Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:31-34

I continue my pause from my studies of both Proverbs and Isaiah to listen to Part 3 of DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion on worry.  John Piper uses the Sermon on the Mount to unpack promises #5-7 that Jesus gives us in the text to encourage us in our battle against anxiety and stress. These promises are:

• #5: Matthew 6:31-32 > Piper states, using this text, that we should not feel as if "God is ignorant of [our] needs. He knows all of them. And he is “your heavenly Father.” He does not look on, indifferently, from a distance. He cares. He will act to supply your need when the time is best."
• #6: Matthew 6:33 > Piper states, using this text, that "All the food and drink and clothing — and everything else — that you need to do his will and glorify him. Which might mean his purpose is for you to die for him, but he will supply everything you need to do it for his glory."  Piper also uses both Romans 8:32 and 35-37 to encourage us that God provides for all our needs, that we are never alone as He (through the Holy Spirit) is always with us, and that He enables us to conquer all that we may face.
  
• #7: Matthew 6:34 > Piper seeks to encourage us with this text by pointing out that (using 1 Corinthians 10:13, Deuteronomy 33:25, Lamentations 3:22-23, and 2 Corinthians 9:8) that "God will see to it that you are not tested in any given day more than you can bear," and that He will give you daily strength and mercies, and all the grace you need for any good deed.
  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed a great God and You provide for all that I need, physically, emotionally, spiritually - thank You Jesus.  I need not worry - but I have and I am certain there will be times that I will - please forgive me for my worry.  Help me overcome and turn from it and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  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. 

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 6

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:27-30

I extend my pause this morning from my studies of both Proverbs and Isaiah to listen to Part 2 of DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion on worry.  John Piper uses the Sermon on the Mount to unpack promises #3 and #4 Jesus gives us to encourage us in our battle against anxiety and stress. 

In promise #3, Piper uses Matthew 6:27 to encourage us to see the futility of worry.  In promise #4, God wants us to see how much more of a priority we, His children as believers, are relative to the flowers of the field or anything else in His creation.  Piper sums it up nicely here by stating: "[c]ompared to the flowers of the field you are a much higher priority for God, because you will live forever, and can thus bring him eternal praise as his loved children."

In particular, I am encouraged this morning to focus on what God does want me to do - to glorify Him with all of the fabric of my being.  Certainly worry is not God-glorifying...

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My Prayer: Jesus, You indeed are an amazing God who is able to provide for all of my physical needs, emotional needs and my spiritual needs - You are my all in all!  Thank You Jesus!  I need not worry.  I am undeserving of how You provide as I do often worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  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.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Matthew 6

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

I pause this morning from my studies of both Proverbs and Isaiah to listen to Part 1 of DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion on worry.  Here, across three days of the Solid Joys daily devotion, John Piper uses the Sermon on the Mount to unpack seven (7) promises Jesus gives us to encourage us in our battle against anxiety and stress.  Anxiety and stress is something which I battle, and more often than not, it relates to worry over Zach and Dustin.  This morning my focus is Part 1, which covers two of the promises Jesus offers on worry: 

#1: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

Piper states: "[s]ince your body and your life are vastly more complex and difficult to provide than food and clothing are, and yet God has, in fact, created and provided you with both, then surely he will be able and willing to provide you with food and clothing.

Moreover, no matter what happens, God will raise your body someday and preserve your life and body for his eternal fellowship."

 #2: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26

Piper states: "[i]f God is willing and able to feed such insignificant creatures as birds who cannot do anything to bring their food into being — as you can by farming — then he will certainly provide what you need, because you are worth a lot more than birds. You, unlike the birds, have the amazing capacity to glorify God by trusting, obeying, and thanking God."

Thank You God for how You encourage in all areas of my life.

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It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

Proverbs 25-29

It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. Proverbs 25:2

I wrap my study of Proverbs week 9 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 25-29.  My focus for today is the commentary provided at the end of the lesson to assist in the review and understanding of the entire text for the week (Proverbs 25-29).  The commentary provides seven (7) takeaways, using the following text (and other references) as basis for application:

• Proverbs 25:13 (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:1-3, Luke 1:76-79) points to a faithful messenger and other scripture clarifies how the OT pointed to Jesus as this faithful messenger.
• Proverbs 28:13 (1 John 1:6-9, Exodus 34:6, Hebrews 4:16) shows how God is full of mercy for those who repent and receive His forgiveness. 
• Proverbs 25:4 (Jeremiah 18:4, Romans 9:21, Hebrews 12:7-11) encourages us to see how God sanctifies His people through the refiner's fire.
  
