Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tuesday, March 24th: Proverbs 3-5, 1 Corinthians 15: 1-28 ~ Nathan


Proverbs 3 talks about trusting in the Lord. It talks about how to trust in the Lord in the first part of each verse in verses 1-10, and follows with the results of trusting in the Lord in the back half of those verses.

I found these verses to be positive and uplifting. In the back half of these verses the writer talks about benefiting by adding years to my life (v1),  finding favour and success (v2),  making my paths straight (v6), gaining healing and refreshment (v8),  and my barns filled with plenty and vats bursting (v10).

The first part of these verses reminds me to not forget His teaching (v1), keep steadfast love and faithfulness (v3),  trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding (v5),  acknowledge Him (v6), not to think of myself as wise (v7), and honor the Lord with the money I make by giving back to the Lord first, and not after I've taken care of my own interests (v9).

Basically I need to put God's interests ahead of my own if I want to truly succeed at anything (first half of verses), and thus realizing that by "succeeding"  this means not gaining material wealth but true happiness and wisdom in the Lord (back half of verses).

In verse 12,  this section ends with a reminder that we should accept the Lord's discipline because he does this to those He loves. I need discipline and need to also remember to accept it as "constructive cristism",  not taking it as a personal shot,  but rather using it as a tool to grow in the Lord.

This leads me to a reminder about forgiveness,  which I found in 1 Corinthians 15: 9-10, where Paul reminds us that he persecuted the church but is now forgiven. He states in verse 10 that God's grace given to Paul was "not wasted" ( easy to read version) . What great motivation too,  while remembering God's gift to us (grace),  keep working hard for God, who forgives all sin.

3 comments:

Conrad said...

The verses that stood out to me is Proverbs 4:14-15:

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

Logicall and straight forward advice. Curiosity killed the cat and can cause "death" to us as well. We need to be mindful of what our ears hear, our eyes see, and where our feet take us. If what we see, hear, or go doesn't glorify God, we need to turn away from it and pass on.

Tammy said...

Loved your thoughts about connecting the first and last parts of the verses in that section that way.

This passage again pointed to the importance of trust, and the pursuit of wisdom - again, not for wisdom's sake but to live in obedience to our Lord. It again warns of the dangers of adultery - a sin that has such devastating and far reaching consequences.

The NT passage points out how absolutely crucial the doctrine of the resurrection is to the Christian faith. Without it, our faith is useless. Thankfully, our God is risen indeed - demonstrating His power over sin and death, and giving us the hope of our own resurrection.

Pamela said...

Conrad and I must be on the same thoughts today because that exact verse stood out for me too:
Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.

It reminds me about the whole analogy about a piece of hubba bubba gum... It is much easier to stop chewing a piece of gum when it is sealed and in the wrapper. It become harder when you unwrap it because then the smell begins to lead you to want to chew it. If you unwrap it and move it closer to your lips, the temptation is even greater. You may even convince yourself to chew it "just once" but the reality is that it is much easier to avoid the temptation in the first place. This object lesson was once explained to me as a way of avoiding sexual temptation but I think all sin can follow this example. When we flee from temptation then our chances of not getting caught in the trap of sin is lessened.