Teaching

  Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV): “Do not add to His words” 5 Every word of God proves true;     he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words,     lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Every time I read through Proverbs chapter 30 today, these two verses seemed to jump right off the page.  To be perfectly honest, verse 6 jumped off the page and necessarily verse 5 came along for the ride.  Anyone who spends only a minimal amount of time interacting in Christian social media groups understands why the Lord hit me in the face with “DoRead More →

  Proverbs 21:30 (ESV): One Way – Gods Way 30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel     can avail against the Lord. I think this proverb is rather self explanatory, Solomon did not mince any words here.  There is ultimately “One Way” and that is “Gods Way.”  Wisdom, intelligence, “street-smarts”, wealth, power, position, who you know or collaborate with, NONE CAN STAND AGAINST GODS SOVEREIGN WILL. What we are ultimately talking about here is mans ARROGANCE in his flesh; An arrogance which has killed most of the extinct cultures across space and time.  Why?  Because in our flesh we are DISEASED, and WE WANT WHAT WE WANT.  BecauseRead More →

  Proverbs 14:31 (ESV): The “Least of These” 31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,     but he who is generous to the needy honors him. The Destination About three years ago my family and I were walking through an urban, downtown, outdoor retail mall.  I was weaving in-and-out of heavy pedestrian traffic, family in tow, ignoring most everything that we passed.  I had a destination in mind, and as a result was “seeing” nothing along the path except that destination.  My youngest son Matthew, age seven at the time, on more than one occasion attempted to slow me down so that I could “notice” what heRead More →

  Proverbs 11:12 (NASB) – Silence is Golden 12 He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent. Today’s commentary is going to be short and sweet because I realize that silence is golden.  The first half of this verse immediately reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-2 concerning our judgement of others, in particular other believers in Christ: 1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” When we “despise” our neighbor we display our prideful superior wisdomRead More →

  Proverbs 10:12 (ESV) – But Love Covers 12 Hatred stirs up strife,     but love covers all offenses. Today, one doesn’t have to look far to find strife (angry contention, opposition, enmity, struggle, quarrel, agitation) all around them.  In our social media driven 24 hour news cycle, strife is “soup du jour;” Strife is “what’s for dinner.”  I use these food references for a very specific reason.  It seems, even for most of us living for Jesus and under His grace, our flesh desires to consume strife by the pound.  Strife in our homes, strife at our jobs, strife between the sexes, strife betwixt differing races, strifeRead More →

  Proverbs 9:5 (ESV): Jesus is Wisdom 5 “Come, eat of my bread     and drink of the wine I have mixed. Just as with book eight of Proverbs, the ninth book is setup as the personification of wisdom as a “great lady” contrasted to a “woman of folly.”  Again, I am going to focus on wisdom, not personified as a woman, but as the source; as Christ Jesus.  I do this because I love to see and follow Jesus’ footsteps through the Old Testament.  It is an awesome reminder that the Savior was there at the beginning. From verse 5 “eat of my bread, ” “drink of the wineRead More →

  Proverbs 8:32-36 (ESV) – Son of God and Wisdom 32 “And now, O sons, listen to me:     blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction and be wise,     and do not neglect it. 34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,     watching daily at my gates,     waiting beside my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds life     and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;     all who hate me love death.” The entirety of Proverbs 8 is written as the personification of wisdom as a great, noble lady in stark contrast to the immoral adulteress described in Proverbs 7.  Verses 1-31 describe the great lady (wisdom) asRead More →

  Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV) – Hands That Shed Innocent Blood 16 There are six things that the Lord hates,     seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,     and HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans,     feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies,     and one who sows discord among brothers. “HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD” – Folks, those “hands” are OUR hands! The blood of 60 million dead is upon them. After Cain slew able in the field and then denied, to God, knowing what had happened, Genesis 4:10 tells us: 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done?Read More →