Tag Archives: Bible Lesson

The Wrong Seed For The Harvest You Desire

Gal 6 7

Be careful what seeds you are planting, watering, and ultimately – harvesting. It would be crazy for a farmer to plant corn and then expect sunflowers. Likewise, don’t expect joy, patience, and good will, if you are planting seeds of doubt, anxiety, and fear,

“You will always harvest what you plant.” – Gal. 6:7 (NLT)

“When your eyes are upon your symptoms and your mind is occupied with them more than with God’s Word, you have in the ground the wrong kind of seed for the harvest that you desire. You have in the ground seeds of doubt. You are trying to raise one kind of crop from another kind of seed. It is impossible to sow tares and reap wheat. Your symptoms may point you to death, but God’s Word points you to life,”  ― F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer

In the Beginning God

in the beginning

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Gen. 1:1

“in the beginning” in Hebrew is one word: reshith.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

John here is connecting Jesus to the Creation event. At Creation was the Word, which is to say: Jesus.

Skip over to Prov. 8 (verses 22-31).

“22 ‘The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.’”

– Prov. 8:22-31

This is Wisdom personified speaking. All scholars agree that Wisdom is, in fact, Jesus. Christ is the wisdom of the Father. Jesus is saying He is eternal, He was there with the Father at Creation, and that He delighted at His Father’s handiwork.

Jesus mentioning Himself as being “at the beginning” is the same Hebrew word: reshith.

So when Moses says “in the beginning,” he is not just referring to the start of time, but to a Person; Jesus. One could substitute “in the beginning” with “in Christ.” In essence, the very first words of the Bible are “in Christ.” Right from the start, the Bible begins by alluding to the Son. It’s a pretty amazing little nugget.

“For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” – Col. 1:16-17 (also note Rom. 11:36 and 1 Cor. 8:6).

Grow Up!

Eph 4 14-15

“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” – Eph. 4: 14-15

Two things here:

  1. Grow up.
  2. Speak the truth in love.

Point 1: Children are naïve because they don’t know any better. They can be fooled so easily. Pulling a rabbit from a hat is total wonder to them. That is cute for a child, but for a Christian to be this naïve is disaster. Paul prays that we are not fooled so easily. Now this is not an age thing; all youngsters are not necessarily immature and all oldsters are not necessarily mature. Anyone just warming a pew for 30 years can be every bit a baby Christian as a completely new convert.

Believers of both groups, grow up! Living things grow! If you have a plant that is not growing, what is it? Dead! And that growth is maturity into Our Lord Jesus Christ who is , of course, the head.

Point 2: We are to speak. That is, we are not to be silent. Its so easy to just back off, “be nice,” and not say the thing that needs to be said for fear of offending someone. This is not a problem Jesus had (check Matthew 23 for a royal riot act).

That is where love comes in. When we speak; it is with truth in love. Only words containing both have real impact. Just all truth is mean. Just all love is meaningless. Truth in love is just what the Doctor ordered.

Gal. 2:16

Gal 2 16

If I tell my children something once, that should be enough… but, of course, it’s usually not. If I tell my children something three times right in a row: its probably pretty important.

In one verse, Paul repeats himself THREE times:

“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no human being shall be justified.” – Gal. 2:16

  1. We are not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.
  2. We are justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.
  3. By the works of the law no human being shall be justified.

If you are leaning on works, rituals, or traditions instead of faith in Jesus, you will not be justified (right with God).

Straining at Rowing

spruce island lake davis wv kayak

I took Mary kayaking this weekend. Typical of a 2-year old, she wanted to “do it myself!” Needless to say, we didn’t get very far and she ended up pretty frustrated. Truth be told, she was a hot mess and I apologize to anyone who was expecting a peaceful afternoon on the water, but was instead subject to a full-blown temper tantrum that I’m sure was heard far and wide.

