Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward

The last several of my entries have used the lives of people in the Bible as illustrations of eternal Biblical principles. I want to try that again, using a lesser known Biblical person. This man is so obscure that even some of the better read Bible students out there might not know much about him. His name was Abraham. *Wait for laughter to die down.*

Of course, we all know of Abraham. The father of the faithful. When we first meet Abraham (then called Abram) in Genesis 12, his faith is already at a legendary status. God tells him to leave all he knows to travel to a foreign land, which he as yet knows nothing about. Abraham then leaves! In leaving Ur, Abraham left a surprisingly modern city. There is archaeological evidence of indoor plumbing among other conveniences. When he left, he lived the rest of his life in a tent. A very nice, very plush, very comfortable tent, but a tent is still a tent. A house is much better. In leaving Haran, Abraham left his family and all he knew to be a stranger and live among strangers. Abraham’s faith in God and His promises was so strong that he willingly left all.

As strong as it was in the beginning, Abraham’s faith had room to grow. Many of the stories of his life over the next 25 years deal with his struggle to understand God’s plan and to even help it along. We first really see this in Gen. 15:1-4:

“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.’ And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’”

Notice that this isn’t a lack of faith, but rather a question that Abraham is asking God. God’s promise requires Abraham to have children. As of this point, he has had none. It was customary at that time for the chief steward of a wealthy man to inherit if the wealthy man had no heirs, and so far Abraham’s designated heir is Eliezer, his chief steward. Abraham doesn’t doubt God, but he can’t see how the promises are going to work out, so he asks. God tells him that his very own son, proceeding from his bowels is the literal translation, will be his heir. And so Abraham continues, some of his questions answered. In the next chapter, though, we see Abraham starting to try to help God’s plan along:

Gen. 16:1-4a. “Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.”

It’s been 10 years of waiting. Ten years of living in a strange land, surrounded by strange people, because of faith in God’s promises, and yet nothing has happened. Maybe Abraham and Sarah were thinking that God was waiting on them to have the faith to step up and get the ball rolling. Who knows? What we do know is that Sarah was desperate. Desperate enough to try to capitalize on a custom of the time that said that any child born to a wife’s servant was legally the child of the wife. We see this illustrated in the competition between Leah and Rachel, the wives of Jacob, as each gave Jacob their servants to obtain children from. Not surprisingly, tension builds between Sarah and Hagar, but what I want to focus on is that Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 (16:15-16). Abraham now has a son, his own son, issued from his own body. He thought things were now set up for God’s promises to commence. Thirteen years later, God again appears to Abraham, repeats the promises, institutes the covenant of circumcision and tells Abraham that Sarah will bear him a son. (17:15-16) Abraham then falls on his face laughing at what God has said! From a logical standpoint, this is understandable: Abraham was 99 years old and according to 18:11, Sarah had already undergone menopause. It made no sense that Abraham would have a child by Sarah. He just couldn’t understand how that could be. He believed in the promises of God, but he thought it made much more sense for those promises to flow through Ishmael. In fact, Abraham pleads to God for that to be the case: Gen 17:18 “And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before you!’” God replies, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” (vs 19). And so, about a year later, Isaac is born to Abraham by Sarah. (21:1-3)

The promised child finally arrived 25 years after the initial promises were made, but it seems that Abraham might still have been hedging his bets. Child mortality rates were high in those days and Abraham might well have been thinking that, if anything happened to Isaac, he still had Ishmael. There is an indication of this when Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. She had seen Ishmael mocking Isaac and demanded that they be sent away so that Ishmael would not inherit with Isaac. Abraham doesn’t like this because if nothing else, Ishmael is his son. He doesn’t want to send him away any more than any father would want to send a son away, but from God’s response, there might have been more than just that: “But God said to Abraham, ‘Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’” (Gen. 21:12) The fact that God saw fit to reiterate that Abraham’s seed would go through Isaac seems to indicate that, just as Abraham tried to help along God’s plan by having Ishmael, he now was holding a back-up plan for God, just in case. He never doubted God’s promises, he just wanted to understand how the plan would unfold. He wanted to help nudge it along on his time-table, not God’s. He wanted the reassurance of a back-up plan. God has now stripped him of all these things. The next thing recorded is, of course, Abraham’s biggest test.

