Proverbs 20:9

Proverbs 20:9

“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin’?”

“Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ . . . Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:13-16, 22-23 NRSV)

I am an Army mom. My wonderful son is a combat MP who has served in Iraq and who, with his company, is returning there this summer. Being an Army mom wasn’t something that I chose for myself, but it is something that I embrace because it is what the Lord has chosen for my son. When my first son was away on his first tour, I met many other military moms who were intensely worried for their children’s lives. Many asked me how I could be so calm when my son was in harm’s way.

Now, I’m no saint (except for the wonder of being a follower of the Lord Jesus). But I am practical and I try to embrace the heart of God as much as I can. So, I am able to walk calmly when my son is in Iraq or my husband is working hurricanes for FEMA because there are certain realities of life which American society has tried to erase and unfortunately which the Church has pushed away.

The first reality is that the only guarantee in life is death. Everyone dies. Until the Lord comes to rapture the Church, we can expect to die. Whether by accident or illness or simply old age, we will leave this world to see the next. And death, for the nonbeliever, should be something to be feared because death means the beginning of hell. But for the believer, we should be looking forward to death. “For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15:53-55 NRSV). It amazes me when believers shrink from death. Why is that? Do you not realize that death releases us from all of the problems, the struggles, and concerns of this life? Why don’t we instead rejoice that we are going to Heaven, not just a better place, but the BEST place?

I saw a movie the other day and, in typical Hollywood fashion, the priest droned on and on about what a tragedy it was that death had taken a person so young. If that person was a believer, why is it a tragedy? This life is suffering! While there are joys, the joys here are nothing compared to the joys we will experience in heaven. Why would we not celebrate when a believer is taken Home? And so, while I love my son dearly and thoroughly enjoy his company, I know that one of us will go Home first. As his mother (who loves him), I would never want him to have to stay here—in this place of duty—if the Lord calls him Home (to that place of delight).

But the second reality (of why I don’t moan my position as an Army mom) is even more relevant, I think. You see, we live in a world of suffering. And while our society has done its best to eliminate pain, it has, I think, instead simply masked it. And in masking it, we have changed our perspective on life. When we are faced with even the possibility of suffering, we ask ourselves, “Why me?” Why should I suffer? Why should I lose my job? Why should I lose my house? Why should my child die? Why should I be sick?

“Why me?” is the wrong question and it sets us up for disappointment, depression, and even anger at God. “God, why did you choose me for this suffering?” The question we should instead be asking is “Why not me?” You see, there is suffering everywhere. As much as we try to mask it in the Western world, the fact is that most people in the world suffer. They suffer from lack, they suffer from persecution, they suffer from pain. And when we are faced with the possibility of suffering, rather than running from it, we should simply say, “Well, why not me?” and look at it as an opportunity to grow in our faith.

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NRSV

When we run from suffering, we are giving into the lusts of our bodies. And yet, Paul said that he punished his body, he enslaved it in order to receive the prize: salvation. He encouraged us to run in such a way that we might win! And that requires self-control. The self-control that refuses to complain. Do you know that one of the fruit of the Spirit—patience—is actually usually translated as longsuffering? The actual meaning of “patient” is “bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.” When scripture tells us to be patient, it’s not saying that we simply bear with Aunt Sally who is a bore. It is saying that we face suffering fully and without complaining about it or trying to avoid it.

The proverb talks about the fact that no one is without sin. While we may not murder or maim or even be drunkards, we often sin by fighting against that very thing which God is bringing into our lives to show us that we need Him! The person who doesn’t suffer doesn’t need a Savior. It is when we are faced with the reality of life—the fact that life is painful and horrible and full of suffering—that we realize how much we should want to be with Him in the Heaven that He is preparing for us.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Proverbs 20:6

“Many proclaim themselves loyal, but who can find one worthy of trust?”

