Saturday, July 30, 2011

Prayer is Powerful

Check-out the sermon on 1 Timothy 2:8-15 in the podcast player or in iTunes.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Wisdom Tells Her Age


            It is taboo in many cultures to ask how old someone is, at least among adults.  Asking the age of kids does not seem to pose a problem and they are proud to tell you how many years they have under their belts.  This age taboo question is also prevalent in Guatemala.  Someone was wondering the age of a particular lady and the translator said, “You ask her that!”  The older we become the less proud many people are of their age.  Wisdom is quite the contrary.  Wisdom gloats about how long she has been around.  This kind of pride puts the worth of experience into perspective.

            “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man” (Proverbs 8:22–31, ESV).  If wisdom is so willing and even proud to share her age then why do we get so bashful about our age?  It is time we change our mindset of the older age and learn to sit at their feet to learn from their life experiences and soak in the wisdom they have to offer.

            “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death” (Prov. 8:32–36).  Let us constantly seek out wisdom and never disregard it simply because it has a lot of miles under its hood.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Back from Guatemala

There are several new sermons in the Podcast player for your listening enjoyment that are sure to convict you.  Click on the sermon of your choice to listen to or click on the Pod-O-matic player to take you to the host site to subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.  The mission trip was great and I will have a more detailed post about it in the near future.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Wisdom’s Words


            There is a poison out there for each person.  This poison is not labeled with a toxic or haz-mat sign so it is very difficult to identify.  Satan controls this poison and knows the kind and dosage to dole out in order to get you to take some.  This poison is addictive and tastes good.  It tastes so good one wonders how it could possibly be bad for consumption.  If you are not careful, a love for this poison is easy to develop.  Consider this, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate” (Proverbs 8:12-13, ESV). 

It takes great love to have hate for your poison.  It was specifically mixed for your own liking.  If your poison tasted horrible and made you want to throw-up, Satan would not be very good at his job and Christianity would be rampant.  Sadly though, Satan is frighteningly good at what he does as a poison brewer.  Here is how wisdom can help you right now, “I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Prov. 8:14-17).  Satan’s poison for you can be identified and you can learn to hate it with wisdom.  What are you chasing after in your life?  Seek diligently for wisdom and you will find it. 

We may not give enough credit to wisdom in our spiritual lives.  This God given gift is essential in fighting the spiritual warfare.  What is wisdom’s worth?  “Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries” (Prov. 8:18–21).  You have an inheritance waiting for you after this life on earth.  Maybe your poison is material things instead of wisdom which is far better than that.  Wisdom is hard to measure and value because it is not tangible, but do not discount it.  Wisdom is necessary to win and that is its worth.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

What’s Wisdom’s Worth?


            You may know someone who is perpetually kidding around.  This person is always predictable about joking around and making people drag the truth out of them.  They do not do this out of contempt or hatred, but simply as a sense of humor to try and get people laughing.  Some people can only take so much of this behavior before they feel like they are going to snap if they have to put up with it one more minute.  Does this personality sound appealing to you?  “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips (Proverbs 8:1-7, ESV).

It may be difficult for some to make every word out of their mouth righteous.  That is, not cursing, lying, or telling dirty jokes.  To find wisdom’s worth, we as Christians must learn to tame our tongues.  “All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge (Prov. 8:8-9).  Can you say all your words are righteous?  Sure, there is a time and a place for good times and jokes.  If you make your personality and habits to be that of just “joking around” who do you expect to take you seriously and find your words straight?  Wisdom’s worth is only found in the mouth of the straight and righteous.  

Wisdom’s worth can be summed up in these two verses, “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her” (Prov. 8:10–11).  Some say that every man has his price.  In other words, there is something valuable enough in every person’s mind to betray everything they believe in order to obtain that “price.”  The proverbs assure that wisdom’s worth is higher than any price you may have.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011