Repetition

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 3:1-4 (day two) 

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. Vs. 3

Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, Deuteronomy 11:18-20

How do we learn? Experience, sure, it is valuable and often necessary. There are some things, basic, fundamental that are taught over and over by a remembering, a recitation, a liturgy. These foundational truths are spoken of again and again throughout scripture. It is how the ancients learned the ways of Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. The told and retold. They recited and shared. If the God knows human nature, and he does, the amount of references to this kind of learning and instruction should be a clarion call to all of us to study more, to talk of scripture more, to be comfortable hearing these words repeated. How can we follow the Word if we don’t know it?

Active Pursuit

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 2:1-15 (day two) 

Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; vs. 2

Solomon makes clear if you truly desire wisdom, it is an active pursuit. It is not enough for us to pray ‘Lord, make me wise’ and then sit back and hope for the best. There is quite a bit of housekeeping that must be done in your heart, your mind, and your daily pursuits. Chapter two of the book of proverbs is a necessary baseline for all who would pursue the wisdom of God. We must constantly be in pursuit. There should be a hunger to know the will and word of God. Beyond that knowledge we should implement those teachings into how we think and how we relate to others. This is a wholesale shift in how we look at life’s challenges. The lens of wisdom requires a submission of the heart.

Instruction Manual

Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 1:1-7 (day two) 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Vs. 7a

Do you read instruction manuals, or do you simply go as far as you can before doubling back after unsuccessfully going it on your own? I think there is a real case study in humanity here, but I will leave that to others. I confess, I am in the latter category, and time and time again I get to a place where I realize I am out of my depth. This requires a bit of humiliation, more time than I allotted, and ultimately, a reference back to the instruction manual that was sitting there the whole time. Solomon is giving us a perfect framework for the study of Proverbs. What are you wanting to get out of this study, or any study of scripture? It may be wise to put these verses close by and ask the Lord what he is revealing as you study.

Know wisdom

Discern sayings

Receive instruction

Give prudence

Acquire wise counsel

Understand Proverbs

Authority

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:24-29 (day two) When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. vs. 28-29

A good teacher will understand his students and know what they need to hear. Whether by his actions or by his words, Jesus was an excellent teacher. Perhaps you have sat in a lecture where you have been captivated by the teacher so much it seemed like a privilege to hear them speak. The last verse of our reading sums it up fairly well. Jesus had authority. He wasn’t regurgitating facts. He was the author and perfecter of our faith.

We may not be able to sit on a hillside and listen to Jesus teach, but we can trust the accounts of those who recorded these stories. Jesus’ words still have authority. He still speaks through the scriptures, through the Holy Spirit, and through the testimony of others. Our foundation should be founded upon Christ alone.

Discernment

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:15-23 (day two)  You will know them by their fruits. vs. 16a

Discernment is a skill set unsuited to our current cultural psyche. We don’t have to truly determine value and worth because there are so many other voices doing that for us. Speeches are “fact checked” in real time, and then are dissected the instant they are finished. We speak of the damage social media does to our society, and we all have several different forms on our devices. How many of us truly walk away from the constant ‘noise’ of those feeds?

Discernment is not a sound bite you can fit into a post on ‘X’. Discernment will not be found on any ‘Insta Influencer’s’ posts. When trying to determine truth from deception you will need a longer attention span. A bruised fruit and a bad fruit are not the same. We all sin, that is our fallen nature. The difference in Jesus’ analogy is that he is asking you to weigh the teaching over time, against all that you know of God. Is truth found there? Does it hold up? Truth doesn’t tell you what you want to hear. It is truth. Let us pray for discernment as we make decisions for ourselves, our families, our church, and our world.

Only the Penitent

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:13-14 (day two)  

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Are you a fan of the Indiana Jones series? Well, I certainly am, and my favorite of them all is “The Last Crusade”. At the end of the movie, and I hope I’m not spoiling this, Indy has to face various trials in order to reach the Holy Grail. The scene cuts between Indy and his dying father. The trial is called “The Breath of God” and the father keeps muttering the phrase “only the penitent man will pass”. Indy realizes that a penitent man is humble before God and must, therefore, bend the knee. I will stop there, as it is a work of fiction.

