Dan’s Bible Fellowship Class

Good Morning.

I read this verse this morning and just had to share it with you.

“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord.  And all the families of the nations shall worship before you, for the Kingdom is the Lords and He rules over the nations.  Psalm 22:22-27″

Good advice: Turn off the television.

Every day we are bombarded with the doom and gloom of the that day’s catastrope.

Alternatively, we may hear of the administration’s new scheme to save the world.

Just remember the verse above.

I’m placing my trust in Jesus, how bout you?

I suppose the combination of the July 4th holiday being on the horizon combined with the events in Iran have caused me to think a lot lately about being free.  We talk about our freedoms and whether (or to what extent) they are being eroded by the current politics in the US.  So my mind has been digesting the news, comments and conversations in which I’m engaged.

This morning as I sat down for my quiet time “Galatians 5” jumped into my mind.  I’m not sure why this occurred since I usually begin my time in Proverbs and go from there.  So I turned immediately to the 5th chapter of Galatians.  The heading for the chapter (added by the editors) is “Christian Liberty.”  Galatians 5:1:  “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  (emphasis mine).

I was a little bit shocked.  I’m ruminating over the thoughts I’m having about being free and here comes the call by Paul to be careful lest you become “entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  What’s Paul talking about here?  He’s not talking politics.  He’s not talking finances.  (I want to talk a little about those when time allows.)  We have in this circumstance those that are trying to convince the believers in Galatia to go back to trusting in the Law and outward signs of belonging to God.  Over at verse 21 he says, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the Law?”  He then reviews the history of Abraham, Hagar and Isaac (how timely).  He challenges the Galatians not to hold on to the Law (which they simply cannot uphold) but which is more easily accepted because a person can “touch” and “feel” some of its signs, i.e. circumcision and celebrations.    He warns against taking up circumcision as a means of adhering to the Law.  The warning here is not about a physical event (circumcision) but instead is warning the Galatians to be very careful where they put their trust.

This warning is ringing in my ears.  I’ve highlighted specific words in Galatians 5:1 to draw attention to them.

Stand fast: Hold fast to whatever it is that I believe is true and upon which I can base my life.  That’s Jesus!  Nothing more and nothing less.  I’m reflecting on my life.  Do my actions, my daily living provide a testimony that I am “standing fast” or “holding firm” on the foundation of my complete trust in Jesus Christ for my every need?  Are there times that my confidence is shaken by financial difficulties?  Are there times that my strength of being is rocked by a personal failure of someone on whom I have invested my trust?  My mind is racing; God is causing me to examine who I really am.

[T]herefore in the liberty:  The freedom, i.e., the right and ability to choose.  Understand that liberty as used here is a reminder that Christ has set us free from the shackles of an unfettered draw to sin.  No doubt we may still sin from time to time, but the freedom we enjoy because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that we are not constantly involved in having our own way, but instead seek His way; a way that would be pleasing to the King of Kings.

[The Liberty we have] is because “Christ has made us free”

and [WARNING, WARNING, WARNING]  do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”    The caution here is to beware of taking on what you don’t need and becoming saddled with all of the attachments that come along with it.  For me, this warning is about where am I placing my trust.  Where do I get my confidence or my strength?  Is it my financial successes? Those can soon fall away.  Is it my stature in the community?  People are truly fickle, stature can evaporate pretty quickly.  Is it perhaps my position in the church?  Nuff said!

Some of the Galatians were ready to sign up to the back under the law simply because it was (1) familiar; and (2) something evidenced by out ward signs.  Paul warns us to beware.  Christ has freed me from the inside out.

Query:  Am I willing to trust Christ, or do I look for some of the other outward, easily identifiable source?

Thank you Paul; Thank you Jesus!

When the kids were coming up I’d hear them say from time to time, “I hate this” or “I hate that.”  I taught them that we don’t “hate” in our family, so they shouldn’t use that word.  I’ve just always thought that “hate” was such a strong emotion that it should not be easily spent.

This morning, as I ready Proverbs 11:20, I thought about what God hates.  I wondered what does God really “hate”.  Of course, it’s obvious that God hates sin.  Do I hate sin?  What would that, i.e. my hatred for sin look like?

