Proverbs 11:2

Pride leads only to shame; it is wise to be humble.

Proverbs 10:4

Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.

The lazy person sits around wishing he was rich.

No one ever sat around on the couch watching TV for a year and suddenly became a great violin player.

I’m just sayin’…doesn’t happen.

This applies to our spirit as well.  It takes intentional focus to feed your spirit and mature it. Becoming spiritually strong, like becoming a great violin player, does not just happen by itself. You don’t hear testimony that “God just zapped me in an instant one day making me a spiritually mature disciple! I had no training or experience to go through at all!” Hmmm, this is sounding similar to a diet pill infomercial…

We may be instantly zapped with desire  for God, but not maturity.

You’re not a good husband or wife just because you said “I do” one day. Do couples know each other better on their wedding day or on their 30th anniversary?

Do not confuse calling, gifting, or anointing with maturity.

John 4:42

“We believe too,” they said to the woman, “but it’s no longer because of what you told us. We’ve heard Him ourselves! We know that He really is the One! He’s the Savior of the world!”

There’s belief. And then there’s knowing.

You may believe via hearing from a person, reading the Bible, listening to a sermon, or even witnessing a transformed life.

But belief crosses over into knowing when you hear directly from God Himself.

When you experience firsthand the presence of God, from seeking Him alone directly or from a near death experience or simply from God’s relentless pursuit of you, you obtain a new level of awareness and knowledge of the Holy One that is unshakeable.

Check yourself to make sure you are seeking God Himself and not people, mere information, or life enhancement. All that is not God will eventually fail you.

I have no good besides You. Psalm 16

Proverbs 9:4-6

“Whoever is simpleminded-turn aside here,” she says to those who lack heart. “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I mixed. Abandon simplemindedness and live. March on the path of understanding.”

Woman Wisdom here calls out to the “simpleminded.” These are neither the wise nor the foolish who Proverbs speaks so much to and about. These are the naive and immature. They are not committed to either side.

She invites them to her home to share a meal. In the ancient Near East this had erotic overtones. Woman Wisdom wants an intimate relationship with the man. Not just to be an acquaintance and know one another on the surface, but to deeply know one another and affect the heart.

Is this not what Jesus invites us to? To share life and heart? To deeply know Him and soak in being known by Him. Dare we even say to be in one another, as this language of intimacy suggests?

Jesus calls to those who are not living a life of depth. He invites all to a life of intimacy, meaning, and purpose. To spend time with Him.

Broad Ripple Park is right behind our house. There is much to enjoy there. But only if we actually go inside and partake.

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

I am not the answer for anybody.

God through me may be the answer for somebody, if I allow Him to shine through me, so others see more of Him and less of me.

Proverbs 8:4

I call to you, all of you! I raise my voice to all people!”

Jesus is calling out to all people.

Perhaps you or I will have the honor to help someone recognize His voice today.

If we will listen to Him and be attuned to Him all day today…

Listening.

So foundational. So needed. What if we began everyday determined to listen to God all day? To do our best to stay attuned to His voice throughout the day (perhaps with the help of post-it notes or phone chimes?). Not beating ourselves up when we fail, but simply getting right back to it as soon as we realize we have strayed.

I think this would take us from self absorption and loathing to thankfulness and freedom.

It would take us from “I’m so pathetic and needy” (newsflash: we all are), to “I’m so thankful for Jesus’ abiding presence, peacefulness, guidance, comfort, and gentleness that is always there for me to keep coming back to.”

One of those mindsets I believe Satan would love to keep us in, and the other I believe Jesus would love to keep us in.

John 2:14-16

“You mustn’t turn my father’s house into a market!”

The Temple, that great symbol, had become terribly distorted, and worthy of destruction, for a Temple replacement had arrived.

And now, since Jesus, we are all Temples, dwelling places of  the Ruach Elohim (Holy Spirit).  May our dwelling places not suffer the same distortion as did the first century Temple. May they be houses of prayer to our Father.

John 1:1-18

LOGOS

The Word is the person of the Godhead through whom the world was created, who took on human nature in history and who is the source of light and life for humanity…that prophetic word which goes forth from God’s mouth to accomplish creation, judgement, redemption and renewal. John uses logos because it is the natural word for expressing the meaning of the Hebrew word dabar when that word was used in the context of God’s revelation. Beginning with its first sentences the Gospel asserts that Jesus is God’s final Revelator (cf. Heb. 1:1-2).