I kept thinking: If she would just relax and let her father do the rowing, we could have fun zipping all over that lake. Instead, she huffed & puffed and sweated & cried. Instead of going somewhere, we went nowhere. Instead of fun, it was… torturous. I was reminded of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee.

“Then He saw them STRAINING AT ROWING, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.” – Mark 6:48 (NKJV) [Emphasis mine.]

“Straining” doesn’t do that Greek word justice. Basanizó literally means TORTURING.

They were literally torturing themselves by not relying on Jesus! Likewise, you and I are literally torturing ourselves by not relying on Jesus too.

Whenever we try to earn our salvation by being a “good person,” we are straining at the oars. Whenever we try to save ourselves with religious rituals, we are straining at the oars. Whenever we try to do ANY of the rowing, we will inevitably be straining at the oars.

Thinking you have anything to do with your redemption is the opposite of the gospel. Paul says that teaching telling you otherwise is not even a gospel; it is distorted and accursed, twice! (Gal. 1:7-9) Listen: we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, by His blood, through faith. Period. (Rom. 3:24-25)

We are all in a tempestuous sea. The wind is against us. No matter how furiously we strain, ROWING IN OUR OWN STRENGTH will never get us to shore. Aren’t you tired of rowing in circles? Aren’t you tired of torturing yourself? Jesus can easily step in if we would only let Him. He calms the sea, silences the wind, and gets us safely to the other side.

But we must first hand the oars over to Him.

Let God help you.

Ref: https://biblehub.com/greek/928.htm

Insights from Proverbs 24

Silhouette of helping hand between two climber

Insights from Proverbs 24 for the 24th:

One of the most convicting sentiments in all of Proverbs is found in 24:11-12.

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?”

God guards all life.

He hears the millions of tiny voices that are prematurely aborted. He knows the hopelessness of those enslaved in sex-trafficking. He sees the tragedies resulting from racism. He laments all the lost marching straight into Hell via atheism or false religions.

God guards all life and He has entrusted us to act as His agents!

Rescue is the word that’s used; deliver, defend, pluck, snatch them away! They are heading toward slaughter! RESCUE THEM!

We cannot see social injustice and do nothing (or worse: claim ignorance). We cannot see the lost and not share the Gospel with them. We are compelled! (1 Cor. 9:16)

We may fool each other (or even ourselves), but we cannot fool He who weighs the heart.

Like I said; very convicting couple of verses.

Please read them for yourself. And also – Take your time. Wrestle with them. Savor them. They are so great. I hope that you do.

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Ref: http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5337.htm

Insights from Proverbs 22 & 23

flying_money3

Insights from Proverbs 22 & 23 for the 22nd and 23rd:

Kids have got to be trained. You don’t have to teach a kid to be bad; No, you have to teach them to be good. I’ve heard if you toss 1 ball in with 3 kids, you’ll immediately see 4 of the 7 deadly sins: greed, envy, wrath, and pride. Sharing is like the toughest thing to get your child (and some adults) to do, right?

The rod of discipline is necessary. Whatever that “rod” is: time-outs, taking away things for a disclosed time, and yes: spankings. Whatever it is, pick something and be consistent with it. Trust me: Your future self thanks you! (22:6 & 15, 23:13-14)

 

Time flies and so does money. All you have to do is look at $ and it’s gone. Solomon says your money will grow wings & fly away! (23:4-5) What’s more important is your relationship with the Lord, who will NEVER forsake you.

23:17-18 is a tender moment between a father and son. He brings his son in tight & encourages him. “It’s ok, son. God has a bright future planned for you. Chin up. Remain zealous for the Lord. He will be your hope.”

Wow. Fathers, take note.

Last thing – Solomon offers a scary image for those who like to party too much. It seems like fun, but in the end, it will bite you. It’s like sleeping on a raft in a raging sea. What a rough way to go through life! (23:29-35)

22:12 is interesting. Read it for yourself. Comment on what you think it means.

