Righteousness and Justice better than Sacrifice

 

Proverbs 21:3(NKJV)

3    To do righteousness and justice      Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Hmm.

Don't really know what to think of this.  In the New Testament Jesus holds up the widow who gave two mites as a great example of sacrificial giving.  We are told that sacrificial giving is a great thing.  And yet we have this passage from the Old Testament that tells us that to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrificial giving.

That creates some questions in my mind and kind of goes to the heart of my problem with the Saintly Poor.  On the one hand we are told to care for the poor.  On the other hand we are told that X, Y, and Z are benefits of accepting Jesus and that not accepting Jesus leads to outcome A, B, C. 

Many of the poor have rejected Christ and earned the A, B, C outcome through their own choice.  And yet many well meaning Christians seem to think that we should give those people middle class lifestyles.

Scripture tells us that we serve a just God.  In light of that, the Scripture above makes sense to me.  The big question I continue to have is if we give all of the benefits of being Children of God to people who haven't qualified to be Children of God, how is that just?  And by not qualifying I mean they haven't accepted Jesus.

I just think that the way the Christian Church deals with the poor today is a bit out of whack.  I think we should look to the OT for what caring for the poor really means.

We Are All Children of God. Really? That's Not What Scripture Says!

Wow, now this is interesting!  One of the common things that we hear, especially from those who aren't believers, is that we are all children of God.  That whether we believe or not, whether we are Christians, whether we are Muslims, whether we are Buddhists, whether we are atheists; we are all children of God.

My question is really?  Where does it say that?  Because in my research I can't find where it says that.

Here is the Scripture that I read today that prompted my question.  This is the first time in the whole Bible that the phrase "children of God" is used.  That phrase is used 10 times in the Bible but doesn’t appear anywhere in the Old Testament nor does it appear in the first 3 Gospels.  Take a look!

John 1:12-13(NKJV)

12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 

13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Seems pretty clear to me.  Starting here and throughout the rest of the Bible, being a child of God is tied directly to belief in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Notice that it isn't automatic.  It is a right that we obtain from God for our belief in His son Jesus. 

So next time you hear someone make that claim, ask them to show you where in the Bible it says that! 

More On King Solomon

I am always struck by how different things jump out at you each time you read the Bible.  I have lost count of how many times I have read it.  But each time I find stuff that I swear wasn't in there before.

This time through what has really struck me is the difference in tone between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes even though they were at least partially written by the same guy, King Solomon.  Here is a verse I read today. 

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11(NKJV)

4I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 

5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 

6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 

7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 

8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and £musical instruments of all kinds.

9So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10    Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.      I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,     For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;     And this was my reward from all my labor.

11    Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done     And on the labor in which I had toiled;     And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.     There was no profit under the sun.

So we again have the dark, brooding, oh woe is me what's the point King Solomon.  Just the opposite of the optimism we see in Proverbs. 

The question that stands out to me is what could cause an optimist to become a pessimist like that?  If you've ever known a true optimist you know that it seems to be an inborn thing that they can't help.  Off the top of my head I can't think of any optimists that I know who became pessimists.  So why the change in King Solomon's writings?

Here is a guess, but it is only a guess.  First off re-read the above passage.  Notice how it is all in past tense?  He is recounting what he has done in his life which makes me think that this must have been written towards the end of his life. 

Do you remember what Solomon's life  was like in the later years?  Where he went wrong?  He married women of other faiths, and then let them set up alters and temples to their gods in Jerusalem.  And worse, even though Solomon was favored by God, Solomon allowed himself to be influenced by his wive's religions.

So my guess is that what we are seeing in Ecclesiastes is King Solomon in his later years suffering a bit of spiritual confusion or spiritual sickness if you will. 

The other thing that strikes me is the utter hopelessness and despair he seems to feel.  He details all that he has done and follows with lots of "oh what's the use".  Take a look at this verse.

Ecclesiastes 2:16(NKJV)

16    For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,     Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.     And how does a wise man die?      As the fool!

Here we see that King Solomon the wise is demonstrably wrong!  Just about everyone has heard of wise King Solomon but who can name a fool from back then?  So contrary to what King Solomon claims, there IS more remembrance of the wise than the fool.