The purpose for developing an intimate relationship with Woman Wisdom is to block out an illicit relationship with the “strange/foreign” woman. This language refers not to an ethnically or politically foreign woman but to one who is outside social custom and law….

It is telling that the father mentions flattery as the first characteristic of the woman that might attract the son to an illegitimate relationship. It is not her beauty but her appeal to the man’s vanity that is so dangerous.

-Tremper Longman III

Proverbs 6:21-23

We remind each other of what is Truth because it gives us life, because we care for each other.

Proverbs 5:22

An evil man will be caught in his wicked ways; the ropes of his sin will tie him up.

The great lie:

Going against our Creator’s loving guidelines will bring you freedom.

Actions contrary to the laws of the universe as set up by the Maker of said universe will only become the ropes that tie you up, robbing you of the freedom He bought for you and wants to give you out of His great abundance and love.

Luke 23:45

The veil of the temple ripped down the middle.

Why did the veil rip?

So we could make more rules?

To establish the right denomination?

To show the correct doctrine and tradition?

What was accomplished by this cosmic act of Jesus of Nazareth?

Direct access to the presence of God for EVERY human being.

It is available to all 7 billion people right NOW.

This was simply unavailable to all people before this event. Hard to comprehend this. Hard to comprehend how Jesus’ work has been both abused and neglected.

From what I understand of ancient Judaism, only one priest could enter the presence of God once a year in one special place.

God is no longer “confined” to the temple. We can see Him anywhere, anytime. No place or time is more sacred than another. Easter Sunday is no more sacred than, say, Thursday October 16th. The most beautiful cathedral in the world is no more holy than the northwest corner of my dirty garage.

Proverbs 4:13

Always remember what you have been taught, and don’t let go of it.

Proverbs 4:20-23

My child, pay attention to my words; listen closely to what I say.

Don’t ever forget my words; keep them always in mind.

They are the key to life; they bring health to the whole body.

Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.

Proverbs 4:25

Keep your eyes focused on what is right, and look straight ahead to what is good.

Is someone on your nerves right now?

Ask yourself which you are doing more:

Talking about them, or praying for them?

One of those sends out positive energy and takes you from incoherence to shalom.

The other sends out negative energy and perpetuates division and ill feelings.

Which do you want?

Luke 22:20

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood which is poured out for you.”

Covenants were ratified with the blood of sacrifice. At the Passover in Exodus, the blood of a lamb was used. On what we call “Good Friday”, the perfect Lamb of God was quite literally the end all be all perfect sacrifice poured out for humanity.

Jesus’ death inaugurated the benefits of the new covenant. Jesus died on behalf of and in place of his disciples. His death cleared the way for people to be rightly related to God, a relationship in which God also pours his Spirit on them through Jesus.

Behind the action stands the loving commitment of God to take the initiative and suffer sacrifice in order to restore a broken relationship with humanity.

These blessings were for those who acknowledged that Jesus is the promised Messiah and sought the forgiveness and enabling life he offered.

These quotes by Darrell L. Bock are a great reminder and summary of the gospel, of what we as Christians believe and trust.

I’ve been thinking and reading a lot this week about our covenantal relationship with God. That it’s more about who we love than what we believe. That at its foundation is trust. In a covenantal relationship such as a marriage, trust is foundational. If you can’t trust your spouse, you’re on the shakiest of ground. It’s been said of relationships, “If you don’t have trust, you don’t have anything.”

What is not foundational to relationships is completely understanding the other person. Raise your hand if you completely understand your spouse. OK, I see no hands.  Now raise your hand if you completely understand God. Riiiiight. Yet how often we think we need to figure it all out. Can we completely trust God, or our spouse, without totally understanding or comprehending him or her?

I think so.

I’ve come to realize and experience that this is what God desires of us. Trust in Him, whatever may come, however things may look. This is what I want from my children, for sure. I’d like for them to understand me, yes, but I really want them to trust me that I know and want what’s absolutely best for them. Trust that my “rules” are put in place to form you into being a good person, not to deprive you of anything good.

Love and trust.

…one of the many differences between “magical” and biblical faith is that magic is about engaging in behaviors that ultimately benefit the practitioner, while biblical faith is about cultivating a covenantal relationship with God that is built on mutual trust.

(Magic is generally understood to involve people engaging in special behaviors that empower them to gain favor with, or to otherwise influence, the spiritual realm in order to get it to work to their advantage.)

-Gregory A. Boyd

Proverbs 3:1-4

My child, never forget the things I have taught you.

I need constant reminders of truth.

This is what we do for one another.