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Insights from Proverbs 20

knocked off your high horse

Insights from Proverbs 20 for the 20th:

This is probably not going to be very popular, but it ain’t wrong either…

Verse 1 is a warning about strong drink. Solomon calls it a mocker and a brawler. Being led by the bottle is not wise. We’ve all seen (or done) things under the influence that would not have been seen (or done) had it not been for that drink! Think of all the mistakes, accidents, & fights that could be erased if alcohol were not involved.

Solomon then drops a barrage of truth-bombs:

  • Don’t provoke,
  • Don’t fight,
  • Don’t be lazy,
  • and Don’t cheat (mentioned twice!).

But also – don’t worry, Verse 9 says nobody’s perfect. Can I get an Amen?

How about this one: don’t gossip or go around blabbing! If someone begins a conversation by looking around, lowering their voice, and then saying “Well, they told me not to tell, but…” – Look out, man.

20’s modern translation = Treat yo mama with respect.

29a. If you’re young, your glory is in your strength (ambition & endurance).

29b. If you’re old, your splendor is in your gray hair (experience & wisdom).

29c. Hey, what if you are in the middle: Still strong, but also getting gray? 🙂

The last verse says every once in awhile life is going to give you a pretty solid beat down. But that’s OK; it builds character. Sure, it hurts – but it also removes evil. It knocks us off our high horse when we get too big for our britches. Haven’t you ever watched a kid who was misbehaving & thought, “You know what that kid needs? That kid needs a good… some discipline.” Come on now. Be honest. Its like that.

Like I said: not popular, but not wrong either.

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Insights from Proverbs 19

bowing

Insights from Proverbs 19 for the 19th:

I love verse 22: “What is desired in a man is kindness,” isn’t that about the truth? If kindness is present, so many other things will be too; compassion, mercy, and empathy. Its hard to be kind and a jerk at the same time.

The overwhelming theme of Proverbs 19 is retribution; evil will not go unpunished. Although it may appear that the wicked succeed, it only appears that way. God will repay all and justice will come. If not in this world, then in the one to come (Heb. 9:27).

This is a comforting promise. A common question/objection I get is why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to the bad? The rich get richer & the poor get poorer.

Well, first of all; nobody is “good.” We are all bad (Rom. 3:23). Yes, even you. EVERYONE is in need of a Savior. If not, God made a colossal blunder in offering His Son to die on Calvary and God is not in the blunder-making business (Gal. 2:21).

Second of all, things aren’t always what they seem. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors except those who live there. Success is measured in way more than dollars.

Lastly, God has the final say. He is just and His ruling will be nothing but (Psa. 25:8). We will be totally satisfied in His perfect verdict.

“The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction,” (v.23).

Fearing the Lord is the beginning of understanding (Psa. 9:10). Without that fear, one cannot even BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND! It leads to life. That fear is reverential.

We bow in awe for God is awesome.

The closer you get to God, the more aware you are of His much-ness and your little-ness. That is not a crippling awareness; it is a comforting one. Abide in it and you will be fully satisfied. Reject it and you will be forever starving.

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Insights from Proverbs 18

strong tower

Insights from Proverbs 18 for the 18th:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it & are safe (v.10).”

I have become increasingly sensitive to taking the Lord’s name in vain. Our culture is so flippant with OMG. Its like nails on a chalkboard to me. The name of the Lord is important. It’s a strong tower. We run to it. It protects it. Let us not become callous to it’s misuse.

“Death & life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit (v.21).”

We can speak life or speak death. That is tremendous power. More than we know. Be extremely cautious with that responsibility.

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord (v.22).”

A good thing is a God thing. Robert Morris tells the story of a man who called his wife, “Good thing.” She was his good thing from the Lord. If you have found your good thing, thank the Lord & do your best to let her know how much you appreciate her. If you’ve yet to find your good thing, serve the Lord until you do. Then serve the Lord together.

My Good thing is the best thing that ever happened to me.

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