To the one who pleases Him, God gives WISDOM KNOWLEDGE HAPPINESS - Ecc. 2:26

I remember reading Gail MacDonald's HIGH CALL HIGH PRIVILEGE when I was a new pastor's wife and a bit overwhelmed with ministry, marriage and babies.  She had a chapter in there entitled "Serving an Audience of One" and it relieved me so much to know that I would never please everyone - and would probably collapse trying - but there was only One worthy of my devotion.  When we do what pleases Him - as Heb. 11:6 tells us - we are rewarded (I just love rewards!):

And without faith it is impossible to

please God, because anyone who comes to him

must believe that he exists and that he rewards

those who earnestly seek him.

 

Simple faith in who He is is what pleases Him...Isaiah 64:6 says "our righteous acts are like filthy acts"...no, Jesus said in Matt. 17:10: "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you."

 

Our passage today reminds us we get some very big rewards when we please Him:  WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE HAPPINESS.  Is there anything you long for not in those three categories?

A.W. Tozer in THE PURSUIT OF GOD says:

 

Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise

himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers

of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility,

and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner

and weaker days.

 

Who have we spent time trying to please today?  Have we been rewarded?  If not, we maybe ought to examine the object of our affection and our devotion!

 

For further study:  Psalm 104:34, Proverbs 15:8, Matt. 6:33, John 8:29, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor. 5:9, Col. 3:23-24, 1 Thes. 4:1, 1 John 3:21-11

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

AMAZING GRACE

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

 

The author of this beloved hymn knew the grace that he was praising.  He had indeed been a "wretch" until the Lord had, in his words, "...come from on high and delivered me out of deep waters".  He later became one of England's most evangelical preachers and hymn writers.  A life changed...truly that is "amazing grace".

 

In the doctor's office the other day, I noticed a magazine cover that was reporting on "The Life of the Amazing Joan Rivers".  With all due respect to a popular comedian, her public face...in my opinion...was anything but amazing.  Maybe she was considered funny...I found her to be rude and cruel.

 

Here is a better description of amazing.  Max Lucado in THE GRIP OF GRACE tells a story of a young monk with a troubled soul.  An older monk came alongside him and said:

 

We'll enter the abbey together and together we'll confess your sin.

No one but God will know which of the two of us fell.

 

That's amazing; that our Lord would pay the price of our sin that we might stand before our God blameless and clean.  He offers it to us free...generously...without limitation.  Why are we so stingy with the grace we extend to others?  Why do we honk when someone cuts in front of us on the highway?  Why do we come back with sassy one-liners when someone criticizes us?  Why do we teach our children to not let anyone cut in front of you?  By the way, that is the enemy who would keep us so rigid that we can't see beyond what we want rather than what we could give.

 

If the grace we receive is so amazing - and it is - then surely we can be more amazing (by His Spirit!) about the grace we extend.  Our world is waiting and watching to see if we will.

 

For further study:  Numbers 6:25, Pr. 21:26, Isaiah 30:18, Matthew 10:8, Luke 6:38, John 1:17, Acts 20:35, 2 Cor. 6:1, Galatians 2:21, Hebrews 12:15

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



 



What God promises he has the power to do - Rom. 4:21

Standing on the promises I cannot fail

Listening every moment to the Spirit's call

Resting in my Savior as my all in all

Standing on the promises of God

 

Sometimes I wonder how courageous I would be if I really, really, really believed in the promises God gives to us in the Bible.  Do we even know what those promises are, let alone know the power given behind those promises? Paul was reminding the believers in Rome about the great faith of Abraham and how because he believed in God's promises he was considered righteous by the only One that can judge our faith.  There is no other explanation for a father being willing to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22) other than faith that the one who made a promise to him would be faithful to carry it out.

