It's Okay to Hate!

Blane and his "pet frog"

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
Pride and arrogance and perverted speech I hate.
Proverbs 8:13

We all know the illustration of the poor frog who gets put into a pot of boiling water. Well, not that one. He's not so poor; he just jumps out the second he feels the heat. It's the frog who is placed into the pot of cool water that we should feel sorry for. He lies there in comfort, lulled into the water and fooled into thinking that he is taking a Caribbean cruise or something. As the water heats up, he stays there--until he becomes food for some scheming chef!

My creativity has taken a turn for the worse, because I am going to
use this illustration just as many have done in the past. For us
who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, jumping into a pot of
boiling sin doesn't seem likely. We know better, it looks dangerous,
and we see the evil bubbling over. Who would do something so ridiculous as to leap into sin?

Oh, but then there is the cool, refreshing pot of _________(fill it in for yourself) lurking in the kitchen of life. Just one toe goes in. Feels good! A leg--it's great. Why not just get on in? It really won't hurt anything, no one will know, and besides, it feels good. Life is too short not to indulge once in awhile. Now this frog is lured in and ready for consumption by the scheming chef, the enemy of the faith.

As you may have noticed, I tried to lure a few readers by giving the post a rather blatant title: It's Okay to Hate! But truth be told, and I pray that I will always tell the truth, the Bible says it is.

"Hate evil, and love good......."
Amos 5:15
"...Wickedness is an abomination to my lips"
Proverbs 8:7
The apostle Paul struggled with sin just as we do. He said,

"I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Romans 7:16
Help! If Paul couldn't keep his feet out of the pot, how can I?

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! "
Romans 7:25a
There is an escape route! Sin does not have to have a stranglehold on us, dragging us into the pot. That route is through the Lord Jesus Christ.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
Romans 8:1
The best way to avoid that besetting sin is to keep our feet out of the pot!
Let's keep our feet on Solid Ground today.
Thanks for reading,
Gloria

A Sister and an Intimate Friend

"Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and
call insight your intimate friend."
Proverbs 7:4

I love to watch my daughters interact. As youngsters they were so different and not so close, but as they have grown up they have become the best of friends and developed a relationship that I might never have expected. They talk almost daily, either face to face or by phone. They bounce home schooling questions off each other, talk intimately about serious subjects, and sometimes they just laugh and laugh at the silliest things. They seek each other's knowledge and insight in various matters that alone they may not be able to grasp.

As wisdom and insight become our sister and our intimate friend we too have that privilege of seeking what is right and true. The writer of the Proverbs uses this analogy to encourage his son in his lecture concerning the adulterous woman. As we continue to consider our faithfulness to our Heavenly Husband as the Bride of Christ, here are some warnings that are given in chapter 7 about the adulterous woman:

1. She is loud and wayward. Have you ever noticed that many of the things that would draw us away from our faithfulness to God are the same way? They seem to virtually scream to us for attention, drawing our focus away from the One who gave us life and eternal love.

2. She seeks him eagerly. Sin comes crouching at the door, led by the enemy of our faith. Our resolve must be strong, and we must NEVER even crack the door, because when we do, she will often push her way in, bringing us down with her.

3. She offers delight (v.18). Moses chose "rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" Hebrews 11:25. Why is it that faithlessness to God can bring such pleasure for the moment, but then it turns so very bitter? It seems that if we could only remember that from the last time we went round this mountain!

4. She is seductive (v.21). Perhaps we forget because she seduces usagain and again with her temptations. Staying at a healthy weight is a constant battle for me. And food is seductive! I know!

5. She is a murderer (v.23). The best way to kill our fellowship with God and to adulterate ourselves with our Heavenly Husband is to succumb to the sins that so easily beset us.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..."

Hebrews 12:1-2a

Today let's keep our eyes on the Lover of Our Soul and avoid the pitfalls of sin.

