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Proverbs 2:7-8, Psalms 18:2

My Fortress

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 16, 2013

Proverbs 2:7-8 says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him.” The Psalmists sings in Psalm 16 my fortress18:2, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress…” Most scholars agree that the metaphors of a shield and a fortress speak to us of God’s protection. I would not normally think of my pains in life as God’s shield or His fortress that serves to protect me from harm, but that seems to be the case. The word for fortress is the same word for “Masada.” That’s the place that David would run to in order to escape his enemies who intended him harm. It was the place of protection into which no evil could penetrate.

God uses pain in my life to direct me, to inspect me, to correct me and often He even uses pain in my life to protect me. Our pains often drive us to the rock, the shield and the fortress of God’s protection. One website regarding the purpose of pain says, “The first thing to remember is that pain is the body’s natural response under various conditions. When the brain believes it has encountered a threat to the tissues, it creates a feeling of pain in order to get the person to stop that activity. For instance, if there was no pain when touching a fire or hot surface, this would not mean that the tissues are not being damaged. In fact, the damage would continue, but without pain, the person may just allow the damage to completely destroy the skin and other tissues. Pain gets us moving away from what the brain perceives as dangers to our health and well-being.” But pain is more complex than that. It not only drives us away from the situation it drives us to the source for healing.

Max Lucado quotes John Trent and Gary Smalley (A Dad’s Blessing) regarding the protection of God. They write, “What does a child say when he is face to face with the neighborhood bully? ‘My brother is bigger than your brother.’ ‘My dad is stronger than your dad.’ Then adults get into the act. A bumper sticker sighted on a Los Angeles freeway read, ‘My lawyer is better than your lawyer.’ What does a three-year-old do when he gets a knot in his shoelaces? He runs to Daddy. What does a five-year-old girl do when she falls and skins her knee? She cries to Mommy for comfort. When faced with a problem, danger, difficulty or sadness, we naturally go to someone who is bigger, stronger, and more powerful. Just as a child wants to crawl up on Daddy’s lap or have Mommy’s arms wrapped around him, so we go to our heavenly Father. He is the fortress that protects us from attack, the refuge that grants us asylum from persecution, the safe harbor that shelters us from the storms of life.”

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Proverbs 29:15, Hebrews 17:7

Loose Wires

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 15, 2013

God often uses pain and suffering in my life to correct me when I need it. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach us this truth. Proverbs 29:15 says, “A rod of correction imports wisdom, but a youth left to himself is 15 loose wirea disgrace…” Hebrews 17:7 says, “Let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected?” A man came up to two boys fighting in the park. He took one aside and began to spank him for his inappropriate behavior. An observing bystander came up to the man and asked indignantly why he didn’t do anything to the other boy. The man responded that this one was his own son and the other was not.

Alexander Maclaren wrote, “If we want to be taught anything, we shall not flinch from the rod. There must be pains undergone in order to win knowledge of any sort, and the man who rebels against these shows that he had rather be comfortable and ignorant than wise. A pupil who will not stand having his exercises corrected will not learn his faults. On the other hand, hating reproof is ‘brutish’ in the most literal sense; for it is the characteristic of animals that they do not understand the purpose of pain, and never advance because they do not. Men can grow because they can submit to discipline; beasts cannot improve because, except partially and in a few cases, they cannot accept correction.”

Because of our own selfish natures, we all need correction from time to time. It is absolutely essential for true spiritual growth as well as normal emotional development. Since this is the case with suffering, C. S. Lewis observed, “…we must anticipate that it will never cease till God sees the world to be either redeemed or no further redeemable.” Someone said, “Loose wires give out no musical notes, but when their ends are fastened, the piano, the harp, or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine, but harnessed and confined with piston and turbine, it makes possible the great world of machinery. An unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and you can generate sufficient power to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in the world.”

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Proverbs, 20:30, 22:15

God’s Shout

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 14, 2013

The English Standard Version of the Bible translates Proverbs 20:30 as, “Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” But my favorite translation of this verse is from the Good News Bible. It 14 painrenders that passage as, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” I don’t know about you but I hate pain. I always want the Novocain when I go to the dentist. I’m very thankful for the various pain relief medications that are out there. I will usually take an extra step or two to avoid any pain. Life would be so much better if there were no pain. I spent this last weekend moving stuff and if there were no pain my old age muscles and back wouldn’t hurt like they did when I got up on Monday morning.

Yet, God uses pain to help us see that something is wrong. I read about Grade-school student Ashlyn Blocker. The article said she “is one of a very few people who suffers from congenital insensitivity to pain (CIPA) with anhidrosis (inability to sweat)—a rare genetic disorder. She can’t tell if her food is too hot; if she falls on the playground and skins her knee, she won’t know it until her teacher sees the blood; if she gets overheated, she won’t perspire; if she gets too cold, she won’t shiver.” The author of the article concludes that, “The way God has created us, pain is a blessing; it is a ‘wake-up call’ to the fact that something is wrong with our bodies.” Pain makes us stop and take a deeper look at ourselves and often drives home a lesson we may not have learned without it.

