Tag Archives: Faith

Christian, God and Coffee, Journal, Nathan Dooley, Personality, Psychology, the Word of God, Therapy

“…who takes away the sin of the world!”

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Read Me First

“The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”—John 1:29

—(Elijah) John the Baptist 
Matthew 17:11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

MY FOCUS

As I focus on these journal entry posts, I learn and understand more about myself and my deepest concern, the salvation of souls. Ever since I’ve heard and believed in the gospel, the question of whether someone is saved or not has always been at the core of my desire to understand. More on that in other posts.

In my previous post, which is a building block to this one, I wrote, “God didn’t create me to be good or evil, or even to be as in-between—under the curse of sin as a sinner while alive by the grace of God to exist separate from Him (And thank God for that!).” Which has compelled me to expound.

GOOD OR EVIL, OBSERVE:

  • Thinking about whether God created me to be good or evil?

I don’t think God created me to be good or evil, meaning there is a difference between ‘knowing good and evil‘ and ‘being good or evil‘. God saw all that He had made, then declared it ‘all‘ as … ‘very good‘; that didn’t mean that what He created innocent from the knowledge of good and evil to be limited by that innocence as programmed robots without risk, eating that fruit to have the knowledge of good and evil, of which existed altogether in harmony with the Lord God in the garden of Eden.

So sin existed in consequence of God warning Adam and Eve not to eat, or surely they would die (Genesis 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”), and since Adam and Eve ate that fruit we all die because God means what He says; God is Holy and Just to execute the punishment deemed worthy of those attributes against His enemies. When mankind disobeyed God, we became enemies of God that reaps the consequences of that disobedience, and so therefore, we all suffer death.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

CREATED AS A SINNER?

I’m confident that God didn’t create me to be a sinner, which was what I meant by “in-between”—forever separated from God in the prison of death and Hades if it had-been that Adam ate from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—) to live forever in the consequence of our due penalty and present state of death; It would be miserable if this world of suffering … is without end, (Revelation 1:18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.).

Thank God for Jesus taking away the sin of the world!

  • Thinking about what it means to be separated from God?

I know that I’m separated from God through knowledge gained by experience in this flesh and blood of sin and death under the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.) by guilt that is incapable of inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.). Truth testifies to the death that I am dying as the last enemy to God yet to be abolished by the return of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.).

SO AGAIN I SAY!

THANK GOD FOR HIS LAMB!

So all that to say that when Jesus took away the sin of the world at the cross as the Lamb of God, all entered into a new covenant of which saves us through faith.

The gift of God does not come without responsibility, that is to say, without repentance; repentance is experienced through much discipline by the Helper—the Holy Spirit (John 14:25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.). (John 16:6 But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. 7 But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11 and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.).

Who is the ruler of this world?

I’ll leave that to build on in the next post.

Matthew 17:11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Do not devise harm | P3-V29

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.

When you think of the word “neighbor”, who or what comes to mind?

It’s taken me a bit to think about our verse, possibly because I tend to overthink; I not only think of my ‘literal’ next door neighbors, but anyone and everyone I might encounter, including who I’m writing to. Yes, that’s right, even you are my neighbor.

What is wisdom teaching you by this proverb?

As for me, I think of my neighbor’s little black dog because without fail that dog snarls and barks at everything when let free to roam in their backyard including me when in my own backyard; granted, it does make for a good watch dog, but gaw does it get on my last nerve sometimes!

However, the reward wisdom provides me is the discipline not to kill the dog … a bit extreme, but there’s my confession, a discrete hope from the heart for harm against the dog which would also be harm on my neighbor who cares for the dog… somehow.

So when the dog is in its backyard and me in mine, even as the dog sticks its nose through a broken part of our fence in desire to devour me by its constant snarl barking, my choice is the wisdom of do not devise harm against your neighbor, while he lives securely beside you.

Thank you God for all my neighbors and even my neighbor’s dog that desires to devour me, please bless them, and examine my heart to be moved by Your wisdom, and not my harm when experiencing trials of various kinds. Thank you Lord, in Jesus. Amen.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V29) Commentary
II. We must never design any hurt or harm to any body (v. 29): “Devise not evil against thy neighbour; do not contrive how to do him an ill-turn undiscovered, to prejudice him in his body, goods, or good name, and the rather because he dwells securely by thee, and, having given thee no provocation, entertains no jealousy or suspicion of thee, and therefore is off his guard.’ It is against the laws both of honour and friendship to do a man an ill-turn and give him no warning. Cursed be he that smites his neighbour secretly. It is a most base ungrateful thing, if our neighbours have a good opinion of us, that we will do them no harm, and we thence take advantage to cheat and injure them.

Christian, God and Coffee, Journal, Nathan Dooley, Personality, Psychology, Spiritual Insights

Lamb of God

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INTRODUCTION

Hi my name is Nathan, and welcome to my blog if we don’t know each other and it’s your first time here. This past Friday – Sunday (April 2-4, 2021) was not only a memorial time for me personally, but for this world even if the world hates knowing it (John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.).

How this is personal to me is what you’ll read as each of these particular posts with the featured photo describes my experience with the Lamb of God. There is so much on my heart and mind that needs worked out; the freedom to write whenever throughout the day is such an awesome exercise for doing just that, working out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.). And so what is my hope by this exercise?

My hope is that you, the reader, will discover new insights along with me about the Word of God by our common devotion to Jesus Christ our Lord. If you love the Lord, you’ve come to the “write” place, and I’m so excited to go through the trials of discipline with you as we discover more of our Savior together until we’re resurrected to life with Him by the glory, wisdom, and power, of God.

LAMB OF GOD

“The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

—John 1:29

Now although the Bible doesn’t explicitly say from the book of Genesis that it was an innocent lamb slaughtered for the covering of Adam and Eve ( Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.); I believe it was an innocent lamb—by the fact that Jesus was identified as “the Lamb of God”—that clothed Adam and Eve, symbolizing the grace of God later to be revealed as Jesus of Nazareth who took away the sin of the world by being slaughtered on that cross (Matthew 20:18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”).

Why is the Lamb of God relevant to Adam and Eve?

The reason I believe the Lamb of God is relevant to Adam and Eve is because of the plan and process in which God accomplished to save us from our curse that eternally separates us from God, having been held captive to the rogue nature of a good serpent which manifests as … sin. I say “good serpent” to mean what God said when He created all things, and saw all things to be very good—including the crafty serpent in which He made (Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?). Which then begs the question…

If God is good, and if God is Love, how was it possible for an eternally good creature, created by an eternally loving God, turn from it’s own created nature as good, to be evil by deceiving Eve?

The answer, discovered with faith in Jesus Christ, is learned by the experience of spiritual discipline, but found in the book of Ezekiel (28:14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.). Unless created beings were created to be robots of self-awareness, it doesn’t make sense that I would have the choice to be evil or good.

Therefore, I know that I wasn’t born as a created robot of self-awareness by the fact that I have the knowledge of good and evil; I can do either good or evil, but the choice comes with a risk. God didn’t create me to be good or evil, or even to be as in-between—under the curse of sin as a sinner while alive by the grace of God to exist separate from Him (And thank God for that!). So by the Lamb (grace) of God, I have the freedom to be good or evil at will – by the knowledge of both – but again, not without risk. According to this verse Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—; I can either be good, or be evil, as both of these archetypes are evident in my soul to breathe both influences.