When was the last time you kept a promise even when it brought harm to you or your family? That used to be the standard for Christians. A promise made was a promise kept. Regardless. But now, how many of us are actually good to our word? How many of us can be counted on when things get difficult?

Matthew 5:37 says “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one” (NRSV). In other words, what we say should be what we mean and what we will do. And everything that we do should be done with a heart of generosity. The Lord Jesus taught us “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (NRSV). There is so much in this verse. If we are to love our enemies, then surely we are to love our friends as well. And what is love but exactly what the Lord Jesus demonstrated? Sacrificial love, giving of ourselves and holding nothing back.

I think that often we think that we must keep something in reserve in order to provide for ourselves. We must reserve time, effort, resources, money. And yet, if we truly trust God, then obeying His commandments (loving others) will never reduce us to nothing. We will always have whatever we need. And yet, when I look at myself, I see that I am essentially selfish, self-centered, and overly concerned about my welfare and my future. It’s obvious that I don’t trust God as I should because, if I did, I would never worry about having enough “whatever” for the future.

Have you ever thought about that? And then, add this to the mix: What if you simply weren’t here tomorrow? What if you knew that today was your last day here? Would being bereft of anything make you sad or anxious? Of course not. We know that all things are provided in abundance in heaven. Well, the fact is, we don’t know if we have tomorrow. It’s never promised to us. And if we are here, then God has promised to provide whatever we need. The thing is, we don’t want just what we need (because that might be far less than what we really want). We want to have in abundance . . . here. And the stuff here is, well, junk. The Lord Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19 NRSV). In essence, the stuff here (which rusts and is consumed by insects) is junk! Why would we want to hang onto, to accumulate junk? And yet . . . we do. We think that we simply cannot live without all the stuff (and relationships and positions of influence and money and . . . ). When the fact of the matter is, what we can’t live without is God, plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less.

Are we worthy of trust? Are we so willing to live by our word, our promise, that we will never break it? And when we do break it, we will see that breaking as a sin? If there ever was a time when Christians needed to live by the Word (and by their word) it is now when the world seems to be falling apart. What if we’re the only person in our neighborhood, at our company, perhaps even in our family whose word actually means something? And the reason it means something is because we trust the Lord to take care of us. We can reach out sacrificially to others because He’s got our back!

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. This study may be copied in its entirety (including this notice) for nonprofit and church purposes without contacting the author. For all other purposes, please email servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Crisis of Faith

1 Corinthians 6:12-13

“‘Everything is permissible for me’--but not everything is beneficial. ’Everything is permissible for me’--but I will not be mastered by anything. ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

In the past two weeks, I’ve become aware of two pastors (same denomination, different churches) who are wallowing in self-pity and self-indulgence. Both claim depression and overwhelming personal pain. One used the term “burned out.” A Christian who is “burned out?” Who cannot go on in ministry or service for the Lord? Oh . . . my . . . goodness!

On the one hand, I’m angry at these brothers. How dare they, as servants of the Lord and leaders within the Church, be so self-centered as to put their own desires ahead of the desires of the Lord? And, on the other hand, I’m filled with pity for these men who are so deluded in their beliefs that they can justify “crises of faith,” doubt as it were, without feeling the least tinge of remorse or fear of God’s judgement. (And if they are fearful, not fearful enough to turn back to the narrow path.)

We have forgotten, as Christians, that while there are many things that are permissible, among those permissible things are those which we should not embrace. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should do something. Unfortunately, we have become so self-indulgent that, rather than even considering the benefit of something, often we don’t even think of sin, no less think of whether or not something is beneficial.

And is it permissible to doubt? To be angry with the Lord? The 1960's brought us the idea that we are to be honest and to embrace ourselves honestly. And that truly is a Christian virtue. But we have failed because we stop there. Rather than simply accepting ourselves honestly, we are to admit–to confess–that which is sin and to bring it to the Throne for forgiveness. And what merits forgiveness? Repentance. To repent means to not only honestly admit a behavior or a choice, but to see it as sin and to turn around and go a different way.