One year ago today I was returning from our first Ripple Effect retreat at St. Meinrad. While there, I was shown again the importance of surrounding myself with pointers to Jesus. We are bombarded by the world’s philosophies and ways as soon as we walk out the door. At the monastery, however, I am struck by how I am bombarded with Jesus, and after a day or two, it’s almost as if it is work to think in the flesh. There, everywhere you look, is a reminder of Christ. The crucifix in the weight room is pure awesomeness.

I understand why it is good to bind these truths around your neck.

Now I’m “that guy” who has a cross hanging in the car, icthus on the front of the car, bronze Jesus on the bookshelf, plastic Jesus in the living room, icon by the front door, and on and on. I want those reminders for my heart everywhere.

I believe God made us a portable sanctuary, and I want to decorate every corner of it with His beauty and truth.

Luke 21:34

“So watch out for yourselves,” said Jesus, “that your hearts may not grow heavy with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this life, so that that day comes upon you suddenly.”

Dissipation-a wasting by misuse; mental distraction; amusement; diversion; dissolute way of living especially excessive drinking of liquor; intemperance.

I hear Jesus saying:

“Do not let your heart become heavy with the cares of this life. Whenever you feel weighed down by the worries of this world, I want you to immediately think of me, come to me, talk to me, rest in me. For I am above this world, beyond this world, transcend this world. I am the only one who can give your soul the true rest you are searching for. No one can give you what I can give you, what I want to give you-if only you come to me of your own surrendered will. I made you and I know you like no other person can possibly know you. Therefore I can give you what no other person or thing can possibly give you.”

Proverbs 2

The sincere pursuit of true wisdom will inevitably lead to God.

Luke 20:41-44

Then Yeshua said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is Ben-David? For David Himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘ADONAI said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”‘ David then calls Him ‘Lord’; so how is He his son?” [TLV]

This is kind of a difficult passage to get a handle on. After much lucubration last night, well, I’m still a little confused. But not as much! And let me tell you, nothing outweighs prayer and listening when it comes to Scripture reading. Study is good, but praying it, meditating upon it, and listening to the Holy Spirit through it–way better!

The take-away for me here is that God is always transcending our pre-conceived notions of Him, as well as our own images of God. Encountering God is ever new, ever surprising, as Jesus was ever surprising to the Jewish people of His day.

It was a quite popular mindset in the Judaism of the first century that the Messiah would definitely come through the line of David, and under him the golden age would come and Israel would become the greatest nation in the world. It was a dream of political power (and quite understandable when you study the history). Some great descendent of David would come and be an invincible captain and king. So this idea of the Son of David was mixed with world dominion, military prowess, and material conquest.

Jesus came to set the record straight.

Very straight.

Jesus told them, and tells us, to revise your idea of Messiah, of God. I love in the movie Get Shorty how John Travolta’s character, Chili Palmer, would answer the question “Who are you?” with “I’m the one telling you how it is.” Well, we see he stole that line from Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus is the one telling us how it is. Setting us straight. Telling us the truth about God.

In this pericope, Jesus is saying, in essence, “You think of the coming Messiah as Son of David. True, He is. But He is far more than that. He is Lord.” Jesus, quoting from Psalm 110, emphasizes that He is Lord of David, indeed, Lord of all. Jesus interprets Scripture as God meant it. Being born in the lineage of David is not as important as Him being greater than David, greater than all, Lord of all. He tells them to revise their thoughts and expectations of Messiah. He tells them to abandon their fantastic dreams of world power, and visualize the Messiah as the Lord of the hearts and lives of humans. They had too little an idea of God. Thankfully that never happens today…

I love William Barclay’s commentary on this passage: “It is always man’s tendency to make God in his own image, and thereby to miss the full majesty of God.”

God’s mercies are new every morning. God is new to us everyday–if we allow Him to be. We don’t get God more and more figured out. We get more and more blown away, surprised, and humbled by Him. Any true God encounter will leave you humbled to your core, in reverential awe. If not, then perhaps you’ve encountered someone else. Don’t get me wrong, there’s also a confidence that goes with encountering God, and a deep sense of being seen, known, and loved. But He is the almighty Creator of the universe, and of you. Meeting that person tends to cause slight trembling, temporary loss of speech, and the sudden desire to take your shoes off.

The appeal to Psalm 110:1 defines Jesus’ lordship as one vindicated by God, giving him an inseparable place with God and the execution of divine power and authority. It forces a choice. Either Jesus is who he claims to be or he is a blasphemer.

-Darrell L. Bock