Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

Proverbs 23

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. v23

Pride is defined as excessive self-esteem, or too much trust in self, a topic I posted about last week.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reinforces today's scripture:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Key is that we exist to glorify Jesus and for Jesus to be glorified we must deny ourselves, allowing Jesus to become greater than ourselves.

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

I must get out of the way.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that You are God and that You are my God.  You are also a great God and the one and only true God.  You bless me beyond what I deserve - thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I am harsh with my words and thoughts.  Please forgive me and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me get out of the way and let Your light shine through me. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me point Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

Proverbs 29

A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. v15

Discipline often conveys a harshness that it should not.  A dictionary definition includes the following: 

1:  punishment 

2 obsolete:  instruction

3:  a field of study 

4:  training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character

5a:  control gained by enforcing obedience or order; b :  orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior; c :  self-control 

6:  a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity

This same definition also provides the following: 

Discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for pupil, which also provided the source of the word disciple (albeit by way of a Late Latin sense-shift to “a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime”). Given that several meanings of discipline deal with study, governing one’s behavior, and instruction, one might assume that the word’s first meaning in English had to do with education. In fact, the earliest known use of discipline appears to be punishment-related; it first was used in the 13th century to refer to chastisement of a religious nature, such as self-flagellation.

Given the Latin roots of the word "discipline", and given the Latin roots (Greek) of the Bible, in my view, the author (Solomon) intended that discipline be a positive thing regardless of whether used in the context of punishment or instruction/training because punishment is meant to instruct and train (assuming it is not harsh). 

All of this aside - we should be looking for ways to train our children.  For the key is to have a relationship that enables such training.

Pastor Scott at our church uses Ephesians 6:4 as support for this point:

Fathers,do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God - You have molded me into more of who You are and I am thankful for how You have transformed my heart and my life.  You have made me more patient (although not as patient as You want me to be I am sure), more compassionate, etc. I know You are not done with me but I am thankful for YOUR patience with me!  Please forgive me for my harshness with others.  I don't like it when I am. Help me turn from such sin towards You and help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and have them choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.

Proverbs 29

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. v11

God wants me to be the "light of the world", so I must demonstrate patience, kindness, peace, etc. (fruits of the spirit).

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

If I am and demonstrate Jesus to others (see Romans 12:1) one would see the fruits of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose love knows no bounds and who is quick to listen and slow to anger.  I am thankful for such a God because I am broken and I know I often fail to be the man You intend for me - yet You love me all the same.  Thank You Jesus.  Please forgive me and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and have them choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me lead and serve You, my family, the church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Proverbs 29

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. v7

Today was Missions Sunday at church. God commands us to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28), and to care for the poor both through service and giving.

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ⁸ Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Deuteronomy 15:7-8

My Prayer: Lord, You provide generously for all things - not just physical needs but emotional needs, spiritual needs, etc.  You encourage and You heal.  You are a great God and apart from You I can do nothing.  Thank You Jesus for how You bless beyond what I deserve. I am lazy and I often fail to serve You when I have ample opportunity to do so.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others - especially the poor - as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself strength and wisdom.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus so that they choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me lead and serve my family, You, the church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Proverbs 28

Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. v26

I am confident of many things and often my confidence rests in myself and this leads to arrogance and hubris. Yet our confidence must rest in God alone for without Him we can do nothing:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God, full of love, compassion, mercies, etc. for me.  I recognize this morning that apart from You I can do nothing.  You created me and You call me to live for You and others.  Yet I often don't.  Thank You for how You bless me beyond what I deserve but I need Your mercies. Please forgive me for falling short of Your desire for me - I am lazy, impatient, arrogant, and worried about the world.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Give myself and Lisa wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Help me lead and serve my family, You, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Proverbs 28

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. v13

We must all recognize that we are broken and born to sin and that we need a Savior.

[We] all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God[.] Romans 3:23

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

Mercy is found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who came to earth so that we could be set free from the sting of sin and death.  He was nailed to the cross and through His death, our sin was also permanently nailed to the cross.  Freedom indeed!  

Who is a God like you,

who pardons sin and forgives the transgression

of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:18

We must confess our sins to not just Jesus but to our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we share our lives in fellowship and with non-believers who through our story can see Jesus at work in us. See Acts 2:42-47, James 5:16, Matthew 5:14-16.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who has done miracles in my life and in the lives of those around me.  I have seen Your works with my own eyes!  You are God and my God.  Thank You for adopting me as Your Son! I am not worth such love.  I am broken.  I am lazy and selfish, among my many sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give myself and Lisa strength and wisdom.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo. Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus so that they choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me lead and serve my family, You, the church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

Proverbs 27

If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable. v9

This morning the key theme, is to seek wisdom from God alone.  In my view, inability to be "coachable" is either a sign that you lack confidence or that you are arrogant. I see it in my own son how he demonstrates a willingness to learn but often lacks the confidence that he will be able to.  Alternatively, I see in other people (and in myself from time to time) arrogance - which is resistance to instruction and wisdom when we feel we don't need it.  Of course, hogwash on this last item as we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  

God gives us confidence because we KNOW he loves us despite who we are.  He will meet us exactly where we are...in love.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

God also wants us to be humble - we all must acknowledge our need for God and not be proud.

My Prayer; Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me exactly where I am - broken and all.  Thank You Jesus for being my firm foundation who never leaves me nor forsakes me and who never changes.  You will always love me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such a God.  I am impatient with others and harsh with my thoughts and actions.  Please forgive me and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do. Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength and wisdom.  Give Lisa strength and wisdom.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and have them choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me lead and serve my family and serve You and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.