The other side of this is that we aren’t to embrace our sin to the point that such sin becomes characteristic. Sin repeated becomes sin habitual. And such places us in jeopardy of hell. I think that perhaps these pastors have so deluded themselves as to believe that God’s love will carry them to Heaven regardless of their behavior or choices on earth. In other words, it doesn’t matter that they are denying the power of the Cross now; God will save them. And they are wrong.

Both men are seeking God’s voice. One man has actually resigned his pastorate of decades to follow his “crisis of faith” in order to see what God is really doing among His people. Unfortunately, neither man may end up truly hearing from God. For we only hear from God when first we are obedient. David Wilkerson writes:

“Sadly, great numbers of Christians do not know God’s voice. Some can go for months, even years, without ever receiving an intimate word from the Lord in their inner man. Oh, God did speak to them at one time. But over the years, they’ve learned to silence his voice in their hearts. Others have been turned off by so much foolishness among those who believe that every word that pops into their minds is divine. Such people boast, “God told me”—yet the “word” they hear is only their covetous flesh taking voice!

“If you want to know and hear God’s voice in the days ahead, be ready to have him speak of cleansing before he speaks of direction. Many Christians want God to tell them how to hold on to what they’ve earned, how to provide for their family, how to keep their business or career afloat. But the truth is, before God gives us a word of direction in any of these matters, he’ll speak to us about his commandments” (from http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-cant-talk-to-youunless.html).

God never tells us to do what is contrary to His word. And His word tells us that we are to deny the flesh, take up our cross, and follow Him. The way of obedience is one of self-denial, not one of self-indulgence; one of faith, not one of doubt. James tells us that the person who asks and doubts will not receive:

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8 NIV). In fact the person who doubts is unstable in all he does. How can we trust what we believe, what we “hear from the Lord” when we are in such an unstable condition? Rather than trusting our own impulses (which tell us to run, to be angry, to be depressed, to doubt), we should run to those who are standing steadfastly in the Word and in faith and ask them what we should do. When we are in a “crisis of faith” we cannot trust even our own motives. We are unstable, spiritually unstable!

Is it permissible for us to be honest in our doubts? Yes! However, rather than asking whether or not we can have doubts, we should be asking ourselves whether or not we should have doubts? Is doubting beneficial to our faith? No, of course not! And doubt is an emotion. It is something that is totally controllable by the disciplined mind. Rather than entertaining doubting thoughts, we take our thoughts into captivity and think only of those things which are of the Word, only those things which the Lord says to do. There is no reason to have a “crisis of faith.” The Father gives to those who ask. If we ask for faith, He will give it. But faith comes when we cannot see, when we refuse to have a “crisis of faith” and instead, trust in the darkness, knowing that His character is sufficient for every situation.

Proverbs 20:5

“The purposes in the human mind are like deep water, but the intelligent will draw them out.” (NRSV)

As believers, we should ask ourselves whether we are reactionary or reflective? When someone is reactionary, they depend upon their reactions to circumstances or their emotions to make decisions. They have difficulty acting in a prescribed or strategic manner, but rather respond to the situation around them. When someone is reflective, they are self-aware and able to make deliberate decisions based on an outside source (the Word); they are able to withstand influences that come from others or even from their own emotions.

As believers, we need to be reflective. We need to know ourselves, to know what makes us tick, to know what pushes our buttons, and then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to respond differently than we are inclined. We need to choose our behaviors, rather than allowing ourselves to be pushed and pulled by the circumstance of the moment.

James tells us that there are those believers who cannot control themselves and that this loss of control is due to doubting: “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:6-8 NRSV). I agree! When we don’t have a solid idea of where we are headed (heaven) or what we want (God’s will), we will have a tendency to react to circumstances, rather than being reflective and making decisions based on what we have learned from the Word and from the Holy Spirit.

