Wisdom Fruit: Journey in Proverbs 3 : Incomparable

Proverbs 3:14-15

Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Proverbs 3:14-15 NLT

Nothing Compares to Wisdom

These verses are often paired with the previous verse which declares the joy that accompanies wisdom and understanding. The benefits of wisdom are beyond any tangible thing of value: more profitable than silver, more wages than gold, and is more precious, valuable than rare jewels.

It is interesting that Solomon uses business or trade terminology in this passage to compare the value of wisdom i.e. profit, wages and other versions of the Bible use additional terms like merchandise, gain, and proceeds. “Trading” in wisdom yields far more consistent profitable return on investment than precious metals or jewels. Solomon is directly appealing to man’s desire and conquest in search of wealth and power. He emphatically says nothing we desire can compare with wisdom.

Solomon knew what he is talking about as one of the wisest and richest men/ rulers at that time. He knew the value of Godly wisdom early on, when God told him he could have anything he wanted and Solomon requested if God wisdom to rule. God honored that wish so much that He gave Solomon everything else also- riches, favor, prestige. Wisdom never disappoints and nothing we desire can compare.

As Ephesians 3:20 says “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”. God wants to blow our minds and take the limited off!

Wisdom Fruit- Journey in Proverbs 3: Discipline

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction;For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”Proverbs 3:11-12 NKJV

Many of us have heard our parents say this hurts me more than it hurts you when we have been grounded or disciplined or I’m doing this for your own good. I didn’t always believe it back then, but as a parent I know how true it is.

One again, this passage begins with an endearing salutation “My child, or my son”a very personal relational call from a beloved parent or mentor that reveals Gods heart toward us even when discipline comes. This underscores the importance of cultivating that personal intimate relationship with God.

It continues to tell us to not despise or reject the Lord’s “chastening” or correction by punishment/ discipline AND don’t get upset, impatient or hate when God corrects you. That is hard and nobody likes it! I remember having to keep my hand out when that ruler came down on my hand. It was hard not to pull away, because it hurt! Who signs up for that anyway. But it was an effective deterrent.

God then explicitly reinforces His love for us through His discipline as a Father who corrects his child who he delights in. Because God is so committed to our wellbeing, He will put roadblocks, allow us to fail, and deter us from detrimental decisions, habits that hinder or distract from our purpose. Our true close friends do the same, “faithful are the wounds of friend” – they will risk your anger, and tell you when you are going off course. Indifference means that there is no personal investment of time or value.

When these uncomfortable times of discipline come, view from the lens of Gods love.

Now Go!

Exodus 4:11-12

Morning meditation:
I felt this “NOW GO!” echoing in my heart this morning. Like Moses, I have offered of excuses, and the Lord patiently but urgently pushes me forward with His Word! He then continues, “I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

God is with US. He has our back!

Also praying that I will NOT be like Moses who continues in this passage with imposter syndrome, telling God all his personal limitations, how he stutters etc. and further frustrating God. You know the story how Aaron then speaks for Moses. God is still with Moses in spite of his personal sense of inadequacy. Moses is many times lauded for not having a “slave mentality” being brought up in Pharoahs house. But I think this also fueled his over dependency and focus on personal strength even with the Almighty God telling him he could do it. Clearly He had more growing to do in God as we all do! And there is more! Later in the chapter, Moses wife Zipporah, saved Moses from Gods wrath, and had to circumcise their son because he wouldn’t/ couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Moses had to learn complete dependence on God – We see cracks in his trust in God throughout his story and I believe that was the root cause of His disobedience that ultimately led to his not completely seeing the promised land even though God honored him.

Joshua had that 100% pure, sold out heart ( complete trust and faith in God) needed to fight for and claim the promises of God! Ps.86:11 says “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.” Ps‬ ‭86:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

#faith #NowGo #Trust #Obedience #purifymyheart

21 Days of Grace – Day 14

Romans 6:14

Romans 6:14 NLT
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

God’s grace is more powerful than sin! We can truly walk and live in the freedom that God’s amazing grace brings. This verse establishes the authority and demonstrates the dominion that we have over sin, because Gods grace supersedes the law. That is great news!

