"Are You Ready for Some Football?"

We’ve all heard the question “Is nothing Sacred?” Well apparently there is something sacred. I was watching football last Sunday Afternoon and was pleased to discover that the advertiser for a popular “beverage” says Sunday is sacred. But as we would expect, it is sacred not because it is the Lord’s day or a day of worship. Sunday is sacred because it is the day set aside for “football.” That is a rather sad commentary on our society and a very accurate commentary on those who like to drink this particular “beverage”.

Proverbs 28:14 says "Happy is the man who is always reverent.” Happy is the man who remembers that Sunday is for football. Is this what the writer of Proverbs had in mind? I don’t think so.

This verse is interesting because reverent and happy are two words that most people would tell you could never appear in the same sentence. You can be happy or you can be reverent, but you can’t be both at the same time.

Reverence means stained glass windows, pipe organs, uncomfortable wooden pews.
Reverence means elaborate robes, men speaking with solemn,mumbling voices.
Reverence means people with long, pious, sad, unhappy faces.
Reverence means “quakers meeting has begun no more laughing no more fun.”

So, who wants to go to church? Hmmm I’ll get back to you after the football game.

First we need to understand that none of the things I just mentioned about reverence are indicators of the truly reverent person.

Proverbs tells us that reverence does not kill joy, it leads to joy. Reverence is about taking serious the things of God. It is refusing to trivialize or render common that which is holy and to be set apart.

God, Jesus Christ, the Church, The Lord’s table, the Bible, Marriage, Sex, the Family, the Cross, Life itself are all things that are to be treated reverently because they are sacred. God and the things of God. They are to be set aside and treated with respect, dignity and reverence.

The problem in our society we have changed the trivial things into sacred things and rendered the sacred as trivial. For someone to run onto the playing field of a professional baseball game, to hear the announcers describe it, you would think they just desecrated a holy shrine. But people can use the Lord’s name in vain, joke about the family, trash a church and its no big deal.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, reverence and happiness. The hard hearted person who thinks it is good sport to desecrate sacred things, Proverbs says they will fall into calamity. God is not mocked.

We are to treat with reverence God and those things that God says are Holy. Reverence is not a place, or something we wear, it is an attitude. This attitude does not slam shut the door of happiness, it opens the door for true Joy and happiness to manifest itself. May God help us to discern the difference between the sacred and the trivial.

Therefore "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice" Phil 4:4

"Hiding in Me"

We have all tried at times to think of ways of improving our lives. Add something here or there or maybe get rid of some things that just clutter up the place. Get back in shape, or at least try to change our shape into something more appealing. So we join health clubs for a while, or go on diets, we buy things, sell things, consider a career change etc. But I would dare say that no one has ever thought, I am going to turn my house into a prison. I have finally figured out what my life has been missing, some good old fashioned jail time.

There are many different kinds of prisons we can build for ourselves, but the one I am thinking about right now is the prison of concealment, covering up wrong doing.

Proverbs 18:1 He who isolates himself...

No one deliberately goes out trying to put themselves in prison. There is a law that pertains to all sin called the law of unintended consequences and bondage (jail time) is always one of them. As soon as that choice is made to do something that we know is wrong , something we cannot tell our spouse or our parents or friends and certainly not God, we hear those large prisons doors clanging shut. We have just put ourselves in prison. We get uncomfortable around people and we try to avoid them. Conversation that was once free and flowing is now calculated and tense. Times we used to enjoy with them are now strained and awkward. The freedom we once enjoyed just being ourselves around others is now lost. To us they have now become like prison guards and we don't like them. We think they are the one's keeping us locked up and miserable but they aren't. They are just being themselves, we are the ones who have changed. We are the ones who sentenced ourselves to "hard time". We fear that hard question, or can't take those penetrating eyes. This is a prison we have erected all by ourselves. The guilty conscience makes life a prison. We now have shackles on our feet and hands our tongue. We are constantly looking over our shoulders for guilty people are paranoid people.

I remember in grade school reading short stories and one that I never forgot was "The Tell-Tale Heart". Do you remember reading that? My memory is a bit fuzzy but the story centers around a murder and the murderer puts the body in the floor of their house, and unsuspecting people come over to visit and the beat of the dead man's heart hidden under the floor boards gets louder and louder and louder and louder and louder.

That is how the guilty conscience works. We yell, "Be Quiet" but it won't listen. That is a prison many people live in. Running away is not the answer. If you are in prison there is only one way out. Confession and repentance. Face what put you there to begin with.

