Wisdom Cries...Let not thine heart decline

Proverbs 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

Well, for this series I wasn't looking to go all lexicon on anyone, but I could not let this one go by. The word here for decline in the Hebrew is satah, pronounced saw-taw', and it means to deviate from duty. This verse is specifically in the context of a young man following after a "harlot", but the over-riding thought can not be ignored. Whether by a girl or anyone else or anything else, we can't let our heart be deviated from duty.

Okay, think soldier of the cross. This isn't applicable to everyone, but as a born again believer, you are a member of the army of God. We have a directive given to us through the word of God and really the only weapon the enemy has against you is distraction, most call it temptation. The devil desires to make you deviate from the work God has commissioned you to. So, of all the pleas from Wisdom, this one is paramount. Notice, to deviate from your duty is to go astray, AWOL, absent without leave. As a soldier of the cross, it ought to be your highest honor to be vigilant, alert, on ready, and always on task. Be aware of the breeches in your defenses. Shore up the weak areas. Walk the perimeter and see where the work is needed. Do you need to concentrate more on Bible study? If certain temptations are getting you, you need to get some scripture to combat the enemy head on. If self is getting the best of you, buckle down on your prayer life. Submit yourself before God. Has the enemy distracted you from the fellowship of your local church? We are in play-off mode, especially here in the Baltimore area. Are you putting an athletic event with absolutely no eternal significance ahead of communing with the Heavenly Father and His people? Are you greedy or selfish with your money? You need to honor God with your substance. These, and many more, are places of attack of the enemy to make your heart decline, or deviate from your duty. I hesitate to put it in these terms because I am no legalist, yet the truth of the matter is that we do have some duties, responsibilities to carry out. Our faith needs to be known and will be known by our works, otherwise it is dead. Listen to the cry of wisdom...don't deviate from the mission.

Wisdom Cries...Go to the ant, thou sluggard

Proverbs 6:6  Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.

We are at day six of our month-long journey through the book of Proverbs, or as it has been called, the book of wisdom. There is much about the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge in this book. There are a ton of practical pieces of advice. This is why I love this book, because when you converge these two attributes you come to some great points which should never be ignored. This is certainly one. Long story short, don't be lazy.

I do not know of a single time that laziness has served someone well. About as far back as I can remember, I had chores. I learned early that it was in my best interest to not be lazy. That sounds like a no-brainer. You get things accomplished. You get paid. You get promoted. You get a lot of things when you are not lazy. You get respect. Some of the people I admire most are those with exemplary work ethic. Here's one...you get food. The Bible makes it clear that even an ant, without someone standing over his shoulder petting his self-esteem or feeding him a steady stream of Tony Robbins motivational blah-blah, knows the connection between working hard and having food. The ant seems to understand that if he doesn't feed himself, he won't get fed. John Smith, the man credited with literally saving the Jamestown settlement, was also credited for telling the men, "If you don't work, you don't eat." That is certainly a wonderful truth, but it wasn't his, at least not originally. The Bible, God's word, said it first. Without getting too terribly political and hung up on domestic policy, I think we would do well, yet again, to get back to some sound wisdom that worked "back in the day" and stop enabling and supporting laziness. Either the job is below them or they are above the job, but the bottom line is, if your next meal depended on it, I am sure you would do it. Hard work built this country. It's kinda funny how no work will tear it down.

Wisdom Cries...Rejoice with the wife of thy youth

Proverbs 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

Let me just say right there and right now that I am so happy to be married. And what's more, I am glad that I got married at 22 years old. I am convinced that there is no more enjoyable, fulfilling, exciting, and fun relationship in all the world than a scriptural marriage relationship between a husband and a wife, and that for a lifetime. The book of Proverbs is a, rather the, book of wisdom and the book was written from a father who was the wisest man to live, besides Christ himself, and also the richest. He had experienced all of the thrills and adventures that power and prominence could bring a guy. History and the Bible tell us that Solomon left the monogamous path and went after many women, culminating in a boatload of wives and concubines, 700 wives and 300 concubines. There wasn't anything to be had that wasn't had by Solomon and the words of wisdom he has been inspired to leave his son are these...rejoice in the wife of thy youth.