As I re-read verse 14, I am struck by the visual image Jesus creates. Small and narrow are the words he chooses. If we take this idea of someone looking for these gates, you get two different pictures. The broad gate is easy to find. You don’t have to look hard, you will practically run in to it. The small, narrow gate requires you to seek after it. Jesus’ words create a picture, in my mind, of one who is humble, penitent, aware that something will be required for entry through this gate. The requirement is our very self. We must be prepared to humble ourselves and search for the untrodden path. Jesus will be found when we are penitent of heart.

Creator and Sustainer

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:7-11 (day two) 

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! vs. 11

Jesus addresses an interesting dichotomy that exists in our very nature. The first is our sin nature. Make no mistake, we are sinners. Born under the curse of sin, none of us is born righteous. This flies in the face of any modern sensibility. You will hear people speak of human nature as basically good, and you know they are not speaking from a Christian worldview. Our bent is to sin and self-preservation.

In our sin nature, however, we are also wired with the capacity to love. We are especially wired to care for our children. We share this with virtually every species on the planet.

What separates us from the rest of creation is our capacity to recognize our sin nature. Jesus uses this ability to reason to help us look around. If we, even in our fallen state, will care for our children: If we, see God as not only creator, but sustainer: If we then, see God as providing for us as his children, we can rest in his care and provision.

Finding Fault

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:1-6, 12 (day two) 

For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. vs 2

Have you ever listened to your children, or people who have been around you a long time, using your words when they argue or complain? I have, on more than one occasion, heard my girls arguing using the same phrases I use when disciplining them. More often than not, I cringe to hear my words in their mouths. Whereas when I utter them they come out and I rarely give them thought. To hear them in their mouths is very convicting. It shows how I can often lack grace when I’m upset. Whether we recognize it or not it we often respond negatively to those things we see in others that are really a reflection of our own wounds. When tempted to find fault with someone, find your own contribution to the hurt. You are more likely, then, to show compassion. Recognize where you are weak, and ask the Lord to strengthen those areas rather than castigate someone for struggling with the same issues.

All There

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:25-34 (day two) 

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 

We have a saying in our house “talking about talking about it.” Throughout our marriage we have used this phrase in various contexts. Early on it was used as a defense strategy in an argument to prove who was ‘right.’ Rather than deal with the issue we would go around and around about how and why we got to where we were. PSA: this isn’t a good strategy for young married couples.

I have noticed in recent days we use this ‘technique’ to worry and stress about the overwhelming schedules and responsibilities that come with parenting. We won’t be able to get from point A to point B in time. We don’t have enough bandwidth to help with homework, deal with work issues, get the rest that we need, etc. We often spend so much energy on this crazy cycle it leads to a sense of near hopelessness. We can’t do it. We can’t find enough time.

The time we spent worrying adds nothing to what is before us. It often makes us dread each and every task or chore. We miss opportunities to sit and enjoy because of the next deadline. This scripture doesn’t fix our busy schedules, but perhaps gives us a lifeline in the  midst of a crazy life. If we recognize the ‘worry’ actually takes time, we might be less inclined to do it so much. Wherever God has called you today, be there. Be all there. Tomorrow isn’t going anywhere.

Treasure

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 6:19-24 (day two) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…vs 20a

We were on a trip recently and the phrase ‘jewel in your crown’ came up. The girls had never heard it before, so we had an opportunity to talk about storing up treasures in heaven. When viewed with the totality of scripture, it is an odd phrase. We know that any ‘crown’ that we could achieve will ultimately, and gladly, be laid at the feet of Jesus. The image of accruing possessions or wealth in eternity is used so that we can have some temporal understanding. I can understand money, but it would be better to understand relationship. Our treasure or jewel should be knowing Jesus. The more we know him, the more we desire to be near him. That is a treasure worth having.