“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”
The Lord’s Prosperity
The last entry I wrote on 2:16-19 mentioned people preaching a message other than Christ. One of those mentioned was “wealth and health,” which some have called a “Prosperity Gospel”. Something quite interesting about this passage is that some translations of the Bible mention long life and “prosperity.” The Message puts it this way:
They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.
Honestly, I like the way the KJV and others put it “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” Let us look at what remembering the Lord’s commands means:
Peace:
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep…
Another reminder: we are going through the book of Proverbs one little passage at a time twice a day. Go read, like, and subscribe. You will be so thankful.
Daniel
“That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.”
Getting to the Root
Verse 22 offers a picture of trees being pulled out by their roots. Yet roots are notoriously difficult to remove, particularly if a tree is substantial and has been established for a long time. Evil is a tree that has become deeply rooted in society, and in the world in general.
While it is easy to get frustrated about the abundance of evil in our world, it is even more frustrating when we look back because it seems as if nothing has changed with time. Three thousand years ago the writers of the…
I missed a couple of days, but here is another reminder to check out (and follow) my friends and me at Proverbial Thought (& More) as we make our way through Proverbs yet again, but now twice a day!
Daniel
“To deliver thee from the way of the evil [man], from the man that speaketh froward things;”
Discretion that Delivers
How many of you have ever heard the phrase, “discretion is the better part of valor?” Well, whether you have or not, the phrase comes from the words of a character in one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Actually, it was a cowardly knight, Falstaff, who faked his own death in order escaped being killed. He said, “The better part of valor is discretion, in the which better part I have sav’d my life.” – Henry the IV
As opposed to acting with courage and honor, Falstaff justified his cowardice by essentially saying, “Look, I assessed the situation and determined that doing the honorable thing would have left me a dead hero. My discretion has saved my life and allowed me to fight another day.” In reality, Falstaff disgraced…
“Is your Saturday a day off, a day of preparation, or maybe both? Sunday is coming; are you ready for it? I guess it really all depends on to whom you think the day belongs…the One who made it, or the one who uses it.” – A. Baker
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
MATTHEW 11:28, NASB
The Great Physician has healed our souls and can give rest to our spirit. Should we not invite others to worship him and discover this healing and rest?
There is a running theory that atheists and even many Christians believe that God does not prove His existence.
Take as a prime example the god of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”:
“I refuse to prove that I exist,” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I an nothing.”
“But,” says Man, “the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn’t it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don’t. QED.”
“Oh dear,” says God, “I hadn’t thought of that,” and promptly vanished in a puff of logic.
(emphasis added)
This is a fun exercise, but a) I defined faith in the last video, discrediting the second point of faith made here, and b) ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE does God say He would not offer proof.
In fact, Psalm 19:1 exclaims “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”
In Romans 1:18-20, Paul says:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
No, God has offered proof and calls for humanity to pay attention.
Basically, it is in the complexity and obvious orderedness of Creation, including the human body and mind.
The ultimate proof, though, may begin to sound like an overused cliche that I have used time and again: Jesus of Nazareth was God incarnate, who came as a man to talk with humanity, lived a perfect life, claimed the Hebrew Scriptures were about Him, predicted His death and resurrection claiming they would validate His message and that He is God, and then did it! (See 1 Corinthians 15)
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!
a simple man of God 