A positive mindset

Name arguments why you will succeed.
Learn from others.

All the wisdom you need is available.

You can find someone in every field who has done, what you want to do.

A positive mindset is the engine for change.

 

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Reflections from an old man about his past

To remember

• when you reach old age, you reflect on your past

• life caught in full, work, marriage, children

• children following pattern

• did not make an effort to spent more time, to enjoy them, and to know them better

• we are all interconnected, specially family members

Kone, Krusos, Kronos

“It’s said that with Age comes Wisdom, but maybe it’s because regret, as we reflect on our mistakes.”

B.A.

Trough the years,  specially when you reach old age, you reflect on your past. And if we are sincere, we will admit that we  not did  just a few mistakes, but many, and therefore the way we acquired wisdom.

Of lately, I have giving a lot of thought to my now many years gone parents, and realized I could had being a much better son than I was.

I left home at the early age of seventeen, to do what a  lot of young people do, to go and study, somewhere away from home, sure I returned for some years on vacation times, but just for a few brief days, and then life caught in full with me, work, marriage, children supporting a family, on a far away city, with less…

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Wanderlust (2)

Padre's Ramblings

Pixabay

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When doors were open and journeys made

Wanderlust filled my soul

Waterways and seagoing cruises

Filled my spirit and made me feel whole

Experiencing cultures and new things explored

Growing in Wisdom and knowledge was my goal

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Padre

Tuesday Writing Prompt: Pick 3 of your favorite words beginning with the letter “W” and use in any form of writing. Boldface or italicize the words so they stand out for readers.

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Soul-searching

poorman'sdreams

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We are all cut from the same cloth

Black or white. Pauper or posh

And as those veracious bubbles do froth

The truth always comes out in the wash.

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Life’s banquet is seared with many decoys

Blue, well-done, medium and rare

You can never delect in the delicious joys

Without first tasting bitter despair.

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It’s always the cruel that bloom and flourish

It beggars belief how the meek don’t inherit

We must first plant wisdom and courage

To stop them reaping from our own merit.

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Because when life is unkind

And your ducks don’t stay in a row

Sometimes you have to lose your mind

To find your soul.

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Your Life: Habit or Freedom?

 

VeritasCurat.net

For audio/video of this article, please visit the Veritas Curat YouTube Channel, or scroll to the bottom of this page.

A friend once asked me, “With all the years you’ve studied the mind and its functions, why have you not written a book? Especially since you love to write?”

I could have given him a dozen different answers, but what instantly issued from my mouth was, “You’re supposed to write what you know. All I’ve focused on has been stuff like truth and wisdom. I see no point in writing about it, since greater minds than mine have already said it before.”

Without missing a beat, my friend quipped, “That’s okay. People weren’t reading about truth and wisdom before either.”

Whether considering the Stoics, Buddhists, or any other countless philosophies or religions over the centuries, I’ve discovered two common themes.

First, have unconditional love for all of humanity.

And…

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“Wisdom” and Wisdom (1 Cor 1:19,21)

When we call ourselves Christian it is very important that we keep an attitude a follower of Christ worthy and that we try to find godly wisdom.

We have to show the world that it is more important to go by godly than by worldly wisdom and that we should not cling to heathen festivals (like the in this article mentioned Christmas) but should keep to the holy or sacred days given by God.

We should get our wisdom from the Book of books, the Bible and show others how this Grand Work can enrich our ways of life.

Let us remember:

“16 All Scripture is God-breathed and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for readjusting everything, for disciplining in righteousness. 17 Thus, the man of God may be completely prepared for every good work.” (2Ti 3:16-17 mhm)

and

“For the world-order of humanity is going its way and its desire with it, but the person doing the will of The God will remain throughout that new Age to come.” (1Jo 2:17 mhm)

“Also, do not be conformed to this period of time, but rather, be transformed, by the renewing of your mind, proving to yourselves the good, acceptable and perfect will of The God.” (Ro 12:2 mhm)

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Preceding

Wisdom not hard to find nor hiding in remote places

Several quotes about wisdom

Truth, doubt or blindness

The Need to Understand Genre

On the Edge of Believing

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Find also to read

1. Looking for something or for the Truth and what it might be and self-awareness
2. Not staying alone in your search for truth
3. Blindness in the Christian world
4. We may not be ignorant to get wisdom
5. Answering a fool according to his folly
6. Fools despise wisdom and instruction
7. Looking for wisdom not departing from God’s Word
8. Wisdom lies deep
9. Increased in wisdom in favour with God
10. Loving the Word
11. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #5 To meditate and Transform
12. Attitude of a Christian
13. Attitude to others important for reaching them
14. God’s Blog recorded in a Book
15. Bible
16. Bible, helmet of health, salvation and sword of the spirit
17. Bible in the first place #1/3
18. Bible in the first place #2/3
19. Bible in the first place #3/3
20. Creator and Blogger God 10 A Blog of a Book 4 Listening to the Blogger
21. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
22. An anarchistic reading of the Bible—(1) Approaching the Bible
23. Thomas Aquinas on Wisdom by Robert M. Woods
24. Happy who’s delight is only in the law of Jehovah
25. Deliberately making choices
26. Sharing the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge
27. Actions to be a reflection of openness of heart
28. A Living Faith #2 State of your faith
29. Today’s thought “A Perfect World” (January 02)
30. Today’s thought “That you be united in the same mind” (February 20)
31. Today’s thought “In wisdom you have made them all” (February 28)
32. Today’s thought “Fools despise wisdom” (March 23)
33. Today’s thought “If you receive my words …” (March 24)
34. Today’s thought “And the LORD heard it” (March 30)
35. Today’s thought “Look carefully” (April 7)
36. Today’s thought “The eyes of man are never satisfied” (April 17)
37. Today’s thought “Worthy to suffer dishonour” (April 28)
38. Today’s thought “It cannot be bought for gold” (December 21)
39. Outflow of foundational relationship based on acceptance of Jesus
40. This was my reward
41. When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith
42. Memorizing wonderfully 2 Biblical Reasons to Memorize Scripture
43. Memorizing wonderfully 4 Starter verses
44. Memorizing wonderfully 18 Proverbs – Fear of God, Wisdom and instruction
45. Memorizing wonderfully 19 Seasons and purpose Fearing God
46. Preparation for unity
47. Christians having the right heart to call others to go to God
48. Truth never plays false roles of any kind, which is why people are so surprised when meeting it

Study like a Berean!

A dear sister in Uganda sent the above pic. of Zirobwe town, and also sent a number of verses and encouraging thoughts to me this morning and again this evening, regarding God’s love for His children and our responsibility to Him; As well as the joy of reading of the focus which she encouraged to consider, my attention was taken by a word in the verses: “wisdom”.

1 Corinthians 1:19”For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”… 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.”

God’s wisdom and His ways aren’t in any way like man’s earthly “wisdom”, which is foolishness, just as their ways are; God’s children should trust, rest and live…

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If you could erase all the mistakes of your past,

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Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling: Als je alle fouten uit je verleden zou kunnen wissen

Purplerays

If you could erase all the mistakes of your past,
you would also erase all the wisdom of your present.
Always, remember the lesson but not the disappointment. ❤️☀

Text & image source: Mitra Shahidi https://www.facebook.com/mitra.shahidi.3

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Moment by Moment

Too many people have their eyes closed for the small things of nature and go places without really “seeing” those places and their beauty.

Switching wounds into wisdom

“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey (2004).jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Wonden omzetten tot wijsheid

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Most visible part of Movement without a Name, sayings, lists and good intentions

The proverbs are the most visible part of Movement without a Name. Together they represent a potted philosophy, and a handful of wisdom. Every year we send out 8 million proverbs in Flanders alone.

This painting (oil on wood) from the last third of the 17th century alludes to the popular proverb “Nimm dich selbst bei der Nase” (“take yourself by your nose”). It’s also called “Vogel Selbsterkenntnis” (Bird of self-knowledge) and exists in several samples (three, at least, in that same museum). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The five mailshots we send every year reach one in six Flemings. Each contains a nugget of reflection that everybody can think about.

The proverbs spring from daily life. They are not composed by somebody sitting at a desk. They are not the work of a team of psychologists. By listening carefully to why, how and what people say, you can often pick up useful ideas. These then find their expression in words, which must be matured for a while in the cellars of the mind. If you chew on what somebody has said for a while, you sometimes find a few grains of truth among the chaff. That could be the birth of a typical MWN proverb.

The result is a proverb that is short, clear, pithy, and close to life. It is not intended to change the world but is rather an attempt to invite people to reflection.

 

Why do you do what you do?


Do you recognise this ?
The good intentions at the beginning of each new year?

We make lists of
that which we will never do again
of what we will do more often
of what we will do less often
of that of which we will eat less
or more
of whom we would like to see more often
or less often.
We think about our dreams
and also about the bad luck we had in the past.

We stand still. Just for a moment.
As soon as the bottles are empty, the snow has melted, the wishes for happiness have been distributed, we return to the issues of the day, life zooms by and very quickly the list is forgotten in the bottom drawer.

What would happen if we would read that list again every day?
If we would ask this big question to our reflection every morning :
“why am I doing what I do”,
If we leave that list in the sunlight on our working table ?
What would happen if we would ask ourselves every day, and not only the first day
of the year : why am I doing what I do ?

Let us stand still more often.
A few moments every day.
Look into the mirror.
To dare to ask that one question, to dare to hesitate, to try, to fail, to get up, to choose.

And then to try to live like we réally want to.

 

 

 

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Preceding

Wisdom not hard to find nor hiding in remote places

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Related articles

• 8 solid strategies boosting your face value
• Your Word for This Day: “I Will Trust”
• Eat Your Fruit
• The struggle to be you…
• …to be the voice of Jesus…
• God Hates Pride

Save

Save

Choose Green: Reading and talking about your ideas leads to success.

“Selkirk reading his Bible” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the beginning of times man has received the free will to choose. The Maker of everything also provided a solution against the rebellion of man, who thought their Maker withhold something from them. After their act of adversary their Divine Maker provide for a solution against the curse of death and was willing to guide man with His Word. That Bible Word of God, inspired and infallible, is now available in more than 2500 languages.

Mankind should give green light to that Book of books, the Bestseller of all times, which gives us an insight in the Plan of God and offers a map or guide to the entrance gate of the Kingdom of God where those who want to be children of God can find non-ending life.

Reading in that Book of books, which entrails all wisdom we do need to have, shall give us more than any other book of ordinary man.

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To remember:

• success > Read > Study = improve your mind, increase your knowledge or calm your spirit
• reading the Bible = stories of love, stories of war + specific battles, stories of family feuds, rape, adultery, stories of heart broken people, stories about egotistical kings, jealous kings and kings gone mad = lot of stuff in the Bible.
• Read something positive every day.
• Know what’s going on in the world = read international news or get it from TV, internet
• or whatever source you choose. Successful people are aware of what is going on around them.
• Read material that will help you be a better …
• reading opens window to the world = opens your mind + allows new thoughts to enter, new ideas born

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Preceding articles

Hang On!

