathers, you have a responsibility designed and established by God to be the role model for your sons (and daughters) to promote God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s wisdom found in God’s Word. Our children desire and deserve the applause of their fathers. And fathers, your applause should come from the eager response of your children seeking to receive your approval for what they do and say and achieve.
America, what has made us so strong for so many decades was our agricultural family base, where multi-generations lived together on the farm supporting and encouraging each other; everyone sharing for the common good and security of the family members. However, as America prospered and we became more successful as an industrial society and families moved into the cities for the “so-called better life,” the family structure suffered. Add the information age we are in, and now we find our children engaged in social networks like they are. Why? The answer is simpler than we realize: Our children need approval and guidance and they are seeking it from social network connections, because their parents are too busy in their own lives. Let us be reminded what God has to say about this: When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, he taught me and said: Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.
Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother—which is the first commandment with a promise— that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. And fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.Eph 6:1-4 (HCSB)
June 30, 2009 at 7:05 am · Filed under Uncategorized
When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it is due. Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later. I’ll give it tomorrow”—when it is there with you. Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor, for he trusts you and lives ear you. Don’t accuse anyone without cause, when he has done you no harm.
Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; for the devious are detestable to the Lord, but He is a friend to the upright. The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous; He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble. The wise will inherit honor, but He holds up fools to dishonor. Proverbs 3:27-35 (HCSB)
When you walk according to the wisdom of the Lord, the Lord guides you through what are right relationship attitudes and actions when dealing with others in your life. In this passage, the others are not family members but those who should be your friend because they are your neighbor, or those who live near you and you should interact with daily. The Lord places upon us certain proper responsibilities to help us build right relationships for our benefit and for His kingdom purposes. And, the Lord declares that “whenever it is in our power or ability to make it happen” we are to avoid wrong behavior towards our neighbors, such as:
- Don’t withhold good to those neighbors who have done nothing wrong to you to warrant such behavior. Remember how the Lord has dealt with you and has not withheld good towards you, unless you chose to act in a manner that was wrong in the eyes of the Lord. However, remember that He also never remembers wrong once you have confessed your wrong and sought to return to a right relationship with the Lord. Can you do the same with your neighbor, as well?
- Don’t delay doing right for your neighbor when he or she comes to you and it is in your power or ability to help him or her. When you put off a neighbor, when it is possible to help him or her at that time, you are deceiving him or her. The Lord wants us to deal rightly with all people even when it may be inconvenient and interrupt our immediate plans. Why? Do you go to the Lord seeking help and does He put you off because He is doing something else, or does He respond in the proper time and in the proper way? We should respond likewise.
- Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor. You are to be building positive relationships with all your neighbors, not destroying relationships. You are to be building bridges of friendship, pleasing the Lord. Jesus plainly said we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
- Don’t falsely accuse your neighbor of wrong doing. You should always strive to act and speak fairly and honestly with all your neighbors. Would you be pleased if your neighbors spoke falsely against you – if so, how would you feel? Jesus has false accusations thrown at Him, but did He use that as an excuse to do likewise? Well, neither should you.
- Don’t envy an evil man who may seem to have it all. Don’t seek his advice thinking his ways may be better ways. You are to deal rightly with him, but not accept his ways as being right for you. The Lord will be his or her judge and deal with him or her in His just time and manner. Don’t risk your relationship with the Lord.
In all our relationships, the Lord blesses the righteous. Are you one of His righteous by the manner you deal with others? Are you humble enough to respond rightly to anyone who the Lord places before you as one of your neighbors? If so, the Lord is pleased. Don’t be like the fool who knew better but did wrong anyway, because God honors the wise, and they are the ones who seek daily to live according to His will, His ways, according to the wisdom of His Word.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” “This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. “The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31 (HCSB)
June 29, 2009 at 7:20 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Maintain [your] competence and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant. Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare.
Prov 3:21-26 (HCSB)
Those who are truly wise share common traits; you are competent, discrete, and confident in all you think, say or do in life. Being competent comes from not only knowing everything one should know about any particular discipline, but also wisdom means you know how to properly and rightly to utilize the knowledge you have. Seeking God’s gift of wisdom means you want more than just knowledge but the proper understanding in how to apply that knowledge in the practical, everyday relationships and situations in life for the benefit of everyone, not just yourself.
Further, in addition to competence, one who has sought the wisdom that comes from God understands the value of discretion. Proper use of wisdom is more than just knowing how to do something properly but in the right manner, at the right time, and for the right purpose. Discretion means not taking advantage of others or using what you know how to do just because you can. A discrete person considers the implications of using the knowledge they have as it may affect others. When God’s wisdom is the filter, relationships are more important than revelations of knowledge.
Finally, in addition to competence and discretion, one who has sought the wisdom that comes from God has an unshakable confidence about his or her life. Not only does a wise person know how and when to use their knowledge but they also have the confidence to use their knowledge, even when it may be dangerous to do so. When God is the source of one’s wisdom there is no fear or reservation in using their wisdom for the right purposes in the right manner, according to God’s will and ways. There will be times that God uses the wise to be his agents to challenge the wrong in this world, and that can come with a price, but when a person has competence, discretion, and confidence that person, he is a formidable force because first of all he or she knows that his or her source of wisdom is a gift from God. There is nothing that a truly wise person cannot handle for God because it is God who guides and directs all that person does.
Is this the kind of child of God you desire to be? Then, first of all seek to know God’s will, God’s way, and the wisdom that is found in God’s Word every day. As you invest yourself in this quest you will discover you are becoming more and more competent, discrete, and confident as you mature in Christ. In dealing with all the issues in life, Christ said to us: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things in life will be given to you. This was said in the light of all the fears and anxieties that we should not allow to overcome our lives. Seek God first, and He will give you the wisdom to overcome.
Coach
“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:25-34 (HCSB)
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