Proverbs 11:20 states it like this:  “Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.”  So here it’s easily seen that if a person has a “perverse heart” then God finds him to be an abomination.  (Of course, notwithstanding that, God still reaches out to him with the gift of Jesus, so that his heart would be changed in an instant and his eternity re-written.)  I looked back a few chapters to Chapter 6 to see what God said about what he considers an abomination.    God actually says he hates these things:

Proverbs 6:16-19:

These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:  A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

1.  A proud look. This is a pride that says, “Look at me”, “look at what I’ve done”, rather than saying “look at Him” or “look what He has done for me.”  This proud look says, “It’s all about me.”  Therefore it denies that, “It’s all about Him (Jesus).”

2.  A lying tongue. Enough said.  How many people do you know that you can say, “If she said it, I can absolutely take it to the bank.”  Sometimes I think that the first lie that is told from the witness stand in court is when the witness takes the oath.

3.  Hands that shed innocent blood. We turn on the news every night and we see over and over again, those who kill take lives as if the life means nothing.  Every life is precious to Him who gave His Son.

4.  A heart that devises wicked plans. Proverbs 11:20 talks about a perverse heart.  Wickedness and righteousness cannot cohabitate the same body.

5.  Feet that are swift in running to evil.  These last four are all connected.  Have you noticed how much effort is expended in causing trouble rather than building people up?

6.  A false witness who speaks lies.  Perhaps this is a restatement of No. 2.  Or perhaps God is talking about someone who is lying “about” another.  One who has become a “false witness.”  No. 2 is likely a lie about you; about something you’ve done or will do.  No. 6 is a lie about another’s actions or person.  God hates both.

7.  This is an abomination to God: One who sows discord among brethren.  Because the church (the body of believers) is supposed to be different than the general population, it is an abomination for a believer to sew discord among other believers.  I’ve heard it said that the church is its on worse enemy.  That’s not God’s plan.  In fact, it is an abomination to God.

So what is God telling me here?

First, He says, “Look at the things that I absolutely hate.”  Take note of them.  If I hate them, then you should hate them.

Second, I’ve got to be on constant guard in my daily living to be sure that the “grays” of decision making don’t put me into one of the seven above.

I need to go back and re-read those.

I posted a video on YouTube yesterday that describes in my view what is happening in the Chrysler bankruptcy as it relates to the bondholders. The administration convinced a court to disregard the bankruptcy code and allow a sale of Chrysler to a “New Chrysler” in a way that prefers unsecured creditors (the UAW) to secured creditors (the bondholders). One of the comments to the video was made by a Canadian viewer. He said, why would anyone invest in the US when the rules can change based upon the expediency of the moment. How true.

This was on my mind as I read Proverbs 10:9: “He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.”

He who walks with integrity “walks securely.” These last few chapters of Proverbs draw a distinction over and over between the guy who trusts God compared to the man who lives for the flesh or for wickedness. Here we have another comparison. This time the comparison is between the guy who walks with integrity and the guy who says one thing and does another (perverts his ways).

As I was reading this, I thought, “So what does it mean to walk with integrity?” We associate integrity with truth. We associate integrity with what is right.

Here, I’m thinking that integrity may mean “true in public and in private.” I say that because of the comparison. He who “perverts his ways will become known.” I say, he will be “found out.” We have a number of folks in the public eye who have perverted their ways and have been “found out” recently. What they looked like in public was way different that what they were in private. Senator Edwards and Governor Spitzer immediately come to mind, but there are many others.

The challenge or question here is what is the foundation upon which my life is built. How can I say I love my wife, and be having an affair? How can I say that I have a heart for God and cheat people? How can I change the way I live for the expediency or convenience of the moment?

The point made by the writer is to remind me that if I claim to be a man of integrity (which I do) then what I say must match what I do. He’s reminding me that I do not need to deceive myself into thinking that I can say one thing, do another, and be protected by the secrecy of it all.

So how does that relate to the Chrysler bankruptcy? Here’s how: All the other businesses that go through bankruptcy and their creditors are governed by one set of rules that (good or bad) are predictable. However, in the Chrysler case, the administration is saying, they are too big to fail, so we are going to change the rules in this case due to the necessities of the moment. I see that as perverting the ways of the debtor/creditor relationships that have been established over time.

But this is different they say. Look at how many people will be hurt if we don’t make this change this one time (through executive fiat). I’m sure Elliot Spitzer said to himself, “I’m surely entitled to a little pleasure this one time; things are just so difficult at home.”