God’s wisdom for the believer brings peace

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Additional reading

1. A voice and a Word given for wisdom
2. Bible a guide – Bijbel als gids
3. Colour-blindness and road code
4. the Bible – God’s guide for life #1 Introduction
5. the Bible – God’s guide for life #2 Needs in life
6. To create a great journey
7. Solution against curse of death
8. God Our Refuge
9. Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
10. Counterfeit Gospels
11. Necessary to be known all over the earth
12. Is God behind all suffering here on earth
13. Best intimate relation to look for
14. Know Who goes with us and don’t try to control life
15. In the night His song shall be with me

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Further related

1. So Many Voices ~ So Many Lies
2. God Loving Us
3. Your Word for This Day: “Jehovah Guides Me”
4. The Battle Is the Lord
5. Find out for yourself
6. My Daily Bread –
7. Not Believing
8. Whose Fool Are You?
9. Straight Outta Context Series
10. Go on trusting in God’s future grace.
11. Lord, could I have a moment of your time, please?
12. When Christians Get it Wrong
13. More Ways Than Jesus? Of course, but…
14. Philippians 4:13
15. Bible Fun Fact
16. Master Plan #1 // Choosing Your Study
17. It is time to let churches die.

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Related articles

• Kingdom of God
• The Righteous
• The Contemplative Companion for Friday, September 16, 2016
• 3 reasons why taking a stand for Christ is hard – but still absolutely necessary
• Innocence and the armor of Love
• Christianity 101
• Inspiring Reading: Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God is Within You
• What does the Bible have to say peace?
• John Wesley White: Longtime BGEA Evangelist, Who Mentored Franklin Graham and Brought Many Souls to Christ, Goes Home to Be With the Lord
• 9 Great Ways to Do Online Research

Healing Secrets

You want to be a success? Read. Better yet, STUDY. Study anything that will improve your mind, increase your knowledge or calm your spirit. The visual in the header here is an inspirational read that may calm your spirit or encourage your soul.

I highly recommend reading the Bible; anywhere in the Old Testament is a good start. There are stories of love, stories of war and specific battles, stories of family feuds, rape, adultery, the stories of heart broken people, stories about egotistical kings, jealous kings and kings gone mad. There is a lot of stuff in the Bible.

Read something positive every day.

Know what’s going on in the world, either read international news or get it from the TV, the internet or whatever source you choose. Successful people are aware of what is going on around them.

I enjoy reading the autobiographies of successful people. I find…

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A Prayer for Wisdom Amid Violence

Editor’s note: The last several weeks have witnessed many events of violence that are difficult to comprehend, and which confound efforts to respond wisely and biblically: the Orlando nightclub shooting, repeated acts of terror in the Middle East, and most recently, terrifying violence involving police in the United States. As you process your own reactions to these events, please join pastor Mel Lawrenz in this prayer for God’s wisdom.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” — James 1:5

 

 

Dear God,

You have said in your word that whenever we know we need wisdom, we should ask for it, and that you will give it generously. In these perilous times, we pray for your wisdom from above.

Grant us wisdom to know the way you look on the affairs of our nation.

Grant us wisdom to understand how you view our world today.

Grant us wisdom to know what an ordered and just and compassionate society looks like.

Grant us wisdom to know what to do with the reality of evil.

Grant us wisdom to uphold the defenseless.

Grant us wisdom to love you and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Lord, we pray that our leaders will personally understand that you are a dynamic reality in the world and in our lives.

May we be a nation which depends on you, acknowledges your blessings, and values what you value. And on the day after the election, Lord, help us to be faithful members of your kingdom and responsible citizens of the nation we inhabit.

In Christ’s name and for his sake, Amen.

 

 

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For more biblical insight to help you grapple with the difficult issues presented by acts of terror and violence, see this past posts:

• Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering? — Christian author and apologist Lee Strobel’s thoughts in the aftermath of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting comprise a very thorough exploration of Christianity’s “problem of evil.”
• What Does the Bible Say About Violence? — does the Bible condone violence? How does the Bible tell us to respond to violence? An in-depth look at a troubling question.
• Violence, the Bible, and the Sikh Temple — reflections on the 2012 Sikh Temple attack in Wisconsin.
• What Does the Bible Say About Religious Extremism? — Mel Lawrenz’ reflection on “religious violence” and what the Bible has to say about it.

Mel Lawrenz trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years and now serves as Elmbrook’s minister at large. He has a Ph.D. in the history of Christian thought and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University. Mel is the author of 18 books, the latest, How to Understand the Bible—A Simple Guide and Spiritual Influence: the Hidden Power Behind Leadership (Zondervan, 2012). See more of Mel’s writing at WordWay.

The works we have to do according to James

 

“2  You must consider it the purest joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, 3 for you surely know that what is genuine in your faith produces the patient mind that endures; 4 but you must let your endurance come to its perfect product, so that you may be fully developed and perfectly equipped, without any defects.
5 But if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God who generously gives to everyone and never reproaches one with its lack, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without a doubt, for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is whirled and swayed by the wind. 7 Such a man, indeed, 8 a person with two minds, unreliable in every step he takes, (1:7A) must not expect to get anything from the Lord.

9 Let the poor brother of lowly station rejoice in his exalted station as a Christian, 10 and the rich brother rejoice in his being on a level with the poor, because the rich will fade away like the flower of the grass.” (James 1:2-10 Williams)

“12 Blessed is the person who endures trial, for when he stands the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.

13  No one must say, when he is tempted to do evil, “I have a temptation from God to do evil,” for God cannot be tempted to do evil, and He never tempts anyone to do so. 14 But anyone is tempted to do evil when he is allured by his own evil desire and enticed by a bait. 15 Then evil desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is completed, it brings forth death.” (James 1:12-15 Williams)

“19  You must understand this, my dearly loved brothers. Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to get angry; 20 for a man’s anger does not produce the uprightness that God requires.
21 So strip yourselves of everything impure and all the evils prevailing around you, and in humble spirit welcome the message which when rooted in your hearts is able to save your souls.

22 Keep on obeying this message; do not merely listen to it, and so deceive yourselves. 23 Because if anyone merely listens to the message without obeying it, he is like a man who looks in a mirror at his own face, 24 for he looks and then goes off and at once forgets how he looked. 25 But the man who looks at the flawless law that makes men free, and keeps on looking, proving himself to be, not a forgetful hearer but an actual doer of what it requires, will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives himself, his religious worship is worthless. 27 A religious worship that is pure and stainless in the sight of God the Father is this: To look after orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one’s own self unstained by the world.” (James 1:19-27 Williams)

“1  My brothers, stop trying to maintain your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious presence of God on earth, along with acts of partiality to certain ones. 2 For if a man with a gold ring, dressed in fine clothes, comes to your meeting, and at the same time a poor man clad in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the man who wears the fine clothes, and say to him, “Sit here in this fine place,” and say to the poor man, “Stand up, or sit there on the floor at my feet,” 4 do you not make improper distinctions among yourselves and prove to be critics with evil motives?” (James 2:1-4 Williams)

“8  But if you really observe the law of the King in accordance with the Scripture, “You must love your neighbor as you do yourself,” you are doing right; 9 but if you show partiality, you are committing sin, because you are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
10 For whoever obeys the whole law, except to slip in a single instance, is guilty of breaking it all.

11 For He who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but you do commit murder, you are just the same as a lawbreaker.

12 You must continue talking and acting like people who are to be judged by the law that treats them as free. 13 For merciless judgment will be the portion of the merciless man; yet mercy will triumph over judgment.

14  My brothers, what good is there in a man’s saying that he has faith, if he has no good deeds to prove it? Such faith cannot save him, can it?

15 If some brother or sister is thinly clad and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to him, “Blessings on you, keep warm, eat until you have a plenty,” without giving him the things that are needed for the body, what good does it do?

17 So faith by itself, if it has no deeds to back it up, is dead. 18 But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have good deeds. Show me your faith without any good deeds, but I will show you mine by my good deeds.”

19 Do you believe in one God? Very well; the demons, too, believe that, and shudder. 20 But, O senseless man, are you willing to learn that faith without good deeds is worthless?

21 Was not our forefather Abraham shown to be upright by his good deeds, namely, by offering Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 You see that faith co-operated with his good deeds, and by his good deeds faith was made complete; 23 and so the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham put his faith in God, and it was credited to him for uprightness, and he was called God’s friend.”

24 You see that a man is shown to be upright by his good deeds, and not merely by his faith.

25 Was not even Rahab the prostitute shown to be upright by her good deeds, namely, by entertaining the scouts and sending them off by a different road? 26 Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without good deeds is dead.” (James 2:8-26 Williams)

“13  Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him show by his noble living that his good deeds are done in humility, which wisdom prompts. 14 But if you cherish bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop being proud of it and stop being false to the standard of truth. 15 This is not the kind of wisdom that comes down from above; no, it is earthly, human, demoniacal. 16 For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there will be confusion and all sorts of evil practices. 17 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, free from doubts and insincerity. 18 The harvest of uprightness is grown from the seed of peace by those who are peacemakers.” (James 3:13-18 Williams)

“1  What causes wars and quarrels among you? Is it not your different desires which are ever at war within your bodies?
You desire things and cannot have them, and so you commit murder. 2 You covet things, but cannot acquire them, and so you quarrel and fight. You do not have them, because you do not ask for them. 3 You ask and fail to get them, because you ask with evil, selfish motives, to spend them on your pleasures.

4 You faithless wives! Do you not know that the friendship of the world means enmity with God? So whoever wants to be a friend to the world puts himself down as an enemy to God. 5 Or, do you think that the Scripture means nothing when it says, “He jealously yearns for the Spirit that He causes to dwell in your hearts”? 6 But He gives a greater spiritual blessing. He says, “God opposes haughty people but blesses humble people.”

7 So then, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will fly from you.

8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Get your hands clean, you sinners. Get your hearts purified, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable, mourn, and weep aloud. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you high.

11  Stop talking against one another, brothers. Whoever is in the habit of talking against a brother or of criticizing his brother is criticizing and condemning the law. But if you are in the habit of criticizing the law, you are not a practicer but a critic of the law.
12 There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who has the power to save and to destroy; then who are you that you presume to judge your brother?” (James 4:1-12 Williams)

“7 So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer keeps on waiting and waiting for the precious crop from his land; how he keeps up his patience over it until he gets the early and the late rains.
8 You must be patient, too; you must put iron into your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is close it hand. 9 Stop muttering against one another, brothers, so as to keep from being judged yourselves.
Look! The Judge is standing at the very door. 10 As an example of ill-treatment and patience, brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:7-10 Williams)

“12  Above all, my brothers, stop swearing, either by heaven or by the earth, or by anything else. Let your “Yes” mean Yes, and your “No,” No, so as to keep from falling under condemnation.