What Solomon writes next however is spot on.  In the end, we are all dead, the wise and the fool.  As I say, Solomon is spot on, as far as he goes with it.
 

The one big difference that we have today that Solomon didn't have back then is that we have Jesus.  For us it doesn't end in the grave.  For us it doesn't end in hopelessness.  For those of us who believe in Jesus, we get eternal life. 

Have you asked Jesus into your life yet?  Would you like to feel hope instead of hopeless?  Then just ask Jesus to guide you.  Have a conversation with Him and let Him know what you are looking for, what you need.  "Dear Jesus…." 

Was King Solomon Schizophrenic?

I only ask because I just finished reading for the 31 chapters of Proverbs about how important it is to seek wisdom.  Now in the 1st Chapter of Ecclesiastes which was written by King Solomon who wrote part of Proverbs as well, I read the following:

Ecclesiastes 1:18(NKJV)

18    For in much wisdom is much grief,      And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Does that strike anyone else as a bit incongruent?  For me it has always seemed strange that the same guy could write both books.  If I had to put it in a nutshell, Proverbs seems so optimistic which is probably why I am drawn to it.  Ecclesiastes on the hand seems to be so dark, brooding, and pessimistic as to be almost suicidal!

So what do you think God is trying to teach us by offering such diametrically opposed views by the same guy?  What do you think the point of the above Scripture is? 

After spending 31 chapters telling us to pursue wisdom, is Solomon now telling us not to pursue it?  Or is it something different? 

While there are probably many ways to interpret this, let me offer one that strikes me.

I have always taken the pursue wisdom advice to heart.  I am always learning new things, new skills.  I am always seeking new knowledge.  It is a passion.  It is fun.  It is rewarding.  It is an extremely fun and exciting and satisfying way to live.  That's probably why God recommends it!

Here is where the grief and sorrow comes in from gaining wisdom and knowledge.  I see a lot of people out there in this world who are hurting, financially as well other things.  People who feel hopeless.  People who feel that they don't have a chance.  Some of those people are even Christians.

But how many of those people do you see pursuing wisdom and knowledge?  One of the things in the Bible that God spends 31 chapters of a book on, how many people are following His advice? 

Would their lives be better if they did?  Absolutely!  Would start to feel some hope?  I believe they would.  What is stopping them?  Is it cost?  Nope.  Libraries are free.  Pursuing knowledge is free.  Doesn't cost a thing.  You don't have to get anyone's permission to do it.  The only thing stopping them is themselves!

So for me the grief and sorrow comes from seeing people struggling when I know how easy it is to fix the problem.  Seeing  people not willing to follow God's advice and seek wisdom.  That is truly sad! 

Why didn't Jesus just tell Satan no?

Now isn't this interesting.  One of the questions that is often asked is why does God let bad stuff happen to good people?  I think these verses give us a clue.

Luke 22:31-32(NKJV)

31£And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 

32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

First of all look at the first part where Jesus says Simon, Simon.  Jesus says Satan asked specifically for Simon.  And what does Jesus say He did?  He prayed for Simon.

Now I don't know about you but if I were Simon I would probably be thinking something like "You prayed for me?  Way to go out on a limb to help.  Why didn't you just tell him no?!"  :)

Think about that.  Jesus himself certainly had the authority to tell Satan no if Jesus had chosen to.  And it is not as if Jesus didn't care.  Simon was one of the chosen 12.  He and Jesus were really close.  So why would Jesus let someone that He really cares about and loves be tested by Satan?

As I've written before, I believe it is because there are certain lessons that can only be truly learned through adversity.  We are made stronger by the hard times, not the easy times.  Notice the end of the verse.  Jesus seems to know that going though it will strengthen Simon's faith and help give him the tools to step into the leadership role that awaits him.

I'm sure that if there was any other way to have accomplished the same thing, Jesus would have spared Simon the anguish.  In addition let's tie in my favorite verse from Romans.

Romans 5:2-5(NKJV)

2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Notice the system that God has in place.  Tribulation, perseverance, character, and hope.  It starts with our tribulations and builds from there. 

God has a great plan for our lives.  Is it going to be easy?  Nope, but it sure is exciting.  Why not join in on the fun?  It starts by asking Jesus to lead your life.  Have you done that yet?  No?  Then lets get started now.  Just have a conversation with Jesus and ask Him to lead you.  "Dear Jesus…."

