G.E.T. a Heart of Wisdom

Proverbs 4:23; 20:5, 9, 27

Man has had a heart problem since Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Their heart disease literally spread to the entire human race.  “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). This continues to be the condition of man’s heart.  “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).  Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"? (Proverbs 20:9). But, in God’s grace and mercy, he provided a way to redeem the heart of man through the redemption of Christ. Ezekiel prophesied concerning this heart transformation, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The New Testament repeatedly proclaims this truth, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Does this mean that the heart of the Christian is completely sanctified? No! “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

 

In practical terms, “How do we develop a pure heart?” Wisdom is found in Proverbs to answer this question. There are three concepts which I have put in the acrostic G.E.T. to make it memorable.

G: Guard your heart from impurities – “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Life flows out of our heart. What is in our heart is what we think. What are we gazing on? What are we dwelling and thinking about most often? Our behavior is directed by our thoughts, not our environment, genetics, or anything else outside ourselves. What are we allowing to come into our minds? Is our mind full of lies? Our attitude and behavior is a barometer of what is in our heart. Anxiety, fear, anger, bitterness, irritability, impatience, apathy are all symptomatic of faulty thinking. Out of our thoughts come sinful behavior.

E: Examine your heart – “The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out” (Proverbs 20:5). “The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being” (Proverbs 20:27).  This admonition to examine our hearts is given repeatedly in the New Testament. Look for the plank in your own eye before you point out the speck of dust in someone else’s eye (Matt. 7:5). “Each one should test his own actions” (Gal. 6:1-5). If you are having problems seeing the dirt in your life, just ask your wife, or a good friend. Better yet, ask God. "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind...” (Jeremiah 17:10).  The New International Version gives this rendering of Proverbs 20:27, “The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being”.

It is so easy to just read scripture and feel like we have done our part. We are now going to automatically grow spiritually. It is important that we take the time to listen and look. Listen to what God is saying to you personally. Before moving on, ask him to reveal what is in your heart and what he wants you to learn for that day. Then write it down. This begins to cement it in your heart and mind.  “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips” (Proverbs 22:17-18).   

Train your heart with Truth  – “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8). To see true, lasting transformation in our life we must repeatedly apply the truth. Truth changes the heart. “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge” (Proverbs 23:12). The Word must break the hard ground in our hearts.  Sinful thoughts and habits don’t die easily. It will take the power of the Word and the Spirit as it is applied to our life. "‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the LORD, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” (Jeremiah 23:29). 

When God speaks to you each day, write it down, take that thought with you and share it with others. Ask others to hold you accountable. Memorize the truth. Study it. Meditate on it. The Hammer of Truth will chip away until an image starts to immerge, the image of Christ.

This is truth training, training in righteousness. You are training your heart by applying the truth to your heart. GET wisdom!

Keep Pursuing Knowledge

Proverbs 19:2, 20, 27

The older you get the more wisdom, knowledge and understanding a person should have. Unfortunately this isn't always the case. I turned fifty this year. By today's standard that is not old. At least I would like to think so. But as I do age I've noticed a trend, a tendency, a pull to slow down, lose some eagerness and drive. We tend to think we are on the "down side", the "final stretch", "over the hill". 

This slowing down is not always bad. After all we are told a man of knowledge and understanding shows restraint and is even tempered (17:27). With age we do learn when to act and when to be patient. This is not the kind of "slow down" I've noticed. There seems to be a trend, especially among men, to think we've arrived, or at least we have enough knowledge and experience to complete the journey and be successful. There is a subtle attitude of pride, self sufficiency and perhaps laziness that sets in. We don't have the energy we once had and we are quick to use the excuse that we don't have as many brain cells as a twenty year old. The outcome is that we stop growing, learning and listening. We don't seek advice and counsel. We cease pressing for new knowledge, insight and understanding. Read a book...unnecessary, too busy. Memorize, study, think...too much work.