Much of the pain I experience in life, I have to admit, I’ve brought on myself through one bad decision or another. I shouldn’t have lifted all those boxes by myself! Another passage in Proverbs says, “All children are foolish, but firm correction will make them change” (Proverbs 22:15). Regardless of the root cause of our pain it can still serve a good purpose. If there were no pain, I’d lose the most valuable warning system that God has created in me for my physical well-being. With regard to emotional and spiritual sufferings in my life if there were no pain, it would be as if God was saying “I’m through with you.” Pain is evidence that God has not abandoned us. Pain is often the loving act of a compassionate, loving God, designed to bring us back. C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures; he speaks to us in our work; he shouts at us in our pain.” One author surmised, “Every one of us knows that there have been times when we would not listen to God or pay any attention to what his Word was saying, until finally he used a severe discipline to get our attention so that we would listen.”

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Proverbs 20:30, 22:15, 3:5-6

God Uses Problems to Direct Me

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 13, 2013

I’ve argued that every problem in our lives has a purpose. God never wastes pain. He uses it sparingly and always with a purpose. It’s the wise person who seeks to understand how God wants to work in our lives through the various kinds of 13 changing directionsuffering that He allows to enter in. The wisest man in the world, Solomon, often reflects on the purpose of pain and problems in life. From his reflections in the book of Proverbs we can learn about why God permits pain and problems in our lives. The first purpose I see is that God often uses a problem to direct me. I mean God often closes a door in my face because he wants me to take a different direction. I am such a strong willed individual that God will sometimes have to slam the door on me.

There are two passages in Proverbs that teach this truth. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” The other passage is in Proverbs 22:15. It reads, “All children are foolish, but firm correction will make them change.” This truth is also seen in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:6, says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves…” We all need discipline once in a while and God is faithful to provide it. That discipline is designed to change our path or redirect our steps to help us along our way on this journey of life. Like Jonah, I often don’t want to go where God wants me to go. I don’t always what to do what God wants me to do. Yet, I know His ways are best and the best thing I can do is submit to his discipline and redirect my path.

God often uses tough times to redirect our paths. It’s during those times we need to trust deeply in the loving concern God has for all His children; you and me! Knowing the Father’s love and concern should change the way we look at trials. He does not allow us to experience problems and struggles for no purpose. One of the main purposes of problems is to redirect our thoughts and actions. For those problems to be truly effective we must trust God. A final verse from Proverbs brings true perspective on the directions I should take in life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” I like the way the old King James Version translates this passage. It says, “in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

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John 15:1-2, James 1:3-4

The Pruning Process

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 10, 2013

Yesterday I wrote about how God uses our pain, problems and often other people to make us more productive. Just as the vinedresser (God) has to prune the vines to make them more productive God does the same with us. In John 15:1-2, Jesus 10 pruning1says that we are the branches and He is the vine, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” The process of pruning is always to make us better. It’s always for our own good. There’s an interesting process associated with pruning. We are all at one of three stages with regard to it. We may have just been pruned. We may be growing back after having been pruned, or we may be in full bloom after having been pruned.

We love it when things are really going great in life. We should truly enjoy it and celebrate. But we must never forget that another pruning will be coming sooner or later. I know this because no matter how much pruning you and I have experienced we are never going to be perfect. There is always more work to be done on us. God is faithful. Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). I like the NASB (New American Standard Bible) translation of this passage because it focuses on the fact that if we have breath, God is still working on us and he will keep on working on us until we either go to be with Christ, or Christ comes to be with us. The pruning process is never over! Realizing this truth keeps us humble at those times when we are most productive.

Maybe you have just experienced a very serious pruning and are overwhelmed with how naked and bare you look to yourself and others. To survive this stage we must constantly remind ourselves of God’s infinite goodness. The Psalmist explains how to handle this stage. In Psalm 142:2, we read, “I pour out my problems to him; I tell him my troubles.” Maybe you’ve moved beyond the barren stage and are just beginning to sprout new life. One writer says about this situation, “Your growth will be stunted if you spend your time looking back on your last pruning with regret instead of gratitude.” This is one problem I’m always wrestling with. It’s so tempting to hold on to the pains of the pruning and become bitter and resentful. The writer goes on to says, “Let me encourage you to let it go as you rejoice in the strength gained to move on to the next level.” When God prunes us it always results in a greater good as well as a sweeter fruit. James simply tells us to let that happen. He says that these pains and problems produce steadfastness, “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (See James 1:3-4).

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John 15:1-2

It’s All Good

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 9, 2013

Studying the Bible can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. If we open our hearts to the truths contained therein we find many of the puzzling questions in life have reasonable answers. This is especially true regarding the presence of 09 pruningevil in the world and pain in our own lives. The scriptures teach us that God is a God of love and only allows problems in our lives as the baker allows some nasty ingredients into the recipe because when the cake comes out of the oven it’s better for having had those ingredients. His promise is both old, Jeremiah 29:11, and new, Romans 8:28. He promises us that regardless of the current situation all things will work out in the end for our good. His good plans and purposes for us will never be derailed by any person, pain or problem. Jesus taught his disciples this truth on several different occasions.

