My Daily Pause

Month: October 2011

  • Psalm 90:12-17 – Living Like it is Your Last

    Psalm 90:12-17 – Living Like it is Your Last

    12 Teach us how short our lives really are
    so that we may be wise.
    13 Lord, how long before you return
    and show kindness to your servants?
    14 Fill us with your love every morning.
    Then we will sing and rejoice all our lives.
    15 We have seen years of trouble.
    Now give us as much joy as you gave us sorrow.
    16 Show your servants the wonderful things you do;
    show your greatness to their children.
    17 Lord our God, treat us well.
    Give us success in what we do;
    yes, give us success in what we do    . – Psalm 90:12-17 NCV

     

    Psalm 90 is Moses’ reflection and prayer to the Eternal God. In a previous post, I listed few Scriptures that reinforced the Proverbs 27:1 advice against depending on tomorrow to come. We can depend on God’s favor flowing down to us when we have allowed ourselves to be used as God’s workmen during the short time that we are here. Moses asked God to continue to love his people so their children could see the wonder of that love.

    In this same way we should be living so our children and others see the happiness this life of service brings.

  • Proverbs 26:2-10 – Dealing With Sinful People

    Proverbs 26:2-10 – Dealing With Sinful People

     3 Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys,
    so paddles are good for fools.
    4 Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly,
    or you will be just like them.
    5 Answer fools when they speak foolishly,
    or they will think they are really wise.
    6 Sending a message by a foolish person
    is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
    7 A wise saying spoken by a fool
    is as useless as the legs of a crippled person.
    8 Giving honor to a foolish person
    is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
    9 A wise saying spoken by a fool
    is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.
    10 Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by
    is like an archer shooting at just anything.
    11 A fool who repeats his foolishness
    is like a dog that goes back to what it has thrown up.
    12 There is more hope for a foolish person
    than for those who think they are wise.     – Proverbs 26:2-10

    The discussion of wisdom and foolishness in the Proverbs is usually a discussion of godliness versus sin or evil. It is rare that foolishness is referring to intellectual deficiencies as we would use the term today.

    In Peter’s passage on false teachers (2 Peter 2) we see him quote verse 11 – a vivid simile about a Christian returning to sin.

    Paul refers to verse 12 as he discusses giving over our lives to God in Romans 12.

    Can you see how relevant the Proverbs are when we equate foolishness with sin?

  • Proverbs 23:9 – Sow in Good Soil

    Proverbs 23:9 – Sow in Good Soil

     9 Don’t speak to fools;
    they will only ignore your wise words.     – Proverbs 23:9 NCV

    Both the Proverb writer and the Lord agree that we shouldn’t cast our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6).

    But aren’t we supposed to bring the gospel to the world?

    In the same way a farmer wouldn’t try to plant in shallow soil, we should put our efforts into those that are willing to listen to the good news. Jesus explains it all in the parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-15).

  • Proverbs 22:2 – My Lord is Your Lord

    Proverbs 22:2 – My Lord is Your Lord

    2 The rich and the poor are alike
    in that the Lord made them all    . – Proverbs 22:2 NCV

    We are all equal in God’s eyes. We sin, we are mortal, we die.

    He gave us the same plan of salvation and we have an equal responsibility to make sure others find out what it is.

    How can you best use your position to help others find God?

  • Proverbs 21:25-26 – Laboring to Give

    Proverbs 21:25-26 – Laboring to Give

     25 Lazy people’s desire for sleep will kill them,
    because they refuse to work.
    26 All day long they wish for more,
    but good people give without holding back.     – Proverbs 21:25-26 NCV

    One of Scripture’s recurring themes is a strong work ethic and liberal giving.

    Paul gave us the gold standard for the correct attitude: There will be no U-Haul on our hearse (1 Timothy 6:7) and laboring because “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:34-35).

  • Proverbs 18:4 – The Living Water

    Proverbs 18:4 – The Living Water

    4 Spoken words can be like deep water,
    but wisdom is like a flowing stream. – Proverbs 18:4 NCV

    (Note: The NCV is a little weak here – most other versions render this similar to “man’s words” instead of “spoken words”.)

    No answers today, but something we can work on.

    Do non-believers see through the innovative teachings of man designed to attract followers? Solomon compares those things to the mysteriousness and darkness of deep water. Do they really not believe or are they simply turned off?

    The Lord’s words have the strength and refreshing qualities of the cool babbling brook. Simple. Pure. Calming.

    Was this the passage Jesus referred to on the last day of the feast? (John 7:37-38)