The proverb tells us that this is a difficult task, perhaps even an arduous one. It’s not always easy to know ourselves for, in doing so, we must admit and confront our sin. 1 John 1:9 tells us that we must confess our sins; James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to each other, a practice in which few of us engage these days. In confessing our sins, we must “admit ourselves guilty of what we are accused of, [it is] the result of inward conviction” (Vine's). Usually we don’t want to admit we are guilty. Ignoring somehow makes our sin seem to go away, the operative word being seem. Sin never goes away without confession and forgiveness (confession coming first).

If we are intelligent (wise), we will draw out the purposes of our minds by choosing to become reflective. And the best way to be reflective is through confessional prayer. When we are before the Throne, confessing the sins of which we know and asking God to reveal the rest, we will learn those kinds of circumstances to which we often react and will learn how to be reflective instead.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 20:4

“The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.”

The Lord Jesus, when He walked this earth, took ideas from daily living and made them into ideas of eternal consequence. This proverb, which may have originally been about something as mundane as diligence in one’s work, becomes fraught with importance when placed against the teaching of the Master:

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matthew 9:35-38 NRSV).

If, once we said the sinner’s prayer, everything was completed for us, there would be no need for the Heavenly Father to leave us here on this earth. But the fact is that we are working out our salvation and that “working” comes in the form of what we do for those around us in the form of ministry. A. W. Tozer wrote:

“Since the fall of man the earth has been a disaster area and everyone lives with a critical emergency. Nothing is normal. Everything is wrong and everyone is wrong until made right by the redeeming work of Christ and the effective operation of the Holy Spirit.

“While Christ was the perfect example of the healthy normal man, He yet did not live a normal life. He sacrificed many pure enjoyments to give Himself to the holy work of moral rescue. His conduct was determined not by what was legitimate or innocent, but by our human need” (That Incredible Christian, p. 104).

Think of that! The Lord Jesus’ “conduct was determined not by what was legitimate or innocent, but by our human need.” In other words, if we are to follow His example (which we are to do), then we shouldn’t be asking ourselves whether or not it’s okay to do something, but whether or not doing that “something” promotes the moral rescue of those around us.

When the Lord Jesus talked about the harvest, He wasn’t talking about literally going out into the farm fields and harvesting the crops. Rather, He looked around and saw the desperate moral situation of the people and stated, “The laborers are few!” And who are the laborers? Us! We are the laborers . . . if we are willing.

Tozer goes on to say: “No man gives at all until he has given all” (p. 105). If we want not to be counted among the lazy people who do not plow in season, then we likely need to reevaluate how much we give. Most of us give conditionally, reserving time, effort, and resources for ourselves. Better that we give all now then to be found lacking when we stand before the Throne.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:27

“Cease straying, my child, from the words of knowledge, in order that you may hear instruction.” (NRSV)

“For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NRSV).

“Hardly anything else reveals so well the fear and uncertainty among men as the length to which they will go to hide their true selves from each other and even from their own eyes. [And yet] self knowledge is so critically important to use in our pursuit of God and His righteousness that we lie under heavy obligation to do immediately whatever is necessary to remove the disguise and permit our real selves to be known” (A. W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian, p. 101).

There exist, in the Western World, a few brave souls who whisper or shout the truths of the gospel, but the numbers are, sadly enough, dwindling. Rather our pulpits are filled with men and women who would prefer to fill the pews rather than challenge the souls, who would prefer to apply psychology rather than God’s commandments, who would prefer to be known as famous rather than righteous. Many churches have become more social than spiritual, more self congratulatory than self deprecating, more fun than sorrowful.

Think back to a Sunday a month ago, a year ago, five years ago. What did you learn? What did your pastor teach? Did it change your life?

