Proverbs 15:32-33
"32 He who neglects discipline despises himself,
But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility."
Monday, April 6, 2015
A Fool Rejects Discipline
Proverbs 15:1-5
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
But the mouth of fools spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible."
Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable,
But the mouth of fools spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life,
But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
But he who regards reproof is sensible."
Stay Away From Evil Men
Proverbs 4:14-19
"14 Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble."
"14 Do not enter the path of the wicked
And do not proceed in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;
And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble."
Misunderstandings They Can Hurt!
Misjudgments are almost always do to an unwillingness to speak to the one being judged. In every case where I lost a friend over a misunderstanding, it was because the person judging would not discuss the matter with me.
When we are able to discuss things, tell the whole story with our reasons, we can usually dispel any wrong interpretation of a matter.
Proverbs 18:13 "He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him."
When there is unwillingness to resolve a misunderstanding or get to the truth, then there is the evil desire to believe what is wrong, knowing that if you allowed the victim to explain things, you might not be angry and it may even require an apology for believing the wrong things.
Proverbs 6:12 "A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,"
Proverbs 10:6 "Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."
Proverbs 10:18 "He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool."
Proverbs 10:32 "The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted."
Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
Those who love Christ desire to believe the best, with that desire comes a compulsion to hear the other side of the story from what we heard or thought we saw, to be able to discern truth by having all the facts, not just one side and not just our limited view.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Most people these days do not want to "work out" problems, they prefer to elevate themselves by devaluing their victim through avoidance of discussion that might clear things up.
If we have the love of Christ, we desire deeply to clear up misunderstandings and we never hear gossip without checking out the source and the victim. If the source of the gossip is one who is always making trouble, then we can dismiss the gossip without any action, knowing this person does not love and does not care about truth.
Proverbs 12:13 "An evil man is ensnared by the transgressions of his lips, but the righteous will escape from trouble."
When we are able to discuss things, tell the whole story with our reasons, we can usually dispel any wrong interpretation of a matter.
Proverbs 18:13 "He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him."
When there is unwillingness to resolve a misunderstanding or get to the truth, then there is the evil desire to believe what is wrong, knowing that if you allowed the victim to explain things, you might not be angry and it may even require an apology for believing the wrong things.
Proverbs 6:12 "A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,"
Proverbs 10:6 "Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."
Proverbs 10:18 "He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool."
Proverbs 10:32 "The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted."
Proverbs 12:1 "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
Those who love Christ desire to believe the best, with that desire comes a compulsion to hear the other side of the story from what we heard or thought we saw, to be able to discern truth by having all the facts, not just one side and not just our limited view.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Most people these days do not want to "work out" problems, they prefer to elevate themselves by devaluing their victim through avoidance of discussion that might clear things up.
If we have the love of Christ, we desire deeply to clear up misunderstandings and we never hear gossip without checking out the source and the victim. If the source of the gossip is one who is always making trouble, then we can dismiss the gossip without any action, knowing this person does not love and does not care about truth.
Proverbs 12:13 "An evil man is ensnared by the transgressions of his lips, but the righteous will escape from trouble."
The Prostitute and the Self Righteous
Christ said that if you so much as think something in your heart, you have done it. NO person could claim they have never pondered a lustful thought longer than they should have.
Those who condemn others for past forgiven sins are those who still walk in their sin of pride. A former prostitute who has repented, will go to heaven while the person who never did that sin but walks in his own righteousness will go to hell.
Are you a former prostitute who has repented and been forgiven for your sin? You are in a better and safer place than the one who was never a prostitute, but walks in pride about how good they think they are, that person is going to hell for trusting in Himself.
Those who condemn others for past forgiven sins are those who still walk in their sin of pride. A former prostitute who has repented, will go to heaven while the person who never did that sin but walks in his own righteousness will go to hell.
Are you a former prostitute who has repented and been forgiven for your sin? You are in a better and safer place than the one who was never a prostitute, but walks in pride about how good they think they are, that person is going to hell for trusting in Himself.
Only God's Principles Matter
We need to be diligent to only repeat the mandates of God without adding to His word by making rules He never made, just to keep people from sinning.
I remember a lovely older believer who once told me, when she was growing up they were taught that they should never wear red shoes, that it was a sin. I don't see that in the word of God of course and the idea has fallen away from our culture.
The reason was that only prostitutes wore red shoes and you didn't want to look like a prostitute. Prostitutes also ate in restaurants, drove cars, ate food, slept in beds and many other things in life that we would not want to live without. Should we give up all those things because prostitutes do them?
The same was true of bowling, many years ago people were told it was a sin to bowl, the reason was because the allies were always in the back of taverns, but we were not told this part, only that bowling was a sin.
I think it would have been better to teach not to hang out with unbelievers in taverns, the bowling had little to do with it.
Bowling is not a sin, its the character and nature of the people who frequented those places that were of concern. Well.....I like to bowl, and they are no longer in the back of taverns, so we need to modify our stance and realize that many were making the "thing" the evil, when it was the "coming out from among them" that should have been the issue.