Wisdom is coupled with understanding and knowledge. Seek one and you get the others. Leave one out and you will have none. "Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise" (19:20). "Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge" (19:27).

Maybe you still have spunk and energy as you've aged. You are busy, busy, busy. Doing, working, striving. You've accomplished a lot. You know a lot. Beware, don't get self reliant. Don't think that you've arrived. We are warned, "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor be hasty and miss the way" (19:2).

Keep pursuing knowledge no matter where you are at in life. "Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning" (9:9). Do you want to learn more? Look up, study and apply the truths about knowledge in these verses (1:7-8; 2:1-6; 8:12; 9:8-11; 10:14; 15:7; 18:27). "Wise men store up knowledge" (10:14). Keep learning!

Stop the Talk, Don't Do Anything

Proverbs 17

• Cover an offense (9)
  
• Drop a quarrel (14)
  
• Use words with restraint (27)
  
• Hold your tongue (28)
  

Sometimes the best course of action is no action. To do this requires a great deal of faith in God and the reality of His principles. To restrain from words and actions is to say, "There is nothing you can say or do that will thwart God's plan. Good will prevail." To let someone else have the last word seems, on the surface, to surrender victory. It seems to admit defeat or fault. But in reality, there is a greater plan at work. You may have lost the skermish, but in the end you have won the war. You know how the battle ends, and you know which general comes out on top. You know.

Self control, restraint, holding your tongue, comes out of knowledge and understanding (27), wisdom and discernment (28). You know that God vindicates the righteous. You understand God's justice, grace and mercy. You know that love triumphs (9). You understand that forgiveness brings about reconciliation of relationships. You know that paying back evil for evil doesn't pay off.

Wisdom triumphs, even at the times when it does nothing and says nothing. Get wisdom! Stop the talk! Drop the quarrel! Cover the offense!

Confident Decisions and Direction

Proverbs 16

How can I be confident in my life's decisions and direction?

1) Realize God is in control of everything and works everything out for his own purposes (1, 4, 9, 33). Whatever path we choose God uses it for his own end (4).

2) When we choose God's way, the path of wisdom and righteousness, the path that pleases him, we will succeed and live a life of peace (3, 7).

3) Be aware that God knows what is in our heart. He knows our true motives, even when we don't (2). This is why it is so important to fear the Lord and to walk in humility (15:33; 16:5).

When we are walking down the path of wisdom we can be confident, as bold as lions, in our decisions and direction. "The path of life leads upward for the wise..." (15:24).

As I face the uncertainties of unemployment, I can be at peace, knowing my life's direction is in his hands. As I trust him and live according to his way, the way of wisdom, there is no way to go but upward.

Come Close, Dear Lord

"The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).

Never before in my life has the presence of the Lord been more real, relevant and relished. I want more of Him. The reality is, I already have all of Him. I just need to realize it and live it. Like a good marriage, we are one and becoming one. I've been working on several versions of my life mission statement. My latest version reflects our relationship with God.

"My mission in life is to start a God-given revolution of relationships that leads many people to grow in an intimate relationship with Christ and with one another, so that together we are impacting our world for Christ".

Life is all about our relationship with God. Our relationship with Him determines the course of life, gives it meaning, joy and purpose. There are four verses in chapter fifteen that made this reality jump out at me (8, 9, 26, 28). In these verses the relationship God has with the wicked is contrasted with the relationship God has with the righteous. The Lord keeps watch on them both, but with a greatly different perspective of each.

The Lord detests anything the wicked does, even if it is done in His name (8-9). God even detests the thoughts of the wicked (26). In the end, the Lord is far from the him (29). He is not heard. He is not loved. He is only looked at with disgust. But the righteous, that is another story. The Lord loves the righteous (9). God hears him and is pleased with him (8). His thoughts and words are pleasant to him (8, 26, 29). Best of all, God is near the pure of heart (29).

This relational contrast is beautifully portrayed in James 4:4-10:

4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."[b]

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Enough said!