In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to offer Isaac to Him as a sacrifice. What must have been buzzing around in Abraham’s brain? Not only would he have been suffering as any father under those circumstances, he would have been wondering about the promises. Ishmael is gone, sent away at God’s command. He has no other sons. God promised that the blessings would flow through Isaac. In this test, we see the culmination of Abraham’s faith. When Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the offering they were on the way to make, Abraham answered, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Gen. 22:8) Essentially, Abraham turned it all over to God and trusted that God knew what He was doing. Yes, we know from Hebrews 11:19 that he thought God would resurrect Isaac after he sacrificed him, but, whatever Abraham’s guess was, he turned the solution of the problem over to God. He no longer needed to understand the plan. He no longer needed a back-up plan to reassure him. He just trusted God to handle things and turned it over to Him. "God will provide”.

That complete trust of God to handle things we can’t understand is the whole point I wanted to make with this. I could have started out by quoting Rom. 8:28 (“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good”) and cited several other passages dealing with trust in God and had everyone reading this saying “Amen”, but it might not have had the punch of seeing Abraham go through the process of reaching that point. I could have gone to Heb. 12:7-11 and written about how God disciplines all His children so that the end result would be their attaining the “peaceable fruit of righteousness” and everyone would be nodding their heads, but then we leave the computer and enter the real world. Romans 8:28 sounds good until you are burying your first grandchild. Discipline for the ultimate fruit of righteousness sounds ok until you are watching your spouse slowly die from a wasting disease. When the career I thought I’d follow my whole life suddenly dries up and I find myself delivering pizza to make ends meet, how does that work for my good? It’s easy to read these passages and say “Amen” in church on Sunday. It is harder to remember them and understand how it works Monday-Saturday. The life story of Abraham shows us that we don’t have to understand it. We just have to believe. When Abraham was trying to understand God’s plan, when he tried to help it along, that’s when he got himself into trouble. It was only when Abraham stopped trying to understand and just trust in God to work His plan that God said to him, “now I know that you fear God”.

So, when the economy changes and I lose my house, how does that help me? How does it work for my good? I don’t know, but I believe that God has a plan and He is working it. When I get passed over for promotion, or even have my hours cut because I’m talking too much about God, how does that work for me? I don’t know, but I trust that God knows and He is working His plan. We are not promised answers in this life. We may never know why the horrible things that happen to us happen. We are told that God is in charge. That God knows what He is doing and He is working for our good. We just have to trust in Him. If we do, and cast our cares on Him, we are promised peace in this life.

Phil. 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.“ (John 5:39-40).
 
 These scribes and Pharisees were serious students of the OT and could quote extensive portions of it. Further, they could show proof-texts for all their positions. They were especially particular about worship and respect for God as regards the Sabbath.  But, with all their knowledge, they failed to see the Messiah of the Old Testament standing right before them. They knew what the scripture said and they were certain that Jesus was not it.

Before we point fingers, perhaps we should consider. We are very certain about the five acts of worship and can offer proof-texts on them all. And we are right. We are careful about how we spend the collection for the work of the church, and again, we are right to do so. But, did you know that if we consolidated all the passages that speak of the work and worship of the church we would have no more than 2 or 3 pages in the average Bible?  Shocking? Well, read on.
 
We search the scriptures and we are exceeding careful to do our worship correctly. We urge everyone to be in attendance to worship God. We debate over the proper actions of worship and in more recent history how to do the “work of the church.” By the latter, we mean how we are to spend the money collected on Sunday.
 
I keep telling my inmate church that the most important question, really the only question, is “What does it say?” Not, “What do you think it means?” Not, “What did you learn in the past?” But, “WHAT DOES IT SAY?”
And, the truth of the matter is that the New Testament says little about our together worship or the work of a local church. Read it!
 
Meanwhile, somewhere we have lost the beatitudes. When Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven, this is the whole of it: Poor in spirit, Mourn, Meek, Hunger and Thirst for righteousness, Merciful, Pure in heart, Peacemakers. If you are a Christian, these are who you are every day, everywhere. All the epistles restate and reemphasize these basic character traits. They tell us how to implement these in our lives. The majority of the rest of their words motivate us by telling of God’s love, mercy and grace. Whole books of the New Testament never mention the work and worship of the church.
 
And, when it comes to the final judgment scene, Jesus does not speak one word about what the church did, or one about whether we sang without instruments as we ought, instead, "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ " (Matt 25:35-36).
So much of our religion centers around what we do at church. Certainly we should be correct in that. But, is that really what the New Testament says? Is that what Jesus and his apostles talked about?
 
It truly is a lot easier to be right about church than it is to get our lives in order:  when we drive, when we interact at work, when we post on social media, when we spend our time, energy and money on everything but what Jesus says in Matthew 5 and 25.
 
We search the scriptures because we know that in them we have life and they testify about so much that we leave undone.
 
For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil. (1Pet 3:1-12).

Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded: not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.  (1Pet 3:8-9).
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
 
Let's begin by stating the obvious: Solomon was very wise. Yet for today, we need to go through the exercise of showing just how wise he was so that we can draw some necessary conclusions from this later on.

In 1 Kings 3:5-14 God appears to Solomon and asks what he would like from God. Solomon declared that he was just a young boy who didn’t know how to be king to this large nation he had inherited and asks for wisdom, discerning, and understanding so he could be a good king. God was very pleased at this and promised to make Solomon wiser and more discerning than anyone before or after him. The last half of this chapter is an example of Solomon’s discernment. A familiar story to most of us. Two prostitutes who lived together had sons within days of each other. One rolled atop her child during the night and accidentally suffocated him. She then switched out the babies and claimed the living one as hers. Unsurprisingly, the mother of the living child knew which was hers and knew the dead child wasn’t hers. Also unsurprisingly, no one else could tell the children apart. Newborns tend to all look alike, and in a tribal society in which all are related if you go back far enough, and all had Semitic features, it wasn’t easy to tell one dark haired, dark eyed child from the others. This was a classic she said/she said scenario. None of the lower judges of the country could figure out how to handle this issue, so the matter came before Solomon. After Solomon heard the case, he almost mocks the ladies in vs 23. ‘One says this, the other says that!’ One can almost hear his exasperation. He then calls for a sword and orders the baby cut in half. I’ve recently heard a lot of nonsense about this, people accusing Solomon of being cruel and bloodthirsty. Solomon had no intention of killing the baby. He wanted to watch the two women as he gave the order. Sure enough, the true mother – who like all mothers would do anything to keep her child alive – began begging for the child to be turned over to the other woman as long as it was alive. The mother of the dead child had no such strong reaction and so Solomon solved the unsolvable case, figuring out which woman was the real mother. This display of discernment was so great that the last verse of this chapter tells us that all Israel feared the king because it was so obvious that the wisdom of God was upon him.

This is far from the only indications we get of Solomon’s wisdom and learning. 1 Kings 4:29-34 gives us some of the stats of his career. Solomon spoke over 3,000 proverbs, meaning we only have some of them recorded in the Bible. He wrote 1,005 songs, again meaning we only have a small portion of his work preserved. In addition to this, he gave discourses on what we would call botany and zoology. And just to beat a dead horse a little deader, the first ten verses of 1 Kings 10 record the visit of the Queen of Sheba. She had heard of Solomon’s wisdom and his works and decided that she wanted to see for herself. She came to visit and to test Solomon’s wisdom with hard questions, the kind of things that one mulls over in the dead of the night. Hard questions of the heart. In verse three we see that all her questions were answered. “. . .there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.” She exclaimed in verse 7 that the unbelievable stories she had heard about him hadn’t even told the half of what he truly was. Think about that. How often does anything live up to the hype? Solomon far surpassed the hype.

I think it is fair to say that Solomon was incredibly wise and full of understanding.

So how do we explain 1 Kings 11:1-8? This tells us that Solomon loved many foreign women. Egyptian, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women are listed in verse one. We are told he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines (vs. 3). These women turned Solomon’s heart away from God. He began to follow the Ashtoreth and Milcolm, gods of Sidon and Ammon. He built temples and high places for other gods so his wives could worship their various idols (vs 4-8). Vs. 6 sums it up well: “So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.”

Do you think Solomon knew he shouldn’t have married those women? Aside from the fact that the Law specifically forbade intermarrying with foreigners (Deut. 7:1-4), do you think Solomon was wise enough to recognize the dangers? Of course he was. Do you think he knew that building temples for other gods, even if he didn’t worship them, would anger God? Of course he did. Do you think he knew it was foolish to worship those idols he did follow? Of course he did! He was Solomon, the wisest man to ever live! He knew these things, but he sinned anyway. Sometimes knowledge of God’s word isn’t enough. Sometimes wisdom to know the right course to follow isn’t enough. Regardless of knowing the right thing to do, at some point I have to decide to do that right thing. I have to utilize the self-control to follow the wisest course. Knowledge and wisdom won’t help at all unless I decide to make use of my knowledge and wisdom.

