Category Archives: Proverbs

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Spitting In God’s Face

Contempt for the Creator

Synopsis: When we look without compassion at people trapped in a cycle of economic despair or act as if they deserve what they are getting due to their own poor financial management, we come dangerously close to spitting in God’s face: “Those who mock the poor show contempt for their maker.” (Prov 17:5) Scripture repeatedly warns that those attitudes have no place in Christ’s community. Rather, when we lift the downtrodden, bear each other’s burdens, strengthen the weak, and love the unlovely we’re literally doing it to Jesus. (Matt 25:40) Jesus himself said that the defining mark of his followers would be that they have a full-throttled love for 1) God, 2) one another, and 3) a hurting world. And guess what? Two out of three won’t cut it! Let’s help the hurting. Do it for Jesus … do it to Jesus!

Spitting in God's Face

Moments With God // Proverbs 17:5

He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

Contempt for the Creator—really?

Yep! That’s what Creator says in the Operator’s Manual he’s provided for us—the Bible. It says that when we look without compassion at those who are trapped in a cycle of economic despair or who have suddenly fallen into financial ruin, or act as if they deserve what they are getting due to their own poor financial management, we come dangerously close to spitting in the face of God.

In fact, there are an astounding number of places in the Bible warning us that those kinds of attitudes have no place in the community of Christ. Rather, we have been called to lift up the downtrodden, we are to bear one another’s burdens, and we are to strengthen the weak and love the unlovely. Not only that, but Jesus himself said that the defining mark of his followers would be that they have a full-throttled love, one, for God, two, for one another, and three, for a hurting world. And guess what? Two out of three doesn’t cut it here!

It is not that we have ignored the hurting, the fallen, or the poor entirely. We do a pretty good job of giving to disaster relief, sending our unused clothing to thrift stores, and donating canned goods to shelters. That’s not the problem; it’s the attitude with which we do it. You see, we engage the hurting but we don’t empathize with them very well. We open our wallets, just not our hearts. Yet the Bible tells us that God is on the side of the poor and the downcast. In fact, to ignore their needs or to judge them is to show contempt for God himself:

You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God. (Prov 14:31)

It’s criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor—what a blessing! (Prov 14:21)

Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full. (Prov 19:17)

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 25:40, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

So the bottom line is this: We had better guard our hearts and watch our attitudes very carefully when it comes to the poor and hurting. We, as individual believers and corporately as churches, need to develop a sensitive heart and a willing response. Compassion is the rightful domain of Christ’s community and we need to seriously up our game when it comes to care and involvement with the less fortunate.

Why is this such a big deal to God? Five reasons.

  1. God is on the side of the poor.
  2. Not to take their side too is inviting the judgment of God.
  3. Taking care of what God cares about invites God to take care of what you care about.
  4. Care and involvement with the poor will nourish your spirit and transform your own character
  5. Expressing God’s heart for those trapped in misfortune will exert the awesome, life-changing power to lift a person out of their despair—something that may never occur without your helping hand.

So, my friend, do you have God’s heart for the poor?

Take A Moment: In the Incarnation, Christ left his glory to enter into our poverty. We have been called to the same kind of incarnational living. So here’s the $64,000 question: What about your attitude, your schedule, and your activities need to change to fully, personally, and practically exude the Incarnation in your world?

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The Simple Recipe For True Success

Follow It And You Will Achieve It

SYNOPSIS: Success! A lot of books have been written about the secrets of success. Thousands of people attend expensive seminars on how to be successful. A mindboggling amount of brainpower is exerted every second of the day on Planet Earth to achieve success. And to be sure, much of what has been written, offered, and exerted is quite good. But there really is no secret to being successful. It’s quite easy, actually. It’s not hidden but is open to everyone. It’s more of a recipe, if you will, that anyone can follow to achieve it. It’s simply this: find out what God wants—then do it.

Moments With God // Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

A lot of books have been written about the secrets of success. Thousands of people attend expensive seminars on how to be successful. A mindboggling amount of brainpower is exerted every second of the day on Planet Earth to achieve success. And to be sure, much of what has been written, offered, and exerted is quite good. But there really is no secret to being successful. It is quite easy, actually. It is not hidden but is open to everyone. It is more of a recipe, if you will, that anyone can follow to achieve it. It is simply this:

Find out what God wants—then do it.

That is what Solomon is saying: “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.” (The Message) Many other Bible figures have said the same. Consider the following:

Moses: “I am about to go the way of all the earth, so be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.” (I Kings 2:2-3)

Joshua: “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8-9, NLT)

King David: “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” (Psalm 37:4-6)

Jesus Christ: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

So what is the recipe for success? Quite plainly, here it is: Take care of the things that God cares about, he will take care of the things you care about.

That is his promise, not mine.

Take A Moment: Take time today to run each of the things in which you are striving to be successful through the filter of the verses mentioned above. Are they aligned with God’s truth? Are they what God wants? Are they kingdom-focused? If not, I think you know what to do.

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Control Your Rudder, Brudder!

Loose Lips Really Do Sink Ships

SYNOPSIS: This will be your toughest assignment today, but hands down, the most important. It could be that relationships will be helped or hindered based on your success. It might be that witnessing opportunities will appear or disappear commensurate with your mastery of the mission. It is likely that the door to greater opportunity will open or shut depending on how well you do. It might even be that your destiny will rise or fall relative to your ability to gain the upper hand in this task. I am talking, of course, about the use or misuse of the words you speak today! The direction your life takes will be determined by how well you control your tongue.

Control your mouth

Moments With God // Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

This will be the toughest assignment you will have today, but hands down, it is the most important. It could be that relationships will be helped or hindered based on your success. It might be that witnessing opportunities will appear or disappear commensurate with your mastery of the mission. It is likely that the door to greater opportunity will open or shut depending on how well you do. It might even be that your destiny will rise or fall relative to your ability to gain the upper hand in this task.

I am talking, of course, about the use or misuse of the words you speak today! Your tongue is, in reality, the rudder to the ship of your life, and the direction you take will be determined by how well you control it. Seriously, brother and sister, tame your tongue or you are likely to shipwreck your life sooner or later! If you think I am overstating the power of your words, take a moment to read James 3 and Matthew 12:33-37. If you doubt me now, you won’t then:

For sure, perfectly controlling your speech is tough work, but the payoff will be immense. Think about the personal power of the one whose tongue has been brought under control by the Spirit-formed heart:

  • Conflict is diffused! Proverbs 15:1says, “A gentle answer turns away anger while harsh words fuels the fire.” Proverbs 15:18 tells us, “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”
  • Knowledge is distributed! Proverbs 15:2 says, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of a fool gushes folly.” Proverbs 15:7 reminds us, “The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools”, while Proverbs 15:14 follows with, “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”
  • Life is dispensed! Proverbs 15:4 says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverb 15:30 offers this reminder: “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

Just think, if you can control your rudder today, and develop a track record of rudder control, then you can initiate peace, instill knowledge and instigate life! Now that kind of personal impact is worth the effort!

Take A Moment: If you work next to someone, give that person permission to remind you every time you utter a negative, harsh, coarse or foolish word. Agree to pay them $5.00 for every infraction. If you work alone, ask the Holy Spirit to be your accountability partner…and Just pay me the $5.00 every time you blow it. And if you’re tempted to fudge the results, remember, the Spirit knows!

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Get Your Mess On!

There Is Opportunity In Your Chaos

SYNOPSIS: Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was no doubt a very orderly, strategic person. Just look at the details of the Temple that he designed and built. It was grand beyond description. He was a man of great planning and execution, but he had also come to understand that surprises and messes and interruptions were not only to be expected in life, they often became life’s little serendipities. The unexpected pleasures and great discoveries in life are often unplanned, even when we guard our lives so tightly trying to prevent them. But “it” happens! Or as Solomon would say, “When the bull is not in the barn, it stays nice ‘n’ tidy, but if you want a cash crop, you got to put up with a stinky stall.”