By archetypes I mean Jesus Christ and Satan; Jesus Christ is good, and Satan is evil, both of which are alive in my life as the knowledge of the truth bears witness to the condition of my soul; truth is recognized by my awareness of the curse in me through Adam as a sinner dying in sin, having sinned against the Word of God from the very beginning in Adam.

All human flesh and blood of Adam and Eve since the very beginning does not inherit the kingdom of God—hence the Lamb of God. I have more to build on from here, soon…

Christian, God and Coffee, Journal, Nathan Dooley, Personality

#HEBEROSEN!

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Good morning, it’s 8:00 on the 4th of April in Dallas Tx, but 8 hours away in Jerusalem, Israel… it’s 4:00 in the afternoon! We’re waking up way behind schedule! Everyone on social media is like,

“HE IS RISEN!!!”

While the Jews in Israel *shaking heads* saying, “Americans…” “God have mercy.” Jesus is at the right hand of power … *tapping watch* … “Is this thing broken? I thought I rose hours ago?” Jesus already rose, and early that day nearly 2000 years ago, so why not we consider changing the American language of our culture, and say,

“He be ROSEN!”

See now that! That has a “ring” to it! He be rosen up in dis house, you feel me! Now let me just correct the gospel real quick, Matthew 28:6 He is not here, for [He be rosen up in dis house], just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. There! Perfect!

WE ARE FREE!!!

I mean how exciting is it to proclaim to the world our freedom from sin! Come take a look see! Matthew 28:7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that [HE BE ROSEN] from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

SO YO!

WE HAVE THE VICTORY!

I mean Jesus gave us the victory over sin and death through the provision of a sustainable belief structure and system! How awesome is that???!!! We are no longer chained to sin that condemns us to the wrath of God unless we’ve denied the gift of our faith through Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (bold/italics/underline | mine)

So since Jesus be rosen in my heart, my hope is secure as my faith produces the qualities of His attributes while I die to myself for the sake of following Jesus Christ by the truth of His gospel—repentance unto eternal life!

THAT BETTER GET YOU FIRED UP!

Man do I hope that the world will hear and believe this good news, even at the prophetic words that reveal a truth difficult to bear—not all will receive, although all will hear to bow at the truth, and yet—my hope remains even at the knowledge of the truth that reveals the end before its beginning. I recognize with growing awareness that glows a very severe and fatal warning to this gift of my salvation shared with followers of the WAY, power with which words identify the place where the unbelieving soul remains consumed by condemnation … Hell.

Am I the only one that experiences the measure and weight of such words with power to shift the conscience from the perspective of victory to a perspective of grief at the thought of loss by a people choosing their denial by faith supplied to all for salvation? No… surely not. My friend and brother of the faith Draoun can tell you all about grief! That brother has been such a tremendous encouragement to me; he understands grief at a very different level, and has helped me understand the necessary process of grieving for healing. This pain doesn’t end in our flesh, but here comes more good news!

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (bold/italics/underline | mine)

Here we go!

AN EMOTIONAL WAVE!

Let the wave of grief run its course as it crashes into its boundary limit just as God declared to Job!

Job 38:
8 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
And here shall your proud waves stop’?

Bear in mind the glory of God by His grace and peace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord!

WE BE ROSEN!

When Jesus Christ ascended into glory at the right hand of God, He brought us with Him according to faith in Him by the promise of His Word—eternal life. Therefore I pray my heart, mind, soul, and strength, keep the commandment to believe in Him for as long as He sustains me to serve our living God! Amen.

Just some journal writing, hope you experience more grace and peace in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

For the Lord will be your confidence | P3-V26

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it.

Now see, this be what I’m talkin-bout!

CONFIDENCE

The treasure of confidence is not found without much humility, and humility is not found without much discipline, and the way we find discipline is by finding the love of God. So to find the treasure of confidence, we must first believe there is God because without belief in God—what meaning and value is there in the treasure of confidence?

Wisdom teaches from experience the knowledge of confidence. Look to Job:

Job 31:24 “If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust, 25 If I have gloated because my wealth was great, And because my hand had obtained so much; 26 If I have looked at the sun when it shone, Or the moon going in splendor, 27 And my heart was secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, 28 That too would have been a guilty deed calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. (bold/italics/underline – mine)

Job knew the nature of his heart where his friends did not; Job did not put his confidence in material possessions or in the words of his friends—hence the reason for his rebuttal—but in himself, until God revealed Himself to him [Job]. Do you remember what happened to Job when God revealed Himself? Let’s take a look:

Job 40:1Then the Lord said to Job, 2 “Will the faultfinder  contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said, 4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.” (italics – mine)

Job was in shock by fear of the Lord because of what he had no understanding of, and was thus enduring the discipline of God considering the report of his reaction, but the discipline wasn’t over just yet for Job, was it, after that first answer? Let’s see what becomes of Job at his final remark to God:

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 “I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.” (bold/italics/underline – mine)

Job had heard of God by the hearing of his ear, but now he had met with his eyes the very Person who gives us confidence—Jesus Christ! Job retracted and repented! The friends of Job misrepresented God and were in need of forgiveness, and when Job prayed for his friends became blessed more than when he was when he first believed. Why? Because Job not only knew God in Word, but in Sight by faith! Job obtained the treasure of CONFIDENCE!

So by our believing in Jesus the Lord, we have confidence to live in the authority of His Name. How? By us not only believing in God with our ears or mouths, but in sight and deed of the gospel. We have seen God by the revelation of Jesus Christ—the Son of God! We have the treasure of confidence to repent by the grace and mercy of God, and the forgiveness of sins when we confess our sins to Jesus, the Lord and Savior!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (bold/italics/underline – mine)

Thank you Lord our God for the mercy bestowed upon us by supplying the forgiveness of sin through belief in Jesus Christ, and healing us to a right mind by the gift of the Holy Spirit. I pray we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V26) Commentary
The harms that surprise us, unthought of, giving us no time to arm ourselves by consideration, are most likely to put us into confusion. But let not the wise and good man forget himself, and then he will not give way to any fear that has torment, be the alarm ever so sudden. Let him not fear the desolation of the wicked, when it comes, that is,

  • [1.] The desolation which the wicked ones make of religion and the religious; though it comes, and seems to be just at the door, yet be not afraid of it; for, though God may make use of the wicked as instruments of his people’s correction, yet he will never suffer them to be the authors of their desolation. Or rather,
  • [2.] The desolation which wicked men will be brought into in a moment. It will come, and timorous saints may be apprehensive that they shall be involved in it; but let this be their comfort, that though judgments lay waste generally, at least promiscuously, yet God knows who are his and how to separate between the precious and the vile. Therefore be not afraid of that which appears most formidable, for (v. 26) “the Lord shall be not only thy protector to keep thee safe, but thy confidence to keep thee secure, so that thy foot shall not be taken by thy enemies nor ensnared by thy own fears.’ God has engaged to keep the feet of his saints.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Do not be afraid | P3-V25

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 

It’s such a good reminder to not be afraid of sudden fear or the onslaught of the wicked when it comes.