Let me pause for a second to say that I am in no way denigrating knowledge and wisdom. These are needful things. After all, in 1 Kings 3:10 it says that God was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom and discernment. Hosea 4:6 tells us that knowledge of God is essential to salvation. Throughout the New Testament we are told to pursue knowledge and wisdom. For instance James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  Also Paul tells Timothy that in order to be approved, he had to be able to handle the word of truth. That takes both knowledge and wisdom, right? 2 Tim. 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” In 2 Peter 1 we find knowledge right in the middle of the list of “Christian virtues”. It is clear that knowledge of the truth and the wisdom to utilize it are pursuits that all Christians should participate in, yet the clear example of Solomon is that knowledge and wisdom alone aren’t enough. We all know of very capable Bible students who have left the Lord. Without racking my memory, I could tell you of an Elder who left his wife and the Lord. Also, one of the best adult Bible Class teachers I know left his wife and the Lord, though praise God he later repented and returned to each. I’m sure everyone reading this could add to these stories. So following God takes more than just knowledge.

First we need to know where true knowledge and wisdom originate: Prov. 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” and Prov. 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” If our knowledge and wisdom isn’t based in a fear of God, it isn’t going to help us much. For instance, there are professors of Biblical Studies throughout the Ivy Leagues who have dedicated their lives to studying the Bible and probably know more about it than 99% of Gospel preachers and yet they don’t believe in God. (This is totally mystifying to me.) Do you think their immense Biblical knowledge is going to help them much? Probably not as Heb. 11:6 says that in order to please God one must believe that He is. Unbelieving knowledge often leads to sinful pride. If we aren’t careful, this can even befall believers, as they come to rely on their knowledge rather than on God. This happened to Solomon, as seen in 1 Kings 11:9-13, 40. When he was rebuked by God and told another would rip most of the kingdom from him, Solomon had the temerity to try to kill Jeroboam and thus undo God’s plan. In his pride, he thought he could thwart God. So, as our knowledge of God increases, so must our humility before Him. James 4:7a, 10 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

At base all knowledge, however pious, won’t help if we don’t have self-control. We sometimes pray for forgiveness for any sins we might be unaware of, and that’s fine, but let’s be honest for a moment. Most of the time we sin we know we are being tempted, we know that to give in would be a sin, and we decide to do it anyway. Our knowledge didn’t help us then, did it? Except to make us feel that much more guilty later. We need knowledge and wisdom, but we also need to decide to follow that wisdom and knowledge. We need the self-control to follow through on what we know. Unsurprisingly, this is discussed in the scriptures:

Isa. 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.”

God here tells His people to stop sinning. He doesn’t tell them to study more. He doesn’t give them strategies for better success at overcoming temptation. He just tells them to stop. “Cease to do evil.” It is a matter of deciding. To steal from Nike, “Just do it.” Paul also calls for determination:

1 Cor. 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

We are to be “steadfast, immovable.” Nothing should shake us from following God. Being immovable doesn’t take gigabytes of knowledge or even the wisdom of the sages. Being immovable just takes a decision and then some stubbornness. (So what’s my excuse?) We need to know God, decide to follow Him, and then be too stubborn to quit. If we follow that formula, we will win. Notice what Peter and James say about the Devil:

1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Yes, he is dangerous. Yes, he is trying to devour us. Yes, we can resist him. If we do, he will flee. Others are going through it too. Others are winning. So can we. We just have to decide.

I’m proud to be a part of a congregation that makes an effort to have in-depth Bible studies. That is important. However, paying attention in these classes twice a week and listening to two good sermons each week isn’t enough to keep me in the Way. At some point, I have to decide to follow God and to stand fast, immovable.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
How do you measure?  For most of the world the answer is by the metric system.  Where I wish that America had switched to that simpler system in my Dad’s time, I do not want to learn a new system.  Even if done when I was in High School, my lifetime would have been one of confusion between English and Metric. 
 
Sometimes, I measure biblically.  Strings I need regularly for tying things in the garden need to be about a cubit and a handspan—the latter eyeballed.  It is so much easier to stretch the cord along my forearm than to carry about a ruler.  Rows are so many heel-to-toe feet apart.  If I set my mind, I can fall into the drill-field pattern of pacing and measure longer distances very closely—each pace is 2 ½ feet.
 
So, then, how do your measure your Christianity?  I am so many feet and inches tall?  But, how can I look at my life and determine how I measure up?  We know that we are to give all. “It may not take much of a man to be a Christian, but it takes all there is of him.” How should one assess where he stands?
 
The saying is, “Put your money where your mouth is.” So then, how do you spend your money?   Jesus said, "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes." (Luke 16:9 NET).  So, how are you doing according to this measure at making heavenly friends?  Certain amounts of everyone’s income are needed for food clothing and shelter.  Certainly we can over-commit in these areas with oversize houses and expensive clothing so that we cannot serve God to the extent we ought.  But, let's keep it simpler.  Out of the money not spent on necessities last year, how much went for pleasure and how much went to God (the latter is not limited to the collection basket on Sundays)?   Pro-rate big items like the TV in relation to their expected lifetime, cable TV bill, movies, vacations, fishing boats, game boys, eating out, etc.  Then add up all you gave on Sunday, all that you spent on Bibles, commentaries and other books to strengthen faith, all money given to the needy or to preachers.   Probably, for many churchgoers, this is not a happy assessment.
 