It recognizes again that we cannot live perfect obedient lives in a legalistic way in our own strength, because that clearly did not work in the Old Testament. In fact in Romans 7, Paul talks about how hard it is to do it on our own. But the victory we have in Jesus’s sacrifice and victory on the cross and the freedom that His grace brings gives us dominion over sin in our lives.

Additionally, Gods grace molds our character to live in freedom. Galatians 5:22-23, says. “Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” When we allow God to transform us, the law is not necessary.

Lord, thank you for your grace in our lives that gives us dominion over sin. Help us to walk humbly before you that the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in our lives. Truly, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! #Grace #Dominion #freedom #law #fruitofthespirit

21 Days of Grace – Day 9

2 Corinthians 8:7

2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

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The Grace of Giving: This passage references a special grace in giving that the Macedonian churches had, especially since they were not rich. Because they had a burning heart to give to support the work of the ministry, they gave, even when they didn’t have much, and God was able to make it more than enough.

Paul was encouraging the Corinthian church, who was so great in everything else, to excel in the grace of giving. You see, they started off very excited to give, full of intention, and then dropped off, even though they had abundance. This special grace of giving, shows that you when you honor the work, your giving comes from your heart and is not based on duty or because you have resources to spare. When we give toward something we really care about, we enjoy our own things better.

This grace of giving makes everything sufficient, everything enough. If we are willing to give, God makes it enough. Indeed our little becomes much in His hands. Jesus is our example, He gave his life for us all and we all gained eternal life. This is why it is more blessed to give than to receive. Our little truly becomes much in God’s very capable hands.

21 Days of Grace: Day 7

Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Today’s verse is a clarion call for us to come boldly, confidently to God’s throne of grace to get the help, mercy and find grace when you need it! The preceding verse talks of God’s great compassion for us, that He knows our weaknesses and beckons us to come to Him. The point is that we don’t have to be fearful or timid when we approach God ( like Dorothy and crew in the Wizard of Oz), but confident that He will be just and merciful. There is also no question that once we come, we will get the mercy and find the grace we need to help us in any circumstance.

The throne of Grace also reminds us of God’s sovereignty and majesty from which His grace flows. The ability to extend grace to others is a noble leadership quality that we should emulate. Lord, help us to grow in our knowledge and trust in you that we we can confidently come to you for everything and expect that Your loving kindness, mercy and grace are available to to help us always. #Grace #Mercy #Boldness #Confidence #21DaysofGrace

21 Days of Grace: Day 2

Ephesians 4:7

Written 1/2/21

Ephesians 4:7 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

God is so faithful that He gives us the grace we need to accomplish the purpose and plans He has for our lives. This entire chapter in Ephesians talks about the unity in Christ and also the different gifts He gives to each of us for the edification of all! Since He has already given us this grace- Receive It!

It was uniquely designed for you. Yesterday’s scripture tells us there is a superabundant supply of that grace found in Christ. May God bless you richly today! #Grace #21DaysofGrace

Let there be Light

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

My previous post mentions that “Let it Shine” is my theme for 2018. God dropped this little nugget as I restarted my Bible reading in Gen1 and I had to share it! This is just the tip of the iceberg for me and I plan to study it out. If you have insights please also share!

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When we first read this scripture Gen 1:3 we are tempted to think of the light as the sun and moon. Especially when it says God called the light Day and the darkness Night. But in Gen 1:14-19 we see that the sun, moon and stars are not created until the 4th day!

““Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” Genesis‬ ‭1:14-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So then what was that Light that God created from the darkness, that preceded the Sun, moon and stars? James 4:6 tells us that God made this light to shine in our hearts so we could the glory of God that is seen in Jesus!

As glorious as the sun, moon and stars are – especially as they reveal themselves to us every morning and evening- they are not as splendid as God’s first created light that reveals the glory of God that is seen IN Jesus.

Let that sink in….