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins He (Christ) is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

One of my teachers in college used to say "Keep short accounts with God". May I add to that, keep short accounts with others as well. Guard your heart, beware of the need to isolate yourself from others. Let me close with this quote.

"Keep clear of concealment -- keep clear of the need of concealment. It is an awful hour when the first necessity of hiding something comes. When there are questions to be feared and eyes to be avoided and subjects which must not be touched, the bloom of life is gone. " ... Phillips Brooks

What is hidden in your floor? Have you built a prison for yourself your living in right now? What are you hiding from others that is destroying that relationship? Sin ALWAYS enslaves. Jesus said "the Truth will ALWAYS set you free." So confess, repent and walk out of the doors of your man made prison into the light of a new day filled with renewed relationships, trust, openness, a clear conscience before God and fellowship with Christ and with others. For further reading Psalm 32:1-5

"Let's Make a Deal"

Proverbs 8:10 - 11 "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her."

I remember growing up watching this show called "Lets Make a Deal". Some of you may remember this show. Contestants dressed up in kooky costumes and Monty Hall would walk up and down the isle choosing contestants to make a deal. Eventually it would come down to the end of the show where two winners were given one last opportunity to make the ultimate deal. " Do you want to take that new toaster oven you just won and trade it for a chance to win the grand prize?" Almost always they would say yes (who wouldn't) and then they had to choose door # 1, # 2 or # 3. The tension would be unbearable. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't. As in all good television, even before we could see what was behind the curtains, the camera would be zoomed in on the faces of the contestants to catch that moment of elation or sadness. Some people would win a car while others went home with a brand new pair of donkeys. The expressions on the faces of the new donkey owners were always "priceless".

I think the verses you just read ask us a similar question. What will you give for wisdom? How much do you value wisdom? Do you value it more than what you are holding in your hand right now? More than your own understanding. More than silver or gold, more than all you hearts desire. If you had all that at your disposal and were asked do you want to give it up for something greater but this time there is only one curtain and behind it was not fame, or more gold and silver, or success but instead WISDOM was behind the curtain. Would you keep what you've got or would you make the trade?

Solomon says that wisdom is better than gold and silver or anything that I may desire. Do I believe that...
Wisdom will help me have a better marriage
Wisdom will help me to raise my children in the way they should go
Wisdom will help me not to stumble into sin
Wisdom will help me avoid the heartache of broken relationships
Wisdom will help me walk with integrity
Wisdom will help me glorify God in my life
Wisdom will protect me
Wisdom will guide me
Wisdom will instruct me

Every time we open up our Bible we read God's word to us. We read how we are to live and we should jump for joy. We have been told this is the way walk ye in it and when we do we have found something far more valuable than gold or anything our hearts could desire. We have found wisdom. There are people with gobs of money who would give it all away just to have a meaningful relationship with their spouse or their child, or just to have one real friend. But they have no clue because they are blind to God's word. Our eyes have been opened through the precious blood of Jesus Christ and the gift of His Spirit living within us. We are in Him and in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2. We have the answer in God's word. So read it. Obey It. Cherish it. It is more precious than silver or gold.

"The quality of our lives has everything to do with the quality of our relationships." Wisdom says. "lets make a deal." Everything you have in your hand and in your heart for everything I am. Wisdom's invitation is to trade all your understanding, all your gold, silver and desires for the wisdom and riches found in Jesus Christ and His Word. It is a win win deal, so let go and make the trade.

"Leaning, Leaning, Leaning on...?"

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

This is no doubt one of the most memorized verses in the Bible. Many a young person has claimed this as their life verse and rightfully so. It is the last part of that verse that I have been thinking about lately. And it has to do with the word "lean". I think to help understand what it means to lean you can change the words around a bit. Lean on the Lord with all your heart and do not trust in your own understanding. To lean on is to trust, to trust is to lean on.

Several years ago Karen and I had the opportunity to go to Italy and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. People come from all over the world to see this leaning tower. I guess it is a good thing it is leaning because there are buildings all around it that are perfectly straight and no one pays any attention to them. I even walked up to the top of this tower and like Galileo (a real scientist) thought I would drop something off the building, like an apple, to see what I could discover. I discovered that the people on the ground apparently did not appreciate my quest for knowledge. (that is if hand signals mean anything.) Just think about it, here is a tower famous for one thing, it leans. But as you look at the tower and at pictures of this tower you notice something. It is leaning toward other buildings but it is not leaning on them and there is a very big difference.