Or, we could look at it from the viewpoint of how we spend our time.  So much is given to sleep and so much to work.  If one works “as unto the Lord” this is God time.  But, what about the rest of our time?  Truly, time is all we have to give.  Even money is a function of how we spend our time.  So, again, after the necessaries, how much time was spent in pleasure, watching sports or movies, playing video games, vacations, relaxing with a best seller, etc?  Then, how much was spent in prayer, Bible study, reaching out to a co-worker or neighbor with a view to beginning a study, helping the poor, visiting the sick, reading to build our own faith, working to become a teacher, or better teacher, of the Bible?
 
God wants all of us.  Not just church time, all our time.  Certainly, godly fun is part of a godly life, but not only has much of fun become morally corrupting, we have lost all balance and give our pleasure too much of our time.
 
When do we make the time for these:
"Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’ " (Matt 25:34-40).

Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.  It is the last in his series on Proverbs.
 
In a world of situational ethics and the forced acceptance of all beliefs and lifestyles, does it really matter if I live a righteous life?  Is there really any kind of standard?  Who enforces it?  Are there really any consequences for not living righteously?  Again, Solomon weighs in, with at least 68 passages in Proverbs dealing with the idea of blessing for the righteous and punishment for the wicked.
 
Who enforces the standard?
Prov. 17:3  “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.”
Prov. 15:3  “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” 
God is the judge.  He tests hearts like a goldsmith tests gold.  He sees everything, whether good or bad.
 
Is it really that important?
Prov. 23:15-18  "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.  My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.  Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.  Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
Prov. 15:24  “The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.”
Prov. 19:16  “Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die.”
If you continue in the fear of the Lord, you have a future.  (What's the alternative?  No future.)  The prudent life leads up, away from hell.  The commandment keeper also keeps his life.  Otherwise, he dies.  Is it that important?  Yeah, I'd say so. 
 
Yet, it's not only important because it averts destruction, but because God blesses the righteous.  You see, righteousness allows for hope.
Prov. 10:24, 28  What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. . . . The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish." 
While the wicked have nothing but dread, the righteous can confidently expect the joy of the Lord. 
Prov. 11:18  “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.”
Prov. 11:23  “The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath.”
Christians should never feel hopeless.  Because we are living righteous lives, we have a hope that can be counted on. We can wait for the sure reward.  God has also set up many other blessings for the righteous.  (Perhaps this is a good place to remind ourselves that proverbs are general statements that are generally true.  The temporal blessings all carry that caveat, the eternal ones do not.)
 
The righteous are established.
Prov. 10:25  “When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever.”
Prov. 10:30  “The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.”
Prov. 12:7  “The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.”
Prov. 12:19  “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
The wicked often seem to get ahead, but their status rarely survives even in this world and when death comes, they are truly removed.  The righteous remains, and when death comes he is truly established.
 
The righteous are a blessing to their children.
Prov. 11:21  “Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.”
Prov. 20:7  “The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!”
The children of the righteous are blessed and delivered.  They are inherently better off than the children of the wicked.  How often does a kid get a second chance because of who his parents are?  Not the evil influence of powerful men, but a situation like this:  "This is Joe's kid.  Joe's a good guy.  I'm going to give his kid a second chance."  That happens, quite often.  Why?  Because the righteousness of the parent blesses the child.
 
The righteous are provided for.
Prov. 10:2-3  "Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.  The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked."
Prov. 13:25  “The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.” 
Have Christians ever starved?  Yes.  But the general truth is that, unless he needs them as modern day Jobs, God provides for His own.
 
Prov. 22:4  “The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.” 
Prov. 28:25  “A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.”
We are not proclaiming the Prosperity Gospel, but, generally speaking, if a man is righteous and follows the principles in Proverbs, he will do well for himself.
 
The righteous walk surely.
Prov. 10:9  “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”
Prov. 11:3  “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
Prov. 15:19  “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.”
Making decisions about how to live can be hard, but if we follow the principles of righteousness we can be sure of the path.  Our lives will be like a level highway that we can cruise.  Not that everything will be easy, but choosing the path and knowing where to go can be easy if we are guided by righteousness and integrity.
 