13 Is any one of you suffering ill-treatment? He should keep on praying. Is anyone in a happy mood? He should keep on singing praise to God.

14 Is anyone sick among you? He should call in the elders of the church, and they should pray over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 and the prayer that is offered in faith will save the sick man; the Lord will raise him to health, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 So practice confessing your sins to one another, and praying for one another, that you may be cured. An upright man’s prayer, when it keeps at work, is very powerful.” (James 5:12-16 Williams)

“19 My brothers, if any one of you has wandered away from the truth, and someone brings him back, 20 you may be sure that whoever brings a sinner back from his evil ways will save the man’s soul from death, and cover up a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20 Williams)

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Part of Dutch version / Gedeelte van de Nederlandstalige versie: De aanduiding door Paulus en Jacobus van de werken die wij horen te doen

Preceding articles

1. Leading people astray!
2. Restitution
3. Comments to James remarks, about Faith and works
4. Luther’s misunderstanding
5. January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works
6. Our life depending on faith
7. Romans 4 and the Sacraments
8. Is Justification a process?
9. Justification – salvation is by grace through faith – JI Packer
10. Faith itself not the cause of justification – Louis Berkhof
11. Letter to the Romans, chapter 3
12. Letter to the Romans, chapter 4
13. Additional comments to the 3rd Letter to the Romans
14. Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4
15. Which is worse–works without faith, or faith without works?
16. James 2:14-23 — Justified Dynamic Faith & works
17. James 2:24 – You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
18. James 2:25. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
19. Paul giving notice of the works we have to do

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Read also other articles as:

1. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
2. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother
3. The way of salvation
4. A “seed” for the blessing of all mankind would come through the family of Abraham
5. God works faith
6. Faith is the belief that god will do what is right
7. Christ’s ethical teaching
8.  Being Justified by faith
9. Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.
10. Faith Requires a Basis
11. Walking in love by faith, not by sight
12. Faith Alone Does Not Save . . . No Matter How Many Times Protestants Say It Does
13. A Living Faith #1 Substance of things hoped for
14. A Living Faith #2 State of your faith
15. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
16. A Living Faith #4 Effort
17. A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
18. A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
19. Faith and works
20. Sharing your faith
21. Bearing fruit
22. Observing the commandments and becoming doers of the Word
23. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
24. Be holy
25. 1 Corinthians 15 Hope in action
26. Chief means by which men are built up
27. Not to play at Christianity
28. To be established in the present truth
29. She who sows thistles will reap prickles
30. Love for each other attracting others
31. Share your faith
32. Outflow of foundational relationship based on acceptance of Jesus
33. Faith, storms and actions to be taken
34. The longer you wait

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• Respect For All
• Faith is the Key
• Scripture Verse of The Week ‘Romans 5 Verse 1’
• LISTEN: You Can Handle the Truth! (Gospel Light Minute X with Daniel Whyte III)
• “You will forget the shame of your youth.” Isaiah 54:4
• The Character of the Christian: A One-Woman Man
• Heart of Power
• Mark 06v06-13 The Global Mission of the Church
• Sermon: Building Stronger Marriages #3: Developing a Spirit of Mercy
• Hope

The Need to Understand Genre

When we look at the Book of books, the Bible, as we said in the previous article, it is important to take the words and genres as they are written down and passed on from one generation unto the next.

The Gutenberg Bible displayed by the United States Library of Congress, demonstrating printed pages as a storage medium. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God is a God of order and did not give His Words in such a form that ordinary people would not be able to understand it. It is written so that every person can get wisdom out of it.
It is true it is not directly written for us in this time, but has to be looked at writings for those times when those people were living in total different conditions than we now.

God has communicated His message to special individuals over thousands of years. But he wrote first for them, in their time and in their culture. He preserved the message for us, but it was first written to another people in another time. {The Bible is simple… right?}

In the knowledge that they had a  different cultural background to us, we should look at those writings from that standpoint.

The original audience was an ancient one. They knew nothing of the science, technology, medicine, and other things that define our modern world. They knew little of democracy, and literacy was not widespread. It is only in the modern era, from perhaps the 18th century onwards, that literacy has been common. Even today literacy is not as widespread as it should be. Consider then that the original audience most commonly would have heard rather than read the text! {The Bible is simple… right?}

As such the text often was intended to be of a format that people could easily remember. For this reason stories instead of literal or scientific reviews of happenings were a good way. Most important for the Biblical writers was to bring over the message of God. To convey His message and to bring it in such a way people at that time could understand it. Therefore we also should look for the intentions of the writing and for what is being emphasised in the passages.

One of the most important aspects of the human side of the Bible is that, in order to communicate his word to all human conditions, God chose to use almost every available kind of communication: narrative history, genealogies, chronicles, laws of all kinds, poetry of all kinds, proverbs, prophetic oracles, riddles, drama, biographical sketches, parables, letters, sermons, and apocalypses.

To interpret properly the “then and there” of the biblical texts, one must not only know some general rules that apply to all the words of the Bible, but one also needs to learn the special rules that apply to each of these literary forms (genres). The way God communicates the divine word to us in the “here and now” will often differ from one form to another. For example, we need to know how a psalm, a form often addressed to God, functions as God’s word to us, and how certain psalms differ from others, and how all of them differ from “the laws,” which were often addressed to people in cultural situations no longer in existence. How do such “laws” speak to us, and how do they differ from the moral “laws,” which are always valid in all circumstances? Such are the questions the dual nature of the Bible forces on us.

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Fourth Edition.; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 26–27.

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Preceding articles:

Genre – Playing by the Rules

Summerholiday season time to read the Bible

Holiday making and dreaming

Home-stayers and their to do list

++

Additional reading:

1. Looking for something or for the Truth and what it might be and self-awareness
2. The faithful God
3. Have you also been deceived
4. Increased in wisdom in favour with God
5. The very very beginning 2 The Word and words
6. Necessity of a revelation of creation 2 Organisation of a system of things
7. Necessity of a revelation of creation 3 Getting understanding by Word of God 1
8. Creator and Blogger God 11 Old and New Blog 1 Aimed at one man
9. The Metaphorical language of the Bible
10. Background to look at things

+++

Related articles

• Thoughts on Religion and Violence
• World’s tiniest bible to be presented at Israel Museum for 50th anniversary
• The Genre of the Gospels
• Living on the Edge
• How to Choose a Bible for Preaching
• Bible Translating and Concordance Making
• How do you start your day?
• Christians fail there where Muslims succeed

Home-stayers and their to do list

After “Day after day having reprogrammed the mind to see good, think good, feel good and be good” people would like to have some time off, not feeling to have to worry about anything.

Many people have the impression that they always have to conquer a battle. So many are bothered by thoughts of fear, thoughts of having to gain places and to proof oneself. Thoughts of striving should outweigh thoughts of struggling.

You’re not made to crawl, you’re made to walk, run and fly. {Simple nugget of truth!!!!……..}

Summer Holiday (album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and at holiday-time people feel like liberated from the daily struggles.

Sometimes people feel like that others want to pull them down.

If you were not a threat to anyone then they wouldn’t bother putting you down. If you were not on the right track then they wouldn’t work so hard to throw you off. {You believe you???….}

When leaving the own environment people do feel safer and do not worry so much encountering people who would try the same as those they see nearly every day. They would be surprised when they would get to know them better and longer.

Much too often people allow the opinions of others to become their reality of self.

Much to often people let others crawl over them and let others empower them. Often they do not have enough energy or background to react in the right way.

A girl lost in her thoughts! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Holiday time may be a good period to recharge and take in new energy. It is also the time which can be used to read wise words which can help to be standing strong in this world were evil is all around.

When everybody seems to be relaxing there are the many people who take care that others can enjoy their holiday and then there are the fathers and mothers who try to do their best to keep the kids happy.

A working mom in a small town writes:

I see all the pinterest posts of fun things to do in the summer. I see all my friends (and acquaintances) posting their time at the lake, at the pool, doing all the fun things summer is meant for.

But being a working mom makes things a little different. Living on an acreage comes with more responsibilities. Living within our means (well trying at least) puts a dollar sign on every activity. Being a mom that respects (demands) sleeping and eating schedules for my kids, makes things harder. {Summer Time & Being a Working Mom is Hard}

Though those who do not have the means to go far away on a trip for several days, can also enjoy the little things, and even more than those who could have everything at their hands.

Having breakfast, lunch, and supper outside can already be a thrill. Setting up the sprinkler near the swingset and slide may be a great way to spend the afternoon with everybody enjoying each-others company. Having the feeling that every body is there to be with each other, ready to spend several great moments outdoors, with or without adventurous happenings makes the days great and to remember. Also here snapshots can be a memory of those family days.

Today too many people do not know to appreciate the small things in life. Many even say ‘holiday’ and think ‘travelling’. Several people do find that they did not have a holiday when they stayed at home or in the family. Lots of people do not see the nice part of all those small or little things which are free or inexpensive and can fit into busy schedules of homework.

Summertime is hard especially when you try to live up to other people’s pictures and lives. Make it simple and do your own thing. Take away the guilt and be happy that the little things make your child smile. You don’t have to spend a lot, take an extravagant trip, or go too far to make your little one smile. {Summer Time & Being a Working Mom is Hard}

Roman Holiday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Having lazy mornings, in-between the home work just taking some time off to go for a walk or to play. Not so much worrying for a moment that the house is (already) clean, the supplies are already stocked and you just looking around from your easy chair. That also is enjoying Summer.

Summer is the high-time to love for the songs the birds sing, the brightly coloured flowers we can see and smell, and the warm sunshine that touches our skin.

Sometimes, you might just have to let the ant, singular or plural, crawl along your hand, foot, leg, arm, maybe even up your back or across your neck. Let the fiendishly seeming and feeling little insect decide. {Rejected experiences}

In lots of places there are different events to please the people who did not go away. Art galleries, people selling other crafts at local fairs, street performances, community games, a.o.. In several places there are so many outdoor activities and attractive events, with so many interesting restaurants or eating outdoors pop-up restaurants and cafés that people have to make an “our to-do list“.

There is so much to do and so much to undergo. And

Experience is what makes life worthwhile after all, so why not try and take as much of it in as possible? {Rejected experiences}

Now the sun gives us longer enough light to sit outside and enjoy the sound of the birds or river, we should also find some time to take the Book of books, finding interesting stories or beautiful poetry and great wisdom with a lot of proverbs.

There are may who seriously think they have no God or gods, whilst others are convinced that we do not live in a godless society.

We do not live in atheism, we do not live in agnosticism. Our world has many gods, one mightier than the other – if you wagered that we count more gods today than even the Greek or Roman did in their polytheism, you would not be wrong, and your money well placed. {A different perspective}

The housewives and housemen who have no facilities to go away on holiday and look at those who can go away may not forget that their money does not necessary makes them happy.