As we think about our verse I think this helps us see what the writer is saying. Trusting God is not leaning toward Him, it is leaning on Him. To lean ON something or someone is to place our entire weight on them and without them we would fall flat on our face. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, is not an invitation to lean toward him. That is not trust. What is true in such cases is that we are leaning in the LORD's direction but are holding ourselves up .

What are some things people lean on?

• Lean on their own understanding
• Lean on their friends
• Lean on their education
  
• Lean on their jobs
• Lean on their bank accounts
• Lean on fame and popularity
• Lean on the government
• Lean on their success
  
• Lean on the economy
• Lean on pills
• Lean on the church
• Lean on doctors
• Lean on credit cards
  

The situation for many is that they are leaning toward God but in reality are trusting or leaning on these things to help them, sustain them, and meet their needs. And our prayers often reflect this. We pray and ask God to help all the things we are leaning on to come through for us. It is prayer directed toward God concerning the things we are really trusting in. "God please don't let these things let me down!" It is because of this that so many people are discouraged, anxious and confused in their Christian walk. They do not understand what it means to trust in (lean on) the Lord with ALL their heart.
Trusting God is not leaning in his direction - it is placing all of our weight, all our hopes and dreams, our family, all our needs on Him and if He does not come through we fall flat on our faces. There is no plan B. He is our everything, we are trusting in Him alone to sustain us. We are trusting in Him alone to save us. We are casting all of our care upon Him, trusting Him, leaning on Him. The good news is God promises to do just that. He cares for us. Do not look in God's direction on Sunday and spend the rest of the week leaning on your own understanding. God will never lead you astray, our own understanding will lead us astray every time. Remember, The Just shall live by Faith.

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path."
" My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus" Phil 4:19

Read Matthew 6:25-33 to see some wonderful promises God gives us about our everyday needs.

May we be found "Leaning, leaning, leaning on His Everlasting Arms"

"I Forgot"

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

Forgetfulness, it plagues us all. And apparently it is not just a sign of old age. This father is speaking to his son not his grandfather. Growing up I must admit that on occasion I had my own father say to me as a young man, do not forget. Sadly young people have a tendency to forget. They do not forget where they placed the car keys or why they walked into a room. They forget much more important things.

• They forget that they were created by God
• They forget that God's ways are right and the way to peace and safety
• They forget that the pleasures of sin only last for a season
• They forget that without God we can do nothing
• They forget that our choices not our circumstances can make our lives unbearable.
• They forget one wrong choice can have life long consequences
  
• They forget we must all give an account to God one day
• They forget God's grace, goodness and compassion
• They forget they are sinners in need of a savior
• They forget that life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possess
• They forget God, consequently, there is no fear of God before their eyes

They forget. They heard the father , the preacher. They read the Bible but they just forgot. The reason they forget is that their heart is not in it. They don't care. We tend to forget things that we think are irrelevant. How many trigonometry classes, chemistry classes have we sat through wondering when will I ever use this stuff. And consequently as soon an the test is over (hopefully not before) we forget. It's irrelevant. And I am sure many people young and old sit in church with the same attitude. Listen to the preacher, read their Bibles saying when am I ever going to use this stuff. This has no bearing on where I am at or what my life is about whatsoever. What they are being taught seems boring because it is deemed useless. That is not a teacher problem or a Bible translation problem - that is a heart problem.
That's why this dad is wisely aiming at the child's heart. "Let your heart keep my commandments." He doesn't just want his child to go through the motions of obedience. The heart is where we really live - it is who we really are. It is where we keep all our precious things, like dreams, passions, our will, our desires, they are all resident in our heart. That's why obedience begins in the heart. Where we delight in God, where we are passionate about God's word. We obey God because we love God, we do not forget His Word because we love His word, we treasure it and memorize it because it is our spiritual food, our spiritual anchor, our spiritual compass to take us where God wants us to go. We want to live lives to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ. We want to help others see the joy there is in following Christ.
People say all the time I' can't memorize, I can't remember things. But that is not true. We all remember things the only question is what.

Proverbs 2 1-5. shows us the attitude of the one who will not forget God's word
"My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."

Remember your creator in the days of your youth. Do not forget but rather recieve, treasure up, be attentive, incline your heart, call out, search for, seek for it like silver, search for it like hidden treasure and look what God promises...

Proverbs 3:2 - 4 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 2:6 - 12For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,

O God, create in me a new heart, a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me. "Thy word I will hide in my heart that I might not sin against You."