The righteous can rely upon God.
Prov. 14:26  “In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.”
Prov. 18:10  “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
Prov. 29:25  “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
Prov. 21:21  “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.”
We can trust in the Lord and have a refuge.  He will be a strong tower to keep us safe and as we pursue righteousness, we will find life.  If we live in righteousness, we can count on the Lord for help and protection.
 
Finally, the righteous live.
Prov. 19:23  “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”
Prov. 11:19  “Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.”
Prov. 14:11  “The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.” 
These passages not only show the security of the righteous, but the end of the wicked: death.    We can be blessed by God for living righteously, or we can live in dread because of our wickedness and, ultimately, die. 
 
So, how do I live righteously?  A few quick passages:
Prov. 12:10  “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”
Prov. 29:7  “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.”
A righteous man is kind even to animals and doesn't squash the rights of the poor.  Instead, he treats them as people too.
Prov. 13:5  “The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.” 
Prov. 15:28  “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”
The righteous man never lies and thinks before he speaks.
Prov. 19:11  “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” 
Prov. 12:26  “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
The righteous man can control his temper and his life is a guide to all who see him. 
 
So, yes, there is a standard, set, and watched, by God.  It does matter because the wicked will be destroyed while the righteous enjoy many blessings both here and eternally. 

Prov. 15:9  “. . . He loves him who pursues righteousness.”
 
Lucas Ward

"I would like to buy about three dollars' worth of gospel, please. Not too much—just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted. I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust. I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture. I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, not transformation. I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races—especially if they smell. I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged. I would like about three dollars worth of gospel, please. Of course, none of us is so crass as to put it that way.”

SOURCE: Carson, D. A.. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

"May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the LORD our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments..." (1Kgs 8:61).

Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

I read my New Testament volume of Bibliotheca every morning with breakfast. For those unaware, Bibliotheca is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901 that updates all its  “ests, ” “eths,” “thous,” etc. The ASV was a more literal translation than any current one, but its readability was hampered by its inauthentic attempt to be Shakespearean like the KJV.  Bibliotheca also leaves out all chapter and verse numbers so one reads it in the same form as the original readers. (If you are interested, look it up on Wikipedia, I ordered on Kickstarter.)
 
At some point, I decided that since the gospel is Jesus I would read the four gospels exclusively at this breakfast reading, so I start over with Matthew when I reach the end of John. Recently, I noticed a wording in a passage I had not noticed in the 5-6 (?) previous readings. Of course, I had to stop and get a Bible with numbers to learn that my passage was Lk 6:32-36, “And if you love those who love you, what grace have you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what grace have you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what grace have you? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive again as much. But love your enemies and do good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great and you shall be sons of the Most High, for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
 
Did you notice? Instead of saying “What thank (KJV) have you?” Jesus asked, “What GRACE have you?”  (ESV—“benefit,” NASV, NET & CSB—“credit.” We normally think of God only as the one who gives grace. In the other translations, Jesus clearly tells the audience that if they will behave the right way, they will have a reward. In the above, he is telling them that if they behave the correct way they will be showing grace, they will be dispensers of grace.
 
So, which translation is correct? Bibliotheca is definitely in the minority, but the word being translated is charis, so “grace” is the more exact translation. But, since “thank” is a valid translation for charis (though a distinct minority), we should let the context determine.
 
The context can go either way. Jesus’ next words are, “and your reward shall be great” where reward definitely means payment for a service as in Mt 5:46. But then, Jesus wraps up, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” right after he said, “He is kind toward the unthankful and evil.”  This urges us to give grace like the Father does.
 
I tend toward the concept of us as children of the Father passing on grace just as he has shown us grace. As Jesus said, it is normal to be good to those who have done good to us or whom we like. And, if I paid you enough, you would even do good to people who are mean to you or those you do not like. But, offering grace simply because we are God’s is a greater calling and in line with the teaching of those who heard Jesus, "And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?  But, even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, blessed are you” (1Pet 3:13-13).
 
What grace have you when you get behind the wheel of your car? When you don’t feel well and it was a bad day at work and the kids are acting up? What grace have you when “he” gets exactly what he deserved? What grace have you toward someone unliked? Someone ugly? Someone socially ostracized?
 
And, above all, what is our attitude when we (rarely?) do these things? Self-satisfaction? A looking to the time you will be paid back for this distasteful behavior? Or is it as Jesus said, “never despairing?”
 
"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. " (2Cor 3:18).
 
 Keith Ward

“More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.

”Since then I have spent well-nigh fifty years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

https://www.solzhenitsyncenter.org/notable-quotations
 
Courtesy of Warren Berkley
Berksblog.net

Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? ​Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:1-8).