The select few to escape the grasp of money to some measure are shunned, exiled, pitied under the names of madmen, anarchists, punks, third-world countries, simply poor.

Money however is a very punitive god, one that leads to one’s own destruction. Possessing this god, or rather having this god and being possessed by it, leads one to want to amass more of it. Money buys things,  therefore money has value. {A different perspective}

But that value is temporarily.We better go for better value which stays for ever. That eternal value and true treasure can be found in the Bible. It is a book which can give colour and light at the darkest moments of the day and at the darkest moments of your life. Everywhere it can bring the rainbow and the live giving light.

Why not taking some time to read the Bible now you do not have to go at work?
Perhaps you might start by reading the poetry and wisdom books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Songs and compare the events of your life with the events in Job his life.

Though compiled centuries before the modern scientific endeavour, we can find serious and good easy to understand explanations. The Bible offers us a collection of sayings and truisms which should not be boring to read, because they are presented in a variation of styles, poetic and memorable.

That holy book does not have to be so perplexing or difficult to understand as many want you to believe. It is by holding fast to human doctrines that it might be difficult to understand. When you throw overboard all those false teachings and let the words of the Bible say what they say black on white, than there is not such a problem at all. Therefore just try to read what is written in it and when it says for example ‘son of man‘ do think a son of a human being and do not think ‘the God’ or something else. The same when there is written ‘son of God‘ do not think ‘god the son‘ or ‘god son‘ but understand that it is all about a or the ‘son of God‘ or ‘God’s son‘. When you read the Bible that way you shall find out that everything from the Old Testament fits clearly well in with the New Testament, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Try it!

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Preceding articles:

Summerholiday season time to read the Bible

Holiday making and dreaming

 Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

A little ray of sunshine

++

Additional reading:

1. Struggles of life
2. Are you being swept along by the world
3. Looking at things, distinctions resolutions and expressions
4. Let you not be defined by the effect of your wrong choice
5. Seeing the world through the lens of his own experience
6. Voice for the plebs
7. Do we have to be an anarchist to react
8. Thirst for happiness and meaning
9. A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life
10. We find by losing. We hold fast by letting go.
11. A treasure which can give me everything I need
12. True riches
13. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life
14. Count your blessings
15. Change
16. This was my reward
17. Good to make sure that you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy
18. Morality, values and Developing right choices
19. Sharing thoughts and philosophical writings
20. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
21. Believing what Jesus says

+++

Find also to read:

• Summer Time & Being a Working Mom is Hard
• Everyone takes leaps of faith
• Vacation Inspiration: Discover Back-to-School Ideas during Summer Break
• Daily Post: In the Summer
• Summer KC Date IdeasSummer Weekends: Downtown Brunch Edition
• I Love Summertime
• Let’s Get Wise

Related articles

• The Beautiful…Alluring…Carrot
• How to Stop Worrying About the Future (So You Can Be Present and Peaceful in the Moment)
• 3 Very Good Reasons to Procrastinate This Summer!
• How To Reduce Anxiety For A Better Night’s Sleep
• Don’t Worry, It Isn’t Worth It
• Summer Solstice Secrets: Do These 6 Things for a More Carefree Summer
• DIG for Sunday the 21st of June…..a chapter just crammed full of amazing truths…..Romans 8 v 17
• You Asked: Do I Worry Too Much?
• What is life?
• Cleanliness and worrying or not about purity

Bible, helmet of salvation, God’s Words put in the mouth of prophets for perfecting, to reprove and correct

 

 

“«To the chief musician: A Psalm of David.» The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” (Psalms 19:1 KJ21)

“1  And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the LORD thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:1-3 KJ21)

“thus saith the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” (Isaiah 7:7 KJ21)

“Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, “Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth.” (Jeremiah 1:9 KJ21)

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” (John 14:10 KJ21)

“And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” (Ephesians 6:17 KJ21)

“Moreover He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodus 3:6 KJ21)

“And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and Eternal Life.” (1 John 5:20 KJ21)

“”Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and were created.”” (Revelation 4:11 KJ21)

“2 And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, “I am the LORD. 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” (Exodus 6:2-3 KJ21)

“13 And thou sayest, ‘How doth God know? Can He judge through the dark cloud? 14 Thick clouds are a covering to Him, that He seeth not; and He walketh in the circuit of heaven.’” (Job 22:13-14 KJ21)

“5 Then the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: “Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever! And blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein; and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth Thee. 7 Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;” (Nehemiah 9:5-7 KJ21)

“7  “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. 8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before Me. 9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor hegoats out of thy folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is Mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine and the fullness thereof. 13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 14 “Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High, 15 and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” 16  But unto the wicked God saith: “What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth, 17 seeing thou hatest instruction and castest My words behind thee?” (Psalms 50:7-17 KJ21)

“11 And He appointed some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” (Ephesians 4:11-14 KJ21)

“And I, brethren, when I came to you declaring unto you the testimony of God, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom.” (1 Corinthians 2:1 KJ21)

“9 But as it is written: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 KJ21)

“14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged by no man. 16 “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16 KJ21)

“Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being His counselor hath taught Him?” (Isaiah 40:13 KJ21)

“5 which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel.” (Ephesians 3:5-6 KJ21)

“that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may acknowledge the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ,” (Colossians 2:2 KJ21)

“Speak not to the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” (Proverbs 23:9 KJ21)

“1  Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said: 2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” (2 Samuel 23:1-2 KJ21)

“”Men and brethren, it was necessary that this Scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David spoke before concerning Judas, who was the guide to those who took Jesus.” (Acts 1:16 KJ21)

“And when they were unable to agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one word: “Well spoke the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers,” (Acts 28:25 KJ21)

“searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them had signified when He testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.” (1 Peter 1:11 KJ21)

“20 knowing this first: that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in olden times by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 KJ21)

“But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26 KJ21)

“16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJ21)

“For this cause also we thank God without ceasing: because when ye received the Word of God, which ye heard from us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also worketh effectually in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJ21)

“For whatsoever things were written in times past, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 KJ21)

“Now all these things happened unto them by way of example, and are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11 KJ21)

“49  «ZAIN» Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. 50  This is my comfort in my affliction, for Thy word hath quickened me.” (Psalms 119:49-50 KJ21)

“7 Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee honor when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.”” (Proverbs 4:7-9 KJ21)

“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge, but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:14 KJ21)

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it; who also beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”” (Matthew 13:23 KJ21)

“But strong meat belongeth to those who are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14 KJ21)

“As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (Daniel 1:17 KJ21)

“There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:30 KJ21)

“Hear counsel and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” (Proverbs 19:20 KJ21)

“7 Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. 8  Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my Gospel, 9 wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds. But the Word of God is not bound. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:7-10 KJ21)

“as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.” (John 17:2 KJ21)

“And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and Eternal Life.” (1 John 5:20 KJ21)

“2 for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:2-4 KJ21)

*

 

 

Holy Bible King James Version Wide Margin Edition by the Christadelphians

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Preceding articles:

Bijbel, Gods Woord ingegeven nuttig tot lering, tot bestraffing, tot verbetering en tot onderwijzing

Bibel, Helm des Heils, nütze zur Lehre, zur Strafe, zur Besserung und zur Züchtigung

 

Bible, casque du salut, témoignage de Dieu en vue de la perfection pour l’édification utile pour enseigner, pour convaincre, pour corriger et pour instruire

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Also recommended to read:

 

1. Bible, God’s Word to edify (ERV)
2. Looking for wisdom not departing from God’s Word
3. The holy spirit will bring back to your minds all the things told
4. True God giving His Word for getting wisdom
5. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
6. Eternal Word that tells everything
7. Bric-a-brac of the Bible
8. We should use the Bible every day
9. Feed Your Faith Daily
10. May reading the Bible provoke us into action to set our feet on the narrow way
11. Hearing words to accept
12. Genuine message of salvation
13. God who knows the heart
14. Bible, God speaking words profitable for doctrine, for reproof and for correction
15. L’esprit saint vous rappellera toutes les choses dites
16. Vrai Dieu donne Sa Parole pour obtenir la sagesse
17. La Bible, Parole de Dieu poussés par l’Esprit-Saint pour enseigner, pour convaincre et pour corriger
18. Die helper, die heilige gees sal julle alles leer en julle herinner
19. Der heilige Geist wird euch an alle Dinge erinnern
20. Wahren Gott gibt sein Wort für immer Weisheit
21. Bibel Gott redet Worte zu unserer Belehrung geschrieben
22. Hele Skrif deur God geïnspireer om in die waarheid te onderrig en dwaling te bestry
23. Bijbel, Gods Woord ingegeven nuttig tot lering, tot bestraffing, tot verbetering en tot onderwijzing
24. Het woord van de Ware God gegeven voor wijsheid te vergaren
25. Bijbel, Gods Woord tot opvoeding (NBG51)
26. De heilige geest zal alle dingen welke gezegd zijn in herinnering terugbrengen

+++

 

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• “I will Guide Thee with Mine Eye” (Psalm 32:8) (theeyesoffaith.wordpress.com)
• The Conviction of the Holy Spirit – Cantate 2015 (deprofundisclamaviadtedomine.wordpress.com)
• #LoveWalk: Seeing yourself through God’s eyes (adedoyinjaiyesimi.wordpress.com)
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• Check This Out (Or Don’t) Christian Piatt: Five Reasons Saying “The Bible Clearly States…” is Dangerous (and UnChristian!)
• Making Your Way Prosperous
• Understanding The Deep Things Of God
• Faith Alone Is Not Faith
• How Should We approach Study of the Scriptures?
• Love and Goodwill in the Bible and Qur’an
• Worldliness and The Word
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• Sometimes it’s the book; sometimes it’s the reader
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• The Bible the Book of Mankind (2) by B.B. Warfield
• How Bible Colleges kill your faith in the Bible
• Capture God’s “Thinkings”
• Embolden Yourself!
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• Scripture Alone
• The Living Word of God
• The Word Of God Is Our Food And Spiritual Nourishement
• Do You Know The Word?
• How Do I Study My Bible?!?
• Faith Alone Does Not Save . . . No Matter How Many Times Protestants Say It Does
• God’s desire
• The Armor of God…

On the Edge of Believing

14 Nisan coming closer we look at the people liberated from enslavement by the ancient Egyptians but also for the liberation of Jews and goims or gentiles.

Crossing of the red sea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The people of God got freedom after they had witnesses several plagues coming over Egypt. The land was on the verge of going in a disastrous killing situation.  You would think after having seen all the remarkable plagues, the wonder of crossing the Red Sea, they would fully trust the Most High Elohim  יהוה  {Jehovah}. they were guided and could find themselves camping beside Mount Sinai witnessing the earth quaking, the clouds, the fire and the voice from the mountain! After that, the miraculous provision of manna, quails, and water from the rock could still not bring many to go for the worshipping of the Only One True God and letting them still having doubts about so many matters. It fortuned, the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel according unto all that the Divine Creator had given him in commandment unto them. God telling them that they had dwelt long enough in this mount and therefore could depart and take their journey going unto the hills of the Amorites and unto all places nigh thereunto, both fields, hills and dales: and unto the south and unto the sea’s side in the land of Canaan, and unto Lebanon: even unto the great river Euphrates.

