Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs In 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 21:13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

Who Listens To The Poor?

R Aylor

Would you say that you hear the cry of the poor? I don’t know about you but I hear a lot of stuff... a lot of grumbling about the daily troubles of life... sometimes it’s my own voice... griping about the government and the economy and relational problems and a million different things.

The question might be do we let all these other cry’s in our ears from ourselves and the world drown out the cry of the poor?

Peter and John counseled Paul and Barnabas about sharing the gospel with the Gentiles:

Galatians 2:10 ...they would that we should remember the poor; which very thing I was also zealous to do.

You know, helping others physically goes hand in hand with sharing the gospel. Jesus lived like this. He healed so many... he had compassion and fed the 5000 plus women and children... and then the 4000.

Their are a lot of needy people in the world. And the truth is that everyone is poor in some way. So once again let me change the question: Do we drown out all the other cry’s in the world that come to our ears… all the grumbling about the daily troubles of life that people around us have? Do we close our ears to our next door neighbor who may be rich in money but is poor in relationships. They are lonely…

Do not close your ears to their needs. Get involved... show the love of Christ practically in the area of their need.

Another neighbor may be poor in the sense that they have a need for someone to help them move a refrigerator or build a fence... an elderly person may be poor in strength and stamina and need help with yard work or house cleaning.

The great thing about helping those who are poor in various areas of life is that it gives us opportunity to share the love of God in Jesus to those who are bankrupt spiritually.

In Matthew 5:3 Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

If we close our ears to the poor our text says we will call out ourselves and not be answered. Not loving others is a red flag… it may be an indication that we have never experienced the love of God and have no idea of the joy in sharing it with others. And on the day of judgment it will be too late… At that point call out for mercy from the Lord we will not be answered.

Pray

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 21:10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. 11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. 12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin.

Mercy In His Eyes

R Aylor

We covered verse 11 in Proverbs 19:25 and will again in Proverbs 24:23-26

We learned how discernment plays an important role in our relationship with scoffers. In reproving them our hope is not to drive them away from Christ ... but for their sake to discern when to wait until they seem more open to the Lord, then speak that they might believe. However there are other times we may rebuke them publicly that those who might learn wisdom will see their lifestyle and learn the truth of sin and how pride does not end well.

However verse 10 will be the central focus of todays devotion.

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

Let’s think about this thing called mercy. Mercy is a part of relationships. If you want to be better in social situations… and learn to love your neighbor as yourself… you will need it.

It is no secret we are all broken sinful people. But if you have looked away from sin to Christ and have delighted in him you have received his mercy. We are 100% righteous positionally because Jesus has taken our sin and given us his righteousness. Still in this body we are functionally a work in progress. So we walk in circles of repentance as we grow in him practically, coming to him daily for mercy as he is at work in us. That is our relationship with God as we live in this broken world.

Back to our relationship with man… we need mercy from one another as well to live peaceful and fruitful lives. In our homes, with our spouse, with our children… we must give out mercy and receive mercy every day… all this mixed with accountability motivated by love. Thats how God works on us in relationship to him as well.

Verse 10 of Proverbs 21 says how the neighbor of a wicked person does not see any mercy in him.

If your dog poohs on his yard he wants you to clean it up… If you apologize he doesn’t seem to be satisfied. He would be only moderately content if you kneel at his feet when you ask for forgiveness. Even if you apologize he wants you to keep your dog chained up from now on. He doesn’t want to ever hear him bark again… Mute that dogs mouth! I don’t want to be reminded of his transgression! Get rid of it! This neighbor has no mercy in his eyes towards you and may hold a grudge forever.

Look, we all need mercy in order to have peace. We need it at home with family, with neighbors, at work… everywhere… we need to hand it out and accept it graciously.

Thankfully, when anyone looks to the Lord they will always find mercy in his eyes. No matter what you have done and for all you have done… even for a heart bent on sinning which is what we all come into this world with. But now in repentance, in looking away from sin towards Christ he gives us his righteousness positionally and begins a work in progress for righteousness in our life practically.

