Got Wisdom?

Friday, October 6, 2023

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.  The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.  Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.  The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.  They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.   They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.  How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep your servant from deliberate sins!  Don’t let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  Psalm 19:7-14

King David taught his son Solomon what wisdom looked like.  Soaking-up all the truth of Scripture, David summarized wisdom by the qualities God’s Word will become in a believer’s heart:

     ·       God’s Word is impeccably-perfect…reviving the soul

     ·       God’s Decrees are trustworthy…making the simple person wise

     ·       God’s Commandments are right…making joy flourish in the heart

     ·       God’s Commands are clear…light on life’s path

     ·       Reverence towards God is pure…an eternal blessing of clear conscience

     ·       God’s laws are true…making fairness an everyday experience

Knowing God’s ways bring life, wisdom, joy, insight, and permanence; His way and blessing are available to all who will worship the true, living God.

David concluded his prayer recorded in Psalm 19 with a question and answer. 

The question:  How can I understand my own heart…all the sins hidden there?

The answer:  Humble confession that I can’t know the depth of my own heart’s sins merely by my own wisdom.  I must place my heart in God’s hands…ask Him to forgive and cleanse me, so my proclivity towards sinning won’t control me.

David closed the prayer with one final request:  Lord, whatever I’ve laid before You, O Lord…may it be pleasing to you…do what you will with me…you are the bedrock of all my days and eternity.

If you’ve ever wondered where to start with praying to God, go back to Psalm 19 and grasp the depth of how anyone should (and can) approach Almighty God.  This is the model for placing your life in His care, and your heart’s love at the foot of Calvary’s cross.  The result of studying God’s love letter to humanity is revival for the soul, wisdom for making decisions, joy in the heart, light on your journey as you step-out each day with a clean conscience, and a burning desire to spread justice and fairness to every creature on earth. 

Did he leave anything out?

For You Today 

David’s son, Solomon, took his dad’s evaluation of God’s Word to heart, and both history and God’s Word call Solomon the wisest man ever.  That’s not a bad place to start your day.  It will make finishing your day an adventure that won’t disappoint.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of Pixabay.com                   

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Exuberance and Exhaustion

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator.  Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.”  Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky.  Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop.  Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.  Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades.  Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.  Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire.  Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.  Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken.  Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.  For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.  “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”  Keep this in mind:  The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew.  He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.  The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.  The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful.  Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.  But, my child, let me give you some further advice:  Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.  That’s the whole story.  Here now is my final conclusion:  Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.  God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.  Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

In every old man or woman there is a child awaiting release; a tribute to the memory of days when waking up would be without assorted pains, joints adjusting, and thoughts of:  what new ailment might there be on the menu today?

Solomon, or someone who knew him very well, wrote this part of Ecclesiastes.  And he contrasts the energy of youth, with the depletion of old age.  It can be depressing, especially if you’re closer to the end than the beginning. 

Yet, in it all, there is a sense of refreshing about the teacher’s conclusion, which gets down to the nub of what’s important, fearing God, and trusting all to His judgment.  He says God will judge all the good and bad, whether hidden or open.  Once again the contrast between youth and the aged is evident; youth are busy doing things, making their mark, full of energy and hope.  The old are winding-down, remembering, evaluating their lives, both good and bad, regrets and satisfaction.  The youth are on display; the old are watching reruns.  And God judges us all.

For You Today

Whether your life is flowing like spring water, or your well’s rope is broken along with the drawing bucket, life is the same…live it as God gives you breath, and give it to others as God blesses your strength.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic explore some of these:  Something Better and Remembering Before You Can’t

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com     Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Life Interrupted

 

Friday, June 11, 2021

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.  Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts.  Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.  It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.”  For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.  And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.  It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood.  He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.  By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.  Hebrews 11:4-7

Three men, Abel, Enoch, and Noah – all men of faith in God, and one other piece of common experience – having their lives abruptly interrupted.  Enoch had, perhaps, the most pleasant experience of the three.  A friend and teacher of mine in seminary, Dr. Charles Graham, was the first I heard say it, Enoch walked with God (he was really good friends with the Lord).  And one day, after walking a good while, God said to him, Enoch, today we’ve walked so far together that we’re closer to my home than yours; why don’t you just come on home with me?  Going to Heaven while you skip the funeral home stuff has a certain appeal!