The very first thing that God created, Light, He makes to shine in our hearts for the purpose of knowing the Glory of God.

This original first light precedes and goes beyond the physical, natural lights that we see via God’s creation of the sun, moon and stars. It precedes the foundation of the world! As one commentary noted “Light was created first and attached to the sun and luminaries on Day4 Thus the sun is merely an obedient light-bearer and its magnificence is only understood in relation to its Creator.”

Jesus is the source of that light, THE creative force, that allows us to supernaturally know the Glory of God. Wow! Wow! Wow!

Remember when Moses asked God to see His glory? God tells Moses that he cannot “see” His face, His glory and live.

“And he said, “Please, show me Your glory. .., But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”” Exodus‬ ‭33:18, 20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God instructs Moses to stand by a rock and when He (His glory) passes by God hides him in the cleft of the rock, covers him with His hand and then takes His hand away and allows Moses to see His back but not His face. Moses was completely transformed physically and spiritually by this encounter with just the backside of God’s glory!

Jesus is the light of the world. When we receive Him, God makes this transformative light shine in our hearts and as we allow it to shine through us, it transforms others. This is that creative power that sparked creation itself.

My 2018 prayer today is to connect with Jesus more intimately so that I don’t hinder the flow of His light to shine through me. Lord, Help me to align my thoughts, actions, plans etc with Yours so that I am that conduit and vessel of that light. Thank you for clarity of purpose and creative ability and resulting actions to execute your will in its various manifestations that give praise and glory to Your name! In Jesus name!

Let it Shine: This Little Light of Mine

This old Negro spiritual came to me about a week ago and has stayed with me. As I hummed it in my head, I heard “Let YOUR light shine- stop hiding it! ”

I am reminded of two separate occurrences in college from two different strangers 2-4 yrs apart, saying they SAW the light of God’s glory in me. The very first time occurred within the first few weeks of my coming to Washington DC as a freshman at the McDonald’s on Georgia Avenue. My sister and I were sitting down eating and this lady came over with a wide smile and said “You are going to serve the Lord and it will be beautiful to see. It may not happen right away but you will really love the Lord and it will be so beautiful.” I was so scared I called my mother and told her God was coming after me, since I was not even thinking about God and church at that time. That second semester my cousin would come to visit Howard for spring break and tell us about how Jesus was the answer to all of our problems. My sister and I later gave our lives to the Lord that summer!

The second time years later, I was walking home from class and just said hello as I passed a lady by and she said “Wait a minute, I see the glory of God all on you, all up in here” motioning around my head. I thought it was hilarious at first (because it WAS wacky) but because I had then given my life to Christ, I realized that not everything is by accident.

At my ordination 5 years ago, something similar happened as a minister with prophetic gifting prayed for me.

I realize that I am personally very uncomfortable shining – I’m more comfortable in the background. But the impression was very clear this time. Stop hiding your light- Let it shine!!

After looking up several scriptures about light shining, I realized that this is not optional for us as Christians and especially for me as a minister and elder. This is not about my comfort level! This is God’s command:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

http://bible.com/114/mat.5.16.nkjv

Why?

“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/2co.4.6.nlt

It is time to really let the light of God’s glory shine through me (us) in every way. In these seeming dark times, all of creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons(daughters) of God”, This world needs to see God’s light shining through us in all that we do – our God given gifts/talents, our God given “Let there be” creativity, our God given purpose & calling. We have the solutions because He has given us Everything to life and godliness.

So Shine On!

This Little Light of MineThis little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, this little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Hallelujah
This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Ev’ry where I go
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, ev’ry where I go
I’m going to let it shine
Hallelujah
Ev’ry where I go
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

All in my house
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, all in my house
I’m going to let it shine
Hallelujah
All in my house
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

I’m not going to make it shine
I’m just going to let it shine
I’m not going to make it shine
I’m just going to let it shine
Hallelujah
I’m not going to make it shine
I’m just going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Out in the dark
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, out in the dark
I’m going to let it shine
Hallelujah
Out in the dark
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine