Friday, October 2, 2009

PROVERBS

Proverbs, the sayings of Solomon.  The wisdom God imparted to him is found in these pages.  Keep in mind, it is the wisdom of God past through Solomon, not Solomon's wisdom!  Here are a few thoughts for today:

1) HELP OTHERS- Prov. 3:27 says: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it."  We OUGHT to help people!  We must!  Sometimes I don't know how I'm going to help all the needs that I hear about, and certainly I cannot!  But, the LORD prompts me to do much more than I think I can do.  Just yesterday..... I committed to helping a widow get her roof fixed (that is me helping with the work).... I told a missionary that we would help with the tickets to come to the states for a short furlough (it is the right thing to do)..... and one of my assistant pastors and his dear wife, just lost their child on the way (4 months).  Our insurance has a deductible for surgeries of $2,000.00 per year.  So the hospital sent her to an abortion clinic for the procedure!  Can you imagine wanting a child and sitting in a room where others are cutting out their child?  They wanted $700.00 up front, which she did not have.  What to do?  I told him to go have the procedure done at the hospital, and we would come up with the money for the deductible!  Now, just yesterday I committed to about $4,500.00.  BUT.... it is in the "power of" mine hand to do it.  I have a church full of generous people and I know if I share the need, they will respond, and all of us doing something will get the job done!   "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due"  A widow, yes!  A missionary, yes!  A young assistant pastor and his dear wife, yes!  They are all "due"!   It will get done!!

2) WISDOM CRIES!  In Prov. 8:1 it says:  "Doth not wisdom cry?  and understanding put forth her voice?"  vs. 4  "Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man."   Wisdom does not sit passively by waiting for someone to discover her.  She cries out "LISTEN TO ME!".   God wants us to have wisdom.  God says if we lack wisdom, we can ask of Him.  Here we see wisdom personified as a wise woman calling out to all who pass by to listen to what she has to say.  Her words are life!  7:4 "Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman."  Wisdom is not seen as a man, but as a woman calling out!  Oh dear soul.... listen to wisdom!

3. SHINE OUT FOR CHRIST!   Prov. 20:27 says:  "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly."   I have seen a lot of candles in my life, and yet, there are so many more.  My wife loves candles.  She lights about fifteen of them every time someone come over.  She has little ones, big ones, ones in jars, ones out in the open, decorated ones, and plain ones.  I know people in our church who hold candle parties and candles are the subject, the product, and the whole reason of meeting.  Now, it doesn't matter how beautiful the candle or how plain, they have a function..... giving off light.  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD.  It doesn't matter how talented we are, how brilliant, how rich, if we don't give off light.... we are useless to the cause of Jesus Christ.  We must shine out for Christ in the midst of this dark world!  Decide that you will be a candle who shines out for Christ!  Today.... and every day!
Have a blessed day.  Pastor Mike Mutchler
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