Western-world Christians tend to take a very defensive and proud view of themselves. Rather than adopting a humble attitude, we often tend to believe we’re right, we defend ourselves and our views, and we rarely search our the true nature of our souls, no less pour out our sins before a sinless God. A recent survey by the Barna Group (http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years) revealed that only 9% of Americans possess a biblical worldview even though a far greater percentage claim to be “born again.” In fact, among those of us who claim to be born again, only 19% possessed a biblical worldview.

We are straying from the gospel and we likely don’t even realize it. Why? Because often we are getting our ideas from pastors, speakers, and authors who claim to be Christian!

“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24: 11-13 NRSV).

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a NRSV).

The proverb tells us to “cease straying from the words of knowledge.” What are the words of knowledge? The Bible, of course. When we look to gain our spiritual food from the words of others, we dilute the truth. If we fail, as the Lord Jesus commanded us, to judge prophets (teachers) by the Spirit fruit of their lives, we may be leading ourselves into false teaching. False teachers come clothed in gospel-speak, looking and sounding like the real thing, but actually teaching that which isn’t the truth.

What is Spirit fruit? “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Are we unable to discern whether or not these exist in the life of a teacher? Then, we should set those teachings aside. There are those teachers whose lives we can see. When we find a teacher whose soul is filled with the fruit of the Spirit, that is a teacher worth listening to.

Until then, we have the Greatest Teacher of all, the Holy Spirit. It is up to us to stop straying from the words of knowledge and immerse ourselves in the study of the Word.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:23

“The fear of the Lord is life indeed; filled with it one rests secure and suffers no harm.” (NRSV)

When I was young, very young, there were preachers who would stand in the pulpit and pound congregations about the terrors of hell. Don’t see that much anymore. Most preachers these days talk in more psychological terms about happiness, contentment, and finding fulfillment. I rarely hear a sermon about sin. The Bible, on the other hand, is replete with admonitions about sin and tales of the horrors of hell. And often, these passages talk about “the fear of the Lord.”

That meaning of that phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” has changed for the American Church over the past decades. We no longer believe that we should be fearful of God. Instead, we think that we should have a healthy respect for Him, but not be afraid of Him. And perhaps that accounts for our lackidaisical attitude about sin. I mean, how many of us really get on our knees everyday and pour out our sorrow for our sins (most of which are habitual and due to our self-indulgence)? Instead, we comfort ourselves with the knowledge of forgiveness and go on our merry way, only to sin again.

Matthew Henry, in his commentary, says this about “the fear of the Lord:”

“by the fear of the Lord, and the influence of that fear, men depart from evil; those will not dare to sin against God who keep up in their minds a holy dread and reverence of him.”

A holy dread . . . will not dare to sin against God.

Do we have an attitude that dares not to sin against God? Or are we so concerned about our own feelings and well-being that we forget that while He is a God of love and mercy, He is also a God of justice and purity Who demands righteousness? The proverb tells us that “the fear of the Lord is life” and not only life, but “life indeed!” In other words, it is life abundant, life superlative, life with security. Like the security that we seek when we sin because sin comes out of fear or rebellion. We want what we want and what we think we want (or need). And we fail to trust.

Do we want a life that is secure? Do we want to understand living in a state of “no harm,” understanding that this means no harm to our souls (regardless of what happens to our bodies)?

You know, we spend a lot of time trying to protect and nurture this body and its accouterments when what we should really be concerned about are our eternal souls! Paul tells us: “I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified” (1 Co. 9:27 NRSV). Imagine Paul being disqualified as a Christian! And yet, that was his concern. He says that his body and his emotional needs threatened his salvation, so he punished them and enslaved them, making himself do only that which would qualify him for salvation.

But isn’t salvation a gift? Yes, of course. But there is this dichotomy that says it is a gift that must be used, exercised, and can be lost! We are saved and we are being saved through how we demonstrate our faith. Faith isn’t something we say; it’s something we do. And we begin to “do” our faith through having a fear of the Lord that motivates us not to sin.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:21

“The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” (NRSV)

“Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12:16-21 NRSV).

