Pondering the Proverbs: Decisions...Decisions!

Proverbs of the Week:
Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. Prov. 18:18
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Prov. 16:33

Meditation: Decisions...Decisions!

Suppose you had two job options. Both jobs provided what you needed. Both jobs were in your field of specialty. Both were identical in so many ways. How would you decide between them?

Or suppose your organization is deciding how best to move forward. Your board, composed of a variety of individuals, sits down at the table to determine their next move. What comes from the meeting are two choices. How do they decide which path to walk?

Or again two individuals are qualified for a certain position, say pastor. How does the church decide which of the two candidates God is leading you to choose? How is that decision, or any decision for that matter in the church, made? By executive order? By majority vote? Or by some other means?

The book of Proverbs today points us back to an ancient way of decision-making, a way that might seem foreign or alien to many of us. It’s called “casting lots”. Here’s how it works. When decisions needed to be made in faith or life, the ancients didn’t vote. They didn’t raise their hands and count opinions. Instead rolled dice, flipped a coin, or drew straws to determine God’s will. Whatever the lots said was listened to...and accepted. For the decision that followed was God’s.

This might seem absurd to our standards. A cultural practice fossilized in Scripture. Still there is wisdom here. This practice prevents one person or group from dominating the decision. There was arguing, no political debates. Only the presentation of possibilities and the lot was cast. And, for the most part, it worked to decide! Many things in fact. You can read all about how the lot was cast to determine God’s will in an article here.

Probably the most well-known account of the lot being cast occurred just after the Resurrection when the disciples use this very method to determine which person would replace Judas as the next 12th disciple.

“[Peter said] ‘Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us...For one of them to become a witness with us of his resurrection.’
So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.”(Acts 1:21-26)

Notice what the apostles did here. First they narrowed down the choices. They wanted someone who’d been a witness of Jesus Christ, who’d been with them from the beginning. Then they proposed the two candidates to God. Then they cast the lot and let it fall where they will. And the best part of all... NO ONE WAS UPSET! At least that seems the case. Matthias doesn’t storm out of the room distraught and discouraged. He doesn’t go off and form his own group of disciples. Matthias accepts that he’s not chosen and that choice has nothing to do with the opinion of the majority. The Lord has had the final decision.

In America and in America’s churches, we trust the majority. We trust that the majority of the people have the best interests of the whole in mind. After all the options have been laid out, we hand out little papers and pencils, and put our decisions in the majority’s hands, trusting that the opinion of the majority is in the best interest of the whole. We trust the majority over the lot.

But even this method is flawed. Even the rule of the majority does not prevail. For what happens when the vote fails? What happens when even the voice of the majority is dismissed? What happens when the decision isn’t accepted, even after the vote is cast?

I know a church who voted down leaving their denomination, not once, not twice, but four times! Still, despite being told by the majority of their members this was not to happen, the pastor and a little group around him pushed for more and more meetings until, in the end, their will prevailed and the congregation, which had by this time lost most of its members, left their denomination.

Majority rule has it’s problems and so does casting lots. For, unless everyone agrees to accept the decision of the dice, chances are no decision will ever be made. But however we decide, personally or socially, one thing is clear. No matter how we make our decisions, we must consider too what God wants too. We must call out for God to influence our decision. We must open ourselves up to the possibility that maybe God might do a NEW thing here, like God did a new thing in Jesus Christ. And we must trust God. Trust that God has a say in the matter and cares what happens there too.

For me, making decisions in my life, I try to look at all the possibilities. I try to listen to my gut, to feel the decision out rather than think it out. Some choices might look like good choices from the start, but they just feel wrong. I pray(a lot) and ask God to guide my decision. Then I step out, decide, and leave the rest in God’s hands.

So the next time when you’re facing a decision, when you’re trying to decide which path to choose and you just can’t choose between them, stop. Take a minute to pray, asking God to direct your decision. Then step into that decision in faith, for God is with you and will be with you no matter what you choose to the very end. Amen!

Questions to Answer
1. Think about a time when you had to make a tough decision in your life. How did you choose what to do and what not to do?

2. Do you agree with Proverbs’ advice here? Should we start casting lots to decide things, placing the lot in God’s hands? How else might we include God in our decisions?

