Bragging On Jesus

2nd Corinthians overview. Theme and exposition is keep looking to Jesus in faith. Just as in our initial salvation we are to live by grace through faith. We are to count on Gods grace every second with every heartbeat as we walk in faith on our new mission in Christ

Proverbs 13:25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

I have like most people appetites mostly related to food. How many times a day do I replace whatever I was doing or thinking about with thoughts of a meal, a snack, that leftover dessert, drink, or just something sweet or salty. Our appetite for food is a powerful basic need that is never completely satisfied.

Like our need for food, we have other appetites including: comfort, safety, power, control, security, relationship, rest, adventure, fun, and love. I find that those appetites are never completely satisfying either. My comfortable chair seems too high or too low. That adventure I really want to do may cause physical injury, wanting more power or control may come at a high price of sacrifice, and loss of control may lead to feelings of insecurity or desperation. Maybe the goal is to live somewhere in the middle of each of these appetites? But even that seems like we might be missing out on something greater that we might obtain or experience. When we focus on fulfilling one of these appetites to complete satisfaction, it seems to always result in sin. Affection for comfort neglects the power of the comforter. Longing for safety places my protector on the the sideline. Seeking power turns my thoughts inward and chips away at my soul leaving no room for true peace. Seeking any of these natural appetites to be filled exclusively always leads to more longing, disappointment, and dissatisfaction.

Why can my appetites not be satisfied? And Why does God’s food or provision for an appetite many times seem undesirable?

I see one example of appetite in the people of Israel in the desert after being lead out of captivity from Egypt.

Numbers 11:4–6 ...

Later in this chapter we see how God responded to their dissatisfaction and unthankful hearts.

He sent an enormous amount of quail to eat and with it a plaque that made many die because of their “craving.”

It is interesting the name they gave that place where these events happened.

Numbers 11:34 ...

Ecclesiastes 6:7 ...

In Proverbs 13:25 it tells us that the righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,....

Matthew 5:6 ...

John 6:35 (ESV): 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

“Life”. We find our satisfaction in pursuit of Jesus for he tells us that he is the bread of all our appetites like comfort, adventure,safety, fun, love...

Truth: Our satisfaction then proves connected to our efforts in pursuit of knowing Jesus.

Proverbs 13:25 ...

The second part of this verse addresses what happens to those who are not connected to Jesus or “the bread of life.”

They experience a spiritual famine and continue to have a deep need for the “Bread of Life”. They will continue in anger, selfishness, lust, pride, and hunger with appetites that will never be satisfied.

We should be content and satisfied with Jesus above all else. Every other appetite unchecked will not satisfy. These appetites leave us longing for more or worse destroy our lives.

1 Timothy 6:6–8 ...

1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

God help us pursue Jesus. Forgive us when we forget the richness that is found in Christ. Thank you for your grace and mercy that we experience every day without a second thought. Your Son, Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies our every appetite when nothing else can. You are good and I pray that we will be content and remember always that we are rich when we are found in Christ no matter our circumstances and that Jesus is the bread of life that can satisfy our every appetite.

This is a devotion about Jesus in the Old Testament and specifically Proverbs chapter 8. Also a poem about Proverbs chapter 8 by robin aylor.

Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, 26 before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. 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.”

Proverbs 26:6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. 9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. 10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. 11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. 12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

I like the extreme metaphors he uses in these verses... and just when you think the passage is all about being a fool and maybe the readers are saying... yeah thats right!... and they start thinking of people like those Solomon has referenced... then like a clever hunter he springs the trap that lets us see our own selves and should bring us to our knees...

Ok...

6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

A fool will not deliver the message right?... At least not in a timely fashion. You might as well be sending a message by a man who has no feet or maybe one who stops by a pub on the way to his destination and gets into a fight and is thrown in jail... The messenger is not trustworthy.

7 Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Now Solomon says how all these things that a proverb can show a man are like lame legs... they are just there.

8 Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

Imagine a fool receiving a reward from a President with great honor before men and then continuing on with his foolish ways... How will people react when they see this honored man living out his life in wickedness? He will still be known as a fool. The true honor intended for him remains tied in the sling.

9 Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

Here's another verse similar to verse 7. Not only is it just there like legs that are lame but its also like a thorn stuck in someones hand. It should bring attention to the fact that something is wrong... A proverb says how Sin needs to be addressed in the life of a man drunk on foolishness but he does not feel the sting of reproof.

10 Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

Now we see how a fool is not trustworthy to use a weapon. No! Dont bring a fool with you hunting. Don't give him a weapon in battle... Dont let him preform surgery on you.

11 Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Its quite gross to see a dog licking up his vomit.. right? We'll it's repulsive when a fool keeps on wounding people with arrows and is numb to his sin and how it destroys. It's gross to see him elevated to honor only to return to eating his own vomit. Why does he keep letting his legs hang as though they are dead or his feet cut off?

These pictures of a fool are disgusting and may even bring a bit of nausea to our stomach.

But you know what... After all this talk of a fool Solomon says this:

12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Look, there is hope for both the prideful and the fool... just more hope for the fool... Pride is a killer... it is in us all. If you are a believer God is at work eliminating pride from your heart. If foolishness causes us nausea, pride should bring us too our knees within our heart. In our heart we should be living in sackcloth and ashes, while at the same time going forth with joy and love and confidence in Jesus who humbled himself for us... even dying for us and giving us his righteousness. We should humble ourselves and love others as he did. He will one day raise us up with him in glory with an inheritance we cant even imagine.

Pray

Missions to the moon,

1 - 1st Manned Mission:

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image,... 28 ...And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,...

