A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35 ESV
Israel knew we had to love God and love others, but Jesus came and basically said, “Keep going, guys! I want you to love each other as brothers and sisters!”
We may be a dysfunctional family, but good families stick together, care for each other, and defend each other.
Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.
Ezekiel 10:18, ESV
Paul tells us that the Church is the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). His glory proceeds from the house, and we have been commissioned, as the Church, to carry His glory to the world. He helps carry us along as we are sent out.
I survived the closing of my favorite coffee shop, where I was a customer, a barista, and finally the manager.
This all leads to the extremely likely possibility of new Adventures. (Yes, this is a veiled hint as to what is coming next.)
In all things, God is good. All the time.
Fall on the promises of God, this year and always.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Two things to discuss:
1.We should encourage each other; 2.We should not neglect meeting together.
Last week at church, we had to “deal with” two men who had issue with each other. They had an awkwardness between them. Their wives had an awkwardness. Being a small house church, we dealt with feeling that awkwardness.
These two men probably did it right. They had tried talking it out, but there was still awkwardness between them. So, the pastor called them out, and told them to go talk it out. After the music started, he joined them. Eventually, they were able to come back in, and it was resolved.
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”
They did this, they were able to talk about it, but there was still an awkward tension.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
I knew what was going on, as well as the pastor, so there are at least two more people.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
(Treat them as sinner: SHOW LOVE AND GRACE! It may mean kicking someone out of church, but be willing to welcome them back while continually showing love and grace! Thankfully, this was not necessary in this instance.)
18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
(We could definitely dive into “whatever bind … loose” and “where two or three are gathered” in more detail, but that is not the focus of today!)
Many people take this passage, verse twenty in particular, to mean that we have church wherever two or three people gather. While this is true, that is not the context of this passage.
It is about church discipline.
This is about handling disputes between Christian brothers and sisters, how to get along.
And it is nice to be a part of a church that lives this out.
This passage is telling us that we should lift each other up in Christ. In this instance, we see Hebrews 10 in action: encouraging each other and not avoiding each other.
Perhaps you are dealing with problems with brothers and/or sisters in Christ: maybe a literal brother or sister, or a parent, or another relative or just a friend.
Regardless, “do not neglect meeting together” means work it out with them in the Name of Christ!
These two guys worked it out in only about five minutes.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. ~Proverbs 27:17 (Proverbs 27:14 mentions how a man who loudly greets his neighbor in the morning is an annoyance … coincidence? DEFINITELY! ;P)
In short, it takes work! Just like in marriage or other relationships, it takes work. If you have problems, you deal with it … in Christ.
Find that woman Wisdom (for example, Proverbs 8) through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!
There are two ways of looking at things (for my purposes today, at least): literally and allegorically. This is done with the Bible regularly ( in both good and correct ways and bad and incorrect ways). The Bible itself does this, as many verses in the New Testament make the allegorical connection to Jesus with Old Testament verses.
Likewise, the poem today has a double viewing in mind.
The literal view is based on the relationship I have with my wife. The message I would point to for others to take is that your significant other, specifically your spouse, should constantly point you back to God in the name of Jesus and through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The allegorical view is based on how God relates to us through His Church.
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:22-27, ESV
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:1-3
Love your husband or wife. Love the Bride of Christ. In so doing, you will see and share the love of Christ.
The woman in my life …
… makes me happy and brings me joy.
She leads me to the Father and pushes me to praise my Lord.
The woman in my life is my gift from Jesus Christ.
She mixes me up inside and also makes me smile.
The woman in my life …
… brings the love of God and shows me there is still good.
She brings me to a place of love and guides me to my God above.
This woman is a woman meant for a godly man.
If I am considered godly …
… then I must do more to honor our sovereign Lord.
I must seek His Heart and keep doing so in my heart.
If I am considered godly, it is because He made me.
I will keep my God first and give Him all He deserves.
Do not get distracted by the world’s “wisdom”. Find true wisdom through some thoughts at Proverbial Thought!
Please understand: I actually like squirrels. I had several “friends” when I first went to college at Olivet Nazarene University.
The poem today is more of a commentary on the spiritual ADD of the Western Church, and it is based on the following passages:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. . . . For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-22, ESV
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Matthew 6:5
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
Change your mind, and find the wisdom of God through some of the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!