 

I have often been insecure in taking driving trips alone...I'm sure it stems from being a single woman and having car trouble.  We have AAA, I have a cell phone, I don't travel at night...I do all the right things, most of the time.  Several weeks ago, Don and I were going to a wedding outside of our city;  I was driving so he could review his notes...often the case with my preacher-husband!  All of a sudden a tire pressure warning message came on that said I was quickly losing pressure in a tire...19, 16, 14, 9, 6, 2...barely time to get off the highway.  I'm telling you my heart was pounding - and my man was with me!!  By God's goodness, immediately we came to an auto service place and they quickly took care of us. God had certainly provided!  My point is if I had ever taken the time to read the car manuel, I would have known my car had power to warn me of impending danger...in all different places in my car.  I think I would have spent a lot less time worrying about what would happen if I had a flat tire if I knew there was a warning system in place.

 

God gives us hundreds of promises in the Bible...because of His great love for us.  Not only does He gives us those promises, but as we learn from Paul, He has the power to carry them out.  In Hebrews 11:17, the author tells us "Abraham...embraced the promises" when he was about to sacrifice his one and only son.  Was that a courageous thing for him to do...you better believe it!

 

Have you read God's instruction manuel to us?  Do you know how many promises He has made to you about how much He loves you, how he will be with you ALWAYS, how He will comfort you, forgive you, guide you, bless you and hundreds more.

 

I believe I'm going to worry less about things that probably won't happen and memorize more of His promises!  How about you?

 

For further study:  Joshua 23:14, 2 Chron. 32:7, Psalm 147:5, Acts 1:7-8, Romans 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:18, 2 Cor. 12:9, 1 Thes. 5:24, 2 Tim. 1:7, 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 10:23.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Shout for JOY to God, all the earth - Ps. 66:1

Cindi Wood, in her Bible study "DESPERATE: Seeking Simplicity...Finding the Cross," honestly admits she is sometimes desperate for her morning coffee.  She tells a story of being in a hotel room and having her coffee maker not work, sprinting down to the lobby to find the hotel's was not working and feeling terribly obsessed only with getting her morning java.  I get that way sometimes...I see only what I want and nothing else.  Sometimes I can live my life that way for a very long period of time...way too long obsessing over something...something other than my Lord.  Cindi says:

You were created with a hungering in your spirit not only

to need God but also to want Him - to want

Him more than you want anybody or anything.  He put

that craving there; it's from Him.

 

God created us to look to Him for all our wants and needs.  When we begin to look to lesser things - even sweet and good things - we will begin to experience lesser satisfaction.  We "shout for joy" for a lot of things - a new granddaughter (we have one!), an NBA championship (we have one!), new houses, new cars...but are we shouting for JOY to Him?  Our psalmist today went on in the following verses to rehearse all the good things he was "shouting for joy" about...all things God had done.  What are you "shouting for joy" about today and to whom are you shouting?

 

For further study: Deu. 4:24, 1 Chron. 16:27, Neh. 8:10, Ps. 37:4, Ecc. 3:11, Jonah 2:8, Habakkuk 3:18, Matt. 6:33, Luke 9:23-26, Phil. 4:4-5.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom - Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

wisdom; all who follow his precepts have

good understanding...

 

One of my prayers for my leaders is that they would seek wisdom.  In fact, I find it difficult to vote for anyone I think would not seek wisdom from God, because I believe what Proverbs 2:6 says

 

For the Lord gives wisdom and from

his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 

Bob Deffinbaugh says in his article on "The Wisdom of God"

 

Wisdom is based on knowledge...and cannot exist without a knowledge

of all the facts pertinent to any purpose or plan...God knows everthing...His

omniscience undergirds His wisdom.

 

There is no other person that that can be said of.  I think of Him as our GPS (God's Protection System).  He knows what has happened before I got here and He knows what will happen after I leave this earth.   Like our personal GPS systems, without His wisdom we can do nothing...nothing works without it.  I used to have only partial knowledge when I traveled...now, because I am committed to using my GPS, I can be in middle of a mess and it will lead me home.  It has happened many times...my directional faith comes from the history I have with this little black box.  I can choose to follow it or I can choose to go my own way...it's a choice I must make.  I believe God will guide me into wisdom because He has infinite wisdom...enough for me and all of you!

 

James 1:5 says "if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask of God".  Now why do we need any other invitation than that...if I want "good understanding" He is my source.  Our verse today indicates a fear or awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.  Simply, that would be an acknowledgement of who He is, what He has said and done, and what He calls us, as His children, to do. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Savior, His Spirit does not dwell within you and cannot guide you. My choice is, in humility, to consider His wisdom the only way to gain understanding and not to walk independent of Him.

