Scripture reading: Proverbs 31
Proverbs 31:10-12
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (NIV)
The highest good any man can accomplish is to do the will of God. But next to that the best thing he can do is find a godly wife, for she will help him to do God’s will.
I’m going to speak as a guy. Being a preacher I’ve had the opportunity to know many gifted men. They had “success” tattooed on their foreheads. They were destined for greatness. But they made one fatal mistake that derailed all of their potential—they married wrong. They themselves had charisma and ability. In the words of my profession “they could preach the stars down!” They were born to be leaders. But they married girls who were the opposite of themselves. These men could charm the horns off a Billy goat, but their wives had an innate ability to sew them back on… with a spare pair.
A lady will read this and be insulted. This is because she thinks with her heart—which is not bad. But men have the ability to put their emotions on the shelf and think with their heads detached from their hearts, even if for only a little while. And if a man will use this ability early on in his courtship with a girl it can save him a lifetime of grief. He needs to think long term. He needs to ask himself: “What are the ramifications of this girl being my wife a way on down the road? Will she help me? Will she make me more effective in fulfilling my God-ordained mission, or less?” Yes, a guy can think objectively like that. He is very capable of breaking off a romantic relationship simply because “This girl is not the right one for me.” Some ladies may read this and think: “That is cold!” Well, maybe. But think about your own son. Oh yes, you pray he uses this ability!
Men, thank God right now that he has blessed you with a noble wife!! And then go thank her for being that lady.
I love you.
Bro. George
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
May 30, 2009 Devotion
Scripture reading: Proverbs 30
Proverbs 30:20
"This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.' (NIV)
Isn’t it amazing how we can justify our sin? Our conscience becomes “seared” (1 Timothy 4:2)—cauterized—so that the nerve endings are deadened. We can lie to ourselves and to others for so long that our conscience becomes anesthetized—paralyzed—so we no longer feel the prick in our hearts when we do wrong. We can indulge in our sin, wipe or mouth and say “I’ve done nothing wrong.” And what we condemn in others we will condone in ourselves.
Sin has power. The Bible says that a threefold cord is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Once sin has gotten its tentacles wrapped around the conscience and the will escape is not humanly possible. The only hope is a divine miracle. There must be an intervention of the Holy Spirit. God must deliver, and the prayer and fasting of Believers is necessary to break sin’s grip (Matthew 17:21).
Here is the point: we can all slide into the same condition. We must never think we are beyond this. We must constantly guard our hearts. There is no sin we are incapable of committing—that’s right—even the most detestable sin to us right now. We would not recognize ourselves if we were allowed to see ourselves abandoned to the power of sin. There is only one anecdote: the sword of the truth in the capable hands of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and it shall set you free” (John 8:32). But we must remain vigilant to stay in the truth in order to keep ourselves free!
Stay daily in the Word. Stay humble and teachable. Stay yielded to the Holy Spirit.
I love you.
Bro. George
Proverbs 30:20
"This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.' (NIV)
Isn’t it amazing how we can justify our sin? Our conscience becomes “seared” (1 Timothy 4:2)—cauterized—so that the nerve endings are deadened. We can lie to ourselves and to others for so long that our conscience becomes anesthetized—paralyzed—so we no longer feel the prick in our hearts when we do wrong. We can indulge in our sin, wipe or mouth and say “I’ve done nothing wrong.” And what we condemn in others we will condone in ourselves.
Sin has power. The Bible says that a threefold cord is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Once sin has gotten its tentacles wrapped around the conscience and the will escape is not humanly possible. The only hope is a divine miracle. There must be an intervention of the Holy Spirit. God must deliver, and the prayer and fasting of Believers is necessary to break sin’s grip (Matthew 17:21).
Here is the point: we can all slide into the same condition. We must never think we are beyond this. We must constantly guard our hearts. There is no sin we are incapable of committing—that’s right—even the most detestable sin to us right now. We would not recognize ourselves if we were allowed to see ourselves abandoned to the power of sin. There is only one anecdote: the sword of the truth in the capable hands of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and it shall set you free” (John 8:32). But we must remain vigilant to stay in the truth in order to keep ourselves free!
Stay daily in the Word. Stay humble and teachable. Stay yielded to the Holy Spirit.
I love you.
Bro. George
Friday, May 29, 2009
May 29
“Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger” (Proverbs 29:8, NIV).
“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (Proverbs 29:11, NIV).
“An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins” (Proverbs 29:22, NIV).
Mike brings up a very good point: is anger ever justified? The Bible says:
“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry— but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life” (Ephesians 4:26-27, MSG).
Jesus was obviously angry at times—such as when He drove the merchants from the temple. He told a parable that pictured God as angry with men who give excuses for refusing the invitation to His banquet (Luke 14:15-23).
I believe there is a righteous anger that should grip us when we see the rights of others being stripped from them. We should be angered when we see injustice being done to others. Anger should well up in our hearts when we see others being exploited or taken advantage of. But the common thread in all of these cases is “others.” When we get angry because of a perceived wrong done to ourselves then we should be very cautious.
A wise man keeps a tight reign on his temper. A fool “lets it fly.” Trouble is that the flesh is so deceitful! Anger is an emotion that can easily escalate out of control. We have a tendency to “overcook it.”
I think the only answer is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Only He can keep our emotions in check and channel our passions to a holy purpose.
I love you.
Bro. George
“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (Proverbs 29:11, NIV).
“An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins” (Proverbs 29:22, NIV).
Mike brings up a very good point: is anger ever justified? The Bible says:
“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry— but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life” (Ephesians 4:26-27, MSG).
Jesus was obviously angry at times—such as when He drove the merchants from the temple. He told a parable that pictured God as angry with men who give excuses for refusing the invitation to His banquet (Luke 14:15-23).