There is no need for a great debate on Calvinism, Arminianism, Molinism, or any other -isms of soteriology (study of salvation) based on the poem today.
We should all agree that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession”. In fact, this poem is based on that very passage of Scripture:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:9-12, ESV
Regardless of how free a choice we had in the process of salvation, it is still true that God chose us as His own, and He has given us the command and the privilege of sharing the Gospel with our fallen world.
Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him,but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.
vv. 11-15, ESV
I only find this so interesting knowing of passages such as Numbers 6, which Paul would have known well:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.
“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
vv. 1-5
We all have heard about Samson. (Judges 13-16. Who, honestly, gives some credence to men keeping their hair short!)
There is evidence Paul himself took a Nazirite vow (see Acts 18:18).
Now, I am not saying all of the people who said these things are necessarily coming from a judgmental frame of mind. Most, if not all, may simply be trying to approach life from a biblical point.
However, how many times have we gotten caught up in particulars only to push people away? Whether it be hair, drinking, smoking, clothes, tattoos/piercings, end of life plans, church paint/carpet colors, political affiliation, or music choice, we could certainly show more grace to each other.
If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
1 Corinthians 11:16
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Titus 3:4-11
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charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
1 Timothy 1:3-11
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Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29
You may remember last year I wrote a series of posts about my puppy dog (the last one found here).
Soon after the New Year, we got another little guy, a little brother for our pup, if you will.
These two have an interesting way of greeting me when I come home:
When I enter the house, they start biting each other.
I could not help but think about how often we see this in churches: we begin arguing with each other, biting each other with our words.
We can get so caught up in our squabbles that we can miss out on our Father greeting us in His house, through His Holy Spirit who regenerates our hearts and pushes us to love and good works.
May we get over ourselves and put on the righteousness of Christ!
1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Titus 3:1-8, ESV
We finished getting through the book of Proverbs at Proverbial Thought last month. Our church is almost done going through the book of Proverbs on Sunday mornings. I am preaching a sermon on the last chapter of Proverbs in my preaching class next month.
I thought it would be okay to give a relatively short post about that final passage of Proverbs (chapter 31, in the ESV)!
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands. 14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar. 15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle. 20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet. 22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
The entire book of Proverbs was written to a son, specifically Solomon’s son.
When we read Kings and Chronicles we see that his children did not really listen, but that is not the point here.
In 31:1, we read “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him”. Lemuel, in Hebrew, means “For God” or “Devoted to God”. We can read this as “The words of a King devoted to God.” That makes it reasonable to assume it might be Solomon still sharing wisdom, especially since we never see the name Lemuel listed in any of the ancient kings.
Therefore, the last 22 verses of Proverbs are about how a godly and wise man can find a good wife.
It takes diligence to find her, and she is worth more than all the wealth in the world. (vv. 10, 30-31)
Her family is blessed by her work, and she by them. (vv. 11-12, 28-29)
She is a diligent and hard worker. (vv. 13-19, 27)
She helps the poor, financially and in wisdom. (vv. 20, 26)
She does not fear the elements nor the future, because she has provided excellently for her family. (vv. 21, 25)
She takes care of her home and is in the marketplace. (vv. 22, 24)
Her husband is well-respected. (v. 23)
I think Ephesians 5 sums up what this means for the family. It is not really about the wife, at least not only. It is about the husband as well.
Both love and respect each other. They have trust in each other, and they express their love, respect, and trust through word and deed. Neither is lazy, nor do they allow anything to break their bond. They protect and nurture their relationship.
And this begins before they ever meet (or, at least, before they ever get married, for those who may live with arranged marriages), though it is never too late to begin fresh!
Ultimately, this is about Jesus Christ and His Church!
As Isaiah said in chapter 61 of his book, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
And John shows us in Revelation 18-22 how the Church is the Bride of Christ. Listen for the similarities from Proverbs 31 in Revelation 19:
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And in chapter 22 we read:
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
It is the Church that perfectly exemplifies the excellent wife! It does not mean all who call themselves Christians are part of the Church, and it does not mean that we will never make mistakes. By the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God, He makes even our mistakes work for His gospel!
We have an amazing God who loves us desperately, and I pray we come to a point of desperation for Him that pushes us to live out His commands of love with a lost and broken world!
Let us prepare ourselves, as Christ’s beautiful Bride, for His return by loving others as we pursue God in the power of the Holy Spirit!
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 