Get Your Mess On

Moments With God // Proverbs 14:4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

You have heard it said, “A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind.” That came from a brilliant theologian by the name of Garfield. So if Garfield said it, it has to be true, right?

Of course, most of us neat and orderly Type A personalities would say to that one, “put the cat back in the bag.” But, reluctantly and grudgingly, I have to admit that there is a truth hidden in Garfield’s reasoning. Maybe he’d just read Proverbs 14:4—my paraphrase,

When the bull is not in the barn, it stays nice ‘n’ tidy,
but if you want a cash crop, you got to put up with a stinky stall.

Yeah, Garfield, life gets messy!

As much as some of us would like to control everything that goes on in and around our lives, keeping things as neat, orderly, and sterile as an operating room, we can’t. Sometimes things happen beyond our control.

Have you noticed that life spilling out beyond the boundaries seems to be the rule rather than the exception?

So, what is Solomon saying? Forget about order? Don’t sweat staying within the borders? Don’t worry about the details? I don’t think so. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was no doubt a very orderly, strategic person. Just look at the details of the Temple that he designed and built. It was grand beyond description. Solomon was a man of great planning and execution. But he had also come to understand that surprises and messes and interruptions were not only to be expected in life, but they often became life’s little serendipities. The unexpected pleasures and great discoveries in life are often unplanned, even when we guard our lives so tightly trying to prevent them. But, “it” happens!

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul would say it this way: “For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) So instead of ruthlessly trying to eliminate the unexpected and strategically avoiding the out-of-bounds in our lives, Solomon says we should embrace them as necessary to a fruitful, joyful life.

  • A consistently clean room means the child has gone away to college.
  • A marriage without heartache means that a husband and wife no longer share the same bathroom.
  • A ministry that doesn’t have to clean up the after-effects of sin means a church without people.
  • A life without relational disappointment means love never ventured.
  • A perfect world means you’ve lived in the safety of suburbia so long that you’ve forgotten the opportunities God has for you to change a lost and hurting world.

Life gets messy! So why not jump in with both feet and enjoy the mess. Get your mess on! Get involved. Get your hands dirty. Be useful. It won’t hurt you! In fact, you might find an unanticipated dimension of life that leads to incredible fulfillment.

Just remember what God did with a whole lot of chaos. (Gen 1:2)

Take A Moment: Make a list of five things that are irritating you at the moment. Now, beside each one, write a sentence-prayer expressing gratitude to God for how he is going to use these “messes” to bring about good in your life.

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Keep Hope Alive

Biblical Hope Enables You To Not Only Endure, But To Victoriously Overcome

SYNOPSIS: Biblical hope is not just a vague and lofty concept; it’s actually a very practical thing. Just like a football player puts on his helmet for the game, or a soldier puts on his helmet for battle, we’ve got to put on the helmet of hope, particularly the hope of our salvation because it is what enables us to endure life’s battles and come out victorious at the end of the day. That’s called practicing hope. So how can you literally put hope on as a helmet? First, quit being passive about hope. Hope is not just going to happen for you, you’ve got to practice it. Second, develop patterns of thinking that are founded in hope. The fact is, there are not only ways of thinking that will kill hope, there are ways of thinking that produce hope.

Keep Hope Alive

Moments With God // Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope is an incredible motivator in life, a powerful sustainer of love, and arguably, it is the most effective instigator of spiritual growth. On the other hand, the loss of hope is arguably the greatest devastator of life a human being can experience. That’s how profoundly powerful hope is. Speaking of the power of hope, Martin Luther King, Jr. said,

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

He is absolutely right: we must never lose infinite hope. The Contemporary English Version translates Proverbs 13:12 this way: “Not getting what you want can make you feel sick, but a wish that comes true is a life-giving tree.” That’s so true, isn’t it? Hope is that powerful.

We’ve all been there—the loss of a job, the breakup of a relationship, the crushing of a dream—it takes your legs right out from under you. It tempts you to give up, shrink back, curl up in a ball and just quit on life. There is no pain quite like the loss of hope.