What came to mind when thinking about sudden fear was Daniel in the lions den (Dan 6). Can you imagine being thrown into a lions den for even a moment let alone 30 days? Or what are your darkest fears in relation to death, and can you imagine being thrown into a den of those fears?

I don’t even like enduring those ideas let alone actually experience them.

When I think of the idea of … ME … being thrown into the lions den; I think of what sin might disqualify me from God closing the mouths of the lions that I would survive and be rescued as truly His [God’s] servant.

I imagine that I’m not alone in those thoughts, and it might be that you experience sudden fear when thinking about your judgement day (2 Thess 2:12)? If so I pray grace and peace be multiplied to you in the hearing and reading of God’s good Word.

When we’ve believed on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, and exercise our faith in committing to the truth of His Word, we experience a change of mind that testifies of Christ alive in us, assuring us of our salvation in Him by becoming a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption of the world by lust (2 Peter 1:4).

!^THAT’S SUCH GOOD NEWS^!

Because our Lord and Savior is alive in us by the promise of His gift of grace through faith in Jesus, we don’t need to fear what past sins have been committed nor the present sins we might still be in as I write and you read. Jesus is the confidence of our salvation whether we’re eaten up by our worst sins of the past to present, or by the sins of the wicked surrounding us.

So don’t be ashamed to ‘cry out’ or ‘quietly utter’ the graceful name of your salvation, “Jesus Christ”; don’t be afraid of the power of God. If we have become entangled in sin then let these verses in our proverbs be a reminder of the true light in our darkest hours. Come out of those sins by confessing to Jesus the nature of those sins, and then listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as your mind begins to change and life transformed.

God please forgive us of our sins, increase our knowledge of You, and Jesus our Lord. Amen

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V25) Commentary
(3.) In their greatest straits and dangers. Integrity and uprightness will preserve us, so that we need not be afraid of sudden fear, v. 25. The harms that surprise us, unthought of, giving us no time to arm ourselves by consideration, are most likely to put us into confusion. But let not the wise and good man forget himself, and then he will not give way to any fear that has torment, be the alarm ever so sudden. Let him not fear the desolation of the wicked, when it comes, that is,

  • [1.] The desolation which the wicked ones make of religion and the religious; though it comes, and seems to be just at the door, yet be not afraid of it; for, though God may make use of the wicked as instruments of his people’s correction, yet he will never suffer them to be the authors of their desolation. Or rather,
  • [2.] The desolation which wicked men will be brought into in a moment. It will come, and timorous saints may be apprehensive that they shall be involved in it; but let this be their comfort, that though judgments lay waste generally, at least promiscuously, yet God knows who are his and how to separate between the precious and the vile. Therefore be not afraid of that which appears most formidable, for (v. 26) “the Lord shall be not only thy protector to keep thee safe, but thy confidence to keep thee secure, so that thy foot shall not be taken by thy enemies nor ensnared by thy own fears.’ God has engaged to keep the feet of his saints.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

So they will be life to your soul | P3-V22

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 

The foot of Christ did not stumble on His way to be crucified. Jesus did not forget the teaching of His Father nor let His heart forfeit the commandments of God. Mat 27:22-23 “Pilate *said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all *said, “Crucify Him!” But he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” Yet they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”

God took on our flesh through His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus kept the commandments perfectly, there was no sin in Him, and so you might think that the proverb is contradictory—after all—Jesus died. So what happened? Why didn’t this man known as Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, have life rather than the cross of death by keeping the commandments? Lets find out from the testimony according to John chapter 3 in your bibles!

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.”

If our Lord and Savior by God our Father through Jesus, did not carry His adornment to the cross so that we might believe and have eternal life, we would all be judged condemned to an eternal death through sin of the first man Adam without an opportunity to change by the grace of God. Or if you’re an unbeliever reading this, you might think that science has proven powerfully meaningful by the reality of a believer—such as myself—to have finally accepted the reality of a “good story” told as mythology. But this is not mythology; the truth of the gospel is good news! And so what happened to Jesus? How is it that we have eternal life through Jesus if we die? The gospel testifies the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus:

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

The Word of God is eternal, and the only way the eternal Word of the old covenant could be fulfilled was through the blood of redemption, meaning the innocent body and blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. So when His body was pierced to the cross and His blood shed upon the world—we were saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The wrath of God in His justice poured out upon His only Son our punishment for that sin of which separates us from our Holy God and Father—with Jesus now at the right hand of God to reconcile us to Himself by His Word. Jesus is the new covenant mediated through belief as we abide by faith in His resurrection from the dead that sanctifies—in us—the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any,  their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

We have the forgiveness of sins if we remain faithful to an obedience of faith in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirt as believers in the name of Jesus Christ. If we continue in our sin after believing, then we don’t know God nor have life by faith, but a fearful expectation of judgement that condemns unbelief. 2 Thess 1:6 For after all it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us, when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed. If we sin after believing, we trample underfoot the Son of God and insult the Spirit of grace. Heb 10:26 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and  THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. 28 Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V22) Commentary
II. The argument to enforce this exhortation is taken from the unspeakable advantage which wisdom, thus kept, will be of to us.

  • 1. In respect of strength and satisfaction: “It will be life to thy soul (v. 22); it will quicken thee to thy duty when thou beginnest to be slothful and remiss; it will revive thee under thy troubles when thou beginnest to droop and despond. It will be thy spiritual life, an earnest of life eternal.’ Life to the soul is life indeed.
  • 2. In respect of honour and reputation: It shall be grace to thy neck, as a chain of gold, or a jewel. Grace to thy jaws (so the word is), grateful to thy taste and relish (so some); it shall infuse grace into all thou sayest (so others), shall furnish thee with acceptable words, which shall gain thee credit.
  • 3. In respect of safety and security. This he insists upon in four verses, the scope of which is to show that the effect of righteousness (which is the same with wisdom here) is quietness and assurance for ever, Isa. 32:17. Good people are taken under God’s special protection, and therein they may have an entire satisfaction. They are safe and may be easy,
God and Coffee, Journal, Nathan Dooley

NATHAN’S JOURNAL 2021 — Winter Storm Uri | VI

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I’ve missed you people! Or well I’ve missed the meditative prayerful thoughts of you people when writing! There is a time for everything the Preacher says, and it was time for my writing to be on hold during last week’s winter storm “Uri” for the care of my family. But we’re okay! We’re alive … sort of!

I’ve had a little longer than a week to think about some things, ‘thinking’ can be quite dangerous if not spiritually healthy, and by healthy, I mean, trusting in the Holy Spirit of God to guide, even and especially when nothing makes sense: Like how does – “The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages scheduling on an electric grid carrying 90 percent of Texas’ load.” – resolve the issue of people freezing to death if the math forecasts dead cold temperatures upon us (said playfully to mean a very serious problem)? Not that I’m complaining, necessarily, because my faith is in Christ my Lord and Savior while being Texas proud, but being without power intermittently and for longer than 24hrs in freezing temperatures does cause pause, not to mention caring for someone sick—in a COVID stigmatized nation—to “help” our situation. So … needless to say; I’ve been thinking … “time to go off grid?!”

