It All Starts With One

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A Heart of Praise

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Proverbs 4:14-19

Proverbs 4: 14-19

¹⁴ Don’t do as the wicked do,
    and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
¹⁵ Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
    Turn away and keep moving.
¹⁶ For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
    They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
¹⁷ They eat the food of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence!

¹⁸ The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
    which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
    They have no idea what they are stumbling over

We are reminded today to not go in the way of the wicked- to not go in the HABIT, manners, way of life, or of moral character (derek) of the wicked.  As always, the nuances of scripture are staggering.  On “first read” this seems like we are being told, warned, against walking in the way of the wicked. I get my “religion” on very quickly – point my nose in the air…just a little….and walk on, thinking “Of course I wont”. But then the nuances of scripture catch me short and I find myself catching my breath once again as I realize that I am coming up short on the scales of righteousness before a Holy God.   My habits stand before the throne of righteousness.  Are all of my habits holy? – can you feel me start to shake a little and avert my eyes from the thrones of grace, as my “religion” falls from my shoulders? A habit, something that is a regular tendency that is hard to give up.  I would love to stand before the Lord and claim my scripture reading and daily devotion times are this “habit” which Solomon is referring to and so hard for me to give up….but, I cant. Truth be told, social media and FB are a constant distraction during my devotion time. The brings and rings from my computer and phone ---urging me to take notice –there has been a notification, for goodness sake!!  ….should I look…..or wait…..what if it’s important? And I find myself firmly entrenched in the world and out of higher places. 

Habits – an infomal or addictive practice.  I am not sure if you can hear it from where you are sitting, but, I would beg you to listen and take notice.  Can you hear it? The Thin Mint cookies calling from my pantry? Surely you must hear them?  They call and they beckon me, enticing me to poison my body – the Temple of the Most High – with sugar and artificial killers. Maybe you can’t hear my cupboard because you have different voices demanding attention? Cigarettes?  Drugs or alcohol? Pornography? Sexual sin? Gambling? Adultery? Oohhh Lord, we must shield our eyes – these things are too hard to list on a daily devotion!  How can we bring these things out in the open and speak of them?   Yet, we are being called to Healthy Habits – Holy Obedience to the ordinary.  Holy Obedience in healthy habits.

Habit – an automatic response to a specific situation.  I find myself on my knees before God- where I once stood so haughtily, I find myself awash with the wickedness that I walk in.  I am brought to my knees with impatience – the switch that seems to have a hair trigger. 

There is always GRACE afforded to us by our God and there is always room for me to grow into this Holy Obedience, as I stand before Him naked, not covering up these areas of my heart- but asking for sanctification- that they may all be refined into a Holy Fire, a pleasing incense to the Lord.  Obedience as my sacrifice to the King of Kings.

I hear Him calling me deeper into the scriptures – showing me that this disobedience we have spoken about starts in my mind.   We are instructed to not even think about these things.  When we think of it, it takes form within our mind and takes on weight, as it takes on weight it takes up more attention, as it takes up more attention it demands an action.  STOP. Take all thoughts captive to Christ.  You see- we win.  We don’t have to think about these things – we GET TO give these thoughts to our Savior and allow Him to deflate their urgency and their coaxing.   Don’t even think of these things that snare and entrap us…instead, let your heart and your mind linger on thoughts of Christ.  Splendid you say, but how?  How do you keep your heart and mind centered on Him, in the course of the day when the Thin Mints are SHRIEKING for my attention and that lady is just driving SO- So – SO S.L.O.W.L.Y.  I don’t have the answer, I am a sinner saved by grace and it would be hypocritical of me to not admit that we area ll struggling with this Holy Obedience to the Ordinary.  Scripture does give us a hint though – we start small. We start with a little bit of lightness shining over the horizon into the darkness.  We make one choice at a time. This brings more light into our darkness.  Until, each choice has light up our world, and our hearts, with Holiness – and then – we get to start all over tomorrow.  So that these choices become habits.  We trade in the habits of our grave clothes for habits that reflect His light.  One choice at a time.   These precepts will be written on our hearts – one at a time.  There is no rushing into  holiness in the Kingdom of God – it is a minute by minute struggle with the flesh.

So, today I ask you: What does your dawn look like?  What choices will you make differently today?  

The Equation of Faces: Painting a Face

It's so easy!!  Give it a try!!!