 

Reflections In Water

The Bible tells us of the importance of where our hearts are at.  It is a very important issue to God from everything I have read.  Here is a NT verse that speaks to the issue. 

Luke 6:45(NKJV)

45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil £treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

But for pure poetry I think this OT verse says it best!

Proverbs 27:19(NKJV)

19    As in water face reflects face,      So a man’s heart reveals the man.

This makes me wonder

One of the tenants that I have always believed is that once saved, always saved, unless you renounce your salvation.  And even then if you repented Christ would still take you back.  This statement by Jesus makes me wonder.

Luke 9:62(NKJV)

62But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Does this mean that if someone renounces their salvation, they don't get a second chance?  Not that I'm thinking of renouncing or anything.  Just kind of curious.

Cool Saying From Proverbs - Where no oxen are, the trough is clean!

I just love the common sense that is in this Proverb.

Proverbs 14:4(NKJV)

4    Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;      But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

Here is what it says to me.  Life is messy.  Life takes a lot of hard work.  But it's worth it! 

Why do you think God used an ox in this example.  Do you think that was an accident?  I don't.  Here is why.  One of the things an ox can do is put it's head down and just plow.  Plow and plow and plow!  I'll show why that is important in a minute.

As many of you know, one of my favorite verses is from Romans.

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As I've said before, God has a formula.  The first part of that formula is we have to glory in our tribulations.  Well what the heck does that mean?  I think it means learning to smile with confidence in the face of adversity.  Not a fake, plastic smile but a real smile because you know that you will ultimately prevail. 

Once we learn to glory in our tribulations, that leads to perseverance.  Now what is perseverance?  Would I be stretching things to suggest it is nothing more than learning to put your head down and plow and plow and plow? 

I love the way God weaves the Old and New Testaments together!

Lack of Gratitude

This is hard for me to understand because the majority of my prayer life is made up of being grateful to God for all that He has done in my life.  Why do so many people seem to take grace for granted?

Luke 17:11-19(NKJV)

11Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 

12Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 

13And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 

16and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

17So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 

18Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 

19And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

What about me….?

The brother of the prodigal son says! 

Luke 15:31-32(NKJV)

31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 

32It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

The thing that I find sad about this verse is that so many Christians live a life of lacking when they don't need to.  We are the brothers to the prodigal son.  We are the ones who already believe and are about the Fathers work. 

Look at verse 31.  "...and all that I have is yours.".  As heirs in Christ I believe that is what God is saying to us.  Unfortunately as I mentioned yesterday, I think too many Christians expect Some sort of mystical change instead of understanding that there is a process spelled out in the Bible that needs to be followed.

Maybe we need to do a better job of teaching that process. 

Great Career Advice in Proverbs

Here is some great career advice in Proverbs today.

Proverbs 24:3-4(NKJV)

3    Through wisdom a house is built,      And by understanding it is established;

4    By knowledge the rooms are filled     With all precious and pleasant riches.

Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  This is one of the things I wrote about early in the blog.  Back in November of 2011.  I thought they were all somewhat the same but it turns out they are different.  You can read that here.  http://randomobservationsofacommonchristian.blogspot.com/2011/11/whats-difference.html

What strikes me about this passage, like all of Proverbs, is the way it stresses the three pillars as I think of them.  Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  If you constantly seek the three pillars, life should be pretty good. 

Why do so many Christians struggle financially?  I think one of the reasons is that a lot of people, Christians and otherwise, don't follow this simple admonition. 

How many people do you know who proudly declared when they graduated that they were done?  They would never pick up a book again.  They were done with their learning.

God says seek wisdom.  They say no.  Isn't it sad how they deliberately limit the blessings that God wants to give them?  All they have to do is follow God's plan. 

Does it make sense that if you constantly learn new things and grow, that you'll have more opportunities than if you don't do those things?  That is another thing that I wish more people understood.  God's plan isn't magic.  It's cause and effect for the most part.

Too many Christians it seems to me wait around praying for God to make things better without making any changes of their own.  It's like they expect some Godly magic. 

God's plan doesn't work like that.  His promises are most often conditional.  Do this, and this will happen.  Well guess what?  The reverse of that is true as well.  Don't do this and those other things aren't as likely to happen.