I did actually think that though, to go off grid, and even brainstormed with Laura (my wife) on how to go about doing that while camped out in our living room with my mother-in-law to try and stay warm. We had candles lit all around us like we’re performing some sort of witch craft or something—”you should’ve seen it! We made my mother-in-law levitate off the couch in subzero temperatures and everything! It was awesome!” (I’m definitely getting in trouble for that joke). But while freezing to death, decided to reach out to every Christian Texan on the cost of going off grid as a way of protest … unfortunately … it would ultimately mean war. That’s me confessing how my thoughts can take shape to form dangerous ideas in the wake of difficult circumstances if not governed by the Holy Spirit of God.

front yard

Anyway, apart from uneducated thoughts, my Christian brothers and sisters did take great care of us while in the midst of this Uri storm. I’m eternally grateful for Christian community! Going on 24+ hrs with no power, a Christian family of close Christian friends invited us into their warm home until our power was restored and remained on. They even took us in at the risk of one of us having COVID.

No one should deny the magnificent beauty through a costly storm as the language of it’s existence declares the scientific presence of God.

neighborhood “park”

This storm called life is not over, and thank God for that! The experience of being alive should not be taken for granted, nor used to deny it’s Author. God is with us no matter what storm we are going through, but will the person reading this trust in the testimony of that truth? Man, I hope so! Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day taking away the sin of the world, defeating death! The Word of God is declaring His coming judgement, and if you died today … are you ready? I’m excited to write again, thank You Lord! I’ll leave you with this scripture to think about:

John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

“Truth without love is ice cold.”

—Nathan Dooley

Ecclesiastes 3
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Long life is in her right hand in her left hand are riches and honor | P3-V16

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.

This verse from our lady wisdom is assuring us of a truth that is ours for understanding—by God, through Christ Jesus, the Word of God—that helps us keep long life, riches and honor.

Imagine your club, your squad, your gang, your people, that you know and trust. Do you have them in mind? Go up to them and tell them to hold out their hands in front of them, palms facing heaven, and say, “In your right hand is given long life.” And then, with them still holding out their hands as though to receive something, say—”In your left hand is given riches and honor.” Then tell each of them to grab their neighbor’s hand at their right and left, form a circle, and say:

“The nails that pierced the hands of the Son of God who took away the sin of the world is alive by His Spirit here and now according to the glory of God. And in His right hand—eternal life; while in His left—riches and honor. Jesus is in the glory of God with hands working the sanctification of the new covenant in us as the gift of the Holy Spirit; death is defeated, and long life is recognized in the resurrection of the dead, but in the kingdom of heaven—not hell (If we’ve accepted the truth of the gospel, the experience of our salvation in Jesus Christ while in our flesh and blood because flesh and blood do not inherit the kingdom of God—1 Cor 15:50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.). We share in the suffering of our Lord and Savior which is our riches and honor to celebrate as people are drawn to believe in Jesus by this faithful work and service of God for salvation.”

The words that testify of Jesus are written in more books than what the bible holds, but ONE message is clear according to the Scriptures—Jesus is the Word of God, and is going to return again.

Luke 21:25 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see THE SON OF  MAN  COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. 28 But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org | biblegateway.com
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD  loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion,  22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V16) Commentary
2. It is a true happiness; for it is inclusive of, and equivalent to, all those things which are supposed to make men happy, v. 16, 17. Wisdom is here represented as a bright and bountiful queen, reaching forth gifts to her faithful and loving subjects, and offering them to all that will submit to her government.

  • (1.) Is length of days a blessing? Yes, the most valuable; life includes all good, and therefore she offers that in her right hand. Religion puts us into the best methods of prolonging life, entitles us to the promises of it, and, though our days on earth should be no more than our neighbour’s, yet it will secure to us everlasting life in a better world.
  • (2.) Are riches and honour accounted blessings? They are so, and them she reaches out with her left hand. For, as she is ready to embrace those that submit to her with both arms, so she is ready to give out to them with both hands. They shall have the wealth of this world as far as Infinite Wisdom sees good for them; while the true riches, by which men are rich towards God, are secured to them. Nor is there any honour, by birth or preferment, comparable to that which attends religion; it makes the righteous more excellent than his neighbour, recommends men to God, commands respect and veneration with all the sober part of mankind, and will in the other world make those that are now buried in obscurity to shine forth as the sun.
  • (3.) Is pleasure courted as much as any thing? It is so, and it is certain that true piety has in it the greatest true pleasure. Her ways are ways of pleasantness; the ways in which she has directed us to walk are such as we shall find abundance of delight and satisfaction in. All the enjoyments and entertainments of sense are not comparable to the pleasure which gracious souls have in communion with God and doing good. That which is the only right way to bring us to our journey’s end we must walk in, fair or foul, pleasant or unpleasant; but the way of religion, as it is the right way, so it is a pleasant way; it is smooth and clean, and strewed with roses: All her paths are peace. There is not only peace in the end, but peace in the way; not only in the way of religion in general, but in the particular paths of that way, in all her paths, all the several acts, instances, and duties of it. One does not embitter what the other sweetens, as it is with the allays of this world; but they are all peace, not only sweet, but safe. The saints enter into peace on this side heaven, and enjoy a present sabbatism.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than find gold | P3-V14

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold.

This profit of wisdom is truly foreign in nature because who in their “right mind”—speaking from a worldly perspective—would die for such a claim as faith in Jesus Christ to be the living Son of God? When I think of silver or gold; I think of what is tangibly profitable in this world that purchases all sorts of desires and pleasures. What would it be like indeed, to possess the responsibility of a cooperating nation given to freedom; a freedom built on the backs of invented machinery that our ancestors sweat, bled, and died to… see? No. We’ve missed the mark indeed, in fact, we’re way off the mark! My ancestors died that we would learn of their faith to live and have love. To work hard in honor of Jesus Christ, a labor worthy to strive for … a living hope!

The value of wisdom is conviction, it’s in the book of Hebrews 11:1—Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This is that profit she [wisdom] is speaking of, a profit powered by eternal life. Jesus is the profit of this wisdom by way of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer to sanctify Christ in our hearts. There is a profit of sweetness at the taste of our favorite ice cream; a profit of favor at the taste of belief in the Son of God. The most magnificently good experience on this earth is a life span of 120 years lived in the obedience of service to God, an obedience of daily death. We die daily for the sake of the gospel that testifies to the living One. We’ve died, but faith produces the profit of wisdom that changes our state of being into a living hope that preaches to the nations—the only true God is Jesus!

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V14) Commentary
II. What the happiness of those is who do find it.