Thanks for reading,
Gloria

Lamps and Lights

Early morning light in Mountain View, Arkansas

I get up in the mornings before anyone else in my household. I love the quiet of morning, the privilege of having my own quiet time without interruption. (Four little girls live with us, and they make a straight path from their rooms to our upstairs "apartment" as soon as they wake up.) But there is a distinct disadvantage to getting up in the dark:
it's dark!
I usually feel my way into the hallway, find the hall light and switch it on--after I close the bedroom door so as not to wake up my hubby.
Then I wash my face and head for the living room. I switch on a lamp,
turn off the hall light, and head for the electric tea pot,
where I turn on another light.

Light is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

"For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life."
Proverbs 6:23

The writer of Proverbs is using this passage to warn his son to avoid the adulterous woman. I can honestly say that being faithless to my husband has never been a temptation for me, so I often skim over these passages. But I have asked God to pierce my heart with His Word.

How may I apply this to my life?
I don't want to abuse the Scriptures, so I began to think about the fact that my eternal husband is the Lord Jesus Christ. I am His bride, and

I DO NOT WANT TO COMMIT SPIRITUAL ADULTERY!

I do not want to love anyone, not even my wonderful earthly husband or my precious children, or my priceless grandchildren more than I love my Lord Jesus Christ. And that has to be a possibility, because we are given many warnings in the Scriptures:

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,....showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."
Exodus 20:4:4a,c

"You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27, Mark 12:30

The Proverbs passage provides me with a wonderful clue as to how to avoid the disaster of spiritual adultery.

Turn on the lights!

Just as without a light on I stumble over the left-out shoes, walk into the furniture or catch my toe on the stair rail in the dark (I did that once--broke my toe!), without the lamp of the Word of God, the light of His teaching, or the discipline of His reproofs, I will likely become a spiritual adulteress.

Oh, my Heavenly Husband, may I keep the lights on!

Turn on the lights and have a blessed day,
Gloria

Springs and Sloughs

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life."
Proverbs 4:23

When I was a little girl I would go to my uncle's home, a farm in Louisiana, where I would drink raw milk from his cows and where my cousin Mike and I would play in the natural spring that bubbled and flowed happily near his house. What fun we would have! It was one of those unforgettable experiences. My little heart would swell with joy as I jumped and played (and drank) in that stream. I didn't get sick, so I guess it was pure enough!

Our lives should be much like that stream, flowing happily, bubbling over with the joy of life, pure, and shining in the sunshine of God's wisdom. I believe that diligence is the key word in this verse. We must keep our heart with all diligence, working continually to obey the words of Scripture and to hide them in our hearts.

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." Psalm 119:11

Slough (slew):
A stagnant swamp, marsh, bog, or pond, especially as part of a bayou, inlet, or backwater.

Yuk! Have you ever walked through a slough? Not so fun! It bogs you down, fighting against you as you try to cross, causing you to stumble, and just might fall right into it. It doesn't smell very good, either! That is what I think of when I read verse 16 of Proverbs 4:

"For they {the wicked} cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble."

Now, what do we want to flow out of us--springs of life or a smelly old slough?
(That is a rhetorical question, by the way!)

My prayer for all of us today is that from us will flow springs of life as we offer refreshing water to all with whom we come in contact.
Drink heartily!

Love,
Gloria

What Our Eyes See

"Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment {medicine} to your bones. Proverbs 3:7-8

Have you ever seen an optical illusion? It can be very deceiving. There is a hill on a road in Lake Wales, Florida, that can certainly mess with your mind. If you park your car on the hill, you appear to be going downhill when you are really going uphill! What we see is not always what we get.

Unfortunately, we sometimes live our lives in a sort of optical illusion. We become wise in our own lives and don't think that we need anyone, even God, to tell us what to do. We have it all together!

