More about gift giving

My children when they wanted back into my good graces, brought me tiny flowers from the grasses, or twigs, snake eggs... the ususal. Anything to reconnect.  Being in the florist industry for a lot of years, I saw a lot of flowers sent by men who wished to reopen doors with spouses or girlfriends.  Also, so many sent flowers just prior to first dates. We often saw businesses send flowers to new customers, or following successful negotiations.  Grande Openinings were often celebrated by the community, by sending flowers to the new business in congratulations.  All were gifts comunicating a sentiment that was sincerely felt. 
Some nature shows I have seen, have shown various birds or animals bringing gifts, often flowers or sticks to a perspective mate. This appears to be something God designed into living things. God awaits opportunities to give to us. I loved putting aside discipline to share moments with my children who were giving me their tiny gifts. The sooner we could put strong words into the past, the better.  For children, discovery, and sharing that discovery teaches the child the joy of finding something precious found in the natural world.  But the idea of using it, at some point as a gift is inate. Every child does it. I think how it is probably universal. Any child around the world might give flowers to a mother and delight in her response.  No wonder young men have gathered whole bouquets to impress.  What comes to mind is the usufulness for something God-given as a gift. God built a spirit of giving into our nature, but he also built a love of creation into our emotional make up, and then provided the gift. He put everything in place so it could be an easy thing. God not only admonishes us to give, but he provides the gift.  We should look around for the thing that will come from the Lord as much as from us when we give our gifts.  Often it is of no cost. Give a hug.  Hugs and kisses became love gifts of greeting in most cultures, and in the animal world. Sharing what blessed us can be a gift.  I recently found fossils of tiny bird tracks,  in a place where the wind and water are washing great parts of the earth from around a nearby lake.  I plan to give a piece to my grandsons.
Lord, open my eyes to how I may be more giving.  AMEN

The Key to Someone's Heart

I knew that giving is a theme from the heart of God, but I never really put it into a big picture.  It is a BIG theme in the desires of God's heart.  Proverbs 18:16 says it is a key to opening doors into the presence of great men, a means of making room for you in a place where perhaps there wasn't room.

For the next few days I want to make note of the verses and occassions that share this principle, and help me see the bigger picture.

Subject: making room.  There was no room in the Inn for Joseph and Mary the night of Jeus' birth. The inn keeper is often portrayed as crass for putting them up in the barn with the animals, but he made room for them, somewhere.  We aren't told in the story that Joseph gave the Inn keeper a gift.  But the gift to the inn keeper and the world was the baby himself.  Knowing that a baby was about to be born, this man had enough passion to find them room where there wasn't any.  But another story of gifts is found in the nativity story. The shepherds brought what they had to share when they came immediately to visit the newborn.  But their best gift was one of praise.
About the time Jesus was two, the Magi came bearing gifts, and the used some of those gifts to gain access to King Herod. And upon finding Jesus, they gave their best gifts, to the greater King.  Herod is the picture of the antithesis of the principle, for he did not make room in his life for a more precious King. Instead he focused on the threat that someone might take his place, and he let jealousy, and fear over take his heart and mind. To the point of seeking small innocent children, and having them killed. He let Satan convince him a baby was a threat to his kingdom.  He was king of the Jews. Yet he knew nothing of a messiah King. 
Lord, open my eyes to the greater gifts, and the bigger picture.  Help me as I study gifts and giving to see you working.  Help me grow to be a giver of good gifts. AMEN

NO MORE DARKNESS ON MY PATH

When Jesus came, everything changed in this world.  Joseph Prince made a couple of illustrations this morning that really took my understanding of the darkness along the path illustration to a new level. Each time we go to the Old Testament to find how to live better, we run the risk of taking on a legal view of how God wants us to live. How can we rebuff the laws and admonitions of the God we serve? Aren't we supposed to use them to grow in righteousness?
Brother Prince used the example of the woman who was brought to Jesus to ask if she should be stoned for her sins. We all know the story of how he bent to write on the ground and say, "let him who is without sin, throw the first stone."
We have been given the image from youth of Christ writing in the sand. But Brother Prince explained that Jesus was in front of the temple, when only large stones would have been. Jesus' writing where he stood, on the stones, set an image that the accusers probably would have not missed...one of God writing the commandments in stone.  Jesus was the carver of the 10 commandments and he had the power to understand them better than any man there.
Brother Prince went on to remind us that the accusers could not throw a stone, for the the only person there who was without sin was Jesus. And taking it one step further, the only person who could throw a stone was the one who made the laws. "The one who could have thrown the stone, did not."  Jesus broke the law and remained without sin. How could that be?