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
 
I know, I know, I'm neither married nor do I have children so I have no right to write on this subject.  That is the usual reaction of most, isn't it?  It occurs to me that the two men who spoke the most on these subjects in the NT were Jesus and Paul, neither of whom were married or had kids.  How did they speak wisely on the subject?  Well, they spoke as the Holy Spirit directed them (Mark 13:11, John 8:28).  While I am in no way claiming inspiration, I can read what the inspired writers wrote down and pass on those principles.  So, in this post I will take care to not include any of my opinions nor any of the things I've heard my parents say as they taught marriage and family classes, but will present only what the Holy Spirit directed Solomon to say.  So, if you dislike or disagree with any of the following, you aren't disagreeing with me, but with the principles the Holy Spirit laid down through Solomon.
 
The first clear principle that Solomon lays down is that if you want to be a good parent, you must first make sure you are walking in the light.
Prov. 20:7  "The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!" 
Prov. 14:26  "In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge." 
If a father or mother is righteous and walks in integrity, the children will be better off.  Blessed.  His children will have refuge from the chaos of this world.  This doesn't mean that you have to be completely perfect, but rather that your walk is in the light, instead of predominately in the dark.  A parent who doesn't care about being right himself can do immense damage to his family.
Prov. 11:29  "Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart."
The proverb seems to be the gist of what Paul was speaking of in Eph. 6:4   "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."  So, as a parent, our first duty to our children is to ensure that we are walking right with God.  Good parenting will naturally follow.
 
The second thing Solomon says about child rearing is that it involves training.
Prov. 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 
Training in its nature implies time taken.  It implies a plan followed.  If you were paying a personal trainer to help you get in shape and he cancelled half your appointments and when he did show up he just randomly assigned you different exercises until it became plain he was not following any sort of planned program, you'd fire him, wouldn't you?  God has assigned us to train our children.  In these efforts, are we any different from that horrible physical trainer?  Solomon gives an example of how he worked to give his son a path to wisdom.
Prov. 22:17-21  "Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.  That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you.  Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?" 
Solomon not only taught his son, but wrote out 30 sayings for his son to learn.  He was working to lead his son in the right way.  Parents must have a plan, follow it, and be around their kids enough to know if it is working. 
Prov. 20:11  "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright." 
Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them."  Solomon says the same about children.  We can know who they are by what they do.  Which means that parents should be paying attention so they can see if they need to adjust their planned training of their children to meet who their child actually is.  My parents tell me that I was a stubborn child who, when very young, would listen to Dad tell me not to do something and then, grinning, do it right in front of him.  Nathan, on the other hand, would say, "OK", leave, and then sneak back to do it when Dad wasn't around.  We made ourselves known by our acts and Dad and Mom had to adjust their training of us accordingly.  Parents should be teaching children a lifestyle discipline.
Prov. 29:17  "Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart." 
Prov. 19:18  "Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death." 
That last one is a bit funny.  I think all parents have a moment in which they just want to strangle their children. Solomon understands that and says, no, don't kill them, there is still hope.  Follow the discipline plan you've made and eventually "he will give delight to you heart."
 
Usually when we think of discipline, we think of punishment, which is not really correct.  However punishment is a part of teaching a discipline and of child rearing.  Solomon (from the Holy Spirit, remember) approved of corporal punishment in all areas of life (10:13, 14:3, 19:29, 20:30, 26:3) so it is not surprising that he approved of it in child rearing. 
Prov. 22:15  "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him."
Prov. 23:13-14  "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.  If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol."
 
There are two things to note in these passages.  First, the goal in mind:  to drive away folly and save his soul from Hell.   Good parents aren't striking their children just because they are angry.  They don't hit them because they had a bad day at work or they are disappointed in how their lives are going.  They apply corporal punishment as needed in following their plan to train up their child.  They do it for the purpose of driving out foolishness and saving the child from hell.   Also notice that "if you strike him with a rod, he will not die."  If your child is winding up in the hospital because of your "discipline", then you are doing it wrong!  This is supposed to be enough to straighten them up, not injure them.  The Bible does not condone child abuse.  Again, THE BIBLE DOES NOT CONDONE CHILD ABUSE.  It does, however, strongly endorse properly applied corporal punishment as a teaching tool.
Prov. 29:15  "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." 
Prov. 13:24  "Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." 
Again, the purpose of reproving your child and using the switch is to give wisdom.  The other option is a child who brings shame to his parents.  As to the parents who say that they just can't bring themselves to spank their children, Solomon says it is because you don't love them enough.  Just as when Jesus says that if you don't hate your father and mother etc, you can't be His disciple (Luke 14:26) He doesn't mean to hate them, but to love Him enormously more, and Prov. 13:24 doesn't mean the parent actively hates the child and therefore withholds punishment, but rather he doesn't love the child enough to do what's in the child's best interest, even though it hurts the parent.  Let's face, you love that cute little bugger and it hurts to even think about being the reason he is crying.  It makes you sick to think about causing him pain.  If you truly love him, however, you will be diligent in your discipline.  "Diligent" implies hard work, and this is very hard for many parents, but remember the purpose:  to drive out foolishness, instill wisdom, and save his soul from hell.  That little pain you inflict when he is young will save him from huge amounts of pain later in this life and especially after it. 
There are a lot of people who disagree with this method of child rearing.  Despite it being taught by the wisest man ever, inspired by God to teach it, there is a growing number of people in the Church who don't follow the method (and then later wonder why their children went astray).  