A little more disconcerting was Noah’s boat excursion.  Having God shut the door on everything Noah and family had ever known, while the thunder and lightning roared, and the earth broke up to push floods, well, THAT was no easy ride!

Perhaps the toughest life-interruption on the list belongs to Abel, who was the second child born to humanity.  According to this account in Scripture, Abel was a righteous man, meaning everything he did in life was intended to please God. 

Most funerals you’ve ever attended sound like they were for Abel.  The preacher talks about just how wonderful the person was in that casket.  But Genesis tells us Abel’s earthly walk through this life was interrupted in the most violent and unjust of ways.  His older brother, Cain, the firstborn child to Adam and Eve, got jealous over his younger brother’s righteousness and killed him with a rock.  Abel never got that wonderful funeral with all the aunts and uncles, and community of friends; his brother just hid his broken, bloodied body in the dust.

There is something quite at-odds with conventional “Christian” logic here.  All three of these men never got the testimonial retirement dinner and gold watch.  Abel’s death was a betrayal of a brother who murdered him.  Noah’s validation party only had his wife and kids…everybody else was dead.  And Enoch, well, he just disappeared one day, leaving everyone to wonder, and the news cycles reporting goofy stuff about him running off to the South of France with his secretary, or some other excuse…anything but righteousness.  Most so-called Christian thinking says that just isn’t right; they were good men, faithful to the Lord’s work…and WHAM…life interrupted…ended without fanfare or thanks.

Fast-forward a few millennia and check out the Book of Hebrews.  Because of their faith, God was pleased.  Whatever the news cycles read on the last day of Noah’s, Abel’s, or Enoch’s lives, God was pleased with them. 

For You Today

Gold watches and a framed commendation certificate to hang  on your den wall aside, what is it about your life that needs to be said on the day you breathe your last?  For any of us, isn’t it, God was pleased?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

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[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

Falling Into the Hands of the Living God

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Monday, November 19, 2018

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.  There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.  For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.  For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge.  I will pay them back.”  He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.”  It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:26-31(NLT)

Most pastors I know have favorite passages of Scripture they love to preach.  We love to preach about how God loves the entire world, how everyone is welcome at the table.  We love to preach about Heaven and reunion with loved ones. 

And then there’s this passage … sinning past forgiveness … raging fire of judgment … trampling on the Son of God … falling into the vengeful hands of Almighty God.  It’s a message no pastor wants to preach, and which no congregation wants to hear.  But there it is, nonetheless!  And if a preacher would hide this message, stuff it away in some bin of stuff to be dealt with later, that so-called minister is as bad as a parent who wouldn’t snatch his child off the railroad tracks, or out of traffic.

This past Thursday’s local news[2] told of a Greensboro man who was supposed to be watching his three-year-old son while his wife was at work.  He fell asleep and the boy wandered out in the cold.  The father was arrested and charged with child abuse.

If a man who treats the physical life and emotional well-being of a child, his own child, as recklessly as that is despicable, what is a pastor who doesn’t tell people the truth about eternity … about the danger of wandering with their souls in darkness?

The writer of Hebrews was never in danger of being contacted by Hallmark to use his story for one of their feel-good movies, but this is a message the world can hardly afford to miss; it takes the feel-good passage of John 3:16 where God so-loves all of us, that he gave his only son to die in our place … and follows up with this message that, since you’ve accepted that truth, been forgiven, and welcomed into God’s family, you’d better follow-up and live like it – or there will be dire consequences.

Now, that may sound like a wide-eyed, furious threat, but it is simply a well-reasoned, loving caution, a warning from common sense that says when you bear the family name it is expected that you will behave like you are really a member of the family!

