The Priority and Passion of the Pursuit

God has always wanted us to enjoy his creation, to benefit from it, and even to need it. Food, wine, money, sex and relationships are all part of God's created order, designed to sustain and bring pleasure to man. These same things are mentioned throughout Proverbs as things that can destroy us if they become the driving focus and pursuit of our life. "Do not crave his delicacies..." (23:3). Do not wear yourself out to get rich..." (23:4). "Do not move an ancient boundary stone" (23:10). These stones were property markers indicating boundary lines. "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat..." (23:20). "Do not let your heart envy sinners..." (23:17).

You will notice in all of these statements that it is not the thing pursued that is dangerous or sinful, but the priority and passion of the pursuit. They are given to high of a value and thus are pursued wrongly and to excess. Wisdom teaches us to have a value system (heart) that pursues God's priorities and passions. It is a life that is zealous for the fear of the Lord (23:17). It is a heart that applies itself to instruction and listens to words of knowledge (23:12). Revelation of God and a relationship with God guide the pursuits and passions of our heart. Wisdom gives us an appetite and taste buds for godly passions and pursuits.

Think about your day thus far. What was on your mind when you woke up? Have you talked to God and listened for his voice? What goals and plans do you have for the day? Do they include God? Better yet, are they guided and dictated by God? When you eat, work, drink, play, is it done for God and in his way? Passionately pursue God and surely there will be "a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off" (23:18).

Caught in the Cookie Jar

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, he will not even bring it back to his mouth!" (Proverbs 19:24).

Cookies are delicious. My favorite is a fresh and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Cookies are made to be eaten. In fact, a good cookie doesn't last long in the cookie jar. It may not even make it to the cookie jar. But what if I hated the effort that went into making the cookie and also the thought of not having one on hand so much that when I put my hand in the cookie jar I couldn't bare to let go? This is the attitude and actions of a sluggard.

A sluggard wants, desires, covets, hoards, possesses but refuses to put forth the effort to plan, make, create, or even to consume. He just wants to hang on to what he has. He doesn't want to make any effort to replace, restore, replenish or maintain what he does have. He is stuck like a slug. No movement. He is a sluggard.

Are you stuck in some area of life? Is your hand caught in the cookie jar? Is it because you are afraid to lose what you do have? Are you thinking, "If I make any changes it will upset the apple cart"? Or maybe you want something but you are just not willing to put forth the effort to get it. Most of the time this effort is psychological or emotional. We are frozen by fear. Fear of failure. fear of the unknown. Fear of rejection.

Are you stuck with your hand caught in the cookie jar? You might have a sluggards attitude. Let go. Release whatever you are hanging on to - fear, possessions, your comfort and ease, security, a broken relationship, your pride, your anger, vengeance. Get moving. Have faith in God. Faith is acting on God's promises. Faith moves.

I smell the aroma. See the golden baked dough and the soft, melted chocolate chips. Now, what are you waiting for? Pull that cookie out of the jar. It's time to chow down.

Oozing Jesus

When you squeeze a bottle of ketchup, what comes out? Ketchup, of course. When a Christ-follower is squeezed, what comes out? Well, you would think the character of Christ, the fruit of his nature. But as we all know that is not always the case.

When Christ was "squeezed" by betrayal (Luke 22:5), mocking and beating (Luke 22:63-65), false accusations (Luke 23:2), he did not retaliate or try to defend or justify himself. When Herod questioned him before the vehement accusations of the chief priests and the teachers of the law, he said nothing (Luke 23:9-10).

What comes out when you are "squeezed"? What comes out when you are lied to, or worse, lied about? What comes out when you are hurt, treated unjustly, belittled, overlooked, disrespected, or ignored? Proverbs says, "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint" (17:27a). There are times when it is best to say nothing. "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue" (17:28; see also 17:14, 19).

Saying nothing is saying more than you will ever know. Saying nothing shows the depth and quality of what is on the inside. Saying nothing reveals the degree of your faith. When we say nothing we are saying a ton. We are saying that I am a son of Royalty. My Father King will take care of the injustices. Nothing anyone can do to me can escape his sovereign rule and power. This King is Daddy. He will defend me.

Godliness is living life as if God is always present with you. You know that God sees, knows, and will act. By saying nothing you are relinquishing control and ultimately, justice to His hands.

Yes, Jesus said nothing. Yes, Jesus was put to death on a Roman cross. But he also rose again and is seated at the right hand of the Father. And when he left, he sent his Spirit to indwell us, power from on high (Luke 24:49). So, the next time you are "squeezed", be sure you are filled (controlled) with the Spirit so His power and His character comes out.

Are you oozing Jesus when squeezed? You'll know by your words, or lack there of.

It's Show Time! But Who Has Top Billing?

Today began my sixth month of unemployment. Many lessons have been learned. One of which is to be thankful for my weaknesses, trials, and for the unknown, because it makes me run to God. It makes me so aware of Him and desperate for Him. This is a good thing. After all, the point of my life is to point to Him. Life is all about Him. He is life.

It is easy, so human to go through life without a God-awareness. We live life as if each day is just another day and that there will be many more to come. We live life as if it is all about us and we are in control of it all. Francis Chan, in his book, Crazy Love, compared this attitude to a person who plays as an extra on an upcoming movie. For two-fifths of a second you can see the back side of his head. He rents a theatre for opening night and invites all his friends and family to see this movie which he proclaims is about him. This is stupid thinking. This movie is not about him.

How dumb we are to think the movie of life is all about us and that we have any control over its plot. Life is all about God. This chapter proclaims the sovereign control of God. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (16:9). " "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (16:1). "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" (16:33).