Father, thank you for your mercy through Jesus your Son who took the wages of our sin on the Cross and defeated death that we might have that same power for victory over sin in our life… and as he was raised we too will be raised incorruptible no longer subject to sin along with all the fear and pain and death it brings. Help us to come to you daily for mercy as we grow practically in your righteousness and may we be merciful to others as we share your glory with them and tell them of Jesus.

Proverbs 21:9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Best Is Better Than Better... What is Solomon saying is best?

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Click 365 devotions in Proverbs

Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. 7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away, because they refuse to do what is just. 8 The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright.

The Plans Of The Diligent

We all have plans, objectives and goals

That flow from a core down deep in our soul

It feeds our dreams and fosters our visions

It shapes our schemes and contrives our decisions

For whom and for what dose one diligently seek?

Some change their plans when the way turns bleak

For many there’s a shaky foundation in place

For others the bedrock of Gods glorious grace

Still, many seem diligent but wrongly I’d say

Their lying and cheating will sweep them away

Like a fleeting vapor or a fading breath

Their perseverance like a snare will lead them to death

But the diligent for righteousness, virtue and truth

Who stand for the poor, broken down, destitute

Never ease from the goal or turn back from the light

But gaze ever forward on our Lord Jesus Christ

We press on for the prize of what lies ahead

In joy we strain forward to the rising of the dead

This upward call resolute we pursue

Because He who began a good work will see us through

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.

You know we can do a lot of things in this body. Solomon mentions sacrifice as being one thing we might do. In his day Jewish people would bring Sacrifices to the temple that were supposed to show their obedience to God from their heart. It was supposed to show how they trusted God and his word and somehow God was going to make everything right and they would be accepted by God and their sins would all be forgiven. Of course these sacrifices pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Gods own Son even though they only saw this promise dimly through a veil. Oh the promise was sure enough alright. God spoke about it after mans fall in Genesis 3… The prophets spoke of it time and time again… still it was in the foggy shadows… However they accessed this promise and we’re given confidence and guaranteed hope through faith in Gods word.

Now, much of Israel though began to offer sacrifices to God in a legalistic manner and not from a heart that hoped in the coming Messiah but in their own works. They dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s in their keeping of Gods Law including offering the sacrifices. They set themselves up as teachers of others and became proud and haughty as todays verses say.

I think this is a great lesson for me today, even a s a believer in Christ. At times I wake up and find I have been drifting from shore. I have been doing the deeds… I have been in Gods word… I have been sharing and teaching and serving others in my body… However my own heart has been slacking in loving Jesus as I should. How did I get here? What went wrong? Where did I start going astray?

Then I begin to think back… last week or last month or whenever it was I am thinking… that is when my heart began to stray. Instead of finding my joy in the grace of God through Jesus… Instead of being satisfied in his word… Instead of resting in the peace that passes understanding… Maybe I decided then to began flipping the TV channels more as though I might find just the right thing to satisfy me… Could be that I clicked on a few moderately safe links in my social media secretly hoping they would take me somewhere else… Oh I still read Gods word every day… I still shared him… I even found myself rejoicing in what I seemed to have accomplished for God. But my rejoicing was not in Jesus my righteousness… During those times it may be that many of my sacrifices were not being done out a heart for God…

Todays text talks about people who are walking in sin yet they are doing some of the same deeds that those walking close to the Lord are doing. But the wicked person does them on the outside only and not from a heart that abides in the Lord. Only when we our heart walks in the love of God can we truly teach others in humility, do righteous deeds and show justice.

Pray

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This is not an exhaustive look at the doctrine of election and accountability but a work in progress until we see him face to face.

Today we will close out Proverbs 24 with a great passage: verses 30-34.

Proverbs 24:30 I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

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Ok, let’s ponder this a bit and find how it relates to us. For example, there is good possibility that we have things unkept in our own life right? We may have been putting off touching up some calking around the house and painting it. We might need to clean out that… or those closets and junk rooms that have served over the years as holding areas when cleaning up the house. We may have intended to take items to the homeless shelter or Salvation Army or thrift store… We might have been planning a garage sale for 20 years and the stuff has kept piling up and is now unmanageable.

How far out of control is our life really? Years ago I managed a fast food drive-in... ...When I knew he would be coming, all of a sudden I saw dirt everywhere.. So we would do things like clean… and scrub and paint… inside and outside… what ever was needed.