  • 1. It is a transcendent happiness, more than can be found in the wealth of this world, if we had ever so much of it, v. 14, 15. It is not only a surer, but a more gainful merchandise to trade for wisdom, for Christ, and grace, and spiritual blessings, than for silver, and gold, and rubies. Suppose a man to have got these in abundance, nay, to have all the things he can desire of this world (and who is it that ever had?), yet,
    • (1.) All this would not purchase heavenly wisdom; no, it would utterly be contemned; it cannot be gotten for gold, Job 28:15, etc.
    • (2.) All this would not countervail the want of heavenly wisdom nor be the ransom of a soul lost by its own folly.
    • (3.) All this would not make a man half so happy, no, not in this world, as those are who have true wisdom, though they have none of all these things.
    • (4.) Heavenly wisdom will procure that for us, and secure that to us, which silver, and gold, and rubies, will not be the purchase of.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

For whom the Lord loves He reproves even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights | P3-V12

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

12 For whom the LORD  loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. 

Oh Lord, how can I compare this experience of reproof? The correction is spiritual in nature, different from the discipline of a human parent. I can feel the force of temptation to sin while experiencing the wisdom to resist. Lord, the heart of pleasure is teasing, and the mind of reason is clouded. I see all encompassing options to do what Your wisdom is teaching me to resist; I’m enlightened to the knowledge of the consequence, and yet, I desire still, what is contrary to the correction.

Ah, okay!

I see!

I remember what the Holy Spirit taught Peter, and Peter spoke saying: … 1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts … . Being resurrected from death to life to serve the leaving God in eternal life by grace through faith is a necessary process for understanding the knowledge of truth and love. Lord, keep reproving me, please keep correcting me. Help me. Help us. I love you. Jesus, thank you for the gift of our salvation to be reconciled to God our Father in this way of sanctification. Change me, Lord. Perfect us by Your Word, the Word of God, the Word that You are in us. I pray we will endure. Amen.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org | biblegateway.com
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD  loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew.  21  My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion,  22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from  those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V12) Commentary
2. What will be our comfort when we are in affliction.

  • (1.) That it is a divine correction; it is the chastening of the Lord, which, as it is a reason why we should submit to it (for it is folly to contend with a God of incontestable sovereignty and irresistible power), so it is a reason why we should be satisfied in it; for we may be sure that a God of unspotted purity does us no wrong and that a God of infinite goodness means us no hurt. It is from God, and therefore must not be despised; for a slight put upon the messenger is an affront to him that sends him. It is from God, and therefore we must not be weary of it, for he knows our frame, both what we need and what we can bear.
  • (2.) That it is a fatherly correction; it comes not from his vindictive justice as a Judge, but his wise affection as a Father. The father corrects the son whom he loves, nay, and because he loves him and desires he may be wise and good. He delights in that in his son which is amiable and agreeable, and therefore corrects him for the prevention and cure of that which would be a deformity to him, and an alloy to his delight in him. Thus God hath said, As many as I love I rebuke and chasten, Rev. 3:19. This is a great comfort to God’s children, under their afflictions,
    • [1.] That they not only consist with, but flow from, covenant-love.
    • [2.] That they are so far from doing them any real hurt that, by the grace of God working with them, they do a great deal of good, and are happy means of their satisfaction.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

My son do not reject the discpline of the Lord or loathe His reproof | P3-V11

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 

Lord, here we are again, a time to be devoted. And in this devotion, You remind me of the beginning; when mankind was created. You’ve taken me back to when Adam awoke to life by Your breath—Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted,  for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to  cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. So I close my eyes, and breathe.

When my eyes are closed, and I breathe in the air … there is only darkness. I can feel my body expand as the air You breathe enters my body, my eyes open and I see the wonder of Your majesty. I experience Your presence, but have yet to hear Your voice. And then … there it is; I hear You; I comprehend our relationship and recognize Who You are in me. My Father. You give me an environment with a warning, a command, to eat from “… any tree of the garden …; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Everything was good, but being alone.

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” And so You gave me love, a woman, and everything was complete. Then sin entered the heart of what was created to be good. Knowledge is inevitable, but evil is cunning, and death has reigned from millennia to millennia since that day of sin committed by mankind—1 Timothy 2:13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a wrongdoer [underline bold mine]. I can feel the law of faith discipline me as a son, enlightening me by the testimony of Your Word made flesh for the salvation of souls.

My conscience bears witness to Your work in me, the process of sanctification is an experience foreign to the mind of a human. But to the mind of the resurrected, it’s a taste of home. Oh Lord, I pray for all to be saved by grace through faith in Your Name, to the glory of God our Father.

Hebrews 12:7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his  father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  9  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for  our  good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.12 Therefore,  strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13  and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.  15  See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single  meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org | biblegateway.com
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V11) Commentary
III. We must conduct ourselves aright under our afflictions, v. 11, 12. This the apostle quotes (Heb. 12:5), and calls it an exhortation which speaks unto us as unto children, with the authority and affection of a father. We are here in a world of troubles. Now observe,

  • 1. What must be our care when we are in affliction. We must neither despise it nor be weary of it. His exhortation, before, was to those that are rich and in prosperity, here to those that are poor and in adversity.
    • (1.) We must not despise an affliction, be it ever so light and short, as if it were not worth taking notice of, or as if it were not sent on an errand and therefore required no answer. We must not be stocks, and stones, and stoics, under our afflictions, insensible of them, hardening ourselves under them, and concluding we can easily get through them without God.
    • (2.) We must not be weary of an affliction, be it ever so heavy and long, not faint under it, so the apostle renders it, not be dispirited, dispossessed of our own souls, or driven to despair, or to use any indirect means for our relief and the redress of our grievances. We must not think that the affliction either presses harder or continues longer than is meet, not conclude that deliverance will never come because it does not come so soon as we expect it.
  • 2. What will be our comfort when we are in affliction.
    • (1.) That it is a divine correction; it is the chastening of the Lord, which, as it is a reason why we should submit to it (for it is folly to contend with a God of incontestable sovereignty and irresistible power), so it is a reason why we should be satisfied in it; for we may be sure that a God of unspotted purity does us no wrong and that a God of infinite goodness means us no hurt. It is from God, and therefore must not be despised; for a slight put upon the messenger is an affront to him that sends him. It is from God, and therefore we must not be weary of it, for he knows our frame, both what we need and what we can bear.
    • (2.) That it is a fatherly correction; it comes not from his vindictive justice as a Judge, but his wise affection as a Father. The father corrects the son whom he loves, nay, and because he loves him and desires he may be wise and good. He delights in that in his son which is amiable and agreeable, and therefore corrects him for the prevention and cure of that which would be a deformity to him, and an alloy to his delight in him. Thus God hath said, As many as I love I rebuke and chasten, Rev. 3:19. This is a great comfort to God’s children, under their afflictions,
      • [1.] That they not only consist with, but flow from, covenant-love.
      • [2.] That they are so far from doing them any real hurt that, by the grace of God working with them, they do a great deal of good, and are happy means of their satisfaction.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine | P3-V10

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

I love this wisdom!

The previous devotional was—at least the very least, meant to be—more focused on the giving of our personal development (that reflects our belief system and faith portion) first, to God; now lets focus on the Person of God and the increase given as result of applying this wisdom.

As we make a practice of faithfully giving the first portion of our ‘gross pay’ income to our God (church, family [orphans/widows\etc.], homelessness, etc.; Christian organizations), is a testimony to our spiritual position and health because we serve a living God that means to give us the good of Himself for an eternal life with Him through His only Son, Christ our Lord, Yahweh.

God our Father gave us the ultimate first of all His produce

We couldn’t pray for a better produce from our God and Father, than His Son, and He is Who we have every moment of everyday in all things we’ve been blessed to experience.