Deu 1:3-4 The Scriptures 1998+  (3)  And it came to be in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl according to all that יהוה  {Jehovah} had commanded him concerning them,  (4)  after he had smitten Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt in Ḥeshbon, and Oḡ   sovereign of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Eḏreʽi.

They had to know and to believe that God had set them the land before them and that no matter what would happen they should trust God going in to possess the land which Jehovah swore unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give unto them and their seed after them.

Deu 1:8 The Scriptures 1998+  (8)  ‘See, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which יהוה  {Jehovah} swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give to them and their seed after them.’

Instead of trust we see that the Israelites have so much fear that they doubt that the road would be safe for them.

“Destruction of the Army of the Amorites” by Gustave Doré. Jos 10:11 … the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones and than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deu 1:20-40 The Scriptures 1998+  (20)  “And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which יהוה  {Jehovah} our Elohim is giving us.  (21)  ‘See, יהוה  {Jehovah} your Elohim has set the land before you. Go up and possess it, as יהוה  {Jehovah} Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, nor be discouraged.’  (22)  “And all of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we would come.’  (23)  “And the matter was good in my eyes, so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.  (24)  “And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came to the wadi Eshkol, and spied it out.  (25)  “And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. And they brought back word to us, saying, ‘The land which יהוה  {Jehovah} our Elohim is giving us is good.’  (26)  “But you would not go up and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה  {Jehovah} your Elohim,  (27)  and grumbled in your tents, and said, ‘Because יהוה  {Jehovah} was hating us, He has brought us out of the land of Mitsrayim to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.  (28)  ‘Where are we going to? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to the heavens, and we saw the sons of the Anaqim there too.” ’  (29)  “Then I said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them.  (30)  ‘יהוה  {Jehovah} your Elohim, who is going before you, He does fight for you, according to all He did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes,  (31)  and in the wilderness, where you saw how יהוה  {Jehovah} your Elohim has borne you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’  (32)  “Yet in this matter you are putting no trust in יהוה  {Jehovah} your Elohim,  (33)  who is going before you in the way to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in fire by night and in a cloud by day.  (34)  “And יהוה  {Jehovah} heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and took an oath, saying,  (35)  ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,  (36)  except Kalĕb son of Yephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and his children I give the land on which he walked, because he followed יהוה  {Jehovah} completely.’  (37)  “And יהוה  {Jehovah} was enraged with me for your sakes, saying, ‘You do not go in there, either.  (38)  ‘Yehoshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Strengthen him, for he shall cause Yisra’ĕl to inherit.  (39)  ‘And your little ones and your children, who you say are for a prey, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they are going in there. And to them I give it, and they are to possess it.  (40)  ‘But you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.’

We see that it were the Israelites who requested a look-see at what was ahead. God had made it possible for His people to go away from slavery and to go to a new land which they could call their own. Though now we see that their mind was not yet open enough for the mind of God and not trusting enough in the capabilities of the Most High Sovereign. Instead of believing God they once more doubted the possibilities laid in front of them. God had led them with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He had gotten them through the Red Sea in a most spectacular way.  He had fed them with manna and quails and had provided them with water from a rock. Still they were not yet convinced of the Mighty Power of God. No wonder we can see how difficult it is for people today who cannot see those wonders of the Most High.

We do agree that it must not have been easy to walk day in day out for 40 years, but they knew it was their own fault. After all the walking and time enough for meditation you would think they would now have come to the faith and belief everything God promised them. Though still they were not all convinced and many let them be carried away by those who did not believe. The ones who continued to carry their fear, showing lack of trust and discontent, infected the others.

Fear had to be counter-balanced with trust and believing. God let them send spies, like they requested, and the results of their thinking and readiness was exposed.

Num 13:1-3 The Scriptures 1998+  (1)  And  יהוה  {Jehovah} spoke to Mosheh, saying,  (2)  “Send men to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, which I am giving to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Send one man from each tribe of their fathers, every one a leader among them.”  (3)  And by the command of  יהוה  {Jehovah} Mosheh sent them from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 13:30-33 The Scriptures 1998+  (30)  And Kalĕb silenced the people before Mosheh, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are certainly able to overcome it.”  (31)  But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”  (32)  And they gave the children of Yisra’ĕl an evil report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land eating up its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.  (33)  “And we saw there the Nephilim, sons of Anaq, of the Nephilim. And we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in their eyes.”

Again the Israelites thought the others were stronger than they and did not believe God would be helping them to conquer them. Afraid of those who looked like giants, the children of Anak which are of the giants. And they seemed in their sight as it were grasshoppers. Although 10 of the 12 spies sent to explore the land had come back, found and said the land was flowing with milk and honey they had such a negative frame of mind.

The encouragement of two of the 12 could not convince the group to go out because the fear of the other ten spies and their influence on the Israelites was bigger. Again the people of God found themselves on the edge of the abyss it seemed. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel that the land, which they passed through to spy it out, was an exceedingly good land. But this could not help against the rebellion.
They kept fearing the people of the land who lost protection from them God being with the Israelites who as such had nothing to fear.

Num 14:10-38 The Scriptures 1998+  (10)  But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the esteem of יהוה  {Jehovah} appeared in the Tent of Meeting before all the children of Yisra’ĕl.  (11)  And יהוה  {Jehovah} said to Mosheh, “How long shall I be scorned by these people? And how long shall I not be trusted by them, with all the signs which I have done in their midst?  (12)  “Let Me smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”  (13)  And Mosheh said to יהוה  {Jehovah}, “Then the Mitsrites shall hear it, for by Your power You brought these people up from their midst,  (14)  and they shall say to the inhabitants of this land they have heard that You, יהוה  {Jehovah}, are in the midst of these people, that You, יהוה  {Jehovah}, are seen eye to eye and that Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of fire by night.  (15)  “Now if You shall kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your report shall speak, saying,  (16)  ‘Because יהוה  {Jehovah} was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’  (17)  “And now, I pray, let the power of יהוה  {Jehovah} be great, as You have spoken, saying,  (18)  ‘יהוה  {Jehovah} is patient and of great kindness, forgiving crookedness and transgression, but by no means leaving unpunished1; visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ Footnote: 1This is confirmed in Ex. 34:7 and in Jer. 30:11.  (19)  “Please forgive the crookedness of this people, according to the greatness of Your kindness, as You have forgiven this people, from Mitsrayim even until now.”  (20)  And יהוה  {Jehovah} said, “I shall forgive, according to your word,  (21)  but truly, as I live and all the earth is filled with the esteem of יהוה  {Jehovah},  (22)  for none of these men who have seen My esteem and the signs which I did in Mitsrayim and in the wilderness, and have tried Me now these ten times, and have disobeyed My voice,  (23)  shall see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor any of those who scorned Me see it.  (24)  “But My servant Kalĕb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me completely, I shall bring into the land where he went, and his seed shall inherit it.  (25)  “Since the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are dwelling in the valley, turn back tomorrow and set out into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.”  (26)  And יהוה  {Jehovah} spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,  (27)  “How long shall this evil congregation have this grumbling against Me? I have heard the grumblings which the children of Yisra’ĕl are grumbling against Me.  (28)  “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares יהוה  {Jehovah}, ‘as you have spoken in My hearing, so I do to you:  (29)  ‘The carcasses of you who have grumbled against Me are going to fall in this wilderness, all of you who were registered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.  (30)  ‘None of you except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun, shall enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.  (31)  ‘But your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, I shall bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.  (32)  ‘But as for you, your carcasses are going to fall in this wilderness.  (33)  ‘And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whorings, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.  (34)  ‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days – a day for a year, a day for a year – you are to bear your crookednesses forty years, and you shall know My breaking off.  (35)  ‘I am יהוה  {Jehovah}, I have spoken, I shall do this to all this evil congregation who are meeting against Me: In this wilderness they are consumed, and there they die.’ ”  (36)  And the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land,  (37)  even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before יהוה  {Jehovah}.  (38)  Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh remained alive.

Their hesitation and disbelief did not help them to go further instead, this time, it angered God. Their fear caused them to wander and procrastinate and eventually kept them from what God wanted for them. They did it to themselves.

We should take such story as a lesson also for us. How much do we want to trust God? How much do we follow the path God has laid in front of us?

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, later could tell he was forty years old when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent him from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land. Though he brought Moses word again as it was in his heart, his brothers who went up with him made the heart of the people melt. Because Caleb kept faithful to God, fully following Jehovah his God, Jehovah has kept him alive these forty-five years as He said, even since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. This made Caleb being able to become eighty-five years whilst others had died already.

Jos 14:6-10 The Scriptures 1998+  (6)  And the children of Yehuḏah came to Yehoshua in Gilgal, and Kalĕb son of Yephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which יהוה  {Jehovah} said to Mosheh the man of Elohim concerning you and me in Qad??sh Barn?a.  (7)  “I was forty years old when Mosheh the servant of יהוה  {Jehovah} sent me from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.  (8)  “But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I followed יהוה  {Jehovah} my Elohim completely.  (9)  “So Mosheh swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has trodden is your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have followed יהוה  {Jehovah} my Elohim completely.’  (10)  “And now, see, יהוה  {Jehovah} has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years since יהוה  {Jehovah} spoke this word to Mosheh while Yisra’ĕl walked in the wilderness. And now, see, I am eighty-five years old today.

The People of God who had received many proofs that God was with them still were not trusting God enough. Like for them you can say the edge of believing is always in front of us. From the fall onwards man got fear. Suddenly they were afraid to being naked and been seen by others. From then onwards fear stayed with man as a natural human emotion.

We should now that above fear there is the security of knowing. There is wisdom and healthy respect which shall be to our are benefit. Though we should be well aware that the danger is always looking around the corner. The adversary of God is always standing ready to bring us in doubt and to give us fear. This fear can shut us down when we don’t take it to God. We should be so convinced that we do not have to fear God by coming to Him with our doubts and questions. With all what we have in Scriptures we should know that we can trust Him. Jehovah is absolutely approachable with honest prayer and provides several means of reassurance. He also has given His only begotten son to be a mediator between God and man. In him too we should trust, that he can talk in our name with his heavenly Father and be our guide in distress.