Brother Prince's companion illustration was one that, although from another reference, is the same thought as the Proverb I shared earlier in the week. Prov. 4: 26 and 6:23.  The example being that life is like walking a path, where God shines the light where he wants us to go. And that being surrounded by darkness, helps keep us on the path.  Brother Prince's illustration was that the Old Testament concept of walking in the law was like everytime we walk in righteousness we are walking on the lighted path, and when we walk in sin, not in God's perfect will, we are walking in darkness.  His visual illustration, which demonstrated that we get off the lighted path several times a day, made me laugh.  Walking the path, and side stepping to the right or left as if walking several steps off the path and then back on, and then back off, etc. wears you out just looking at it. But it is how we try to live.  But Brother Prince helped us see that since Christ's death and ressurection, life is not like stumbling in the dark until we get the good sense to get back on the lighted path. It is like God bringing the lighted path back under us whenever we get off.  Our sins are always in a state of "as if we never sinned." Our paths are forever lighted in God's eyes, because of Christ's deliverance, our salvation.
The thing Christ did for the law when he died and rose from the grave, is he took the law to a new level. The truth illustrated in Christ's sacrificial death was always illustrated from the Garden of Eden, when God slew the lamb and made coverings for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve didn't take off the new clothes and say, well God I don't think I can figure out how to live this way. We will just stay in our sin. They knew from that point that there was a covering for their sin. God loved them and provided a way to live in spite of their disobedience.
 Satan has always been present to try and trick us into believing there is no recompense for sin. To make us believe that our God in his great justice is impossible to please, that we can never live sinless, so why try.  At the same time the evil one, is always the one who was blinding our path, putting stubling blocks along the way, and accusing us of being off the path.
We, like Adam, could be pursuaded to say that it is really not our fault if we cannot stay on the path. With Christ's death, there is no excuse. God who shines the light on our path, has set up an instant lighting system. When we get off the path, the switch which reads "Under the Blood, forgiven" automatically switches on and we keep on walking in God's blessing. It doesn't destroy the presense of sin, just the power it has over us. Sin resides in the darkness, and where God shines light there is no sin. It is forgiven and we keep pressing on. The power of the sin in our lives is Destroyed by God's everpresent light in our lives.
In the book of Job, Job's accusers are like all the good people today who just don't get it.  The church has lost it's way. If we would choose to see the truth and power in *the light drives out sin principle, we could live in the realm of Christ's reality. I don't know about you, but I want that life.
It is unlike a church in Europe which is popular, which says sin no longer exists and we don't have to worry about it or have responsibility to live Christ-like lives. This *principle does not negate sin as a real and debilitating obstacle in our lives. It resolves it. There is a major difference.  Acknowleging sin and accepting Christ's direction is a far cry from pretending sin doesn't exist, and living in denial. One is freedom, and one is ever deepening entrapment.  It would be wise to know and understand the difference.  The scriptures are full of admonitions to do just this.
If by my questions, I in any way caused you to believe I disagree with Brother Prince you have not understood my writings. I use questions to make people think.  It works well with children, but many adults don't stop to think. They believe what they have always been told.  The Proverbs are among many verses which ask us to review how we think. To let God renew and change our minds, as he reveals his truth.  Knowing the truth lights our path so we may see as God sees us.  Just because God sees our path as always lighted, doesn't mean we see it that way.  God calls us to open our hearts and minds to his truth. And live our lives from His perspective!
Lord, open the eyes of your servants, and children all over the world, but let it begin with me and my family.  Please, help us to understand the work the blood has done and is doing in our lives.  WE ARE FORGIVEN.  Not will be, but are. Every minute of everyday, I acknowlege, I am a sinner, and I am forgiven.  I am always on your lighted path, so help me Glorify you by not kicking on so many emergency light switches. LOL I want to live, like I know I am always in your light. Engrave in my memory the fact that your light is ever-present, and that is why I can walk the path by faith.  AMEN

Companion thoughts on Proverbs 6:23

Men who sought to know God in the days of the Old Testament were seeking God’s direction on their lives just as we do today.  Each one who was a seeker, linked wisdom directly with knowing the mind of God about how to act, live, and relate in this world.  They truly wanted to have the character of God, to the best of their ability to understand it. But, looking to the Commandments and the Laws, which God gave Moses, they sometimes found themselves at odds with God, just as we do.

Being emotional beings we sometimes react out of our feelings.  So when we find ourselves in a place of disobedience we feel like hiding, or running, or making excuses for our behavior, like any child would do.  As parents we lay down the law, and give consequences to our children, and are frightened and disappointed when they shy away from us, or lie about having committed the offense.  We are no different before the Lord.  Doing what is against God’s wishes for us makes us feel like hiding our face from Him sometimes.  As parents, all we really want is to provide guidance that will keep our children from harm.  To help them see how to get through life a little easier, and build in them good character.

Proverbs 6:23 reminds us that God’s desire is the same.  Solomon who was well known for delving into all things wise saw wisdom as the jewel to seek in life. But we often find him dissatisfied, and seeking for more. We see him wrestling with how to live and then in one significant verse he seems to get it.  This is one of those verses.  It’s the “Ahhh” verse, when the writer finds relief, when he realizes that Laws and Commandments are God’s way of shedding light on our daily walk, not a hot iron of pain driving us away.