Notice...rejoice. Be happy. Be satisfied, actually mentioned in the next verse. Celebrate. Is your marriage still a celebration of the feelings and commitments made to one another? Sure, the shine may have worn off, but   that is no reason to throw it away. How about working to polishing it up? Solomon does his best to convince his son, it's worth the work. Put some time and effort into it. Make it shine.

How about the following thought, with the wife? Do you see the singularity in the text? The Bible is explicitly clear regarding God's plan, one man with one woman for one life. Please do not raise questions of polygamy in the Bible...God never suggested or sanctioned those relationships and they proved to be hardships. Since your wedding day, have you re-affirmed the promise that you would never leave this marriage? You should be more committed today than the day you made the vow. You have matured and invested so much into one another's life.

You have heard me say that the game is best enjoyed by playing by the rules. Sociologists and scientists have come to the same conclusion time after time that a monogamous relationship is the best, healthiest, most rewarding way to raise a family and live out your days. Maybe God knew what He was talking about, huh?

Wisdom Cries...Keep your heart with all diligence

Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

I have to start out by saying that this verse is one of my favorites out of the entire Bible. I have preached from it, taught from it, and even counselled from it. I believe that this verse is God's answer to all of the drama that we see in our lives, whether in person or on social media. There are only a few people that deserve your heart or a place in it, but in a search for identity, significance, or meaningfulness, we let everyone that comes along into our heart. We share all of our secrets, all of our problems, and everything else. Facebook is just a snapshot of the public lives that we choose to live. We have grown accustomed to sharing all manner of personal information from what we are eating right now all the way to how we feel about other people in our lives, good or bad, it's out there. We relish the attention until it turns negative and then we demand, "Don't judge me" when it can't be helped. All of the evidence is exhibited for the world to see.

Believe me when I say that I am human (well that part isn't so hard to believe) and I enjoy the interest some have taken in my life. I mean, let's get real here. I am tickled pink that you are reading my blog, my personal thoughts. I am sure we all want acceptance in some form, whether it be a "Liked" status, a "Poke" or follow, or better yet, a comment or retweet. But it all comes at a certain cost. We have opened our hearts more than we would our front door. We reveal the truth about us to total strangers. That is the furthest thing from keeping your heart. Imagine what your foyer would look like if you just opened the door everyday and allowed anyone and everyone to just walk in and see the inside anytime they wanted. It would not take too long for the foyer floor to be dirty, muddy, and cluttered. Things would get broke and it would end up just a plain mess. Once we have allowed such social traffic through our own heart by on-line "Friends", hook-ups, and so many other kinds of relationships, is it any wonder that our hearts and even our lives become such a broken mess. Wisdom is pleading with you and me, keep your heart. In other words, guard your heart. It's valuable and so are you; so much so that it is worth the "diligence".

Wisdom Cries...Keep sound wisdom and discretion

Proverbs 3:21 "My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion."

Well, there's a word you don't hear everyday, discretion. I guess the truth of the matter is you don't hear much talk of wisdom either. To avoid certain redundancies, I will just remind you of what wisdom is and then move on. The encouragement here is to keep sound wisdom. We have all been imparted with some bit of wisdom, in small or large portions. Sound wisdom is not so much the information gathered from books, but more the understanding of it and how it applies to reality or life. To be perfectly plain about it, a large part of wisdom is the ability to approach a situation and determine the best course of action, and more importantly, the right course of action. So it is not a stretch at all to describe sound wisdom as the ability to know the difference between right and wrong.

According to Roget, a synonym for discretion is responsibility. To complete this thought...know the difference between right and wrong and then be responsible with that information. Boy, if wisdom were a real person, she would be smacking her forehead with her palm these days. I do not know what is more lacking, sound wisdom, actually knowing the difference between right and wrong, or discretion, the responsibility to carry out what is right. First of all, there seems to be a disconnect in the world today from an actual standard of right and wrong. Nowadays, it is totally situational so that sometimes it's alright to lie, steal, or kill the innocent. It just depends on the circumstances, the greater good, maybe. My, how we need men and women to remember what their grandparents lived by. It worked, ya know? It used to be black and white when it came to doing right. After all, they came up with the saying, "It's never right to do wrong, and it's never wrong to do right." As if the drought of sound wisdom were not enough, there is nearly a complete absence of responsibility these days. It's always someone else's fault or someone else's job. Our society is running headlong into a population-wide handing over of responsibility to the government. Everywhere I look, people, young and old, feel like they are owed something. They are entitled to a discount or an extra chance or a free ride.