But when you have hope you can survive and actually thrive through just about anything. When hope is stoked, even when what you’re hoping for is still a far-off expectation, suddenly there is energy, drive, focus, and patient endurance.

That’s how powerful hope is, and that’s why we got to practice it. Huh? Practice hope? Yeah, that’s what the Bible says. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says we’ve got to exercise hopefulness…we’ve got to practice being hopeful…we’ve go to put on hope:

But since we belong to the day let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

You see, hope is not just some vague and lofty concept; it’s actually a very practical thing. Just like a football player puts on his helmet for the game, or a soldier puts on his helmet for battle, we’ve got to put on the helmet of hope, particularly the hope of our salvation because it is what enables us to endure life’s battles and come out victorious at the end of the day.

So how can you literally put hope on as a helmet? First, quit being passive about hope. Hope is not just going to happen for you, you’ve got to practice it. Then second, develop and nurture patterns of thinking that are founded in hope. The fact is, there are not only ways of thinking that will kill hope, there are ways of thinking that produce hope.

Let me illustrate: Suppose you were to receive a phone call today from an old friend who enthusiastically says, “Friend, I have good news. You can take a 7-day trip to Hawaii with my company that won’t cost you a dime. We have room for two more…but here’s the catch: we leave tomorrow evening at 9:00 PM. The boss is taking us on his private jet, and we’ll be staying at his beachfront villa in Maui.”

You say you’ll call him right back, and the minute you get off the phone, you and your spouse, who was listening in, start thinking and planning. Out comes the pen and paper, and you begin to prioritize what you need to do to make this happen. Then you call the friend back, and tell him you’re in.

Now here’s the deal: I’ll guarantee that you will begin to ruthlessly align your life over the next 24 hours to pull this off. Am I right? You see, the hope of Hawaii tomorrow will change the way you live today.

There’s something even better and more permanent that Hawaii. It’s called heaven. The most important hope of all—the hope of your salvation—is promising you a better tomorrow. So, start aligning your life today for eternity with Jesus—and be ruthless about it—and watch what hope will do for you!

Take A Moment: For the next seven days, right before you go to sleep and then again when you first wake up, think about what heaven will be like. That’s practicing hope.

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Winning Souls As Missions

The Wisest Use of Your One and Only Life

Giving yourself to God’s mission is simply the wisest use of your one and only life. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and those who win souls are wise.” Soul-winning makes you wise because it exerts your greatest impact on eternity. It’s one of the few things that survives from earth to eternity, and when you share Christ, it changes people’s eternal trajectory.

Winning Souls As Missions

William Carey, known as the father of modern missions, said all we need for knowing God’s will is “an open Bible and an open map.” The will of God is missions — the exaltation of God’s glory in all the earth.

Missiologist Ralph Winter said, “The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible.” That means missions must be the core business of every church, including yours, and every Christian, including you! And giving yourself to God’s mission is simply the wisest use of your one and only life. Proverbs 11:30 says,

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and those who wins souls are wise.”

So, let me unpack that proverb by using two key phrases in it: “tree of life” and “wins souls.”

“Tree of life” is used only in Genesis and Revelation, the beginning and end of the Bible.

  • Genesis says God created the tree of life for sinless humanity but sin cursed it into perpetual dormancy.
  • Revelation says God restores the tree for redeemed man with perpetual access to its healing properties.

Between Eden and Eternity, Proverbs says the righteous are that “tree of life” through the life-giving power of their words. And nothing’s more life-giving than leading a soul to Christ through the witness of your words!

The second phrase, “win souls,” not used other than here, doesn’t refer to traditional evangelism. Here it means influencing another to righteousness — again, that’s missions!

So how do you do that? Three ways:

One, through persuasion — the compelling guidance of a reasoned opinion.

God gives insights for influence, so share your insights respectfully to attract others to Jesus.

Two, influence also happens through your example — an attractive lifestyle.