3. How else could we allow God to become a part of every decision that we make?

End With Prayer
Almighty God, you have plans for our lives, to prosper us and not to harm us. Lead us in your footsteps. Forgive us when we stumble. And guide our every decision, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Pondering the Proverbs: The Power of Gossip

Proverb of the Week : Courtesy of Leslie Pehl
Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down. Proverbs 26:20

The Meditation: The Power of Gossip

“Did you hear?”
“What?”
“Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you. It’s not very good.”
“Oh... Go ahead. I won’t say anything.”
“Oh well. What’s it gonna hurt? I heard that...”

Ever been privy to one of these conversations? Or overheard one of these conversations spoken in the grocery store, at the post office, in the school hallways? Have you ever had a secret you shouldn’t tell...and then found yourself telling someone who never knew? Or found your ears itching to hear what the couple next to you is saying? Only so you could repeat it?

If you have then you’ve been involved with Gossip!

Gossip is the strangest thing. It feels so innocent. It’s only a few words. Maybe a little story overheard someplace else passed on to the another person. It doesn’t change anything or cause too much trouble... right? Gossip is an intrigal part of our lives today. We have whole columns and newspapers devoted to it. Television shows like : “Extra” and “Hollywood Insider” keep us up to date on the celebrity gossip. And even our county newspaper can give rise to it on occasion.

Gossip isn’t new either. It wasn’t invented last year. In fact, the book of Proverbs has something to say about the phenomenon too.

“Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down.” (Prov. 26:20)
“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” (Prov. 26:22)

Gossip itself lies to us, making us think it is something that it isn’t. For instance...
Gossip always hurts...regardless of the story involved. You have heard it said: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But I tell you, from the book of James, “The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person...With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness.”(James 3:6a, 9).

Gossip hurts far worse than physical violence ever would because it wounds a persons integrity and reputation. After one gossip tale or another, the trust we have for the person goes down, their reputation takes a beating. Sadly they’re usually out of the room so it is impossible for them to even defend themselves against the attacks.

Gossip isn’t just lies. Reading something in the paper and talking about it with someone who isn’t involved in the issue can be considered gossip too when that talk disrespects the other person or wounds their reputation. In our home, the Police Blotters give us plenty of opportunity for gossip as they often feature humorous stories that can be easily passed on. Who benefits from the telling? Well, the teller does. Who pays the price? Those involved do. They become the objects of ridicule.

Hearing Gossip is wrong too. I’ve heard people say: “I might overhear something but I never tell anyone.” That is good on one front, but not good on another. Listening to gossip period is wrong in the eyes of God. Why? Because of what Proverbs says. The words of a gossip go down deep into us. And though we may never say anything to anyone about it, but the fact of the matter is, gossip has changed us. Now whenever we see the other person, we will think of the gossip we heard. Whenever we interact together, the stories we heard will be at the back of our minds. We can’t help it interfering with how we see them. It just happens.

So what do we do with all of this?? Now that we understand what Gossip is, what do we do to stop it?

Well, the Bible has a number of solutions for us as well.

1) From Proverbs 21:23: “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
You can remember another proverb you probably learned: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Guard what you say. Make sure that it builds others up and doesn’t tear them down. If you must talk about others behind their back, praise them and honor them. Put the best construction on everything they do and say. Give them the benefit of the doubt.

2) From Proverbs 20:19: “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.”
The best medicine for gossip is really to stay away! Avoid the gossip at all costs. Since even listening to gossip is a sin, don’t hang around it. If you hear someone start a story, ask them not to finish it. Or leave the room. Interrupt their negative tale with a positive one. Or throw doubt into their story to begin with. The power of the gossip lies in his or her ability to make you believe what they are saying. So...logically... stop believing everything they’re telling you! Most of it is made up anyway or embellished upon. Stop listening to them!

3) From Ecclesiastes 7:21: “Do not pay attention to every word people say or you may hear your servant cursing you–for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.”
The fact of the matter is... Gossip happens. It happens to you and you make it happen to others. So... don’t pay any attention to it. Not the gossip that is going around about you and certainly not the stuff that’s going around about others. Forgive the gossip. Forgive the others for not being perfect people and forgive yourself for not living up to their expectations.

4) Finally.. The ultimate solution is simply...forgiveness! We must learn how to forgive and forget the wrongs that others do. So what they’re not perfect...we’re not perfect too! So what they’ve messed up in their lives...we’ve messed up too! Stop comparing yourself with everyone else and soon you’ll find the urge to gossip start to disappear. As you know yourself to be as sinful(if not more so) than your neighbor beside you, the urge to gossip about them, to make them look worse than you are, disappears and you may find a spirit of compassion and love given only by Jesus Christ our Lord descend upon your heart and mind. May that Spirit descend upon you this week! Amen.