Proverbs 4:10-13

Day Two

¹⁰ My child, listen to me and do as I say,
    and you will have a long, good life.
¹¹ I will teach you wisdom’s ways
    and lead you in straight paths.
¹² When you walk, you won’t be held back;
    when you run, you won’t stumble.
¹³ Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
    Guard them, for they are the key to life.

Solomon entreats us to “shama” or listen with attention, a focus.  We are not being called to hear the teachings of Wisdom, we are being called to take them in with focus and intentionality- to allow them to become written on the tablet of our hearts.

Solomon is saying here that we have been taught Wisdom’s ways. “Yarah” is to shoot an arrow, cast out, direct. With two children about to be in college, I can understand Solomon’s intensity, almost shaking us, trying to get us to take heed to the teachings and foundations of God.  The promises are many, today we are promised;
 *When you walk, you won’t be held back- The Hebrew promises that when we walk we will not be bound. To walk with Wisdom is to not be held back with our thoughts and attitudes, through yesterday’s happenings.  To walk with her means that we walk in the ever present moment of His grace, and our own limited mindsets will not bind us!

*When we run, we will not stumble- the Hebrew text promises us that as we run, we will not be feeble or overthrown.  Greater is the power that lives in me than lives in the world! Greater is the foundation and the precepts of my God than the empty lies and promises that the world deceives us through!  To walk in Her precepts is to not fear because our Lord, and God, goes before us (Joshua 1:9)

Solomon calls to us over the generations and from our heritage of children of God- TAKE HOLD OF GOD.  Take hold of God, walk in His ways. These teachings are being embedded into our hearts.  Day by day- verse by verse- as we, lovingly savor His words….they are changing our hearts and altering our perceptions to a heavenly realm.  I am excited about this transformation, this embracing of God’s mindset and ways.  What about you?

Activity:  We are writing these precepts onto the tablet of our hearts.  What if you were to draw this out, what has been written on your heart so far?

Proverbs 4:6-9

Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
    Love her, and she will guard you.
⁷ Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
    And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
⁸ If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
    Embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
    she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

In verse 6 we are told not to turn our back on Wisdom. To “turn my back” means to choose differently.  It means that I am acquainted with Wisdom, yet, I have chosen to turn away.  In an active choice- moment by moment- in our everyday we are given a choice: cleave to Wisdom, or turn away. I am finding that I am so much more aware of my inner thoughts and workings as we are walking out this “Operational Manual for Living”.  It is in the small things that I am finding victory through Wisdom.  Patience. Love, and Mercy. In these moment by moment victories, I find that I am embracing her ways, His Wisdom, and my spirit is calmer for it.

The word in verse 6 for “forsake” or turn away is “azab” - to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone.  The same word is used in Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” I love the duality of these verses – as we cleave to Wisdom, God cleaves to us. What a beautiful representation of this relationship with our God.   Solomon stresses to us, over and over---because I think we need to hear it over and over, not to turn our back on Wisdom and the Lord will not turn His back on us.   Wisdom promises to protect us and guard us. (Do you have these promises written in your “Promises” Journal already?) Verse 7 tells us to “get wisdom” or acquire it.  The word here is qanah and it carries with it a connotation of procurement through a purchase. A purchase is an exchange- one thing for another. What have you exchanged in your pursuit of Wisdom? It is a challenge to make this exchange, isn’t it? The rewards of the flesh are so gratifying in the moment.  The anger, the disappointment, control and  addictions.  We are talking about a trade- stopping, slowing down INTERRUPTING PATTERNS and choosing to purchase WISDOM in that moment through the exchange of our folly.   This is moment by moment living. This is a thousand choices a day.  It is turning off our “Auto pilot” and living in a state of awareness that is mind boggling. Moment by moment we are called to do this Holy obedience.  Choice by choice.  This is walking in good judgement or biynah- which literally means “understanding personified”.  To walk in the personification of understanding wisdom is what we are shooting for here.  This is a lofty goal, this Holy Obedience to the Ordinary. I find myself in my day to day, slowing down and making different choices- paying for Wisdom through the exchange of folly, and I feel the peace of the Lord settle on my shoulders like a mantle of love. Moment by moment we are being called to this challenge. Slow down today and take notice of how you are walking through your day and your interactions.  Choose Wisdom in situations that are as comfortable to you as old slippers.  Choose Wisdom in new interactions.  Choose Wisdom in the converations that are predictable and come with a hard wired reaction.  Slow down today and take notice that you GET TO trade in folly for Wisdom.

Work as for the Lord

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