Philippians 3:7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Hebrew 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who  sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

1 Corinthians 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. 7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

So watch how God gives the increase as we continue in our faithful obedience to His Son, our Lord and Savior, the Messiah, Jesus. Lets put this wisdom to the test by heeding its instruction to give the first of all our produce, and trusting God with the nature of Christ our Lord as increase in our spiritual development … to be more like Christ, from glory to glory.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V10) Commentary
2. A promise, which makes it our interest to serve God with our estates. It is the way to make a little much, and much more; it is the surest and safest method of thriving: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty. He does not say thy bags, but thy barns, not thy wardrobe replenished, but thy presses: “God shall bless thee with an increase of that which is for use, not for show or ornament-for spending and laying out, not for hoarding and laying up.’ Those that do good with what they have shall have more to do more good with. Note, If we make our worldly estates serviceable to our religion we shall find our religion very serviceable to the prosperity of our worldly affairs. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is and most of the comfort of it. We mistake if we think that giving will undo us and make us poor. No, giving for God’s honour will make us rich, Hag. 2:19. What we gave we have.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce | P3-V9

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;

“Our Father in Heaven … Holy … is Your Name.” When we look from the ground to the stars, the mirror to our scars; the idea of wealth feels real when the value is us. The first of our produce should be a prayer in faith, to God. The value that produces currency, is not money; it’s belief. And so the next time you read the letters on a dollar bill, take notice how we’ve went from “IN GOD WE TRUST” to ‘DIGITAL‘ because that precious reminder of trusting God is long past due. The first of every breath, every thought, every experience, is to honor our Lord and Savior, Christ the Son of God, Jesus. It could be that our children become leaders of the most wealthy on the face of the planet, every person subject to their wisdom, their every decision, but if they have not God? All of the achievements to success and wealth will have amounted to a debt of eternal hell. I thank God for the prayer of grace that has been ever present at the work of the cross, the heart of God; grace that stretches from the eternal east to the eternal west—Gen 3:24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Jesus is our tree of life. There is no amount of wealth that will buy belief, it’s a matter of faith, it is the gift of God in Jesus Christ that canonizes our relationship to God our Father in Heaven (not the Roman Catholic Church or any other Church than the One Jesus said, and upon this rock I’ll build My church Mat 16:18). “Jesus, I trust you.”

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V9) Commentary
II. We must make a good use of our estates, and that is the way to increase them, v. 9, 10. Here is,

  • 1. A precept which makes it our duty to serve God with our estates: Honour the Lord with thy substance. It is the end of our creation and redemption to honour God, to be to him for a name and a praise; we are no other way capable of serving him than in his honour. His honour we must show forth and the honour we have for him. We must honour him, not only with our bodies and spirits which are his, but with our estates too, for they also are his: we and all our appurtenances must be devoted to his glory. Worldly wealth is but poor substance, yet, such as it is, we must honour God with it, and then, if ever, it becomes substantial. We must honour God,
    • (1.) With our increase. Where riches increase we are tempted to honour ourselves (Deu. 8:17) and to set our hearts upon the world (Ps. 62:10); but the more God gives us the more we should study to honour him. It is meant of the increase of the earth, for we live upon annual products, to keep us in constant dependence on God.
    • (2.) With all our increase. As God has prospered us in every thing, we must honour him. Our law will allow a prescription for a modus decimandi-a mode of tithing, but none de non decimando-for exemption from paying tithes.
    • (3.) With the first-fruits of all, as Abel, Gen. 4:4. This was the law (Ex. 23:19), and the prophets, Mal. 3:10. God, who is the first and best, must have the first and best of every thing; his right is prior to all other, and therefore he must be served first. Note, It is our duty to make our worldly estates serviceable to our religion, to use them and the interest we have by them for the promoting of religion, to do good to the poor with what we have and abound in all works of piety and charity, devising liberal things.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

I Die Daily Devotional | III

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My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I think about when the disciples were with Jesus before He was betrayed. Jesus found them sleeping; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  40  And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

This encourages me to keep watch and pray without ceasing, that we don’t enter into temptation. The discipline of life change is exhausting, but with the Helper given as Jesus has promised … we can get through it. By faith, the Spirit of God is working in us to stay awake and watch. God is good.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones | P3-V8

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.

What will be healing to our bodies and refreshment to our bones?

 … 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. …

We have a short life span as it is, so what is the significance of this wisdom? To experience healing and refreshment?

It’s difficult to separate from the reality of our impending death to believe in a life everlasting, but I write with the Lord being present in both mind and body which produces the reality of an impending life that is eternal.

Faith to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding, to acknowledge Him as our straight and narrow path to God our Father, and to respect the nature of His design and glory is to experience our lives change in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. We will experience the ongoing discipline of our Holy God as the Father Who—loves us more than we can fathom as enough—produces in us this wisdom of healing and refreshment for time with Him in the eternal, having learned through the severity of disobedience—by the consequence of our present condition of death—enlightened by the grace of God to Jesus Christ for our salvation.

To experience healing and refreshment, is to experience the discipline of repentance from dead works to serving a living God. To repent, and serve God, is a choice made by people of faith in Christ our Lord, Jesus. Amen.

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD  loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew.  21  My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V8) Commentary
2. A dutiful subjection: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil; take heed of doing any thing to offend him and to forfeit his care. To fear the Lord, so as to depart from evil, is true wisdom and understanding (Job 28:28); those that have it are truly wise, but self-denyingly so, and not wise in their own eyes. For our encouragement thus to live in the fear of God it is here promised (v. 8) that it shall be as serviceable even to the outward man as our necessary food. It will be nourishing: It shall be health to thy navel. It will be strengthening: It shall be marrow to thy bones. The prudence, temperance, and sobriety, the calmness and composure of mind, and the good government of the appetites and passions, which religion teaches, tend very much not only to the health of the soul, but to a good habit of body, which is very desirable, and without which our other enjoyments in this world are insipid. Envy is the rottenness of the bones; the sorrow of the world dries them; but hope and joy in God are marrow to them.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight | P3-V6

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Even when on a date with my wife or writing out this devotional, my heart means to acknowledge Him before anything else including myself. Although, of course, I miss the mark at times as result of practice not to miss the mark. But as I write this … can think of several perspectives throughout my day where I didn’t acknowledge God before voicing my perspective or behaving contrary to this verse’s’ instruction. And yet, with that thought, have reached the end of this day by the grace and mercy of God. His love is truly powerful, and I’m so very thankful. Even when my ways are about the day, whatever it holds, my faith in the path of Jesus is straight; Jesus has made my path straight because of my faith in Him, my salvation is secure. I pray this devotional will find you in this faith, steadfast and secure, a fellow heir of the kingdom of God while in the flesh of an alien dying on this earth for the hope that all will come to know our Lord and Savior, Christ (Messiah) the Priest King, Jesus.