Friends, there is no other way to put this; God’s forgiveness is durable, and when He forgives you, it is forever!  But that does not mean you cannot willingly turn your back on that forgiveness, trample on God’s gift of salvation, and offend God.  Frankly, no human being owns that kind of Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card! 

The reason why I get up early every day to write this devotion is to remind any of us who want to be helped, that, while we can never repay God for the free gift of salvation, we do have a responsibility to live in gratitude for such a magnificent gift.

Nobody really wanted our dogs, Wellie and Gracie.  We adopted them into our home, and they get free room and board.  They are bathed, fed, protected, played-with, and cost millions of dollars at the vet each year.  Neither of them writes us thank-you notes or worships the ground we walk on.  But every day we see expressions of happiness, love and joy as we live together.  They engage with the Brownworth household, and act like they’re family.                        

Sometimes I think my dogs know how to respond to love much better than I do.

For You Today

So … the reminder every pastor dreads having to give:  if you’re a believer, don’t grieve the Spirit, or trample on the blood of Christ; He is a living God whose anger is fierce and final!

Rather, go close, stay in love with the Lord and His people.  That is the way to fall into the hands of a loving God!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] WXII 12 News:  Father of son found wandering alone near Greensboro apartment complex charged with child abuse

Something Better

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Monday, September 10, 2018

It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground.  But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.  It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.  It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.  How much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.  By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them.  They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword.  Their weakness was turned to strength.  They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.  Women received their loved ones back again from death.  But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free.  They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.  Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips.  Others were chained in prisons.  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.  Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.  They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.  For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.  Hebrews 11:29-40 (NLT)

When you look at life purely from the perspective of what happens to people, where some seem to enjoy enormous success, become billionaires, and make the “A-list”… and others have misfortune piled on top of tragedy … and it seems to make little sense … well, it’s easy to get discouraged and conclude that having faith just doesn’t lead to a better life.  Strength on top of more strength, or prison on top of wandering and scratching out a meager, homeless existence – why bother?

The question of how, and why God sorts out the mess of who gets what, and when they get it, and how much … well, it’s enough to literally drive you crazy if you dwell on it.  The Psalmist asked all those questions, and he also draws back the curtain on some answers:

Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?  Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?  I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.  If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.  So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.   But what a difficult task it is!  Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.  Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.  In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.  When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.  Psalm 73:13-20(NLT)

The bottom line is that you could be, no matter what your heritage, training, IQ, DNA, body-mass index, hair color, strength, gender preference, contacts, college degrees, or experience … you could be on either end of the spectrum of rich, poor, healthy, sickly, long-living, or cut-down early.  People with all the right credentials wind up on the street with nowhere to go; people bound for the gutter wind up on Wall Street, owning it and the rich man who wound-up there…Hero to zero or the other way…in a New York minute!

Life can seem capricious and unfair!  But in it all, God really IS sorting it all out, and pointing us to something better.  And someday, as the Gospel song intones, SOME DAY in the sweet by and by God’s way will make sense to us; we will have our eyes opened and see the laughter of the redeemed in Heaven.

Let’s let Solomon, someone much wiser than I, have the last word about how to go about this tricky journey we call life:

Here now is my final conclusion:  Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.  God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.  Ecclesiastes 12:13b(NLT)

For You Today

Stay on His road; trust His hand; wait on His promises!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com

The "Each Other" Teachings of Jesus - Part 4 - Have Each Other's Backs

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The Bible says a lot about trusting in the Lord.  That phrase alone appears 19 times in Scripture.  We are also told to NOT trust in ourselves, material things, unbelievers, or anything we manage to accumulate in the way of works.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.             Psalms 37:3^(NLT)

He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.  

Psalms 40:3^(NLT)

But as for me, how good it is to be near God!    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.  Psalms 73:28^(NLT)

Why, then should we trust one another?  The Bible makes a clear distinction between trusting in others for our salvation, and trusting others with our love and friendship.  This we are supposed to do!