• Proverbs 25:26 (Ezekiel 34:18-19, Revelation 3:15-16) warns believers against lukewarm faith.
• Proverbs 28:14 (Exodus 4:21, 7:3, 8:15, 9:12, 34, 10:20, Romans 9:1-18, Hebrews 3:7-12) encourages believers to guard against influences that may harden our hearts.
• Proverbs 25:2 (Deuteronomy 29:29, Romans 11:33) seeks for us to appreciate the mystery of God.
• Proverbs 29:25 (Jeremiah 17:5-10) describes how seeking the approval of men (over God) is a snare and idolatry.

Proverbs 25:2, in particular this morning, encourages me to continue to press into my Bible study.  This DesiringGod.com post indicates "[v]ery often, God is not interested in merely handing us the truth; he instead wants us to hunt for it[.]" Believers should relish the hunt!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and Your thoughts and ways are a mystery but You bless those who seek wisdom.  My search for wisdom continues and will will continue until I am home with You but You bless me as I search for truth.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. 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.

For lack of wood the fire goes out,and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Proverbs 25-29

For lack of wood the fire goes out,and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Proverbs 26:20-22

I continue my study of Proverbs week 9 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 25-29.  My focus for today is questions 9-12 from my workbook, which covers (1) the destructive effects of a sinful tongue, particularly gossip and lying (Proverbs 26:20,22, 24, 28, 18:8); (2) how boasting is folly (Proverbs 27:1-2, James 4:13-14); (3) how believers should flee from danger, particularly sexual immorality and idolatry (Proverbs 27:12, 22:3, 1 Corinthians 6:12-18, 10:1-14); and (4) how love of money leads to idolatry and takes one away from God towards destruction (Proverbs Proverbs 28:19-27, 1 Timothy 6:6-10).  For today, as we get closer to elections here in our country, I reflect on how gossip and lies tear communities apart - we definitely need more of Jesus!  I vote not for the donkey or elephant, but for the lamb! Believers should actually take this to heart because of more believers actually acted more like Jesus (including myself), we would definitely see God's kingdom grow and we would experience more love and unity.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God and You are love - You are slow to anger and abounding in love - this is despite my sin.  You love me and saved me while I was still sinning and an enemy/hostile to You...thank You Jesus!  What grace!  I am not deserving of such grace and love...nor my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Please provide wisdom and energy to Lisa and myself.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to 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.

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Proverbs 25-29

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11

I continue my study of Proverbs week 9 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 25-29.  My focus for today is questions 5-7 from my workbook, which cover (1) how the lack of self-control leads people into the hands of Satan (Proverbs 25:28, Galatians 5:16-24); (2) how believers can recognize and respond to a fool (Proverbs 25:28-26:12, 2 Peter 2:2); and (3) warnings about being a sluggard (Proverbs 26:13-16).  The themes and teachings of question (2) and (3) for today are particularly striking this morning for me as the workbook emphasizes how we are to learn and grow in our journey with Christ and how being "wise in own eyes" stymies learning and growth.  We must remain humble to avoid such traps and to grow and mature in our relationship with Christ. Key to this growth and maturity is to draw (and stay) near to God.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and You provide Your Word, my brothers and sisters in Christ, the church, and the Holy Spirit, all as means to help me grow and mature in my journey with You...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You provide such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  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.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger...A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it....Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city....but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Proverbs 25-29

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger...A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it....Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city....but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Proverbs 15:1, 16:14,32, 1 Peter 3:15-16 

I continue my study of Proverbs week 9 from my study workbook, which focuses on Proverbs 25-29.  My focus for today is question 2-4 from my workbook.  These questions examine how (1) Proverbs offers guidance about how to resolve relational conflict and how Jesus builds on this teaching by offering more prescriptive guidance for those in the church, including an escalation model (Proverbs 25:9-10, Matthew 18:15-17); (2) Proverbs offers teaching on how to respond during times of disagreement (Proverbs 25:15, 15:1, 16:14, 32, 1 Peter 3:15-16); and (3) Proverbs teaches us that there is no "one size fits all" set of words for how to share the gospel in our daily lives - we are to tailor the words to the circumstances (Proverbs 25:20, Romans 12:15). In particular, I can use the teaching from (2) - to offer soft responses without harshness, anger or tension, and to be gentle and respectful in response.  God please help in this area of my life.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of gentleness and respect, and who is slow to anger - thank You Jesus for the softness with which You respond to me - even though I am deserving of Your wrath and anger...we all are due to our sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  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.