Questions to Answer

1) Is gossip really wrong? Talk about it? When would gossip be considered “good”? Or would it ever be considered that?

2) Think about a time gossip has negatively affected your life. How did you feel? What did you hear others were saying? How did they react to you? Did you feel empowered by others talking bad about you? Or powerless?

3) Is there really a way you guard yourself from gossip? Have you ever? Or do your ears itch when you hear someone start whispering about someone beside you?

End With Prayer
Word of God, you speak into our hearts and change lives. Mold us into your children that, by every word we speak, we may build others up. Guard our ears from the whispers of the gossip and empower us to speak your word of grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pondering the Proverbs: Choosing Your Teacher

Proverb of the Week
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? Proverbs 8:1

The Meditation
Who’s Teaching You?

We’re surrounded!! Not by wolves or bears or mountain lions. Not by guns or bombs or grenades. No, by something even more dangerous! By Teachers!!

Teachers of all shapes and sizes. Teachers with wisdom in food preparation, in home improvement, in psychology and life skills, and in theology. Teachers in economics, in medicine, and in mathematics. Teachers who claim to have answers to how we might find the answers for ourselves. Teachers with as many viewpoints as there are stars in the sky.

You might not think these teachers are so dangerous. They might look like your next door neighbor. But these teachers change lives. For better or for worse, they influence every decision we make. Just ask a kindergarten student who knows more about life, her parents or her teacher and you'll see the impact these people have. Every day, even as adults, we decide which teacher or teachers we’re going to listen to and believe. Do we believe the doctor who says that everything is fine, or the doctor who says we need more tests? Do we follow the economic expert who says that we’re in a recovery or the one who predicts a deeper recession? Do we listen to the writer who says Jesus isn’t really who he says he is or the one who says He’s the Son of God?

Which path do we choose and which teacher do we follow?

That is the question Proverbs tackles today. Where does wisdom abide? This is what Proverbs says:

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Prov. 8:12-13)

It follows with this first description in hand that any teacher that promotes these behaviors by his or her own actions, either pride or arrogance, evil behavior or perverse speech, doesn’t deserve our attention right off the bat. If wisdom is found in those who do such things, then how the teacher or leader behaves really speaks to how they should be followed. The teacher who acts prideful and arrogant and busies their time with evil behavior and perverse speech, really shouldn’t be followed.

But followed they are. Many young people throughout the world get caught up by such a leader. Negative peer pressure causes them to follow along and they wind up living very foolish lives because they simply didn’t choose the right teacher. I knew this one boy in elementary school. He and I both went to the same high school and when we got to high school, we each went our separate ways. He chose a crowd that hung out in one place, I in another. His peers pressured him into taking drugs. Mine shunned drinking caffiene. We each chose a different teacher and emerged from high school as different people.

Choosing a teacher who acts right and will lead by their own example is key to gaining wisdom and understanding.

But there’s more. A wise teacher is someone who himself can be taught.

Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you, rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still, teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. (Prov. 9:7-9)

There are teachers out there who are themselves unteachable. For they have, by some power, become all knowable and are unable to be instructed themselves. They are a fool according to scripture. Even the wisest man or woman in the world can be taught by someone else. In fact, wisdom is shown best in the openness to others’ opinions and insights, not in the depth of your own.

If the teacher you’ve chosen to follow cannot himself or herself accept instruction or rebuke, than maybe they shouldn’t be followed. The wise benefit and thrive in discussion and conversation. The foolish hang tight to their own opinions and cannot accept rebuke or instruction by someone else.

Though these two qualities: A good character and correctability, are fine things to look for, there is one thing more important than all the rest. The place where all wisdom and understanding begins.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov. 9:10)

The place all teachers of wisdom begin is the Lord. The fear of the Lord. This doesn’t mean of course that they are afraid of God but that they have a deep respect for God and a hunger to know about the Holy One. Seems obvious, right? But how many teachers out there have neither of these things? How many teachers, theological or otherwise, have no respect for God? These are teachers to avoid, at least according to Scripture. They are the fools leading other fools astray. And they’re out there with books and magazines and television shows leading people astray all the time. Stay away from them, Proverbs says. If you value your life, stay far far away!