These verses in Proverbs might have a few hints for us to help us determine whether our wisdom is from God or is just an optical illusion. I love teens; they are some of my favorite people. But I have seen with my own children and grandchildren as well as other teens that there seems to come a time when most of them begin to become "wise in their own eyes." What are some of the symptoms that are implied in verses 7-8 of Proverbs 3? I took the opposite view of the commands in those verses and noted some important lessons:

1. One who is wise in her own eyes does not fear the Lord. Remember the definition of the fear of the Lord: the painful but motivating awareness that God is watching, weighing and judging everyone of our words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. How often we forget that we have a Hound of Heaven watching us!

2. One who is wise in her own eyes is reluctant to turn away from evil. Evil raises its ugly head in so many ways--disobedience, wrong friendships, rebellious attitudes. You can name others, because, like me, you have probably been there.

3. One who is wise in her own eyes needs healing. Even when we "think" we know it all, something in us just does not feel right. God's wisdom leads to healing; man's wisdom brings a sickness not necessarily associated with the physical, but sometimes so.

4. One who is wise in her own eyes is always in need of refreshment. When we are wise in our own eyes, we cannot experience the joy that comes with applying the wisdom of God. Obedience to God brings joy--great joy. Self is out of the way so that we may receive the medicine of refreshment.

5. One who is wise in her own eyes does not know the special blessings of the Lord. Proverbs 3:18 says, "She {wisdom} is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed."

What a mighty God is He who allows us to partake of His insight!

It is my prayer today that we will all lay hold of wisdom, the tree of life, and that we will know the blessing that comes with it.

Have a blessed and refreshing day!

Gloria

Searching for Hidden Treasure

"If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom..."
Proverbs 2:4-6a

Something struck me as I read this passage:

Obtaining wisdom is hard work!

Have you ever lost your glasses? First of all, you don't see very well, which makes it rather difficult. You search and search, knowing that without them you will have a rather ineffective day. Without wisdom our lives are void of the effectiveness that we desire to have, much like when we are without our glasses, which give us clarity.

There is great value in obtaining wisdom.

If you were certain that somewhere beneath your house there was a cache of several million dollars, would you be willing to have it raised and begin the process of digging like crazy to find it? My house is only worth a couple hundred thousand at this point, so yes, I would be willing to go to much trouble to find a hidden treasure worth millions. And do you know what? That treasure would be much less valuable than the wisdom that I am told to seek after.

The Lord is the Giver of wisdom.

I don't have to dig up my house to find the wisdom of God. I only have to dig into His Word. It costs me little but time, and I believe that it is much time--quantity as well as quality--that He desires us to spend as we seek wisdom in His Word. We have time for the things that are most important to us.
We have time!

My encouragement to us all is that we spend quality and quantity time in His Word as we seek His wisdom.

May you be blessed with the wisdom of the Holy One.
Gloria

Complacency vs. wisdom

We spent a warm, enjoyable 10 days in
sunny Southern and Central Florida. The cold and rain back home is chilling! But it is always good to get back to the routine of daily living.

Complacency vs Wisdom

The most memorable definition that I have heard of wisdom is this:
"Wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective."
I often pray for wisdom when I am seeking the right answer to a situation. I want God's perspective.
But how do I obtain it?

Proverbs 1:1-6:

" The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth--Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles."

There is much wisdom in the Proverbs, the book of wisdom. But how do we absorb and utilize the wisdom found in the Proverbs?

Proverbs 1:7:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction."

My favorite definition of the fear of the Lord:
"The fear of the Lord is the painful but motivating awareness that
God is watching, weighing and judging every one
of my words, thoughts, actions and attitudes."

Now that will put the fear of the Lord in you!

So according to the Proverbs, the first step to wisdom is to fear God. Somehow I think that that entails more than just an awesome awareness of God, as important as that is. I am afraid to slip into sin and complacency because I know that my most loving Father is a just and righteous God who does not allow sin to go unpunished.

com·pla·cen·cy (km-plsn-s)n.

1. A feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction, especially when coupled with an unawareness of danger, trouble, or controversy.

Proverbs 1:32-33: "For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."


Thank you for reading, and it is my prayer for all of us that we will listen to the wisdom of our eternal God and apply it to our lives.
Gloria