John 14:5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V6) Commentary
2. By prayer (v. 6): In all thy ways acknowledge God. We must not only in our judgment believe that there is an over-ruling hand of God ordering and disposing of us and all our affairs, but we must solemnly own it, and address ourselves to him accordingly. We must ask his leave, and not design any thing but what we are sure is lawful. We must ask his advice and beg direction from him, not only when the case is difficult (when we know not what to do, no thanks to us that we have our eyes up to him), but in every case, be it ever so plain, We must ask success of him, as those who know the race is not to the swift. We must refer ourselves to him as one from whom our judgment proceeds, and patiently, and with a holy indifferency, wait his award. In all our ways that prove direct, and fair, and pleasant, in which we gain our point to our satisfaction, we must acknowledge God with thankfulness. In all our ways that prove cross and uncomfortable, and that are hedged up with thorns, we must acknowledge God with submission. Our eye must be ever towards God; to him we must, in every thing, make our requests known, as Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh, Jdg. 11:11. For our encouragement to do this, it is promised, “He shall direct thy paths, so that thy way shall be safe and good and the issue happy at last.’ Note, Those that put themselves under a divine guidance shall always have the benefit of it. God will give them that wisdom which is profitable to direct, so that they shall not turn aside into the by-paths of sin, and then will himself so wisely order the event that it shall be to their mind, or (which is equivalent) for their good. Those that faithfully follow the pillar of cloud and fire shall find that though it may lead them about it leads them the right way and will bring them to Canaan at last.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

I DIE DAILY DEVOTIONAL | II

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I spent the time today on a date with my wife, and so thankful for that time. Getting right to it. Let’s see … how should today’s devotional be written? Hmmm… “Lord, I need you”.

Let me write to record as my mind shifts to focus on the Word of God.

I could quickly write on P3-V6, but then I think about the freedom of spontaneity and feel compelled to write my thoughts as Scripture shift into view and becomes my focus, but what does that mean?

Well … I guess that means a couple different things; I think of the Person of the Spirit, and of what Scripture means to teach me through the testimony of the gospel—because the gospel is Jesus. I then think about Jesus being alive according to His Word and where He is with God my Father.

I’m confident that Jesus lives in me by faith and therefore is doing an extraordinary work that was not initially detected until keying in on the psychological significance of repentance, and as I learn more and more about the psychological experience of the Spirit in me am capable of facing my fears about fears I didn’t even know I had for repentance to have it’s necessary affect of change—to the glory of God—in me.

Mat 11:20 — Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

As we can see from our gospel that Jesus denounces the cities—that His miracles were done—because they did not repent, so what does that mean for us today that believe in salvation through Jesus if we do not truly repent? Jesus gave us the answer from above (literally and figuratively).

If we are not truly repenting from sin although claim to believe in Christ, then are we truly believing in Jesus for salvation?

We do have the capacity to repent upon belief in Jesus because of the Word of God at work in us that believe, so let’s hold each other accountable.

Deadline hit.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding | P3-V5

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

The commentary that Matthew Henry writes on this verse is why this site exists to the glory of God:

“By faith. We must repose an entire confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, assuring ourselves of the extent of his providence to all the creatures and all their actions. … In all our conduct we must be diffident of our own judgment, and confident of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and therefore must follow Providence and not force it. That often proves best which was least our own doing.“

Lets say by providence; that within our century we discover the science capable to prevent our bodies from decay, cures all suffering, and extends the lives of our children beyond the age of 120.

Doesn’t that sound good!?

No, it doesn’t, and lets discover why.

The gospel of God reveals to us the dominion of Satan that the apostle Paul testifies of to King Agrippa:

Acts 26:17 — rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ 19 “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,  20  but  kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

Even if we were to solve the mystery of death, suffering, and long life; to deny God is to remain in the condemnation of sin for eternity in hell, where torment lives…

…Rev 14:11 — “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Genesis 6:3 — Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Don’t trust in your flesh because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50); so do not lean on your own understanding, but have faith in Jesus. Jesus told us through the apostle Paul—by the Word of God we have today—to turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God that we may receive an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Christ the Lord, Jesus.

So lets trust in the providence of our Lord with all our heart and lean on the providence of God by faith in Jesus!

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V5) Commentary
III. We must have a continual regard to God’s providence, must own and depend upon it in all our affairs, both by faith and prayer.

  • 1. By faith. We must repose an entire confidence in the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, assuring ourselves of the extent of his providence to all the creatures and all their actions. We must therefore trust in the Lord with all our hearts (v. 5); we must believe that he is able to do what he will, wise to do what is best, and good, according to his promise, to do what is best for us, if we love him, and serve him. We must, with an entire submission and satisfaction, depend upon him to perform all things for us, and not lean to our own understanding, as if we could, by any forecast of our own, without God, help ourselves, and bring our affairs to a good issue. Those who know themselves cannot but find their own understanding to be a broken reed, which, if they lean to, will certainly fail them. In all our conduct we must be diffident of our own judgment, and confident of God’s wisdom, power, and goodness, and therefore must follow Providence and not force it. That often proves best which was least our own doing.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man | P3-V4

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The Rewards of Wisdom

Proverbs 3; I die daily devotional.

 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 

It was at twelve years of age that our Lord stayed at Jerusalem, in the temple, to be about His Father’s business. And in case you think I mean His earthly “father” figure (Joseph), I don’t. It would appear as though Mary and Joseph had left Jesus behind, after all, we ARE talking about raising the Son of God here! I mean what better excuse to be released from such a responsibility of raising the Son of the living God than to leave Him with His “Biological” Father at the temple?

*Mary: Here! It’s your weekend! Good luck!

*God: … Sigh … Ah—Come Onnn!

*Mary and God: (…dialogue…)

*Meanwhile Jesus is in the background revealing the issues of divorce to the Teachers of the Law as they sit and watch with popcorn at the drama between God and Mary.

*Jesus: …annnd that’s why I’m not getting married.

*Teachers of the Law: (Luk 2:47 — “…amazed at His understanding and His answers.”) Awwwe, I see…

*Joseph: I knew there was a reason we brought the table we just finished carving out during our journey, gather round, hand me the popcorn … this is gettin good!

But what actually happened was that Jesus stayed behind, He wasn’t left as though forgotten. Jesus understood the nature of His purpose, but Mary and Joseph had yet to understand. Jesus stayed behind in the temple to be with His Father … to be home. Jesus is the true Priest and King of everything, not just in Jerusalem of Israel. God chose Israel for the revelation of His Son, the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world. Everything the old law represents, culminates, in the flesh and blood of Jesus. We would all be dead in hell if it wasn’t for the grace of God established by the cross of Christ; the old law demands such perfection that none could keep it and live because of the sin that would match the law in its effect, thereby condemning the people obeying the law because of the sin that matched its effect. This is why it was inevitable Christ our Lord, Jesus, would die on the cross. This is why Jesus was predestined for our salvation because there was no other logical way for us to be redeemed from the sin of ONE man! The law can NOT redeem without Jesus. And so now that we have Jesus through the Holy Spirit (upon belief through faith), the gospel makes us alive to a new purpose (born again).

We now possess the capacity to truly repent of sin because of the gift of God!

Luke 2:41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.  42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

As a people of God evolving intelligently in the 21st century during a time when the world has connected in a way never thought imaginable, this verse excites me all the more! Jesus is still finding favor today through His Church across the globe, just as He had when in the flesh of His ministry.

Luke 2:52 — And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and  stature, and in favor with God and men.