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Please do find to read further:

Like grasshoppers

Believing in God the Rewarder

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Additional reading:

1. Challenging claim 4 Inspired by God 3 Self-consistent Word of God
2. God Our Refuge
3. Actions to be a reflection of openness of heart

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Truth, doubt or blindness

The Jordan River and “Kfar-Hanasi” bridge (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At a certain time in history, nearly two thousand years ago there was a man preaching in the dessert. The disciples of John reported of an other preacher leaving Capernaum going into a city called Nain with several of his disciples and a great crowd went with him. In that place were also disciples of that preacher in the desert, clothed in camel hair.
Those pupils may have been astonished by the great multitude this story teller could fetch. they also witnessed how this preacher drew near to the gate of the city when there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.  they witnessed how that preacher had compassion on her, and said unto her not to weep. Unbelievable it was to see how he came nigh and touched the bier and the bearers stood still. Having said that the young man had to ‘Arise’ they also witnessed with others in the city that this young man got up and began to speak. And he gave him back to his mother.  Seeing this they were not the only ones taken by fear. Many glorified God and said that a great prophet was arisen among them.

This report of the incredible event went forth concerning that preacher in the whole of Judea, and all the region round about. And the disciples of John the Baptist told him of all these things.  John having become curious about this miracle worker called unto him two of his disciples to sent to that man to ask him if he was the one the world was looking and waiting for.

This mural, painted on the interior of the John the Baptist Church at the Jordan River, depicts Jesus’ baptism by the hand of John. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the men were come unto him and said that John the Baptist had sent them unto him to ask if he was “he that cometh”, or if they had to look for another. that day they could see how in one hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. The preacher and miracle-worker from Nazareth knew his member of family and told his disciples the things which they had seen and heard; the blind receiving their sight, the lame walking again, the lepers being cleansed, and the deaf hearing again but also the dead raised up, whilst everybody could hear him preach in the name of the Only One God. Rich or poor, all had good tidings preached to them. Though we know that many doubted and still many doubt today. Then as know there are still many who find enough occasion of stumbling in him.

When the messengers of John were departed, this miracle-worker with the name Jeshua (Jesus) began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, a man clothed in soft raiment. He asked the people around him what they went out to see. A prophet?

We are told that the preaching man in the dessert and baptising people in the river Jordan was much more than a prophet.  He is the one of whom it is written,

    Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee

The people had a son of man spoken about in the old scrolls and now got to see an other son of man prophesied in the ancient Holy Writings. but who was willing to see what he did, hear what he said, and believe what he said? Then and now there are still many people who do not want to believe the words which were written down about that man who was lower than angels but made higher later on. Lots of people do forget that God is, was and always has been the Most High, and that it is Him Who gives and takes life. The Nazarene man who did those miracles never claimed to do them himself, but still today there are lots of people who want to believe that it was he himself who did it all and that he is the Most High God. They are the people Jesus is also talking about, the ones who do not want to believe the Words of God Himself Who ascribed His people, who said Who were His and who Jesus was. Though many could hear it when this son of man was standing in the river Jordan.

Luk 3:15-22 MKJV  And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts concerning John, lest perhaps he was the Christ,  (16)  John answered all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I comes, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,  (17)  whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His storehouse. But He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.  (18)  And then indeed exhorting many things, he proclaimed the gospel to the people.  (19)  But Herod the tetrarch (being reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done)  (20)  added still this above all, that he even shut John up in prison.  (21)  And it happened in the baptizing of all the people, Jesus also being baptized, and praying, and the heaven was opened.  (22)  And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him. And a voice came from Heaven, which said, You are My Son, the Beloved; I am delighted in You.

After his baptism and his retreat of meditation in the dessert this son of man about Whom God had declared to be His beloved son, Jeshua (Jesus) like his cousin started preaching but went also into the villages and towns. this was when he was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) son of Joseph, son of of Heli.

Luk 7:11-35 MKJV  And it happened on the next day, He went into a city called Nain. And many of His disciples and a great crowd went with Him.  (12)  And drawing near the gate of the city, even behold, one having died was being carried out, an only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable crowd of the city was with her.  (13)  And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, Do not weep.  (14)  And He came and touched the bier. And the ones who bore him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say to you, Arise!  (15)  And the one who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.  (16)  And fear came on all. And they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen up among us; and, God has visited His people.  (17)  And this report of Him went out in all Judea, and in all the neighborhood.  (18)  And his disciples reported all these things to John.  (19)  And John, calling near a certain two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Are You He that should come, or do we look for another?  (20)  And coming to Him, the men said, John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, Are You He who should come, or do we look for another?  (21)  And in the same hour He cured many of infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits. And He gave sight to many who were blind.  (22)  And answering, Jesus said to them, Go and tell John what you have seen and heard; that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is proclaimed to the poor.  (23)  And blessed is he who shall not be offended in Me.  (24)  And when the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the people concerning John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?  (25)  But what did you go out to see? A man clothed with soft clothing? Behold, those in splendid clothing and being in luxury are in kings’ palaces.  (26)  But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet.  (27)  This is he of whom it is written, “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You.”  (28)  For I say to you, Among those who are born of woman there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.  (29)  And all the people and the tax-collectors who heard Him justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.  (30)  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not being baptized by him.  (31)  And the Lord said, To what then shall I compare the men of this generation? And to what are they like?  (32)  They are like children sitting in a market and calling to one another, and saying, We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you did not weep.  (33)  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon.  (34)  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!  (35)  But wisdom has been justified by all her children.

You may wonder if John was uncertain about Jesus’ identity. It is not clear that he knew the preacher to be spoken of to be Jeshua his cousin. If they would have told him his name he would have known more, but at that time the stories where still vague and very confusing, because people told about incredible things, like people standing up from the dead. Also for John the Baptist such stories should have sounded incredible and unbelievable.

Pastor Chris Linzey aks us to put ourselves in the shoes of that desert preacher John the Baptist.

It’s comforting to see that even a spiritual giant like John the Baptist can face uncertainty. John was uncertain about Jesus’ identity. Um, say what?!? Remember – John was the one who baptized Jesus! But put yourself in John’s sandals – after baptizing Jesus, John probably expected Jesus to come in power, drive out the Romans, and take charge as the true king of Israel. It was the expectation of all of the Jews that the Messiah would be this kind of savior. The crowds, the disciples, and even John didn’t expect this Messiah – one who came to save people eternally, not just politically. {When a Baptist Doubts Jesus…}

No wonder many dared to ask themselves if this son of man could perhaps be the one talked about in the prophesies they all so knew very well. Or should they keep looking?

In previous articles we have already spoken about the doubt and how much doubt can be accepted or tolerated and could be seen as something natural in our human constitution. Every time someone in the Bible expresses doubt, the doubt moves to faith after God responds.

The same is true here with John the Baptist. He is not condemned for questioning and expressing concerns about the Messiah. In fact, Jesus commends John!{When a Baptist Doubts Jesus…} John expressed concern and doubt and Jesus says there is none greater. Not bad, getting a compliment from the Messiah! But John came with a different purpose and function than Jesus. John came to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus affirms that he Is the Messiah. But people just won’t be pleased. {When a Baptist Doubts Jesus…}

Also today we do find people who do not want to accept that Jesus could really be a man doing God His Will. They think it to be impossible for any man to do God His Will. This is not only doubting man himself but also doubting God. Because it would indicate that God could not create a man able to follow His Wishes and keeping to His commandments He gave them. (That would also make this God in a very cruel God, putting Laws unto His creatures knowing that they can not keep to them and than terrorising them with the punishment of pain, continues suffering and death.)

When you look around you you might find lots of people who do not want to accept Jesus is really the son of man and the son of God, as the Bible tells us. Lots do not even want to accept he lived because they follow those who say Jesus is God and for them God does not exist so Jesus cannot have existed. Both are blinded by a wrong idea. The Christians who do not accept the manhood of Jesus, denying the Words of God Himself about His son, and ignoring the many remarks of Jesus about his position and relationship with his heavenly Father. And the atheists confusing with them two different characters, one a man of flesh and blood, being a historical figure and a biblical figure, whilst the other though also a biblical figure, not being a man of flesh and blood but being an eternal Spirit and Creator of heavens and earth.

For lots of people it does take a lot of time before they come to see things and it even takes much longer before they come to see the truth.

Pastor Chris Linzey is reminded of the Mark Twain quip:

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

He writes:

Eventually kids come to recognize the wisdom of their parents. And time will show that Jesus is who and what he claims to be. Time will show that Jesus IS the Messiah. And with him comes the kingdom of God – here and now, breaking through to earth.

He also thinks about the song called “Give Me Faith” which says:

I need you to open my eyes And see that you’re shaping my life All I am, I surrender Give me faith

We only can ask God that He will open the eyes of many and shall show them who the one is about Whom He said that he is His beloved son. In the coming weeks we shall be reminded of the acts this young man did, giving his life, not for himself, not to please himself, not for doing his own will, but for doing the Will of God and out of love for all people. In case Jesus is God he naturally would always have done his own will and would have known that man nor death can do nothing to him. But not being God he had to trust his heavenly Father and had to believe all the promises of his ancestors. He also had to fully believe in the One who he thought to be the God of Abraham to be the Creator of heaven and earth, willing to accept his ransom offer.

No wonder Jesus sweated blood and water, because he too had moments of doubt and worried about what could happen to him. If he was God he would not have had to worry, because God knows everything, but he as man was in a total different position. He had not to lack faith. And that is important for us as well. We may also not lack faith like Jesus trusted his heavenly Father we too should trust our heavenly Father.

This week, examine the ways and areas of your life where you might lack faith (or have weak faith). – Pray that God would expand and increase your faith! {When a Baptist Doubts Jesus…}

Many who heard about the master teacher and his miracles doubted in those stories being true. Many came to look at him just out of curiosity. Lots of people found him very entertaining and were willing to follow him in the mountains to hear his stories and to see what he would do next. Having not television this was the reality show in pure real life time, with magic beyond human understanding. Bread and fishes multiplying like nothing. People standing up after years having paralysed or being so ill they could not do much. Many could see it but still did not believe it. Today we cannot see it but are we willing to believe it?

John came to prepare the way for the Messiah. Jesus affirms that he Is the Messiah. But people just won’t be pleased. {When a Baptist Doubts Jesus…} “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

The son of man of whom is said he is also the son of God, is given to humankind.  Lots is written about him. The most important things are able to be found in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. What is written in there about this rabbi people should believe. Those words we should accept like they are written down for previous, our and next generations, to come to see. Let us see and hear and finally come to believe.

At the time of Jesus non-Jews also came to believe in him. Even a centurion, one of the Roman soldiers came to see Jesus.