I believe there is a righteous anger that should grip us when we see the rights of others being stripped from them. We should be angered when we see injustice being done to others. Anger should well up in our hearts when we see others being exploited or taken advantage of. But the common thread in all of these cases is “others.” When we get angry because of a perceived wrong done to ourselves then we should be very cautious.
A wise man keeps a tight reign on his temper. A fool “lets it fly.” Trouble is that the flesh is so deceitful! Anger is an emotion that can easily escalate out of control. We have a tendency to “overcook it.”
I think the only answer is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Only He can keep our emotions in check and channel our passions to a holy purpose.
I love you.
Bro. George
Thursday, May 28, 2009
May 28 Devotion
Proverbs 28
A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished (20, NIV).
A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him (22, NIV).
A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper (25, NIV).
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses (27, NIV).
Greed falls into a category of “acceptable sins” and, consequently, all the more seductive. It is not as abhorrent as hate or lust or anger or homosexuality. It even has some other names that make it sound less ominous, such as “ambition,” “achievement,” and “financial independence.” In this country we reward hard work (or, at least, we used to). What is wrong with a person, having climbed the ladder of success, enjoying the fruits of their labor? (I will not get into a debate about the present trends in our society to punish the wealthy and reward the poor).
Here is the problem: at it’s core greed is idolatry. A greedy person has made a god of money. Whatever your heart desires and pursues… that gives you a sense of significance and worth: that is your god. The greedy person breaks the first commandment—“You shall have no other gods before Me.” They will not “go unpunished.” He stirs up dissension because he wants to dominate the competition. He will use whatever means necessary to get an edge—even cast suspicion on the motives of others. Ignoring the poor is a matter of priority. He must build his personal wealth first. He has justified this in his heart by saying, “I can give more if I have more.”
The poverty that awaits him is eternal. He lives for the present world. He builds his mansion on earth—where he will leave it. He has very little treasure in heaven. His reward will be miniscule. After death his fortunes will be reversed.
Greed is an insidious sin. It works covertly. It sneaks in under cover of a lie. It deceives the mind, anesthetizes the heart and paralyzes the will.
Examine your heart.
I love you.
Bro. George
A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished (20, NIV).
A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him (22, NIV).
A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper (25, NIV).
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses (27, NIV).
Greed falls into a category of “acceptable sins” and, consequently, all the more seductive. It is not as abhorrent as hate or lust or anger or homosexuality. It even has some other names that make it sound less ominous, such as “ambition,” “achievement,” and “financial independence.” In this country we reward hard work (or, at least, we used to). What is wrong with a person, having climbed the ladder of success, enjoying the fruits of their labor? (I will not get into a debate about the present trends in our society to punish the wealthy and reward the poor).
Here is the problem: at it’s core greed is idolatry. A greedy person has made a god of money. Whatever your heart desires and pursues… that gives you a sense of significance and worth: that is your god. The greedy person breaks the first commandment—“You shall have no other gods before Me.” They will not “go unpunished.” He stirs up dissension because he wants to dominate the competition. He will use whatever means necessary to get an edge—even cast suspicion on the motives of others. Ignoring the poor is a matter of priority. He must build his personal wealth first. He has justified this in his heart by saying, “I can give more if I have more.”
The poverty that awaits him is eternal. He lives for the present world. He builds his mansion on earth—where he will leave it. He has very little treasure in heaven. His reward will be miniscule. After death his fortunes will be reversed.
Greed is an insidious sin. It works covertly. It sneaks in under cover of a lie. It deceives the mind, anesthetizes the heart and paralyzes the will.
Examine your heart.
I love you.
Bro. George
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friendship
Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:5-6, NIV).
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel (Proverbs 27:9, NIV).
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you--better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away (Proverbs 27:10, NIV).
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17, NIV).
Friendship is the theme of these verses. A good friend is a gift from God. Someone said that “a friend is one who walks in when others walk out.” A friend is loyal, but not a “yes man.” A friend is one who will tell you the truth straight up, even when that truth is unpleasant.
Friendship is not easy. It requires effort to build and maintain. Sometimes you are disappointed. There is always a risk. But risk should never measured by what you stand to lose, but by what you stand to gain. And with friendship you stand to gain a lot.
As men we are taught that it is weird to love another man. Something just seems icky about that! But that idea is an outright lie straight out of hell! It is possible for one man to love another man in a way that is holy. David loved Jonathan. There was nothing perverted about it. Such love does not degenerate a man, but actually ennobles and makes him a better man.
God designed us for relationships. Bad relationships weaken us. Godly relationships not only bless us but make us better. We cannot be all that God created us to be without friends.
I love you.
Bro. George
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel (Proverbs 27:9, NIV).
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you--better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away (Proverbs 27:10, NIV).
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17, NIV).
Friendship is the theme of these verses. A good friend is a gift from God. Someone said that “a friend is one who walks in when others walk out.” A friend is loyal, but not a “yes man.” A friend is one who will tell you the truth straight up, even when that truth is unpleasant.
Friendship is not easy. It requires effort to build and maintain. Sometimes you are disappointed. There is always a risk. But risk should never measured by what you stand to lose, but by what you stand to gain. And with friendship you stand to gain a lot.
As men we are taught that it is weird to love another man. Something just seems icky about that! But that idea is an outright lie straight out of hell! It is possible for one man to love another man in a way that is holy. David loved Jonathan. There was nothing perverted about it. Such love does not degenerate a man, but actually ennobles and makes him a better man.
God designed us for relationships. Bad relationships weaken us. Godly relationships not only bless us but make us better. We cannot be all that God created us to be without friends.
I love you.
Bro. George
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