Let's notice from several texts the reasons we should be trusting one another:

Reason #1 -- The Jesus Model

And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.  Matthew 24:10^(NLT)

Jesus was betrayed more unjustly than anyone else ever has or could be.  Yet, Jesus entrusted His friendship, His love, and ministry to Judas.  Some say Jesus didn't know Judas would be the one to betray him.  He knew!

Jesus entrusted the Gospel to Paul (1 Tim 1.11).  Paul committed these things to other good and faithful (but human) men (2 Tim 2.2).  On top of all that, the Lord's ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to us all (2 Cor 5.19).  God is prone to trusting His children – we ought to trust each other.

Reason #2 -- We Are Brothers

And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And having chosen them, he called them to come to him.  And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.  And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?  If God is for us, who can ever be against us?    Romans 8:27-31^(NLT)

Indeed, who should be against any of the Lord's children?  We are all fond of Romans 8:28, a great assurance that the Lord is working out all kinds of good, even in the worst circumstances.  However, we need to go on and note how Jesus was the firstborn (favored) among many brothers and sisters! 

The word is adelphos which means from the same womb.  Beloved, there isn't (in God's economy) a "them and us" mentality.  We are related, and ought to behave as if we were one body.  What right hand ever cut off its' left brother?

Brothers sometimes have a special way of relating to each other.  A man told of his two sons.  The older one had a date for the high school dance.  "Since he would be working past the florist's closing time, he wrote explicit instructions for his younger brother: 'Take this money and go to the florist at 5:15.  Ask for the corsage in my name.  It should have two red roses with a white rose in the center.  Bring it and the change home and put the flowers in the refrigerator.  Screw up and you die.  Have a nice day.'"[2] 

We should trust one another because Jesus does, and because we are brothers in Jesus, and...

Reason #3 -- Satan Is the Real Enemy

Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters
    has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them
    before our God day and night.    Revelation 12:10^(NLT)

Accusing and confusing the brethren has been Satan's main task since the Garden of Eden.  There have been more problems caused by Satan in the sanctuary because he spends more time here than in the brothels and Mafia meetings.  After all, he's got them – his job is to get us!

Too many Christians exercise distrust, doubt, impugning each other, treating each other as suspect.  We are skeptical of each other when we should be conducting warfare against the devil.  We are too defensive. 

In 1952 the Dallas Texans conducted their NFL football camp in rural Kerrville, Texas.  They were a ragtag team that only lasted one year, going 1-11.  During training camp, the first time a ball bounced off the field into the tall grass, none of the players wanted to go get it. 

The equipment manager, Willie Garcia – who had a wooden leg – hobbled off to retrieve the ball.  He called back to the macho football types, What the heck.  I've got a 50-50 chance the snake will go for the wrong leg.^[3]

Well, perhaps the body of Christ is failing to see that if we just joined hands and stomped through the tall grass of this age, that old slew foot serpent would leave us alone. 

Instead of treating each other like Saddam Hussein incarnate, we need to recognize Satan as the real enemy.

Reason #4 – Since we are all brothers,

and Satan is the real enemy,
we can trust God to know
and take care of the difference!

He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
    nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,

    who always judges fairly.  1 Peter 2:23^(NLT)

One of the great realities about being a Christian is the fact that you do not have to know and figure out everything.  God has told us in a variety of ways to trust one another.  How He works out all the details of betrayed trust, opportunities missed, evil to be repaid -- that is all His problem. Ours is to be obedient.  Ours is to trust!

As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my friend.  But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.  At last I snatched them back and cried,

How can you be so slow?

My child, He said, What could I do?

You never did let go!^[4]

Beloved, remember that Jesus trusts you and expects you to trust your brethren, because Satan is the real enemy, and God can still separate the two...and He will!

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

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[1] Carl Heinrich Bloch [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2]David L. Wright in Reader's Digest, 1988

[3]The Houston Chronicle, (12/24/1992), 8c

[4]Grace Current, (June 1994)