Titus 2:10 says that by your godly example you actually “make the Gospel of God more attractive.” Henry David Thoreau said, “People will believe what they see. Let them see.” So use your example to win souls to righteousness.

Three, influence happens through investment: the generous use of money.

Listen to Jesus in Luke 16:9,

“Use your wealth to gain friends so they’ll welcome you into your eternal home.” (Lk. 16:9)

Without apology, Jesus says to use your money for what’s eternal — winning souls. As you invest in missions, God easily turns your earthly money into helping people find eternal life.

Jesus turned water into wine; he has no problem turning worldly wealth into saved souls. Think of it this way: a missional investment plunders hell to populates heaven! Want an unbeatable ROI? Your missions’ investment yields a never-ending return. So give to missions—if not through Petros, then somewhere!

Final word on this verse: it not only assigns obvious benefits to a soul saved, but also to a soul-winner.

Soul-winning makes you wise because it exerts your greatest impact on eternity. It’s one of the few things that survives from earth to eternity, and when you share Christ, it changes people’s eternal trajectory.

But soul-winning also makes you wise because it bends the trajectory of your future. Daniel 12:3 says,

“Those who are wise will shine like heaven’s brightness and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”

The soul-winner is wise, and apparently pretty bright, too! I want my place among the stars of heaven; I want that for you, too!

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Be Kind To Animals

You Father in Heaven Kindly Cares for Them, Too

SYNOPSIS: Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” His main point is that if God cares and provides for even the birds of the air, how much more will he care and provide for me, the highest of his creation. But don’t miss the lesser point as well: God cares and provides for the birds of the air. They are his creation, too, as are all animals. To treat them kindly is simply Christianly.

Be Kind to Animals

Moments With God // Proverbs 12:10

Good people are good to their animals; the “good-hearted” bad people kick and abuse them.

What I love about the Bible is that it leaves no stone unturned as it digs into my life. Now, to be honest, I also don’t like that it times — but I’m grateful that it does. God cares about my life — all of it. Yours, too! Jesus said in Matthew 6:26,

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?

The main point is that if God cares and provides for even the birds of the air, how much more will he care and provide for me, the highest of his creation. But don’t miss the lesser point as well: God cares and provides for the birds of the air. They are his creation, too, as are all animals.

Now here’s where the digging gets a little personal. When I mistreat, neglect or abuse an animal, I am not only disrespecting their Creator, I am offending him. Why? Aren’t they just dumb animals? Are they not created without an eternal soul, and thus not truly valuable in his eyes?

Yes, they are just dumb animals — yet he still cares for them. They have his life within them, and above all else, life is sacred to the Life-Giver. Does that mean we should treat animals on the same level as human beings, become vegetarians, and never wear leather, as some with extreme views have concluded? Not at all. God himself has provided that certain animals were “good for food” and clothing, or to be used as “laborers” to help man accomplish his task.

But he also declared some to be off limits. And some he has created for human companionship, for comfort and joy. Yet toward all animals, no matter what their created purpose, God has put his stamp of life upon them, and thus he forever established the sanctity of life. God cares about even about the animals — and so should we.

Though we in the protestant, evangelical tradition do not venerate the saints, we do honor their lives and respect their tremendous influence upon the civilization of the world. Francis of Assisi was one of those whose contribution we admire. Francis is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment. Many legends have sprung up around his life, one of them from his death. It was said that on his deathbed Francis thanked his donkey for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

Though Francis treatment of animals might have been greatly exaggerated, his attitude toward the created world was simply the conventional Christianity of that era. It’s too bad that has diminished in our day! To Francis, God created and provided for all life, and therefore all creation was to praise their Maker. And as the highest of God’s creation, man was to assist the Creator as a steward of the earth by providing and protecting that which could not provide and protect itself.

The Humane Society has established an annual “Be Kind To Animals” week. As Christians, we are obligated to that every moment of every week for all of our lives. Animal kindness is simply Christianly.

Take A Moment: Take five minutes to read the following article on St. Francis of Assisi: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2007/sept13.html.