Boy, wisdom is crying loud here. Please, remember what the difference is between right and wrong. If you never knew it, find out. Ask your grandparents, or better yet, read the Bible. And then take responsibility for yourself. Do good. Do right. Live right. You take over the care and keeping of you and yours. Stop standing around with your hand out, literally or figuratively, for someone to handle the mess you are in or make something of the life you're living. Hey, if it's help you need, by all means, ask for it and if I am nearby, I will do the best I can. But shouldn't you expect the same from yourself, to do the best you can? Let's begin to be a nation of folks that know to do right and then do it.

Wisdom Cries...Walk in the way of good men

Proverbs 2:20 "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous."

Where have all the good guys gone? There's a question that has been exhausted in books, songs, blogs, internet forums, and anywhere else people are feeling the loss of a rare breed...a good man. Don't you just miss the days of real men that you could look up to as masculine role models; strong, hard men with a good heart who would do whatever it took to stand for right? Remember who used to be the "heroes"? Cowboys and soldiers all the way to superheroes and athletes inspired young fellas to grow up and be something, and they did. These guys set the pace for us.

Now, where do we look for good men? It seems everyone in the spotlight isn't worth looking at. Everyone with a public voice isn't saying anything worth listening to. We still have soldiers, and for that I am thankful. There are still a couple athletes or prominent personalities, but they are the exception. What we really need is a generation of men to rise above the current perceptions of manhood. All that is good and right and smart is crying out for some real men, some good men to step up and step out; out of the crowd and walk to the front and lead. The wisdom of God's word has a specific goal or purpose. We ought to look into it. read it, and do what it says. That's where good men come from. That is the mold that true strength and leadership is cut from. Read the word of God and follow the examples of Moses (leadership), Joshua (courage), David (character), prophets who cared enough for their land to cry out against sin and stand in the middle of social wickedness and immorality, and of course, Jesus (servant-leadership). Why is there a drought of good men? Because the Bible is no longer esteemed as the word of God. It used to be read in school and in those days a guys handshake was better than any contract. His word was trustworthy. His integrity was his most valued possession. He treated other men, the elderly, children, and ladies with respect. He honored authority in his life and he tried to set a good example for those after him. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but you know what? I have never heard anyone ever say, "I sure am glad things aren't like they used to be." Let that sink in...like they used to be. How did it used to be? It wasn't hard to find good men. Hey, let's listen to wisdom. Let's walk in the way of good men.

Wisdom Cries...Fear the Lord

October is a month with thirty-one days and the book of Proverbs, one of my two favorites, has thirty-one chapters. For many, many months in my life I have read a chapter in Proverbs each day according to the corresponding date. I can attest to the difference it has made in my life. My wife can also. She has mentioned at different times that "reading Proverbs has really made you wise". I have encouraged my Sunday school classes, congregations, and counselees to do the same. For the month of October I will share a bit of wisdom from Proverbs from the corresponding chapter from that day and I pray that it will be a blessing and help to us all. We'll call it "Wisdom Cries" because, after all, that's what the Bible says (Proverbs 1:20).

Fear the Lord
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

There have been many interpretations, descriptions, and definitions given for the phrase "fear of the Lord". My favorite comes from Rand Hummel, Director of the Wilds, New England. During a meeting at our church he explained the phrase this way; to love what God loves, to hate what He hates, and to have a healthy dread of displeasing Him. How many times in a day does it cross your mind that the things you do and say are a direct reflection of how you consider God in your life. Even in the life of a Christian it can appear that there is no concern for the way ones conduct reflects upon the character or nature of God. That's not smart. The Bible says so. We live in an age of knowledge. Society has an insatiable appetite for it, yet we should understand that you don't really know anything without the fear of the Lord. That is the beginning. Are you even interested in what God thinks about the way that you live? And if so, does His opinion matter to you? It's no mystery...I mean what God loves and hates. It's all in the Bible. Let's take the next month and really place some emphasis on the fear of the Lord. Through His word, we can know how to do that. Blessings to you.