Again, I am not giving you my opinion.  I simply read you what the Proverbs teach, so you aren't disagreeing with me, but with what the Holy Spirit led Solomon to write.  Let me leave you with one final proverb.
Prov. 14:12  "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."
So, therefore,
Prov. 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 
 
Lucas Ward
 

Today's sobering post is by guest writer, Keith Ward.
 
I’ve seen it on Facebook more than once: “I can’t wait for 2020 to be over.” But there is no magic in the turning of a page on the calendar.  Maybe it is time to take stock carefully from a biblical perspective.  Maybe the times we face are partially the result of, “Be careful what you pray for because you might get it.”

We look around us and everywhere there is wickedness.  When was the last time we voted, whichever party, for a person we believed in rather than the lesser of two evils? And speaking of two, now man has proclaimed there are 5 or 6 or more sexes.  Homosexuality is not just accepted but imposed.  Murder goes unpunished, victims do not count.  Abortion destroys millions of new lives every year.  Violence runs riot in the streets.  Lies and deception are the currency of both politics and business.  Hatred and racism explode.  Truly, things have become so bad that no one can conceive of a solution: there is no way back.  God is a foolish myth and crutch in the minds of the majority and the Bible is a collection of myths that were only needed by more primitive societies.   Religion is mocked, immorality praised, pornography runs rampant and a “relationship” is sex with the same person exclusively for at least a week.  When was the last time there was a nuclear family on TV that was not a 50s re-run? How can we repent when we “call evil good and good evil” (Isa 5:20)?

I have prayed about it, as have you.  I am not even sure what to say anymore when I pray for our country because everything has become so wicked. 
So, now, what if God has heard all our voices and this is the beginning of His reckoning with our nation, the beginning of “the day of the Lord, a day of darkness and not light” (Amos 5:18-20)?  If 2020 is the best year of the rest of our lives, how do we as Christians prepare?

Priority has to be to build our faith and that of our families.  I have served God fifty years and I am not sure I am ready for days like those of Habakkuk and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel: days of persecution from “the people,” uprooted and cursed and hated.  I like to think I could do it, but I will be upping my level of preparation.

How can one stand such trials when he has never put himself in the trial of opposing abortion openly? Or homosexuality? Or immorality?  How can one stand up with a faith prepared to die for the Lord when he rarely opens his Bible between services and never stands up for Jesus by declaring the truth of the gospel to fishing or football buddies?

We want our children to go to heaven in spite of such trials, but we have not helped them with questions about the reliability of the Bible, or the science that supports the Bible, or the history and archaeology that do the same because we have not learned these things ourselves.  We have not opposed the arguments against God with sound reasoning for God, so how do we or our children “stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand?”  (Eph 6:13).
 
We want to stand the trials, but have not exercised spiritually to prepare for a hard race.  We have not memorized scriptures to call to our minds for strength, we have not studied and meditated to strengthen our confidence in our tie with God, we have not prayed the hours necessary to strengthen our holiness before God. 

When we do an honest analysis, many of us in many ways have not done all that well with the moderate trials of 2020.  We bicker whether the one wearing a mask or the one not wearing one has the most faith rather than loving brethren more than our opinions.  We complain about restrictions.  We are not picking up the slack in our ability to assemble by studying more, praying more, growing more.  Instead, many have become comfortable with TV church in our pajamas.

2020 may be, in fact, God’s grace, God’s “not willing that any should perish” warning, and time to face the judgment on our nation in our times.  If so, have you missed the opportunity?
 
"And they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.  " (Jer 8:11).
 
"For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt: I mourn; dismay hath taken hold on me.  Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? " (Jer 8:21-22).
 
"For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ….  Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: " (2Pet 1:8-10).
 
"I know thy works, that thou hast a name that you live , and you are dead.  You be watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God.   " (Rev 3:1-2).
 
Keith Ward