Be Zealous for Fear

Proverbs 14

The fear of the Lord is mentioned four times in this chapter (2, 16, 26, 27) and fifteen times in the entire book. The fear of the Lord is at the core of wisdom (9:10).

The word "fear" in association with God seems to be strange bedfellows. After all, fear is an emotion that can paralyze a person and often keeps one from growing and doing what is right and necessary. This confuses our understanding of the fear of the Lord. Just like so many other good things, man has a tendency to take what is meant to be good and distort it, change it, and abuse it. Sex, power, and wealth are all examples of concepts that were created by God and have tremendous potential for both good and evil. They become perverted when man worships them and covets them for his own selfish glory.

To understand the fear of the Lord we must focus on the purpose and benefits of fear as created by God. Fear is meant to protect us from harm. It keeps us in control so we don't do things that are stupid and destructive. It keeps us from extremes and danger. Fear also has a motivating effect. It keeps us moving forward, growing, striving and learning. After all, who wants to fail a class or be corrected or disciplined? Because we fear our parents, teachers, employers, law enforcement, accountability partners, and our friends, we are motivated to obey, learn, change and to refrain from what is harmful and often destructive.

If our fear is healthy, God-given fear, we will benefit. We will grow closer to the person we fear and we will move farther away from behavior and attitudes that are ultimately destructive. This all flows out of our love and respect of those we fear. We trust them and know they have our best interest at heart. We allow them to have control and influence on our lives because they know the best path for our lives.

Who but God, knows what's best for us. God-created, God-centered fear keeps us away from what is bad and moves us toward what is good. Fear is a controlling emotion. To fear the Lord is to allow Him to control the direction of our life, to move it in the direction of wisdom (9:10) and away from evil (8:13). He loves us and can be trusted. He has our best interest at heart. We wants to take us down the path that leads to wealth (3:7), length of life (10:27; 22:4), a secure fortress (14:26), a fountain of life (14:27; 22:4), honor (15:33; 22:4), contentment (19:23), a life untouched by trouble (19:23), and has a future hope (23:17).

Fear is a controlling emotion. Give God control of your life by fearing Him. Always be zealous for the fear of the Lord (23:17).

Stay the Course

Proverbs 11

There are many reminders in this chapter to stay the course. Faithfulness will be rewarded (4, 6, 8, 18-19, 23, 28, 30-31). Conversely, "the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity" (3), and "the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires" (6). Don't be deceived, distracted or daunted. Staying the course will pay off.

This is a good reminder to stay strong and not be discouraged. For me, this means to not lose faith, God will provide a job in time and will provide financially in the mean time. It is easy to skid off track, especially with our attitude and focus. We tend to get wrapped up in this life and soon forget that we are just aliens, foreigners who are passing through this life. Heaven is our home.

Spring and summer, and the nice weather that they bring, are often seasons for drifting off course and getting distracted. In the words of Solomon, we are susceptible to being destroyed by our duplicity (3) and being trapped by evil desires (6). It is easy to get captured and enraptured by the "good" things of this life. King David is a good example of someone who was distracted and eventually, trapped by the "good" things of this life. When the weather got nice David should have taken advantage of it by going off to war. This was his responsibility as king. Instead, he was at home enjoying the sun on his roof top. You know the rest of the story. He got trapped by evil desires. He didn't stay the course.

Year after year I see men, including myself, start to drift at this time of the year. Let's face it, we love the warmth and sunshine, the outdoors and everything that comes with it. Lawns, landscaping, rides and recreation, all become distractions and can easily become traps. Soon our walk and talk with the Lord becomes a distant memory. Occasionally we give him lip service or a pat on the back just so he knows we haven't totally forgotten him. And, of course, we rationalize, "I'll get back to You when I have less important things to do. I'm busy now. You can wait. These things have to be done now. This season of the year flys by so quickly. I need to take advantage of it." Drift off the course and we're trapped. This is unfaithfulness.

Stay the course men! Be faithful! It pays big dividends.