Life is God's movie. He is the main character, but he invites us to play a part in his movie. Our part is to point to Him, to live for Him, to glorify Him. First Corinthians 10:31 says, " So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." In the words of Frances Chan, "That is what each of our two-fifths of a second is about" (Crazy Love, p. 44). Solomon says it this way, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed" (16:3).

It's show time. Give Him top billing!

Discipline: Look, Listen, Learn

Discipline is corrective, protective and instructive. It corrects us from error in our life, protects us from a way of life that is destructive and deadly (Prov. 5:23; 6:23-24; 19:18), and instructs us toward right living that is honored by the Lord (10:17). Discipline comes from the Lord, from yourself, and others (13:24). It is based on knowledge (12:1), knowledge of the truth. If there is no truth, no standard, there is nothing by which to make a judgment, to evaluate whether correction is necessary.

Our responsibility is to listen to correction (13:18; 15:31), even seek it out (15:12), and then apply it to life (9:8-9). Here are three practical suggestions to grow in discipline - look, listen, learn.

1) Look for discipline. Seek it out. Get the council and advice of others. Open up your life to as many trustworthy and wise people as you can. Schedule regular accountability. Ask your spouse if she sees areas in your life that need growth and change. Daily ask God to reveal sin in your life.

2) Listen to discipline. Don't be defensive. When someone corrects you, realize it is for your benefit, no matter how much it hurts. Take time in your life to reflect and think and do self-evaluation. Make solitude and sabbatical time a regular practice in your life.

3) Learn from discipline. It is one thing to recognize an area that needs correction, but it is quite another to make the necessary changes. Change is hard, especially those life long, stubborn habits. This requires regular, consistent discipline. The Bible calls this "training in righteousness". It requires repetition of new information and behavior. It will also require you to monitor, be on the alert, for the encroachment of old, stubborn sinful thoughts and behavior. Learning requires practice, practice, practice - discipline yourself for godliness. Write it down. Say it our loud. Share it with a friend. Ask for God's help and wisdom.

Hard Heart Help

Avoidance, denial, stuff it, ignore it, procrastinate, these are all signs, indicators that there is something we don't want to face. We don't want face the possibility of failure, or face a fear. We don't want to deal with the hardship and hard work required to overcome, change or confront. We don't want to face the shame and guilt of our sin. It remains unmoved till it becomes a calcified callous in our heart. Callouses in our heart hurt. 

The bottom line under all this is a heart of unbelief. If this goes unearthed it becomes a hard heart. This heart of unbelief keeps us from moving forward and finding rest for our soul. We've bought into lies that keep our hearts resistant to transformation. Lies such as, "I can't change," "It's better to hide my sin," "God wont come through for me," "This is too big, even for God," "If people find out I'll lose too much," "God isn't doing anything, so I might as well take matters in my own hands," and "I have the right to be angry and bitter". This heart of unbelief keeps us stuck, disturbed and unforgiven. Men, don't trust your heart. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered" (28:26). "He who hardens his heart will fall into calamity" (28:14b). 

The only way to deal with your unrest is to confess. Expose your heart to yourself, to God, and to others. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion" (28:13). Don't be like the Israelites who hardened their hearts in the wilderness. God said of them, "For forty years I loathed that generation, and said They are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest" (Psalm 95:10-11).

Tethered to God

"Losing self-control leaves you as helpless as a city without a wall" (Proverbs 25:28).

Do you remember playing Tether Ball during school recess? My recollection of the apparatus is that the ball generally hung motionless with children running by, finding enjoyment else where. You rarely find the game in modern day school grounds. I'm sure you are already coming up with many good reasons for this, one of which is the shear frustration caused by the inability to connect with a wildly flung ball on a string. This is the kind of frustration that we often experience when we are trying to maintain self-control; control of our tongue, our actions and our thoughts.

Solomon's wise sayings in Proverbs 25 are full of relational advice, which at times seem like trying to connect with an out of control tether ball. Don't gossip (9), say the right word at the right time (11), listen (12), keep your promises (14), be patient (15), use gentle talk (16), don't wear out your welcome (17), be honest and trustworthy (18-19), sympathize with people (20), be kind to your enemies (21-22), use kind words (23), don't nag (24), be encouraging (25), and don't be needy for praise (27). Solomon then seems to summarize all the previous admonitions with one all encompassing warning, "Losing self-control leaves you as helpless as a city without a wall" (28). You become defenceless, vulnerable and susceptible to hurt and defeat.

At this point you may be feeling the weight of playing the relational tether ball game. Life can be wildly unpredictable, unmanageable and full of right-in-your-face stuff. How do we keep the relational ball under control? Our answer can be found back in chapter one, verse two: "Proverbs will teach you wisdom and self-control..." (CEV).  And wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (9:10). It all starts with our relationship with the Lord. To have self-control our life must be tethered to His control. True self-control comes out of God-control, or what Proverbs refers to as the fear of the Lord. This reverential awe, submissive fear is foundational for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom, out of which flows self-control.

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). When He is in control of our life we will not carry out the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:16; refer also Proverbs 3:7; 8:13). When we are tethered to the poll of his control, He will tame our tongue, temper and thoughts. 

The true beauty of all this is that it is no longer self-effort, but God-effort. He is doing the empowering and guiding. Gone is the "tether ball" frustration. No longer do we struggle with the constant swing - miss, swing - miss. Ball in the head. Tired arm. Exhaustion!

Quit trying men! Give up the frustrating play ground attempts. Give in to God. Play on his play ground. You'll have a lot more fun with your play mates and best of all, you're on his team, and he always wins!