What makes the difference? It is how we see what God is doing for us. 

It isn’t cliché to say that when we are older we look back and understand why our parents disciplined us, whether we agree with how they do it or not.  As we mature, we are enlightened; we can “see” the benefits. 

Today’s passage in context reads:

My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest it shall lead thee, when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.  Proverbs 6: 20-23

1.      Accept the lamp and the responsibility of owning it.  In order to have light, you need a lamp. The light of instruction, whether from parents or God is a gift.  Not a burden - a GIFT. There’s responsibility that goes with owning the lamp. In their day - buy the oil and trim the wick; in ours - pay the light bill, and keep new bulbs handy.  Batteries for the flashlight,,etc.  Responsibility with scripture? – Bind it to your heart, and wear it like the jewel it is.

2.      See it for what it is and turn it on. Ever drive your car with a failing alternator? It is the law to have good lights on your car, but you don’t maintain the lights on your car because of the law.  The value in having lights on the car is to see the road! They “lead you” and make clear the lines on the road, the hazards along the way, and they enlighten the signs of instruction and direction. Would you run away from your car because it has lights? Why run from the light of God’s word. See it as a tool for safety.  Knowing your are safe will help you sleep better.

3.      Rest, knowing you based the walk for that day on His precepts.  Kids like night-lights in their rooms, feeling they keep the “monsters” at bay. Ever wonder at the amount of light it takes to see how to get to the bathroom in the dark. Not much.  But boy is it nice not to have to search for that light.  You and your kids can rest at night, knowing that tiny light is making you secure in the darkness. It doesn’t take a big light to scare away the evil one. Just a tiny verse with power.

4.      Let the light talk to you. I can still hear some of my mother’s sayings ringing in my ears.  Hers was a fire and brimstone kind of admonition. “Heap coals of fire on their head,” she would say.  She sort of forgot the “Love your enemy” part.  She seemed to believe, if you prayed real hard, then God would do something nasty to your enemy. LOL But if you learn the verse properly, it will speak to you.  The still small voice of the spirit will bring the very verse you need to mind. Or it will be glaring at you from a church sign, at the bottom of a bulletin, on your facebook page, or on the bumper sticker on the car you almost hit.  God will get your attention, and focus you on his instruction, if you ask him.

5.      Don’t hate the stop sign.  When the big red sign on your path says “STOP”, it means it.  And for good reason. “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” Without them, there is definite danger. One night, returning from a Flower and Gifts Show I did for a lady, who lived in an area unfamiliar to me, I was focusing on my instructions intensely to get back home without getting lost. It was late. And the cars coming toward me blinded me with their lights. I recalled that a recent news person had said one should focus on the outside line of the road when cars passed with bright lights, looking just above it to notice signs and obstacles until your eyes refocused.  I was doing exactly that, when after a car passed me, I realized I was headed straight for a dirt bank, and with no warning was crossing through the intersection at a dead end!  On a country back road, I was running 55 mph.  Although, I reacted immediately, I hit the bank going at least 25 mph.  My lights showed me the bank and the intersection, but not in time to stop. That is what the Stop sign was supposed to be for. Since I was looking straight at the side of the road, because of the oncoming car, how did I miss the stop sign?  All I could think of was that I could have killed someone.  It was by God’s grace, that a volunteer fireman, who worked at the firehouse directly across from my shop, was the next car passing.  He stopped to help me, and since I was a little addled, by the vase in the back of the car which came flying forward and hit me in the back of the head, it took a minute to tell him what was on my mind.  “How could I not see a stop sign when I was looking exactly in that direction?” I asked him. I explained what happened, and he looked back at a huge, 3 foot sign, high on the post, so it could be seen from a long way back. After some investigation, they determined that the huge sign was higher than car lights could shine on. It was only effective for big trucks after dark. My lights never hit that sign at all, so I never saw it. My benign accident got the sign changed and maybe saved someone else’s life. Lighted signs, even ones that say stop, are the stuff of life. Reproofs of instruction - condemning judgment, criticism, censure – the things that warn us to stop and take a second look, can be that which ensure life! God didn’t put the signs up on his level, but down on ours.

Thank you Lord, for the jewel of thy word. Help me learn it and learn to live by it, and to walk in its light.  Help me never to miss the Stop signs, and may I always have “fresh batteries” in my spiritual flashlight.  Thank you Lord Jesus – light of my life. AMEN

Bible Words Graphic: Words and Principles that start with Letter P

Proverbs 4:26 Ponder the Path of thy feet.

Plan - Prepare - Prosper

Pick out particular words from scripture and

Put away the Precious Promises.

Then, Perform the Perfect Will of God.

Find the truths of God that will strengthen your resolve

"when  the going gets rough."