How about you?

For further study:  1 Kings 3:5-14 and 4:29-34, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 31:26, Jeremiah 10:12, Daniel 12:3, John 16:13, Colossians 2:3, 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love
Holly

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE - 1 Chron. 16:10

Much of the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles give history and geneology for this period, but there is some very rich material regarding King David and his reign.  One of his first tasks, after being crowned, was to restore the ark of the covenant to its rightful place of honor, and it was no small task.  David and his people identified this as a place of God's presence and they were eager to be in fellowship with Him there in a proper place.  There was cause for great thanksgiving and celebration when the journey was complete.  Read Chapters 13-15 for all the details!

Chapter 16 is a beautiful song of praise to the Lord for His provision and His presence.  When we give thanksgiving to the Lord, our joy is contagious.  I love Psalm 51:10-13 - another of David's writings.  But this time it was after a great moral failure and he was contrite before the Lord.  He still understood that only by seeking the Lord with his heart, could he "teach transgressors" the ways of God.  Who we are before the people around us determines our witness.  Our hearts are revealed by our actions.  Do we rejoice or grumble?  Do we gossip or hold confidences?  Are we content or striving for more?  Do we sacrifice or fill our barns fuller?

Will Bowen tells this story in his book A COMPLAINT-FREE WORLD:

A man drove past a tattered sign on the side of the road that said

"HONK IF YOU'RE HAPPY".  On a whim,  after ignoring the

sign several times, he decided to honk.  Oddly enough for a moment after

he felt lifted a bit...and every time then he would honk - actually

feeling better just thinking about it.  One day he stopped at the

farmhouse close by to see if there was a story behind the sign.

Sure enough, the farmer explained his wife had a terminal illness

and he wanted people to not take life for granted.  His wife

began to hear the honking horns and it was like medicine to her.

She heard the horns and knew she wasn't alone in the world.

 

 

What will my "honk" say about me today?  Will it encourage or will it tear down?  Will I be seeking the Lord with my heart, or will I have a worldly list of things to accomplish?  I'm grateful to know David wasn't a perfect man, but his heart sought the Lord and his rejoicing proved it!

 

For further study: Deu. 4:29, Psalm 118:24, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 61:10, Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:45, 2 Cor. 8:2, Phil. 4:4.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Hollly

God's word is a lamp for my feet - Ps. 119:105

This is the longest psalm in the Bible and the primary theme is the importance of God's word and obedience to it.  There are over 80 references to law/word/statute/commands.  Each of the 176 verses is exhorting believers to honor, understand and let the Bible be our roadmap for life.  This psalmist had a great love for and a delight in following God's inspired message.  We cannot live the life God has prepared for us without making His word "a lamp for our feet" - it protects, purifies, transforms, renews, inspires, guides, comforts and a host of other benefits.  A fun challenge would be to go through this psalm and list all the benefits to those who follow His inspired word.

Why do we feel we have to defend this standard we choose to obey?  I believe His word is a gift, not a burden.  I respect those who base their lives and their businesses on this firm foundation.  Hobby Lobby (I whistle to the piped-in Christian music when I'm in there!) risked their existence by refusing to do something they believed violated Biblical principles.  Steve Green, the President of the company, said, when asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against them:

We are just going to do what God would call us to do,

what he teaches us is right and trust him to do

what is out of our control.

 

This family puts its money where its mouth is. They are so dedicated to the preservation of God's word that they are in the process of building a Bible museum in Washington, D.C. to house 40,000 Biblical texts.  Now that is commitment to a standard!  I would pray to be half that courageous in standing up for what I believe.  The very foundation of our faith is that His inspired word is true.  If we believe that, then we will let it be our guide - publicly and privately - in all that we do in our families and in our businesses. We have a choice to hold onto principles that "last forever" (v. 152) or to the shifting sands of a changing society.  I am grateful for people who example the strength of letting His word be a "lamp" for our feet.

 

For further study:  2 Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 30:5, Isaiah 55:11, Matthew 24:35, John 1:1-5, Philippians 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:22.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's precious word!

 

Love,

Holly