There you go. “He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.” Proverbs 10:9:

Elijah Zachary was born on Saturday.  As I held him in my arms I was impressed by what a cool part of my life I’m living.  I was also in awe as I thought about molding this little one into the man God wants him to be.  Obviously, Zachary has the primary responsibility here, but my every interaction with him will have an impact.

I guess I reflected on my performance as a father.  Certainly, my performance has not been stellar by most measures.  However, one thing I taught both my boys was to love God and love their mother.

This morning as I read Proverbs 9:10-11, God asked me, “Are you really seeking understanding or just knowledge?”

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. ”

The fear of the Lord described here isn’t fear in the sense of being afraid.  “Fear” in this context means “reverential awe” of the mightiness of God who created the universe, is omniscient, and omnipresent.  McArthur puts it this way:  “The fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one’s own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God’s.”

So if I am to have knowledge, I just seek out as many great teachers (including books) as I can find.  I devour them, and presumably ingrain their contents in my psyche.

However, if I am to have Wisdom, I am to exchange my own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals for God’s.  So how would that look in practice?

1.  The desires for my family would be what God desires for my family.  He desires that they first come to a personal relationship with Christ, and that they then each surrender their very beings to His Lordship.  Simply put, my family, individually, would “live for Jesus every day.”

2.  My work would be the work that He desires for me.  So I ask myself, “Am I doing what God has called me and equipped me to do?  If not, then when will I quit resisting His call on my life?”

3.  My desires and attitudes about money would be His.  Oops!  This means I have to acknowledge that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (and the hills too).  This would also necessarily mean that when I give my tithe and/or my offering, I am not depriving myself, but instead giving back to Him money that actually already belongs to him.

4.  My relationship with my wife will look as He described it in Ephesians 5:23-33.

5.  My attitude about His Word would be His attitude about His Word!  This necessarily means that it is “sharper than any two edged sword” and is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents” of the heart.  It is from His Word that I will gain wisdom because He reveals Himself through His Word.

So am I looking for this Wisdom?  Lot’s to think through this morning.

It’s not what you think; or is it?

In Psalm 7 David is crying out to God over some claim, charge or criticism that has been put on him by someone (perhaps Cush, a Benjamite).  He calls out to God for God to place his judgment on this bad guy.  

In verse 9 he writes, “Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just;  For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.”  

This really caught my eye.  David wants the just (presumably him) to be “established”.  

I wonder what he really means by “just.”

When I think of “just” I think of “fair” or “inherently right”.  I’ve recently heard a guy say, “I’m just going to do what is right.”  Of course what he was really saying is that he was going to do what was right “in his eyes.”  Perhaps that statement was rolling around in my head when I read this verse which calls for the “just” to be established.

If my “right” and his “right” are two different paths, then who is to say which of us is “right.”  Who is to say which path is the “right” path?  This arises most frequently where there are shades of gray in the decision.  Do I steal or not steal?  Pretty easy decision; no gray there.  But where there’s gray, it’s a little harder.

Then the second part of that verse jumps out:  “For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.”  

So the “just” that will be “established” will be established as judged by God, who is righteous, and who “tests” the hearts and mind of man.    So what God is saying here is that He “tests” my heart and “tests” my mind.  

In Jeremiah 17:10 God says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

So what is in my mind?  What will you see Lord when you look into my mind?  Will you see me making decisions based upon the direction of your Word or the expediency of the moment?  Will you see me pouring into my mind images and thoughts that will glorify you, or feed my fleshly desires?  When you look into my heart do you see my devotion to my wife so that I might be “enraptured with her love”?  (Proverbs 6:19).  This causes me to think about what I’m allowing into my mind.

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”  Jeremiah 17:5.  I want my heart to seek God not be repugnant to God.  Again, it’s the gray that’s causing me to ponder here.

As I read Proverbs 2 this morning I was struck by the fact that every month I restart my reading of this great book of wisdom.  In much the same way, each month I get a new and clean slate to build a productive life upon.

The last few days have literally been a whirlwind for me.   Trying to accomplish perhaps too much has left me exhausted.  When I thought about a new beginning this morning, I thought, “Great!  I will begin anew this month.”

God is telling me to seek His wisdom.

“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.”  Proverbs 2:11-14.

The wisdom described here does not come from education or from training.  It comes from seeking out the very God of the Universe.  This wisdom comes from seeking His Word.  “My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding  .  .  . THEN you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”  Proverbs 2:1-5

This is how I can have wisdom and knowledge that is pleasant to my soul.  I’m thankful I get a fresh start this month.