Prayer to prepare our minds

Lord, thank you for your word today. Thank you also for the Internet by which we can gather from all corners of the earth to learn about you and grow together in praise of your mighty power. Help us to be quiet for these next few minutes Lord, and speak to us regarding your will for us - not just the vision but the steps we should take. We ask all this in Jesus name and are confident in your promises.

Who says “God isn’t Practical?” - Proverbs, Chapter 16

Pro 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
Pro 16:2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.
Pro 16:3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Pro 16:4 The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Pro 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
Pro 16:6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.
Pro 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Pro 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.
Pro 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Pro 16:10 An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth does not sin in judgment.
Pro 16:11 A just balance and scales are the LORD’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Pro 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
Pro 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
Pro 16:14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.
Pro 16:15 In the light of a king’s face there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
Pro 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Pro 16:17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life.
Pro 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pro 16:19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Pro 16:20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Pro 16:21 The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Pro 16:22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.
Pro 16:23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Pro 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Pro 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Pro 16:26 A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.
Pro 16:27 A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Pro 16:28 A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.
Pro 16:29 A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.
Pro 16:30 Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things; he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
Pro 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.
Pro 16:32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Pro 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Learning about the character of the Lord through Jesus - John, Chapter 16

There are several themes that run through this chapter. The first theme is that of our path in life, or destiny (verses 1, 3, 4, 9, 25, and 33). In our heart we make our plans. We decide what we will do each day, and throughout the course of our life… or so we think. God has the final say in matters. If we commit our plans to the Lord, he will cause us to succeed. After all, God created everything on this planet. He knows the best way to do everything, from designing a nuclear power plant, to pruning a rose bush.

God did not design us to be independent - to do it our way. That is the fatal flaw of man. We were created to be in constant union with God. Look at Adam and Eve. God used to even come to the garden to walk with them. Unfortunately they screwed it up back then, and each generation has done so up until now. If we can get through that paradigm shift, it will revolutionalize our life. We are not supposed to struggle through life on our own. Neither are we to “partner” with God. That implies 50/50 status. Instead we give it 100% to God. He will use us as instruments, and we will have joy in the process.

If you think about the eternal sense, why would God create us to be independent down here on earth, then call us to heaven to serve him? We would be utterly useless to God. and miserable ourselves.

God has the final call and determines the steps we take. It certainly is not the ones we would choose, but that is not to say they are “worse”. They are always better, it just may seem like we occasionally have to take a step back. For example, I was working in a restaurant in a popular resort area. I was making great money but had no future and was slowly wasting my life. I moved to my current locale and took a low-paying administrative job at a law office. It hurt to take that cut in pay, but God always provides a way. Working in a restaurant would have ill-prepared me for Internet Marketing, or whatever future God has in store.

Joh 15:2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

It may be tough sometimes, but we can have joy when the Lord is pruning us. That just means that blessing is right on the other side.

9, 26) We do things that appear right to man sometimes, but if we are wicked at heart our acts do not “buy” forgiveness. I use as an example charity events that our fraternity had in college. We would go to a bar, and have everyone donate a dollar or two to get in to charity or bring canned goods. Did that absolve us in God’s eyes for the drunkenness, fights, DUIs, and premarital sex that was surely to follow?

The only thing that absolves us is the blood of Christ and the love of our father. That is what makes Christianity different from every religion in the world. Every other religion says that if you do “A+B+C”, and don’t do “D & E” then you will go to the afterlife. Christianity is the only religion that says that we can never earn our salvation. The only way we can truly live is if God is living with us. Remember - that is what God intended from the beginning.

7) I have seen this. In my first job I had some ladies who I did not get along with at all. We had butted heads over several projects and I was accused of doing several things wrong. Some were my fault, but others were not. Unfortunately since I was “the new guy” I received blame for it all. It ended with me being “written up” by my supervisor.

The next day I came across proof that vindicated me. Yes! The opportunity to shove it in the faces of those ladies… Then I felt the strongest impression that I should not take that course of action. In fact various snippets of Bible verses came to mind that I should have mercy on them. When it came time to show these mistakes to the ladies, I was gracious and loving. I certainly did not want to be and was fighting my flesh the whole time. When I got back on the elevator to go back to my office afterward, I received confirmation from God that I did the right thing.

Those ladies are so sweet to me now. I may even have the chance someday to witness to them. Perhaps they may speak of me in a positive way to a person I may have a chance to share my testimony with. Then again, maybe none of this will happen. God could just be trying to conform me to the image of his son Jesus. What more could a person hope for?

11) Why expect the unrighteous to live like Christians. I know a woman who spent her entire Christmas season going to stores to berate them for not playing Christmas music. That would be great if all Americans were confirmed Christians. Suppose the owners of Target or K-Mart are Hindu, Muslim, or just athiests. All we do in cases like this is look like fools and ruin our witness to the individuals.

The pastor of our church shared this same sentiment when my church joined a petition some years ago about some racy commercials in the newspaper. As it turned out there was a member of our church who appeared in those commercials with some co-workers that she JUST HAPPENED to be bringing to church on a regular basis. Those people felt the condemnation in that petition and never came back to church. Were those people doing the right things in God’s eyes in those commercials? No, but did God give our church the right to judge people? No again, he tells us expressly the opposite.

Luk 6:37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

That does not mean we turn a blind eye to sin as Christians. God expects us to shine the light into their lives. By establishing relationships with these people, they give us the opportunity to share, and yes, sometimes rebuke them. That kind of personal accountability is why we should all be part of either a men’s or women’s group - it is such a blessing.

24, 21) Pleasant words bring correction. I am trying to keep these posts more positive and follow these, but sometimes I miss the mark. Please add your own comments below this post and let everyone share in the blessings of wisdom that the Lord is giving you.

Getting to know God, The Gospel of John, Chapter 16

Joh 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
Joh 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
Joh 16:3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Joh 16:4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
Joh 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
Joh 16:6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Joh 16:8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
Joh 16:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
Joh 16:10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
Joh 16:11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Joh 16:14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Joh 16:15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Joh 16:16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”
Joh 16:17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”
Joh 16:18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”
Joh 16:19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’?
Joh 16:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
Joh 16:21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
Joh 16:22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Joh 16:23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
Joh 16:24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Joh 16:25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.
Joh 16:26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;
Joh 16:27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
Joh 16:28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
Joh 16:29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech!
Joh 16:30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”
Joh 16:31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?
Joh 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
Joh 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

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