There is an amazing dynamic between our free will and God’s purposes. And the proverb is right: We do devise many plans! In fact, some of us are downright compulsive about our pre-planning (as if planning would somehow control everything!).

Last December some of our school’s music groups were putting on a concert at the local performing arts theater. I asked our school secretary if she would put a printed program together for us. She was so kind to agree to do that. In doing so, she sent me an email that went something like this: “Do you have a list of students who will be participating? What am I thinking? Of course you have a list. I’m sure you have lists and lists!” Her point being, of course, that I’m compulsive about writing down everything that needs to be done. I say that I do it so that I won’t forget. But there’s also something within me that likes order and doing lists helps to satisfy that longing to order everything . . . to control.

Now there’s certainly nothing wrong in writing lists. But there is something wrong in so trying to order everything around me (including the future) that I fail to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He wants to divert me away from my lists to something else. The fact is, my lists aren’t important! What’s important are the people around me. And when I refuse to walk away from my lists (or my calendar) to minister to them, I am refusing to do the will of the Father. The parable that the Lord Jesus told about the rich man and his barns had to do with the man refusing to look around him and minister to his neighbors. The man had goals, dreams, a vision of what he could accomplish for his life. Perhaps he was afraid of an uncertain future that might lead him into suffering and poverty. So he worked hard and made plans. And the Lord called him foolish. Why? Because the treasure he could have stored up for himself was trust.

God’s purposes will be established! If we trust Him, we will embrace those purposes and not worry about whether we are in control or not. Our plans aren’t important. Only what we do in being obedient for God is!

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:19-20

“A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; if you effect a rescue, you will only have to do it again. Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.” NRSV

Anger, control, and fear all go together. Trust, patience, and kindness go together. However, they rarely mix. In other words, when we are angry or fearful, it is likely that we will be patient or kind.

A. W. Tozer contends that “the low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us” (The Knowledge of the Holy, p. vii). And it’s true. The cause of most of our sin is based on either the fact that we truly don’t believe God can help us or we don’t believe that God will help us. And this belief is based on the idea that we are wiser than He is so we logically know what He should do. When He doesn’t do it, our belief is confirmed and our idea of Who He is is lessened.

We really don’t want to trust God. We want Him to respond to our prayers, to our pleas, to our expectations rather than molding ourselves to Him! The psalmist writes:

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 NRSV).
"Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24 NRSV)

Notice the three characteristics here:

• Wait
• Be strong
• Become courageous

Waiting means simply that . . . to wait. And potentially wait and wait and wait. Hebrews 11:39 tells us that “all these [the great saints of the Old Testament], though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised” (NRSV). These are those who waited, who became strong and courageous and didn’t receive because God’s plan was better!

We are angry because we refuse to accept the instruction of scripture. Then we are ill prepared for the future—lacking wisdom. And we pay the penalty. A believer cannot be angry, want to control, and be afraid and still trust God. God knows about our problems. He knows the things that we need and He will provide if we wait upon Him.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:18

“Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction.” (NRSV)

Years ago—many years ago—the majority of parents in America knew how to raise their children. How do we know this? Because we were a nation of moral adults, adults who knew how to discern right from wrong and knew that they shouldn’t choose wrong. Yes, there were some indiscriminate sins, but on the whole, America wanted to be a moral nation.

No longer. Now we raise children who are self-indulgent, who want to remain children, who only want to play and have fun.

We have failed in our task as parents.

The Hebrew word translated here as “discipline” means “bind, chasten, chastise, correct, instruct, punish, reform, reprove, sore, teach” (Strongs H3256). And the word is used in the imperative form. There is an insistence; this is a command. Moreover, the command is coached in a warning: “Discipline your children while there is hope.” In other words, there will be a time in your child’s life when there is no hope. Why? Because there was a lack of discipline.