...Our senses get comfortable with the brokenness around us and we become blind to how far out of step our life has become.

The writer of todays passage gives us an amazing insight… It’s a BIG BIG help with only a single small word which he repeats three times in verse 33. Listen for it.

Heres what he says: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

If there is anything we might get out of this passage today I think it would be that we do not want to be that person who lets everything in life get out of control and go to pot. That person who was lazy toward ...the responsibility God had given him with the things in life… When he first planted his vineyard he likely did not set out to become a sluggard lacking sense… He did not plan on poverty swallowing up his life… It was the little things that brought his downfall… just a little extra sleeping in… a little extra slumbering in the recliner… a little extra folding of the hands… a little extra time playing video games… being on social media… watching tv… eating… fishing… just a little extra time seeking ye first that same old mission in life before we came to Christ.

Yes, this is a real life in the physical world problem but it is connected to and points to how our life might be spiritually. The truth is… If you are a believer satan wants your life to be broken down and unkept even more so spiritually. If he can keep you so far behind on spiritual responsibilities and accountability and so far in spiritual poverty so you have stopped growing in Christ… your new mission in Christ will look like a dead overgrown grove.

So here’s the question: Is your spiritual vineyard unkept? Is it even bearing fruit? If it is… have the grapes become sour because the vines have not been pruned back every fall? Little by little have you lost interest in the vineyard? You quit pruning and grafting and weeding… what the birds don’t take away the worms eat and disease infests. The writer ends with verse 34: and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

I hope that is incentive for you to stop all the little advances toward sin… the occasional pulls from TV and the internet towards lust have moved from little to a lot… Gossip and grumbling have increased from sometimes to often… Mind fantasies have become more frequent… Maybe you were introduced to marijuana or something else and you rationalized until now your want for it is like an armed man that is destroying your life. It could be a million different things.

Pray

Proverbs in 365 Devotions

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Proverbs 24:28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. 29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

So there is some good instruction to us here for relationships. First, “Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause”.

Are there times we should be a witness against our neighbor? Sure murder, abuse, theft… and other things… We are called to take a stand against wickedness in a million different ways… However not all of them need be us being a witness to the authorities against our neighbor… Most of the time we are called to be a witness to our neighbor about things true and good for their peace one on one in personal conversation. Most importantly how Jesus is the good new of great joy for them… That is being a witness directly to them with cause. But I really think the writer is simply saying don’t make accusations against your neighbor unless it is for good. Dont go stirring up trouble unless it is going to be for good and for Gods glory.

Next the writer says: “and do not deceive with your lips”.

So don’t make up things about your neighbor… Dont put them down or slight them to others… Dont be a complainer about them or a gossiper…

Finally it says: 29 “Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us the same thing not in the negative saying what we should not do but in the positive… Heres the way he says it.

Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

If your neighbor has harmed you in some way… don’t do to them as they have done to you… rather show forgiveness and love the way the Lord has done for you.

Actually in Matthew 7 before Jesus said how we should love others he tells how God wants to do us good and not evil. He is our example.

Matthew 7:9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

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Then in verse 13 Jesus tells us about the best and greatest good thing that the Father gives those who have been given eyes to see what we should seek and ask for.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

What is this narrow gate and how narrow is it really? It is only Jesus… It is not ourselves with all our effort to do good works… It is not buddha or mohammed or any way of thinking or doing… Its the one promised to bruise the head of the serpent when Adam and Eve believed him over God… Its the one who lived a perfect sinless life and did not have to pay the wages of sin which is death… Its the one who chose to die anyway not for his sin but ours. He is the one who imputes his righteousness to all who will delight in him, giving us fellowship with God. He is the one who defeated death on the third day and gives us the same power that raised him from the dead to have victory over sin as we walk with him. And as in his resurrection we will be raised up incorruptible forever with him no more submissive to sin with the death and sorrow and pain it brings.