Proverbs 24:27(NKJV)

27    Prepare your outside work,      Make it fit for yourself in the field;     And afterward build your house.

Prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself…  What great advice!  Why don’t more people do it?  How many people do you know who are "trapped" in careers they don't like because they didn't follow this advice in Proverbs.  In other words they just took the first thing that came along and now they have been doing it so long they feel trapped.

First off I put trapped in quotes because I don't believe anyone is ever truly trapped.  If you want to make a change bad enough and you believe it is God's will that you make that change; then trust God and make it!

Secondly, don't you think that those who take the time and discipline to plan their careers in something that they are passionate about, are more likely to find their work fulfilling?

So again, the Bible's advice leads to a more fulfilling life in most cases. 

Proverbs 24:33-34(NKJV)

33    A little sleep, a little slumber,     A little folding of the hands to rest;

34    So shall your poverty come like a prowler,      And your need like an armed man.

And the last piece of the puzzle.  Don't let down your guard.  Stay active, stay vigilant.   Keep working hard, it's good for you!

One of the funniest contradictions I see in my profession (I'm a financial advisor) is all of the people who work their butts off to retire in their mid 50s.  What almost all of my clients have found out is this. 

It takes a lot of hard work to be able to retire in your mid 50s.  A lifetime of hard work.  They've been doing it so long that hard work is just a habit.  It's ingrained.  It's hard for most people to turn it off.

So most of my clients who worked their tails off their whole lives to be able to retire in their mid 50s end up going back to work.  Not because they need the money.  It is simply because they are bored to death!  :)

Again, isn't it funny that the Bible has always known this truth as well!

How Important Is Our Pursuit of Wisdom to God?

What a great Proverb.  I am again struck by how much the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge is stressed in Proverbs.  God gives us a roadmap to prosperity if we will just use it.  Unfortunately, it seems to me at least, too many people mistake God for the tooth fairy.  They think that without them changing a thing or doing anything differently, God is just going to come along one day and drop success on them and change their lives. 

Here's a news flash.  It doesn't work that way.  I wrote yesterday about living in God's favor.  How do we earn God's favor?  Take a look.

Proverbs 23:15(NKJV)

15    My son, if your heart is wise,      My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;

First off, before anyone gets too nit picky, I didn't say how do we earn salvation.  We don't.  That is a free gift from God.  What I asked is how do we earn God's favor?  There is a difference.  Let me illustrate.

If you have kids and your kids do good things that please you, you are probably inclined to do nice things back right?  If the kids work hard and do a nice job helping you clean the yard, you might be inclined to favor them by taking them out for ice cream.  Make sense? 

On the other hand, if the kids screw around and make more work for you than what they contributed, you might be a little ticked right?  Likely to shower them with favor by taking them out for ice cream now?  :)

My main God paradigm is God the Father.  So as a father, can you see God having the same reactions since we are made in His image?  We are much more likely to be showered with God's favor when we please Him which brings me back to today's Scripture.

What does it say?  That when God sees that our hearts are wise, He (God) rejoices.  That makes Him very happy!  So if you like to live in God's favor, a great place to start is to constantly and actively strive to acquire wisdom. 

How do we do that?  The first step is to ask Jesus to come into your life to lead you.  Have you done that yet?  All you have to do is have a conversation with Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Once you do that then God will give you the Holy Spirit to guide you.  From there simply do everything you can to draw closer to God by being in His word everyday.  In addition to that just pray that God leads you to the additional wisdom He would like you to have.  Our job is to seek, continually.  If we do that I believe we have a great chance to live in God's favor. 

Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

What a great proverb!  I especially love the second part.

Proverbs 22:1(NKJV)

1    A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,      Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

One of the great blessings of following God is that we get to live in God's favor.   What does that mean exactly?  I think that it means that more times than not, things just work out for us. 

One of the things that my family kind of teases me about is my total belief in God's favor.  For example, anytime I pull into a parking lot I just believe that I am going to get a good parking space.  You know what?  I usually do!

God has the ability, through His favor, to drop blessings on us right out of the blue.  I have experienced it over and over in my life.  So when I read the second part of todays verse I really related to it.

I would much rather have God's loving favor than anything else!   