2 - Man made his own mission sharing the image of his own brokenness:

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

3 - 1st God-Man Mission:

*He lived the perfect life Adam and we did not.

*He was paid the wages of sin we deserve with his own death.

*He was raised from the dead.

*Believers receive his righteousness & resurrection power over sin in life and death.

*Only believers share this testimony in baptism and then with our life.

2nd Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

4 - Re-commission - Great Commission, sharing Gods glory in the world.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The 1st manned mission to Earth, the Moon, an Asteroid, Mars... also the first God-man mission, We take a look at Adam and Eve, Neil Armstrong, NASA, Jesus, you and I as well as how Gods first mission for Adam and Eve is the same mission for all believers.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image,... 28 ...And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,...

For more go to braggingonjesus.com

Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? 25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 26 the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. 27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls.

Today's passasge finishes up chapter 27. These few verses have been quite interesting to me for a long time. But before we focus lets think about the placement. Throughout the chapter Solomon speak of vairied matters of the heart of mankind. How the hearts of man can sharpen one another in good discourse... He speaks of how the eyes of man are never satisfied which surly references the state of his heart. He talks of how a mans heart reflects who he is like water reflects his face and Solomon speaks of how praise can purify the hearts of some while crush others which seems to relate humility and pride in the heart.

So lets look closer at todays text and see if theres a link to the heart. Well, the first part of the passage talks about how nothing last forever.

Proverbs 27:23 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?

So take care of what God blesses you with... be responsible... Whether you are a king or a farmer. No matter your station in life use wisdom.

James 4: reminds of of this same finite existance:

14 ...What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

1 Peter 1:24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

So yes, life is short... and we have numerous kinds of riches God has blessed us with. We are not to squander them on self centered things. We are not to use Gods blessings to promote our own false sense of glory. Theres just no true joy or peace or victory in that and that was our old mission... satisfy ourself with the promises of the world and promote ourselves to others. Spending on self glory causes any riches to be wasted and eventually circles the drain or as the Bible indicates it is burned up as stubble.

One of many cool things about the riches of God is that as we spend them on seeing and sharing more of the glory of God instead of self he lavishes us with more riches in him.

You know... it seems to me that in Solomon telling us life is short and we should give attention to our herds and then how riches dissapear and a crown does not endure to all generations. He just might be pointing to what he has been throughout the chapter... our heart.

Pay attention to your heart. Guard it with wisdom... This is where your greatest riches riches are kept. May the riches God bless you with be so great that you can pass them down to as many generations as possible. That would be our legacy in Christ for his glory.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Now in closing read 25-27

This is the part of the passage is beautiful in the way its written... I think it flows like poetry. But to what does it refer?

I can't say I have all the answers to this but if Solomon is continuing with the theme it seems he is pointing to the blessings of God in a physical sense again and that there is a parallel spiritually for us.

The extreme example he gives is with a person who has nothing but what God has given him in creation. If this person has a heart for God and glorifies him with the blessings God has given him instead of squandering them for his own glory... then he and his household are rich... They are fed and clothed and maintained and satisfied wanting nothing.

Proverbs 25:1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. 2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. 3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; 5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, 7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble…

Rewards of the Heart

Proverbs 27:18-20 18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored. 19 As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man.

So, right away when looking at this passage, I find myself asking “What on earth is a fig tree anyways?” Which led me down a rabbit hole of Googling pictures of fig trees that eventually led to threads on how to care for them. As it turns out, fig trees are pretty temperamental. In fact, they need tons of sunlight in order to produce healthy fruit. But why is this verse coupled with something that has to do with protecting one’s master? And then it skips on to talk about water and then these random places that are “never satisfied”. In order to properly how this passage can apply to us, I think it would be best to digest each verse on its own, and then weave them together to help illustrate how these verses can help us best live out our lives as followers of Christ. We’ll start with verse 18:

18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.

For the full article with audio go to braggingonjesus.com and click on the Proverbs tab.

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” Proverbs 13:24

“Son I’m doing this because I love you”,The father says as he slips off his belt and draws it back as he prepares to swat his child’s rear end. Yeah right the son thinks as his body tenses up and he gets himself ready for the impact. In the next few moments that child is going to feel lots of things. A bit of anger and frustration, a little bit of sadness and sorrow and a whole lot of pain on his backside. But he is not expecting to feel loved in that moment.

Was his father lying? Did we just find a typo in the Bible? Maybe his father and the Bible are wrong. Not at all, Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, realizes that discipline done right is motivated by love.

When a father sees something ugly, destructive, or damaging coming out of his son he knows that the most loving thing he can do is address it. He must take action. And when the thing is ugly enough and serious enough that action may even need to be physical. The pain that comes with the swat is is a real and tangible reminder of where all sin leads. Sins may promise big pleases but they always bring sharp pains.

The father that is diligent with loving discipline teaches his son to flee from all of these destructive and damaging things that lead to certain pain and misery.

God is no different when it comes to dealing with his kids.

Hebrews 12:5-6 ESV says, My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

There are times when God’s children wonder into sin. Hard hearts and selfish attitudes that linger may demand the fathers attention. And wile our earthly fathers may mishandle the rod from time to time our Heavenly Father never does. When he disciplines he does it with perfect wisdom and care.

And if you find yourself under God the fathers discipline consider these two things.

#1 Do not take His discipline lightly. God is not careless with His discipline. So if he finds reason to correct you, pay attention and respond with repentance. Chances are that you are headed in a dangerous direction.

#2 Count your self blessed - The Lord disciplines those whom He loves. Know that The very thing driving His discipline is the love He has for you as His child.