Most Christian parents don’t realize that their parenting is strongly influenced by the evolutionary mind of American society. When we give our children choices without strategically determining how that’s done and why we are doing it, we are reinforcing that our children are individuals with their own right to determine morality. Now, for most Christians, that’s a novel thought. We parent by copying what we see around us or what we read and we don’t stop to analyze why we parent the way we do. The fact is, we may be parenting our children to destruction without even realizing it.

Dr. John Ankerberg (with Dr. John Weldon) wrote an article about relative morality. In summary, he said this:

“Morality is defined by every individual according to his own views and interests. Morality is ultimately relative because every person is the final authority for his own views” (http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/science/SC0999W3.htm)

Do you believe that your children have the right to their own opinion? Do you see no harm in allowing your child to choose? By believing that some/many choices are harmless and have no relation to morality, you may actually be parenting your children to destruction. How? You may be instilling a sense of entitlement and self-indulgence in them without even realizing it.

What is the goal of parenting? It is to produce godly adults. Our children will not become mature Christians {{poof}} at 18. They grow up to become mature Christians as we discipline them. If we fail to parent, then we have actually set our hearts on their destruction because we didn’t care enough to do our God-appointed job.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:16

“Those who keep the commandment will live; those who are heedless of their ways will die.” NRSV

As a society, we are afraid of pain and death. One of the reasons our new federal administration wants to invoke universal healthcare is to mitigate—or completely wipe out—pain and suffering, even to prolong life to the point that death comes very late in life. Why, rather than simply embracing the idea that these bodies are deteriorating, do we do everything we can to avoid suffering?

Trying to avoid suffering now is the short view of things. The New Testament speaks a lot about suffering and none of those teachings are about trying to avoid suffering. In fact, what the New Testament teaches is that (1) these bodies and, in fact, all of creation are under the penalty of sin which causes deterioration and eventually death; and (2) if we are walking the narrow way, we will suffer for the cause of Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 8:

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (v. 18-25 NRSV).

As believers, we are groaning, Paul says. What’s interesting about this Greek word, stenazo, is that it has three meanings: sigh, murmur, or pray inaudibly. In other words, there is such pain and suffering in life that the only alternative that we have, the only One to Whom we can run for comfort is our Heavenly Father. The sense is that our every thought turns to Him for help, for comfort, for direction.

For many years, America was so wealthy as a nation that we grew prideful and arrogant. We often had, at our disposal, the resources to solve every problem. And that continues to be the mindset when we talk about healthcare and solving our country’s financial problems. If we just throw enough money at the problem, we have the wherewithal to fix it. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough money in the world to fix the root problem . . . which is sin. Fixing that problem took the precious blood of the Savior. As believers we need to refocus our vision, to turn from secular fixes, and realize again that the only solution is to trust the Lord Jesus.

Proverbs tells us that “those who keep the commandment will live; those who are heedless of their ways will die.” There are consequences for everything we do and we cannot mitigate those consequences, as much as we might try. Ultimately, those who refuse to trust the Lord will sin in their sins and will face eternity in hell. Those who understand that we cannot save ourselves and must throw ourselves upon the mercy of God will live eternally in Heaven with Him. And we throw ourselves on His mercy by keeping His commandments. We must live our intention. It’s not enough to say that we want to be saved; we must put actions to our words.

There are a number of reasons for suffering. We suffer because we live in a sinful world. We suffer because God wants to discipline and refocus us. We suffer as a consequence of our sins or as a consequence of someone else’s sin. We suffer in order to deny our flesh. It is natural to try to avoid suffering; this fleshly body hates pain. But we not only need to accept suffering, there are times when we need to embrace it.

It’s interesting that, in the Romans passage, Paul says that we are waiting for adoption. Our salvation is not yet completed and won’t be until we stand before the Throne. We are working out our salvation everyday by keeping the commandments through the power of the Holy Spirit. And those commandments say that we must embrace God’s will regardless of where it leads us, even if it leads us through suffering (which it will). Being a Christian goes against the flesh nature. Paul wrote:

“I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NRSV).

