How many friendships have been blown apart by groundless rumor and hearsay? When whispering behind one’s back suddenly takes an ugly turn, gossip usually is to blame. Gossiping…quite a pastime for many, elevated to an art form for some. But where does all this backbiting get us? Elsewhere in Proverbs it says, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” In other words…If you forgive an insult rather than keep dredging it up to everyone who will listen, it will not cause friends to quarrel, take offense, and lose that close relationship they once had. Gossip…just say NO.
Tag: christianity
Isaiah 25:4 ” You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”
Today we have winds howling outside at 60 miles per hour, but what really makes a difference out here in the wide-open country is the L-shaped wind break of 18 huge pine trees we have around our property. These huge trees shelter the house from the brunt of the storms, and hold back a massive amount of snow in the Winter. Without their protection, our house would be barraged by all the elements. The Lord wants us to take shelter in Him when the storms of life hit…He wants to be our hiding place and refuge from the tempest. As Psalm 118:8 says, ” It is better to take refuge in the Lord than trust in men.” If the winds of the world are howling around you today, find your place of protection in the Lord.
Genesis 9:13 ” I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the Covenant between Me and the earth.”
After the Great Flood, God spoke to Noah, telling him that never again would a flood destroy the earth…and the sign of this Covenant would be a rainbow in the sky. But this Covenant wasn’t just between Noah and the Lord, this Covenant agreement is between God and all Mankind. Every time you see the wonderful glowing colors of a magnificent rainbow as it arches across the sky, know that God is saying to you…”My Covenant is with you My child, never again will the earth be ravaged by a deluge, never again will I devastate it with a great overflowing of water.”
II Timothy 1:7 ” For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Fear need not motivate our thoughts and actions…it need not grip us in paralyzing terror. Fear is not of the Lord…quite the opposite, Satan uses fear very effectively to stop us from moving forward with what the Lord would want us to be doing. Instead, the verse says that God has given us the ability to discern with a logical, sound mind what is true. As Romans 8:15 says, ” For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear, but you received the Spirit of Son-ship.” You have been adopted into the family of God, and are joint-heirs with Jesus…and this family of yours doesn’t know the meaning of fear!
Proverbs 10:32 ” The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.”
Think back on all the conversations you’ve had with others today…if Jesus had walked in, would you just smile at Him and continue, or would His Presence stop you cold…mid-sentence? This Proverb talks about being able to discern and understand what comes from our mouth should be pleasing, acceptable and said with kindness. In Psalms 59:7 it says that, “They spew out swords from their lips.”…comparing harsh words and sharp tongues to a saber. Cruel, heartless words can sometimes cut deeper than any steel sword… leaving a gaping wound that will never heal. A wise man’s words are gracious…showing mercy and kindness…and always fitting.
Numbers 23: 19 ” God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind.”
Two things that the Lord cannot do…He can’t lie, in Hebrews it states, “it’s impossible for God to lie.”…secondly, He can’t change His mind, in Malachi it states, ” I the Lord do not change.” Our ways are not God’s ways, but we’re always trying to slap our human emotions onto Him…trying to make Him a little more like us…riddled with the flaws we have. But God is so much bigger than we can ever imagine…His plans will stand forever, He will fulfill and keep every promise, You will never hear a falsehood from His mouth, you will never see Him change. Our ways are not His ways…His ways are perfect.
Proverbs 30: 7-9 ” Two things I ask of You, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Two simple, but quite profound things the sage writer of this Proverb is asking of the Lord…First, place a hedge of protection up between deception, wickedness, and me, and secondly, provide me with just a common, usual, and customary lifestyle. The writer is asking God to not only keep Satan far from him, but to also guard his heart, mind and soul from demonic attack. The other request plays on Man’s propensity to become proud when he thinks that it’s because of his own power and strength that he’s wealthy. As it says in Hosea 13:6 “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.” That “self-made man” ideology has been the downfall of many a person who mistakenly thought it was them and not the Lord who supplied all their needs. The writer of this Proverb did not want to turn his back on God through arrogance and pride, or disgrace the name of the Lord, by stealing.
Proverbs 15: 30 ” A cheerful look brings joy to the heart…”
A face that “lights up” with a smile is so very much easier to look at than a scowl. A person with an optimistic outlook and positive attitude is nicer to be around than one with the opposite. I realize it can hard to be around negative, down, people with chips on their shoulders, but a cheerful look can transform the crankiest of people by bringing delight to their hard heart. A sincere smile and kind word can change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Isaiah 30:18 ” Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.”
Our Lord earnestly desires to show us kindness, He is constantly wanting to give us His love and mercy…as a Father would lovingly treat His child. But He is also just, and justice is one of God’s great attributes…it’s something rooted in His character…God loves justice. It’s something, we as Believers should strive to emulate in our own lives. The Lord is truly good to those whose hope is in Him…Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart.
Luke 24:5 ” Why do you look for the living among the dead? “
The angel asked this query of the women who had come to the tomb of Jesus…but, I would ask you the same question. Have you been trying to fill your life with empty, useless things of the world…ever searching, but never filling that emptiness inside. The stagnant and futile things of the world will never compare to the breathing, living things of God. So, I would ask you again this question…Why do you look for the living among the dead?
Safetypinlove 