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

Here I Am, Lord

I have a wonderful, beautiful friend named Angie who is confined to a wheelchair for life and to a life of suffering. She is my role model, one of the most beautiful women I have ever known. Her eyes are always lit up, and her smile is endless. She can only talk in a whisper, and many people, including myself at times, have a hard time reading her lips. Yet she shouts praise to the Lord and encouragement to all those around her. She shines bright in the lives of so many.

She sent me this video with John Michael Talbot's song, "Here I Am, Lord." Please take the time to watch it; then call or write or email someone in your life who exemplifies this most wonderful of videos.

http://www.openmyeyeslord.net/This Journey.exe

Angie, I love you!

Thanks for watching the video,
and thanks for reading my blog.
You are loved!
Gloria

Before Dawn

Just before sunrise in Mt. View, Arkansas

I rise before sunrise and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise." Psalm 119:147-48

This verse stood out to me in the Psalms as I spent time in my devotionals this morning. As you likely do, I have loved ones whom I am praying for daily--sick ones, young ones, old ones and sin-sick ones. And indeed I do rise before sunrise most mornings and cry for help.

But two proverbs also struck me as I read this morning:

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him. Proverbs 15:8
and
The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29

I know that I am found righteous through my faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary . That is a promise for eternity. But I believe that these verses are applicable to daily living. Am I living like one who is declared worthy of heaven and all that it includes? I want my prayers for my loved ones to be heard, to be acceptable to my Heavenly Father. I fear that even though I rise before the sunrise every day, if my living is not upright and righteous then my prayers are to no avail.

I must apply Psalm 119:11 at all times.

"Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

I pray that as this speaks to me that it will speak to you as well today.

Thanks for reading my contemplations, and
Have an upright day!
Gloria

Linda at
www.prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com
is having a party!
Be sure to go to her site and join the party.
And you will surely want to follow this precious lady.

Have a great day.

It's cloudy and rainy here in Central Arkansas and our birthday party has been moved from the park to the church fellowship hall.
But it's okay.
We are just thankful for a church that shares so generously.

Love and prayers,
Gloria

Oh! I forgot to tell you
we are expecting grandbaby #13--
a baker's dozen!