If our circumstances don’t pummel our flesh, we should do it ourselves, not out of a sense of pride, but because we need to ignore and beat down our desires and impulses. For example, most of us, when we go out to eat, look at the menu and ask ourselves what we want to eat. What we should be asking ourselves rather is what would be good for us to eat. (Often what is good for us doesn’t taste nearly as good!).

Obeying the commandments has an eternal reward. Rather than focusing on (or trying to avoid) pain, discomfort, and suffering, we should rather embrace obedience that we might receive the prize!

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:15

“Laziness brings on deep sleep; an idle person will suffer hunger.”

When I was younger, there was a hepatitis outbreak on my college campus. Unfortunately, I was one of the young people to get it. Our family doctor recommended a diet regimen and rest for three months, giving my liver a chance to recovery. At the end of the three months, he pronounced me well and told me that I could go back to my regular activities. The problem was, I was still tired. Tired all the time. I asked the doctor about it, afraid that I still had active hepatitis. He told me that I was fine, but that the inactivity had caused my body to feel tired. What I needed to do was ignore my tiredness and get active again. Do exercise. Get out. Eventually the tired feeling would disappear.

Often, we respond to symptoms or feelings rather than doing what we know intellectually (or spiritually) to be right or heathy. If we are angry or depressed, we indulge ourselves. The problem is, indulgence leads to more indulgence which leads to our being angry more because our expectations are wrong. As believers, we need to break the cycle, to step outside of responding to our feelings, and do what we know to be right based on the Word of God.

“Laziness brings on deep sleep.” Times of inactivity or indulgence simply make us more tired, make us more self-centered, literally put our consciences to sleep. The opposite of laziness is self-discipline. Self-discipline creates a soul that is attuned to God’s will, sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Laziness (self-indulgence) creates a soul that is self-centered, resistant to God’s leading.

The problem is, the result of laziness is hunger. In the case of the laziness of self-indulgence, the hunger is spiritual. And spiritual hunger leads to spiritual weakness. Then, when the true attacks come, we are unable to stand under them because we are unfit . . . spiritually unfit. The time for self-discipline is now before the attacks come. We need to learn to pray, to study, to submit our wills to His. We need to cast off laziness and self-indulgence and wrap ourselves in the self-discipline that comes through walking every moment with the Spirit.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 19:13

“A stupid child is ruin to a father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.”

Ultimately we are left with family. In fact, that may be why so many people get divorced or break up relationships. They are looking for the kind of stability that one should find within a family. Perhaps the idea of a soul mate even comes from this longing, the longing to have a place called “home” within which there is love and safety and comfort.

This proverb isn’t about children who lack intelligence, but rather about children who are foolish and silly. Matthew Henry writes:

“A son that will apply himself to no study or business, that will take no advice, that lives a lewd, loose, rakish life, and spends what he has extravagantly, games it away and wastes it in the excess of riot, or that is proud, foppish, and conceited, such a one is the grief of his father, because he is the disgrace, and is likely to be the ruin, of his family.”

Proverbs 23:24-25 states that “the father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.”

There is a reciprocity within the parent-child relationship. Parents are to raise their children to be righteous; children are to choose the path of righteousness. When these children turn their backs on the Lord, it is a great sorrow to the parents. Wise children follow the Lord and His will. Foolish children stand up in arrogance and turn their backs on everything their parents believe and taught.

In a similar fashion, a spouse who sees only want and despair and whose talk is full of criticism and anger also brings discord to a home. The proverb speaks specifically of wives, but both spouses have a responsibility to take their burdens to the Lord and to bring encouragement and love to the home. God never intended for the home to be the haven for gossip, anger, and discontent. The home is the first point of ministry, the first place that a Christian should practice sacrificial love.

© 2009 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).