Perhaps it is for this reason that we are called to look at Christ in scripture. For Christ, the wisdom and understanding of God, shows all three of these to be true. He is one whose character is flawless and who himself remained sinless and blameless before God. Christ is one who himself was taught, not just by his parents and teachers, but even once by a Gentile woman who needed healing. Christ is the one who shows us how to live in the fear of the Lord seek out knowledge of his Holy One as our understanding. Christ is our light who gives us a glimpse of what every teacher at their best should strain to be.

Are you following after a Christ-like teacher? Or someone who is merely a fool? Amen.

Questions to Answer

1) Think of two or three “teachers” you see active in our world today. Are they wise? Or foolish? Why?

2) Character, the ability to be rebuked, and the fear of the Lord are qualities of a good teacher listed in Proverbs. What more would you add to this list?

3) Think about the people you listen to and respect. Do they have these three characteristics? Or not? Why do you listen and respect them?

End With Prayer

Lord God, we are surrounded by teachers with thoughts on one thing or another. Give us the eyes of Christ that we might see them for who they truly are and fill our hearts with wisdom that we may know who and who not to listen to. Amen.

Pondering the Proverbs: Trusting God

Welcome to a whole new series of devotions dedicated to the Proverbs! This week we feature my favorite proverb: Proverbs 3:5-6. So Let's get started!

Pondering the Proverbs: Trusting God

The Proverb of the Week
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

The Meditation
Four Steps to Inner Peace

There’s a trend in modern culture. Ever since the 12 Step Program came out for recovering alcoholics, “steps” have been used to help people do just about everything. Everything from gaining serenity to becoming a healthier, happier you. It seems anything can be broken up nowadays into two or more steps, making it more accessible and easier to do.

I'm not a fan of step programs. I think they make things too easy. And I’d like to say that the Bible abhors Step Programs too. But then I’d be lying. At least as far as proverbs is concerned. For in the book of Proverbs, nestled within my favorite two verses in that book, we have what could only be called the Four Steps to Inner Peace with God.

The Four Steps to Inner Peace starts out like this:
Step 1: Trust in the Lord with all your heart This step might seem simple enough, until we tackle the meaning of trust. According to the dictionary, trust is, among other things, "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence."(See dictionary definition here). Trust is something we might hear at the pool. “Trust me! The water is fine.” Or at a retreat: “Let’s all do a trust walk together.” Or at home with your spouse: “Don’t you trust me?”
Trust is about heart and action and what we do together. It’s not a head thing, but a heart thing. It’s not about what you THINK about God, the universe, or anything, but how you organize your life based on those beliefs. Trust is an active word and not a passive one. It’s shown in the HOW we live our life and the WHO we serve. It’s about risk and hope. It’s a powerless word. It calls us to rest and rely upon the good nature of the other rather than take matters into our own hands. It’s a letting go word. For as we let go into God’s hands, we find ourselves walking down the straight path He has set before us. Trust is what following God is really all about.

Step 2: Lean not on your own understanding.
There is a wise saying that says: “The more I know, the more I realize I don’t understand.” This is true in everything, especially in life and especially with God.
Leaning not on your own understanding means confessing that you don’t understand. You don’t understand what happens or why it happens. You don’t understand why some people are born to poverty and others to wealth and prosperity. You don’t understand the laws of the universe, the workings of atoms and particles. You don’t understand how life began and how it got the way it did. You don’t understand!
This week the physicist Stephen Hawkins said that God isn’t necessary for the universe to exist. That through the laws of gravity and quantum physics, the universe will keep destroying and recreating itself forever.
Stephen Hawkin may have a handle on physics, but he’s off on his understanding. For there are things in heaven and on earth that aren’t even drempt of in Stephen Hawkin’s physics! We cannot lean on our own understanding because we never, ever, ever understand it all! That is true in science...and in life! For who can understand the impact we have on the world around us. People are touched and changed by our actions...and we will never know. So we mustn't rely on our own understanding, but merely trust.