This is not someone who is naturally part of “God’s people.” Clearly he is friendly towards the Jews. He knows Jewish elders and helped build the local synagogue. Yet he has a level of faith that puts God-believers to shame. Not only does he ask Jesus to heal a servant, he demonstrates an understanding of Jesus’ authority that everyone else around Jesus seems to miss. {Jesus Didn’t Really Do Miracles} It’s one thing for a local healer to put hands on someone and to say some words and to bring about a healing. Here the soldier is asking Jesus to demonstrate the impossible – a distance miracle. There is no touch involved (a common element in ancient healing rituals). But as the centurion understands military authority, he believes Jesus has the same spiritual authority. {Jesus Didn’t Really Do Miracles} In all of Jesus’ healing stories, the response of the crowd is to marvel and amaze at Jesus. Here, Jesus marvels at the centurion! This truly is incredible faith, and because of the faith Jesus delivers and the servant is healed. If Jesus can heal from a distance like this, what limit is there to his ability? {Jesus Didn’t Really Do Miracles}

We understand the way of thinking of many atheists and unbelievers. It all sounds incredible. But that means not that it would not be  credible. It would not be a miracle if it would normally could happen just like that.

Are we willing to believe the Bible? Are we willing to accept that God provided the world with some one who could speak in God His Name and honour Him perfectly? Are we willing to put our doubts away and see like Pontius Pilate an innocent man brought to the slaughter, being the king of the Jews but also the perfect ransom offer, God accepting him to become the king of many, also non-Jews?

Are we willing to belong perhaps to the those underdogs who Jesus calls lucky? Though the majority of the world does not want to believe in God nor in the one sent by God, do you want to believe in that sent one from God who came to tell the world about the Good News of the  Kingdom of God? Though he may change your ideas of who and what is important in the kingdom of God and may turn the table on the people who live their best life now, are you prepared to follow his teachings and not those of certain theologians or men who claim to be man of God, but are not notated as that in the Bible?

Are you willing to open your own eyes or to blindly follow the sayings and doctrines of man?

We should go for that preacher who told that the Spirit of Jehovah God was on him, because God has anointed him to bring good news to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of God’s favour, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn.

Let us believe in that man sent from God who ave his body for the whole world, and restored the relationship between God and man. He now is the mediator between God and man, our intercessor in whom we should put all our hope.

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Preceding article: What is the truth asked also Pontius Pilate

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Read relevant articles:

1. Christ begotten through the power of the Holy Spirit
2. Jesus begotten Son of God #3 Messiah or Anointed one
3. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
4. Jesus begotten Son of God #11 Existence and Genesis Raising up
5. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
6. Jesus Messiah
7. Jesus and his God
8. Wishing to do the will of God
9. The high calling of God in Christ Jesus
10. On the Nature of Christ
11. Servant of his Father
12. Nazarene Commentary Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus Declared God’s Son at His Baptism
13. Nazarene Commentary Mark 1:9-11 – An Approved Son Baptized
14. On the Nature of Christ
15. Jesus is the Son of God but Not God the Son
16. A voice cries out: context
17. Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
18. Servant for the truth of God
19. Science, scepticism, doubts and beliefs
20. Doubting and going astray
21. Looking at three “I am” s
22. Let me keep to “first importance” things
23. Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.

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Wisdom not hard to find nor hiding in remote places

In the world constantly we are bombarded by many words and ideas. We would love to be able to put them all in good order and to let them give us more wisdom. We also would love to believe that we have wisdom, but we do know it will never be enough wisdom.

A graphic personification of Wisdom QR-Code content : http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Wisdom isn’t hard to find nor is it hiding in remote places.

As chaptersone sbierwagen1 writes:

Proverbs 1:20-21 describes wisdom as “calling aloud in the street” and “raising it’s voice in public”. Proverbs 8:1-4 says it again. So why do we have such a hard time hearing wisdom? We’ve filled our ears with the noise of this foolish world. Books, movies, television programs, and friends who loudly entice us away from good advice and wisdom. Those who have wise, God-fearing parents must remember what their mothers and fathers taught and lived. (Proverbs 1:8-9) We must spend more and more time in God’s Word, hearing God’s Word in church, and spending time with friends who love and obey God. Then wisdom will be louder  in our ears and the world will fade away. {Proverbs 1}

Many hope to find wisdom here on earth and getting it from human beings. They forget that the most superior wisdom does not come from the world. The best way to attain wisdom, discipline, insight, prudence, rightness, justice, fairness, discretion, guidance, learning, and understanding is by listening to the Words of the Most High.

The UST Fountain of Wisdom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Bible we are told  that “knowledge” can come to us by having the right attitude. when we do have a healthy fear of the Divine Creator we can come to the beginning of knowledge or getting more wisdom. When we do have that right fear and are prepared or willing to listen to the Words given from high, the Words of God we can find in the Holy Scriptures or the Bible, we will be able to taste that wisdom and will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

By listening to the Words given by God and by listening to human people who seem to have wisdom, and comparing how they speak and how they live or act we shall be able to store up knowledge. We also shall come to see that the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

We should work on our weaknesses by not just blindly following our own selfish desires nor just taking all words from others granted.

In Wisdom Unmeritted is mentioned that Adam; the first man, was not educated in man’s educational system.

His complete knowledge of God and all the creation, surpasses the intelligence of our modern sciences and that of the wisdom of the ages. He had a conscience that was so sharp and accurate. Guessed work was not a part of his DNA. Adam knew the very mind of God, effortlessly; naming of all the animals in the garden of Eden was executed with precision and with such grace, just as God would have named each one of them.

Adam being moulded by the Divine Creator was without fault or had no deficiencies. No defect could be found in him and as such he could only have a good application of knowledge or have full wisdom.

Adam did have a perfect knowledge and unusual ability to execute so well than any other creature, because he was created in the very image of God.{Wisdom Unmeritted}

Today we, after the sin of the “first Adam” we are full of minor and perhaps also big faults and do not have such knowledge any-more to get full insight. But we can find enough examples in the past to come to see that it is important who we have around us, to whom we listen and which words we want to follow up.  We should know that if we constantly walk with a wise man, we will literally be changed by his wisdom to act in his principles and values. When we know that the divine Creator is the Most High and Most Wise of all, we better make the right choice and choose to listen to His wise Words,which we can find in the Bible.

Words of Wisdom in the Torah inside of the former Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we read in the book of books we can see many examples where people could manage extraordinary things because an excellent Spirit was in them. We should allow such a Spirit to enter in ourselves as well.

Some may think “Wisdom” is “hidden from the eyes of all living, and knowledge of it is withheld from the birds of the heavens” like Desire by Design Ministries writes in Where does wisdom come from? she forgets that being created in the image of God we all do have in us implanted elements of God and the ability to think, build up knowledge and to get more wisdom.

It was Jehovah, the God Almighty, Who has all wisdom and understanding. He is the One Who also is for us the way to Wisdom and He knows the place of this Wisdom because full Wisdom is only by God alone. Unlike the writer of Where does wisdom come from? implies God did not have to look to the ends of the earth to search Wisdom out

[for His own use, and He alone possesses it]

because as she says it wisdom belongs already to God. Like the Rugby Christadelphians say:

Our minds should be filled with awe as to all that God must be!! It  is the beginning or foundation of wise thinking. The plea of Solomon is, “”Hear my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.” [Proverbs of Solomon 1:8]  The acceptance and absorption into our minds of such teaching and instruction is like wearing “a graceful garland” – yet today how many parents are able and willing to teach true wisdom to their children?  If they are able and willing – their children are surrounded by counter influences – but the need for “wisdom and instruction” has never been greater. {“Fools Despise Wisdom And Instruction” Bible Reading Thoughts for March 23rd}

God does not need the Wisdom, He has it already all, but man has a great need, because he lost it nearly all. Lots of people have lost wisdom or did not get it because they or their parents did loose track of God. Those not with God did not receive further wisdom than the wisdom God considered it necessary for the task they had to fulfil in this world. Every person is here on this earth for some reason or with some purpose. We notice that a lack of wise counsel and accountability for actions has been the downfall of many world leaders, kings, and rulers.The Bible is full of stories by which we should come to learn how to live, behave, act and react.

The story of Solomon is in the Bible for a reason. We must learn from the mistakes of others and King Solomon made some real whoppers. The great can fall. The righteous can become unrighteous.  Sin has no prejudice and will latch on to anyone in sight. {A Fool}

Many Christians are mistaken and think once baptised they are saved for ever and have full knowledge of everything. “Oh such fools”. It is very good when people came to the decision to follow Jesus and to go for God, but they may not forget they have to continue to grow and work hard to keep their faith pure. They may consider themselves highly favoured in the sight of God, just as King Solomon once was, but this will not excuse them from judgement and discipline if they do ignore the commandments and instructions found in the Word of God. When they, after they were baptised, walk astray, they shall loose insight again.

Fools may read scripture but this doesn’t mean they apply the instruction to their lives or memorize and keep the words hidden in their heart. King Solomon stopped relying on God and trusted more and more in himself. He forgot the source of his wisdom, wealth, and power. {A Fool}

We always should remember that we do have to keep our faith going and feed ourselves with wisdom every day. The Bible advices us to continuously learn. When we are willing to have our eyes open and see what the world has to offer and what God has to offer, with the fear for the Right Person (the Elohim hashem Jehovah God) the Most High will inspire people to be faithful stewards of the time and talents that God has given.

All people who are on this world are there because God allows them to be there. All people can learn from those who walk around on this world. Each person is there to be used to  get ideas from and to learn from. Each their knowledge can be used to feed or nourish knowledge by others. As such each person in the world can make it that wisdom can be made productive and beneficial for others. Wisdom starts by birth and at home.

Wisdom is best taught and lived in the home—indeed, the success of the home demands wisdom—and that wisdom is balanced living (Allen Ross, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 1130).

Therefore parents do have a big responsibility for the wisdom their child shall retrieve. They also can look for the best educators and schools, choose the right books to read, take care of the children seeing the right images and meeting the right persons.

The Gutenberg Bible displayed by the United States Library of Congress, demonstrating printed pages as a storage medium. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They should know that the world is given a Book of books full of Wisdom.

The Bible is the greatest Wisdom Book ever written, and five specific books within the Bible are recognized as the Wisdom Books:Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These books are special because they offer in-depth truths regarding the topic of wisdom. The poetic and lyrical styles make these books a delight to read. Whether it’s Job’s realization that suffering cannot be comprehended through human reasoning, or David’s dealings with personal sin, justice and judgment, or Solomon’s revelations about the lofty matters of life, these books are a must read for every believer who desires to grow in wisdom from above. {Wisdom From Above}

We can see that in this world many people are looking for spiritual guidance and wisdom. They count on other men and women and often turn to ancient or new age gurus for words of wisdom. We should know that wisdom of man and the wisdom of God are two very different things. One is incomplete and does not give fulfilment, whilst the other constructs a person to some one who shall be able to continue to live after all others will be gone.

There is a plethora of so-called wisdom literature out there that is seemingly helpful, however, may only offer half-truths. Many of the sources are based on a humanly perspective. Only a message that is rooted and grounded in the Word of God can possibly come from a godly perspective. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is living, sharper than any two-edged sword, and it divides the soul and spirit. With all due respect to the big thinkers with big thoughts, if they have not been transformed by the renewing power of God’s Spirit and His quickening word, they are lacking true wisdom. {Wisdom From Above}

Though that does not mean we should not listen or not take into account what others say or write. No, we should be aware of what is said or written. We always should be prepared to listen to others and to think about what they have to say. From them we also can learn and should learn.