Jesus explained to His disciples that God intentionally uses our pain, problems and people to make us all that he wants us to be. All our problems, pressures, pains, and difficult people are part of God’s plan to make us more productive! Jesus says that he is “the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). Now that he has disciples, and us as well, thinking about growing grapes (fruit) on vines and that process, He moves on to something that they are all very familiar with; the necessity of pruning. He says in the next verse, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

When we think about it, I expect every believer understands this concept. In fact, I’d expect many believers know too much about this already. It seems the most painful pruning experiences in life are brought on by the hands and words of others. God will often use difficult people in our lives to prune us. It might involve ugly things people say to or about us. It might just be operating in an environment where you are certain your style, personality, or appearance is something that is just unacceptable. Over my years in ministry I’ve faced and still face many people weekly who disapprove of me and my style. God will use them for good in my life. It doesn’t matter what their intentions are, God always means it for my good. That’s what our faith is all about. Joseph learned this truth about his own brothers who wanted to kill him but ended up selling him into slavery. When the power to retaliate was in his hands, he simply stated, “you meant it for bad, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God always means it for good for you and me also.

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Proverbs 30:24-28, 1 Corinthians 1:10

Working Together

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 3, 2013

Locusts are grasshoppers! Growing up in Nebraska, I always thought that locusts were cicadas. So, I was surprised to learn that they were flying grasshoppers. I’ve seen lots of them, but they weren’t grasshoppers. Solomon tells us to consider the key aspects of these little insignificant creatures, and we’ll learn one of the most important lessons of life. Two are better than one, and three are better still. Our money still holds the motto: “E Pluribus Unum.” We all know that this Latin phrase means “from the many comes one.” As individuals we’re truly insignificant with respect to what we can accomplish. Yet if we work together there is no limits to what might be accomplished.

This is such an obvious truth. We see the power of unity all around us in everyday life. There is a season for all the major sports that require teamwork. In the fall it’s football. In the winter it’s Basketball and in the spring it’s baseball. The better the players work together the better the whole team fares. An orchestra demands harmony to produce anything worth listening to. The ancient redwood trees in California have survived for so long and have grown to be so huge because their roots intertwine to support each other. A rope is as strong because it’s made up of more than one strand. If this is such an obvious truth, why do we continue to compete, condemn, criticize, correct, cause contention, and sabotage the accomplishment of good works for the greater good?

The locust is indeed an incredibly small creature that, when it bans together with others, will take over hundreds of miles of croplands. It will drive all inhabitants off the land taking all the spoil for itself and each individual little grasshopper will have more than enough to eat while the larger, higher life forms experience a famine. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul exhorts the Christians. He writes, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” Paul was well aware of the fact that we are at our best, when we set aside our own ambitions and throw all our efforts into the common good, instead of putting energy into unhealthy rivalries.

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Proverbs 30:24-28, 1 Corinthians 1:27-28

Four Insignificant Things

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
April 30, 2013

When we think of the author of the Wisdom literature of the Bible, especially Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, we often say “Solomon said…” We attribute this wisdom to Solomon because he is attributed to have 30 proverbs 30authored much of those works. However, we will find occasion when someone else wrote a particular passage. Proverbs Chapter 30 is one of those passages. It’s attributed to Agur. However, as the Lexham Bible Dictionary says, “Whether ‘Agur’ is intended as a proper name is not certain—…Agur may mean “gatherer”—and may therefore be meant as an epithet for Solomon, who ‘gathered’ wisdom.”

I’ve always enjoyed the imagery in the Bible. The book of Proverbs is filled with it. Agur, or Solomon, presents us with pictures that illustrate the truths he intends to teach us. In chapter 30, there are numerous references to images that elicit more than knowledge, but understanding and emotion as well. When he talks about things that are never satisfied he shows us the leech. It never stops draining its victims. He then mentions hell, a barren womb, a barren desert and a fire. When he talks about things that amaze him he sees an eagle in the sky, a serpent on a rock, a ship on the seas, and a man wooing a maiden. Then Agur directs our attention to four members of the animal kingdom. He begins by pointing out how insignificant these small things are. Yet, they can teach us some of the more “significant” lessons in life. One writer commented, “Bigness is not necessarily the same as greatness.”

In Proverbs 30:24-28, we are introduced to “Four things on earth that are small, but they are exceedingly wise…” The Hebrew expression is literally “wise trained in wisdom.” The idea of wisdom is repeated in the phrase. The NIV translates this as “extremely wise.” Today’s English Version says “very, very clever.” The Greek Septuagint renders this as “wiser than wise.” Another one says “wise beyond the wisest.” The New Jerusalem Bible says “the wisest of the wise.” These four small animals, the ant, the rock badger, the locust and the lizard,  teach us things that are extremely important in life. Observing these four “small” things, can make us “wiser than the wise.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians and told them that “God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant …to bring to nothing what is viewed as something…” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).

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