Step 3: In all your ways acknowledge Him
It’s fair to say that acknowledging God in our life goes up and down depending on our life circumstances. When times are hard, when loved ones die, jobs disappear, and we struggle with life, acknowledging God is easy because we need Him. During these times we attend church more, we sing and pray and worship, even at home. We hunger for some comfort and peace and a Word that will help us make sense of it all. When our children are young and we need help raising them and teaching them the faith, then we need God more and the church becomes prominent in our life. When we need confirmation, a wedding, baptism, or any of the other graces the church offers, then we’re found in the pews, hungry for grace.
But in good times, when you’re working, your family is healthy, vacations are drawing near, high school is here and the kids are all confirmed. When everything is on track, we have little thought for God or for the community of God that exists to support us. This is typical. We need only look at summer worship attendance or count the young people in church to confirm this. In good times, acknowledging God takes a back seat then to enjoying life. We seldom pray or worship. Our thoughts are full of ourselves. Not so much of God.
Step three calls us back to God, even in the best times of our lives. To see and acknowledge that the good times AND the bad times are both from God. It calls us to worship God with as much gusto on June 1st as we do on December 25th. All our ways are from the Lord and He should be praised each and every step of the way.

Step 4: GOD’S STEP! : And He will make your paths straight. The final step is God’s step and here’s how it works. Proverbs says, when we’ve given up everything and our trust is in God. When we’ve set aside our own understanding and our own God acts. Only God doesn’t come through with life-changing, universe-shattering things. Instead God simply makes our paths straight.
We might not even notice. Concentrating on trusting God with our whole heart, leaning not on our own understanding, and acknowledging Him in all our ways, we might not notice that the road beneath our feet has grown straight. But it has. We walk the "straight and narrow way" as they say, not by our own doing, but by God's grace. God who makes that road straight. God who provides a safe passage through things we are completely unaware of. God who calls us to step out of ourselves, look beside us, and see who has walked there the whole time. Christ Jesus, our Lord, has leveled hills, brought valleys high, and provided for a straight way to walk. Come, let us walk together, trusting in His Goodness. Amen.

Questions to Answer
1) Where in these four steps do you need the most work on? Where do you stumble on your way to God’s peace?

2) How does God meet you in the midst of these steps, to strengthen and keep you despite your progress or lack thereof?

3) Is there grace in this passage from Proverbs? Is there life? Or is this law? An “if/then” statement? Do you find Christ hidden in this passage from Proverbs?

4) Do you agree with the Teacher here? Or disagree? Why?

End with Prayer
Almighty God, you call us to trust you fully, with everything that we have and all that we are. Give us the grace that we might indeed put our trust in you, that confident in your promises, we may walk the straight and narrow way you have set before us, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Coming Soon... Proverbs to Ponder!

Dear Fellow Bible Studiers!

It’s hard to believe but the summer is over! If Labor Day weekend wasn’t enough to confirm it, our Bible Study that has taken us through the books of 1 John and Amos has ended as well. Fourteen weeks of summer are officially at an end.

As I considered where to go with this study, I realized something profound(at least it was profound for me). I...enjoyed studying scripture! The whole summer, I looked forward to reading the text and wondering how God’s Word would shape my life accordingly. I started looking ahead to what we'd be reading next week and wondering what I'd find there that would change my life. And, to top it off, I find it is already working. Today I would say I am more aware of the issues of justice plaguing our world. I realize that I live an unjust life, that my prosperity and the depravity that others live in will need fixing someday. And someday God will set it aright. I rest, not on my own haunches or my own accomplishments, but on God’s mercy who loves both rich and poor together and who will give us a whole new kingdom where we are truly equal.

All this I knew on one level before, but our study of Scripture together has taken it to a whole other level.

Now I’m forced to wonder where God will take us from here. Given the quiet(VERY quiet at times) success of our Bible Study series, I think we’re going to take the same path and let the Word inspire the meditation.

From now through November, we’re going to take a series of Proverbs from the book of Proverbs and look at them through our own experience. We will ask ourselves whether they ring true today as they did back then. We’ll study how the Word of God infused within them might change our life. And we’ll ask ourselves questions to challenge our faith and help it grow.

To do this, I need YOUR help!! I need to know... what Proverbs are interesting to YOU? What Proverbs have you memorized or known throughout the years? What Proverbs have disturbed you or confused you? Email them to me at: craznluv@msn.com. I want to know!!

The Word of God continues to mold and shape us. And as we consider the words of wisdom contained in the book of Proverbs, may the Wisdom of God, that is Christ Jesus, bless our study and our consideration.

Our journey begins on this week! See you virtually as we Ponder the Proverbs!