Like Calvin said we should be learners to the end.

All writings that can come in front of our eyes can be worthwhile to learn from. those which are interesting or have something to offer, we could share with others, and that is what this and a site, like Stepping Toes, tries to do. As such, hopefully many writers their quotes or ideas can be presented here and shall get our readers to inspire to look further and continue reading and comparing what they have to say with what others and the Bible have to say.

In the Bible or the Book of books we can find many inspiring words.

God inspired Solomon to write many proverbs, by which he taught the people knowledge and set out acceptable words, even the words of truth (Eccl 12:9-11). Of a total of three thousand proverbs (I Kings 4:32), the best five hundred or so are here. What a collection! You will learn wisdom to cover most every area of your life. Success is right before you! {Secrets of Wisdom}

With the writer of Secrets of Wisdom I would also say:

Tremble before the Word of God and rejoice at the opportunity of finding great spoil from the mind of God and the observations of Solomon. Let your intent be learning and obedience only, without even a trace of mere academic interest or knowledge for the sake of pride. Let your ambition be to grow in wisdom to please God and men. {Secrets of Wisdom}

The ones that God “draws to Him” shall ‘all be taught by God’. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father shall be able to come to His son who liberated the world of its chains and brought salvation to humankind.  (John 6:44,45).

The only thing we do have to be willing to see and hear and to listen to the Right Words. Let us be taught – from God’s word.

As we read God’s word we must have a child-like attitude to “hear” and then “accept” (the) words” we read and then “we will have treasure in heaven” Jesus told a ruler, adding, “and come,follow me.” [v.18,22] The very last chapter in the Bible, the final message of Jesus, tells us that, when Jesus returns, this treasure will be revealed, for I will be “bringing my reward (or recompense)with me to repay everyone for what he has done” [Rev.22 v.12]So we start by hearing (through reading), then we “accept”  and then we “do” what God desires in the way we live using our individual abilities and opportunities to serve God and his Son, our Saviour every day – and then the wonder of the time to come – which is getting ever closer – the time of divine repayment with life in his kingdom on earth , for “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” [Matt. 5 v.5]  Will you be there?  You make the answer now! {“Hear … Accept My Words”}

You can’t make anyone wise, but you can provide the scaffolding and tools to give them the best chance of getting wisdom that is for everyone. {Wisdom for Everyone}

 

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Please find also to read:

1. Wisdom lies deep
2. Did the Inspirator exist
3. Only One God
4. God of gods
5. God is One
6. Give thanks to the One Who gave much
7. Who Wrote the Bible?
8. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #4 Words in Scripture
9. Why can’t Bible scholars agree on how to interpret the Bible?
10. Out of Context: How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible
11. American atheists most religiously literate Americans

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Additional reading:

1. Thursday Thoughts: Pattern of a Wise Woman
2. All ProWisdom Texts from Proverbs 8 (January 2012 – November 2013) by Aaron and Michael Diedrich
   Do you ever find yourself thinking if I only could do this or that, and it seems like a wise thing to do even though you know God’s Word says don’t do it? Listen to the wisdom of God’s Word and do not listen to the deceitfulness of your own understanding and own wisdom. Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, will never tell you to do wrong.
3. Wisdom for Everyone
   I like to think of wisdom as the ability to navigate life with discretion and sound judgment that shows an understanding of the workings of nature and people. Wisdom is responsive and considerate of the ripple effects of one’s actions, attitudes and words on the cosmic order. Moreover, wisdom is founded in an understanding of and reverence for God, the Creator.
4. The Wise Ask
   My children often fail to ask for wisdom, believing that it is just given, liberally. But My Word says to ask. I implore you to seek wisdom from above, for it is only through wisdom that the work should be done.
5. Lady Wisdom’s Unheeded Call
   I’ve been reading a bit lately about a subject I don’t hear much about these days–wisdom. My hunch is that we don’t like this idea of wisdom because it seems to suggest that there are ideas of how to live well that are already “out there”–that might have a certain “fixed” quality about them that aren’t subject to our own “make it up as we go” kind of life. It seems to me these days that our preferred method of gaining wisdom, if we care about this at all, is learning from our mistakes. And I have a hunch that many of us do learn this way (I have) and yet it seems that this way is fraught with lots of pain for not only ourselves, but that it leads to inflicting pain on those around us. And sometimes, we don’t live to profit from the lessons–we are merely an object lesson for others. Is there a better way?
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   Some fears are healthy. Proverbs says that the recognition that my life is lived for God is actually a healthy fear. I think how that works for me is that it leads me to cry for God’s help to live wisely before him in all the nooks, crannies, and crevices of my life. Everything matters, and God would spare us unneeded pain–there is plenty of pain without that which we bring on ourselves. If there is a choice between living well and making life hard–do I really want the latter? Better to listen for the voice of Lady Wisdom…
6. Decision, decisions
   You don’t have access to God’s sovereign knowledge (Will I lose my job?  Will interest rates go up or down?  Etc.).  You do have unrestricted access to his moral will via the Bible. Example: Is it immoral to pay off your mortgage early?  No, unless that means you won’t have enough money to feed your kids.  After moral considerations, look to the wisdom angle.  Ask God for wisdom, as He promises to deliver.  But as with Solomon, He doesn’t promise to decide everything for you.  Read the Proverbs (and more).  Seek the counsel of others.  Consider the pros and cons.  That’s how to make wise decisions.  Finally, provided the options are moral and wise, consider your personal preferences.  We have tremendous freedom in Christ to do many things with our time and money.  Will paying off your mortgage make you happy?  If so, then do it.
7. Secular wisdom and spiritual wisdom
   What exactly is wisdom? And why do we have to separate between secular and spiritual wisdom?
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   The requirement for being secularly wise is to make odd bets that will somehow, someday proven to be right.
8. Wisdom Anyone?
9. Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

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Related articles

• Wisdom by A Schoonbee
• Where does wisdom come from?
• Jump, He WILL catch you!
• 174. Godly Wisdom
• proverbs and aesop
• 03 March 16, 2014, Proverbs 8-9 & James 3, Listen To Wisdom’s Invitation
• Growing in Wisdom: Not just your average WISE Guy!
• Watching for Lady Wisdom
• Several quotes about wisdom.
• Proverbs 10

Several quotes about wisdom

Many words are said and written down in the world, but how many are inspired by wisdom?

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1. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
2. Words in the world
3. The Tongue an Outlet
4. Loving the Word
5. Answering a fool according to his folly
6. Honour your own words as if they were an important contract
7. Think before you speak
8. A tongue to speak slowly and well-considered
9. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
10. Growth in character
11. Aim High: Examples of Godly Characters to follow
12. How should we preach?
13. The radiance of God’s glory and the counsellor
14. A Living Faith #2 State of your faith
15. Feed Your Faith Daily
16. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #5 To meditate and Transform
17. Bible a guide – Bijbel als gids
18. Happy who’s delight is only in the law of Jehovah
19. A Bible Falling Apart Belongs to Someone who isn’t
20. Truth never plays false roles of any kind, which is why people are so surprised when meeting it
21. Wisdom lies deep
22. Those who make peace should plant peace like a seed
23. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
24. Prophets making excuses

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Related articles

• Proverbs 1 (chaptersone.wordpress.com)
  Proverbs 1:1-6 describes the purpose of the book of Proverbs: to attain wisdom, discipline, insight, prudence, rightness, justice, fairness, discretion, guidance, learning, and understanding. Verse 7 seems to use the term “knowledge” as a synonym of wisdom saying “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”. And verse 33 says “whoever listens to [wisdom] will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Very often each verse of Proverbs is a mini-sermon by itself, with a line about wisdom beside a line about foolishness. For example, Proverbs 10:14, “Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” A good habit would be to read one verse of Proverbs a day, and meditate on it.
• Weekend Wisdom: Live In Peace With One Another (joyreturns.com)
  

  When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

  Jimi Hendrix

• The Wisdom of Peace (whyjesusministries.wordpress.com)
  James 3:17 (NIV)
  17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
• Weekend Wisdom: Be Devoted To One Another (joyreturns.com)
  

  Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.

  Mary McLeod Bethune

• A Practical And Experiential Overview of Romans by Robert Haldane (ilyston.wordpress.com)
  The attributes of God, especially His holiness and justice, when viewed through any other medium than that of the Gospel, strike terror into the heart of man, and lead him, like Adam, to hide himself among the trees of the garden. But these attributes, in themselves so terrible to the guilty, are, through the merciful appointment of the mediation of our heavenly Surety, pledged for the deliverance of the Christian, and for his eternal salvation.
• Several quotes about wisdom. (closetoeighty.wordpress.com)
  Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.  ~Norman Cousins
• 03 March 16, 2014, Proverbs 8-9 & James 3, Listen To Wisdom’s Invitation (slideshare.net)
• Being sure of their deliverance (christadelphianworld.blogspot.com)
  They were sure that the divine Creator was with them and would continuously guide them through easy but also through difficult times.
• Holding Fast the Name of Jesus (jlue.wordpress.com)
• God?…Dis is Larry. (pastij.wordpress.com)
  I am just beginning to iron out my thoughts, and eventually, to be able to think this through with more of a clear-mind, and not just dozens of Christian clichés that don’t give adequate explanation for what I am doing. I want a solid foundations, and not that I don’t think that clichés aid in understanding, because I think that underneath the cliché is wisdom. I want to dig down to get the gold. Wisdom is better than gold. I want to use my mind, not to explain God as a scientist explains matter, I think its more like a child trying to explain his father. I can’t do it. But I will try.    Yes, God’s wisdom is not wisdom as the world sees it. And it is true that “God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise”.  BUT, this does not mean that God’s wisdom does not make sense. In fact, it makes perfect sense, unlike my explanation of it, which can never be perfect. If this is confusing to you, don’t stress.  It is confusing to me as well, but I do believe that I am going somewhere with this, though I may not know where.Everything that I understand about God has been taught to me by people in my life. These people were taught by people as well. The reason that I trust them? Well, it is difficult to explain, but I want to try, because there is a reason that makes sense, I just haven’t been able to put it into words yet.

  The fact that there is some consistency in what I have been taught is comforting, and the belief in the Word of God as authoritative gives me a foundation to build from. That being said, many people who treat the Bible with authority have a lot of crazy ideas that do not make sense. For example, the Klu Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church. So then, there is this other factor called interpretation.

  This is more of the beginning of a discussion than it is me trying to explain anything.

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.  ~Isaac Asimov

It is easier to find a score of men wise enough to discover the truth than to find one intrepid enough, in the face of opposition, to stand up for it.  ~A.A. Hodge

Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.  ~Norman Cousins

Wisdom comes by disillusionment.  ~George Santayana

Wisdom outweighs any wealth.  ~Sophocles

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