So who is and how narrow is this gate: Jesus answers that question in: John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Pray

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

We all have things we want in life… And today's culture is one where people don’t want to wait for anything. We order our hearts desire on line… wild and crazy things… unique things no one would have imagined a few years ago… and much of the time it can be delivered to our door the very next day. And we don’t even have to have money to pay for it right now… on our person or even in the bank… we just put it on a credit card… We still might even have to work for the money at our job to pay for it… and to pay our house payment and our car payment and everything else… much of America lives not from paycheck to paycheck but a few months out in front of their next paycheck.

Today's text teaches us not to be obsessed with what we want or let it consume us so that we ignore accountability and responsibility. It talks about a person who has a desire to build a house… Maybe he is getting married and wants a home for his bride to be. It is not wise to be driven by passion for your bride to cause you to ignore plowing the field and planting the crops… The house may never get finished… the siding will remain half done and the insulation will show through and the trim will never be completely done and the house will age and get run down and your family will live in poverty because you ignored the wisdom associated with work and your accountability.

Our text talks about building a house but it could be about buying a car or even physical things related to sex or drugs or whatever… It could be anything that causes us to set wisdom aside and follow our earthly passions. So what is it for you? What wants to be the treasure that you will be so passionate about that is worth giving all your attention to?

Now… we have been talking about physical things but what we do in our body; good or bad, is always connected some way to spiritual things…

Mankind has one of two goals…

Before one looks to Christ their passion is to exalt themselves… Thats our self made mission.. we set goals to that end for self… we do what we want… to make us happy… work to that end… we want to be boss of our own life… We want to be seen as beautiful or good looking… smart… wise… cool… have lots of money… be healthy… live long and enjoy life to its fullest and finally have lots of people come to our funeral… All that for ourselves.

As a believer our passion… or overwhelming desire is to see more of Gods glory and no longer to exalt ourselves but him… We want to share his glory with others… All these things give us amazing joy. God has given us eyes to see his beauty instead of our own false beauty… He owns everything and has made us his children and given us an inheritance so we are richer than the richest person on earth could imagine being. He gives us joy and a peace that passes understanding. Its not about whether we are remembered when we die but it’s about whether we pointed others to see and know Jesus.

So, again, what is it for you? What is the treasure that is worth giving your attention to in life?

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus said this: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Pray

Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. 24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them. 26 Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.

Honesty is the best policy… Benjamin Franklin… You know, mans heart has not gotten better over the past few thousand years has it. Today many people still publicly agree with and support those who they want to benefit from even when they don’t actually agree with them in their heart. We do it when we are obsessed with getting ahead at work. Politicians do it do it with their constituents and vice versa even when they know they are wrong.

Solomon is telling us not crumble before the wicked. Don't tell them they are right when they are wrong… but rather be a man… not a brown nose man… not a yes man… but a man who does not let wickedness get the last say… well be a man if you are a man that is… If you are a woman… still take a stand for truth!

Wickedness is all around us, making claims of truth to our children at school… trying to be the teacher to all of us on TV… and so called political correctness is being enforced in the workplace. Wickedness pushes a morality as being supreme over the Bible… And in order to be accepted in a wicked world we are tempted to not stand up for truth. Unfortunately much of the time we don’t stand for truth because we do not know truth as we ought. We need to be a people who are tethered to Gods word… We must love it so much that we meditate on it day and night that and see its treasures and beauty of how it is supreme over the morality of the world so we don’t bow to their values.

I do think we need to get a lot better at honestly rebuking wickedness in love instead of being honest as a kind of self-righteous judgmental executor of judgment. But even as we state truth in love we should ask the Lord for discernment in how to do it.

Actually I think the book of Jude gives us some help on how to discern the best way to rebuke in love when wickedness is trying to get the last word in our lives.

Jude 1:17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Did you notice the discernment in the varying ways Jude deals with sin… he uses words like hate… towards sin… mercy towards others, to snatch out of the fire as though we need to hurry… So no, we are not called to be casual comfort zone Christians… time is short… our lives are short and I myself feel like I have wasted way too much of it on the things of the world. And Jude also mentions fear… I think fear to be careful ourselves not to fall… Because we are all still works in progress. I think that is why he said we should build ourselves up in our most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit…

Now instead of a prayer I think I will close by reading the last two verses in the book of Jude to see who this is all about… who is it for and who gives us such a great blessing in standing up against evil as our text in Proverbs says… ok, verses 24 and 25.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.