It is best to evaluate the rules in terms of God's principles and not condemn something merely because wicked people do them.
Wicked people, eat food, drive cars, take baths, wear cloths, use eye glasses and many other things that believers do and must do to live in this world. We do not base what we do on what wicked people do, we base what we do on the principles of God and do not allow legalistic people to place us in bondage to their idea of goodness to keep their targets in line.
If we have decided to give up something God never told us to give up, then that is between you and God and He may even have told you to do so, but it cannot be license to relegate others to your particular sacrifice, when God never mandated it in His Word.
On the other hand, if God commanded us clearly to do something in His Word, then we have an obligation to present it to other believes in love and gentleness to help, not bradger them to obey. God prefers that each person make the choice to obey Him, He desires our heart. If we obey man to look good to others and it is not in our heart, it will not count with God. Our sacrifice is nothing when it is not because of our love for Him.
We have to remember that we should tell the truth of the Scriptures while leaving the results to God. He can work on someone's heart much better than we. Browbeating demeaning and badgering is not Christlike and very often has the opposite effect.
I remember a lovely older believer who once told me, when she was growing up they were taught that they should never wear red shoes, that it was a sin. I don't see that in the word of God of course and the idea has fallen away from our culture.
The reason was that only prostitutes wore red shoes and you didn't want to look like a prostitute. Prostitutes also ate in restaurants, drove cars, ate food, slept in beds and many other things in life that we would not want to live without. Should we give up all those things because prostitutes do them?
The same was true of bowling, many years ago people were told it was a sin to bowl, the reason was because the allies were always in the back of taverns, but we were not told this part, only that bowling was a sin.
I think it would have been better to teach not to hang out with unbelievers in taverns, the bowling had little to do with it.
Bowling is not a sin, its the character and nature of the people who frequented those places that were of concern. Well.....I like to bowl, and they are no longer in the back of taverns, so we need to modify our stance and realize that many were making the "thing" the evil, when it was the "coming out from among them" that should have been the issue.
It is best to evaluate the rules in terms of God's principles and not condemn something merely because wicked people do them.
Wicked people, eat food, drive cars, take baths, wear cloths, use eye glasses and many other things that believers do and must do to live in this world. We do not base what we do on what wicked people do, we base what we do on the principles of God and do not allow legalistic people to place us in bondage to their idea of goodness to keep their targets in line.
If we have decided to give up something God never told us to give up, then that is between you and God and He may even have told you to do so, but it cannot be license to relegate others to your particular sacrifice, when God never mandated it in His Word.
On the other hand, if God commanded us clearly to do something in His Word, then we have an obligation to present it to other believes in love and gentleness to help, not bradger them to obey. God prefers that each person make the choice to obey Him, He desires our heart. If we obey man to look good to others and it is not in our heart, it will not count with God. Our sacrifice is nothing when it is not because of our love for Him.
We have to remember that we should tell the truth of the Scriptures while leaving the results to God. He can work on someone's heart much better than we. Browbeating demeaning and badgering is not Christlike and very often has the opposite effect.
Are You Thinking It?
Christ said that if you so much as think something in your heart, you have done it. NO person could claim they have never pondered a lustful thought longer than they should have. Those who condemn others for past forgiven sins are those who still walk in their sin of pride. A former prostitute who has repented, will go to heaven while the person who never did that sin but walks in his own righteousness will go to hell.
Following the Law Does Not Save Anyone
The Law was given to show us our sin so that we would know what separates us from God. It is a school master to lead us to Christ. It was never designed to help us be good, it was given to show us how bad we are. When we become born again, the Law Giver comes to live in us. He changes us into a new creation and the Law becomes a part of who we are in Christ. It does not condemn us anymore, but rather it condemns others who come in contact with Christ in us.
Galatians 3:24 "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith."
Romans 8:3 "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
Those who think they must follow the Law to be saved, don't understand that following the Law never saved any one, it is faith in Christ alone that saves.
Acts 16:31 "They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
The only role the Law played was to show us our sinfulness, that we would see our need to trust Christ.
Galatians 3:24 "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith."
Romans 8:3 "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,"
Those who think they must follow the Law to be saved, don't understand that following the Law never saved any one, it is faith in Christ alone that saves.
Acts 16:31 "They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
The only role the Law played was to show us our sinfulness, that we would see our need to trust Christ.
2 Timothy: Narcissism on Steroids
For the past 40 years self esteem has been taught in our schools and churches and now we have a predominantly narcissistic culture that lacks compassion and empathy, in other words the 2 Timothy 3 crowd.
Dictionary.com
1. "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.
Synonyms: self-centeredness, smugness, egocentrism.
2. Psychoanalysis. erotic gratification derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.
2 Timothy 3
"3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was."
Dictionary.com
1. "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.
Synonyms: self-centeredness, smugness, egocentrism.
2. Psychoanalysis. erotic gratification derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.
2 Timothy 3
"3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)