Don't speak for God

Instead let God speak through you.  What is the difference?  Take a look.

Luke 12:11-12(NKJV)

11“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 

12For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Man is that tough to do.  I think I have shared this before but years ago I was asked to give the Sunday night message at the Gospel Mission.  I had a month to prepare.  I asked God, more than once, to please give me the message that He wanted me to deliver. 

The message I kept getting from God was the verse above.  Not all that comforting considering the date was rapidly approaching.

God has a great way of teaching lessons if we will simply trust Him.  I'm not saying it is easy, but I am saying it is vital.  God knows what He is doing!  What does get easier is seeing God come through time after time after time.  It gets easier to stand on your faith the more you see that faith fulfilled in everyday life.

So here is what happened.  Sitting up front that Sunday night I still had no idea what I was supposed to say.  Not a single note written down.  When I was introduced I simply said a quick prayer that went something like this.  "OK God, I've got nothing here so it is up to You.  You're on!"

Guess what?  He already knew that.  Guess what else?  I needn't have worried.  When I got to the microphone a message came out.  It was the message that God wanted me to give, not something that I thought God wanted me to give.  See the difference? 

The lesson I learned that night was a great one.  Don't speak for God, let God speak through you!

More blessed than that!

Ran across this verse in Luke today.  Thought it offered an interesting perspective.

Luke 11:27-28(NKJV)

27And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

28But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Here is Jesus himself saying that as blessed as Mary was for bearing Jesus, we will be even more blessed by hearing the Word of God and keeping it.

I love the simplicity.  Want blessings in your life?  Then make every effort to hear the Word of God and keep it.  What are some ways to do that?

First and foremost, ask Jesus to come into your life to lead you.  Life is a lot easier when you turn it over to Jesus.  Just have a conversation with Jesus and ask Him to take over.  "Dear Jesus….".

Now simply get into the Word on a daily basis.  That should be the goal.  Won't always happen because sometimes life gets in the way.  But as long as you are always making a heart felt effort, I believe God takes note of that and gives us credit.

The best way I have found to really hear what God's Word is saying to me is to keep a Bible reading journal.  That is how this blog was originally started.  I've been keeping a written journal since 2006.

I read a chapter from the New Testament and the Old Testament each day.  Then I simply write down what I believe God wants me to get from that day's readings.  It's the whole putting it into your own words that I really think helps internalize God's Word.

Give it a try.  I believe that the closer you draw to God, the more blessings you will see in the coming year and throughout the rest of your life!

Don't sweat the small stuff!

Always looking for simple wisdom in the Bible.  It's a big book, lots of details, easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus.  That is why I like this verse.

Luke 10:41-42(NKJV)

41And £Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 

42But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Here is what it seems to be saying to me.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  Keep focused on the important issues and don't let yourself get distracted by small insignificant stuff.

What should we stay focused on?  Building our relationship with God by being in the Word often and being in prayer often.  Being willing to follow wherever God leads.  Sharing our testimony about Jesus.

Pretty simple! 

New Year Advice From Proverbs

As we start the New Year I ran across this passage. 

Proverbs 18:16(NKJV)

16    A man’s gift makes room for him,      And brings him before great men.

A man's gift makes room for him.  What the heck does that mean?  And how about the second part?  "And brings him before great men."

Here is my take on it.  God has given each of us unique gifts and abilities.  Unfortunately many people never really take account of their gifts and so spend their lives doing things that don't utilize the gifts that God gave them.

Now I'm not talking anything evil or bad.  I'm just talking about how so many people take the first thing that comes along and then spend their lives doing something to earn a living that they aren't really passionate about.  They settle into a life of mediocrity instead of leading a life of excellence.

Proverbs on the other hand tells us that if we identify our gifts and actually use them, God will figure out how to make that work in our lives.  And what about the second part?

There are a couple of things there.  The first part is that when we are really passionate about using our gifts we tend to not be average.  We tend to excel.  Great men, men who excel, like to meet and know other people who excel. 

That's all well and good but what are the benefits to the believer of going before great men?  I believe that it opens up opportunities that they would never have dealing with just average people.  Does that make sense?   

So as we start 2015, for me it seems like a great time to take note of my gifts and make sure I am using them the way God would have me do. 

Here is hoping that you all have a blessed and prosperous New Year!