To have favor with God and humankind is to reveal the commandments written on the tablets of our hearts by believing in the gospel of God. If we do not believe the gospel of God … the commandments will condemn us to hell because we think that it’s the commandments that save. The commandments do not save, Jesus saves because He is the commandments. The commandments testified of Jesus and is how we have eternal life … because we believe in the Person of God that fulfilled the power of the law while taking upon Himself our sin so we can believe in Him.

To believe in Jesus means we have two distinct qualities that make us standout as a separate people (sheep) in the midst of all destructive people (wolves).

  • favor
  • good repute

Favor

We have the favor of God by our testimony of belief in His ONE and ONLY begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

GOOD REPUTE

Faith produces sanctification by the help of the Holy Spirit in the believer. This means your entire behavior changes to reflect the gospel while in this life … because the gospel is our good repute … the gospel is Jesus in the flesh of His Bride, the Church.

John 20:26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said,  “Peace  be  with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

The bible is something we see much like Thomas; we can see it, touch it and therefore, believe it. But the bible is not meant to be idolized as to be worshipped; it’s only meant as a compass, guide, and mirror, for all who are drawn to Jesus; Jesus produces our confidence through belief to turn from our sin by repentance, having truly been saved from our present trajectory of hell, to a life everlasting in the name of Jesus! But if we hold to our state of sin that the Word of God convicts in us to change by warning us of the nature it will destine; what then is the consequence? Have you truly believed? Or are you just believing for sheer want of being favored? That is why those of us who believe without the bible, are blessed … because we’ve believed in Jesus, without seeing!

RESOURCE

Proverbs 3 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father  corrects the son in whom he delights. 13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. 14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast. 19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, By understanding He established the heavens. 20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up And the skies drip with dew. 21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion, 22 So they will be life to your soul And adornment to your neck. 23 Then you will walk in your way securely And your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ”When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor, While he lives securely beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence And do not choose any of his ways. 32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. 34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted. 35 The wise will inherit honor, But fools  display dishonor.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 3

Matthew Henry (P3-V4) Commentary
To encourage us to do this we are assured (v. 4) that this is the way to recommend ourselves both to our Creator and fellow-creatures: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding.

1. A good man seeks the favour of God in the first place, is ambitious of the honour of being accepted of the Lord, and he shall find that favour, and with it a good understanding; God will make the best of him, and put a favourable construction upon what he says and does. He shall be owned as one of Wisdom’s children, and shall have praise with God, as one having that good understanding which is ascribed to all those that do his commandments.

2. He wishes to have favour with men also (as Christ had, Lu. 2:52), to be accepted of the multitude of his brethren (Esth. 10:3), and that he shall have; they shall understand him aright, and in his dealings with them he shall appear to be prudent, shall act intelligently and with discretion. He shall have good success (so some translate it), the common effect of good understanding.

III. We must have a continual regard to God’s providence, must own and depend upon it in all our affairs, both by faith and prayer.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it | P2-V22

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

Lady Wisdom isn’t pulling any punches by these verses, like this one, that means to get our attention to the severity of wicked and treacherous behavior.

What do you think of … when you read, but the wicked will be cut off from the land?

I think to myself, “Well, what does it mean to be wicked?” And by asking; I’m then sent on this spiritual journey with Lady Wisdom to teach me how to understand, so I don’t make the mistake of claiming ignorance. Wisdom teaches me perspective; it’s important that I don’t delude myself in the practice of wicked behavior as though it’s impossible to escape out of it while in the flesh of this world. Satan has his way of lying.

Deu 25:1-3 — “If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, then it shall be if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of stripes according to his guilt. “He may beat him forty times but no more, so that he does not beat him with many more stripes than these and your brother is not degraded in your eyes.

So what does “wicked” look like for you?

I believe wisdom equips us with knowledge through our present experiences, even now, while you’re reading through this devo. As we begin to engage the depths of her [Wisdoms’] teachings, she enlightens us to our capacity of wickedness while warning us about the outcome, the consequences of that path; which ultimately leads to … Hell.

Mat 10:28 — “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Let me ask you a couple interesting questions—you see that verse (Mat 10:28) above; how did that verse come to be used by me? Is it because they’re just words or do they testify of a truth that is alive?

Really think about that a moment … because it didn’t just come from no where. The Word of God is alive and active in us who believe. It’s alive to save those who will believe and condemn those who will not believe.

Mar 16:15-16 — And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Can you hear Lady Wisdom speaking to you?

No, I don’t mean audibly, of course, like an actual voice saying … “Don’t go that way!” But I mean a very real and literal experience to the truth alive in you, giving you the awareness of, “Not that way!”.

We already know all about how to be wicked, and the pleasures of wickedness. And so what the Word of God does is testify to the truth of that condemnation that was already at work in you by having eaten that fruit of the knowledge of good and evil in disobedience. That is why we know all to well how to answer the desires of Satan. We are rich in this world of wickedness because of a treachery that was born at the beginning we missed the mark (sin).

However, thanks be to God, by His grace through Jesus Christ, we have our Salvation. We don’t have an excuse to behave in a way that contradicts the truth about our salvation. Jesus obeyed the commands of His Father because we didn’t know God as our Father until Jesus showed us the way. We were of our father the devil, remember?

Jhn 8:42-44 — Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

So these people who’ve heard and disbelieve the gospel have chosen a trajectory that will not go well for them or anyone else that follows after them. The consequence of being wicked as a result of their disbelief will condemn them; they will be cut off from the land they have now (their treasures of the world will perish along with them) and the treacherous will be uprooted all together from salvation (body and blood of the earth—Jesus Christ) because they’ve betrayed the testimony of truth that was given to save them (just like what happened with Judas Iscariot).

Jhn 9:39-41 — And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

There is no amount of good that earns our salvation in Christ. When Christ died on that cross, He paid the penalty of which we could not pay! He took the beatings we deserve, the chains, the lashes, the nails, the cross, the death—we all deserved. Jesus traded His innocence’s for our sin, and is why we now have the capacity to resist sin to serve the living God!

Act 26:18 — to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

2Co 3:3 — being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Heb 9:14 — how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Will you experience the truth inside you?

If you are living a wicked lifestyle of disbelief, then it’s time to repent and turn to God. Stick with us on these devotionals a day at a time and watch how God changes your life from unbelief to belief.

Mar 9:19-24 — And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (*bold/underline* mine)

RESOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come  knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V22) Commentary
(2.) Because men’s iniquity will be their destruction, v. 22. See what becomes of the wicked, who choose the way of the evil man; they shall be cut off, not only from heaven hereafter and all hopes of that, but from the earth now, on which they set their affections, and in which they lay up their treasure. They think to take root in it, but they and their families  shall be rooted out of it, in judgment to them, but in mercy to the earth. There is a day coming which shall leave them neither root nor branch, Mal. 4:1. Let that wisdom then enter into our hearts, and be pleasant to our souls, which will keep us out of a way that will end thus.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it | P2-V21

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it;

Wisdom is teaching that the upright will live in the land of promise and the blameless will remain in it.

Where is the land of promise?

Heb 11:8-9 — By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Much like Abraham didn’t know where he was going, neither to do we know where we are going. We are born in dust, raised as dust, and then aware of a world of which dust stretches out into eternity without knowing where eternity ends. We are just here along for the ride so it seems; as the earth is on a trajectory in our solar system with our Milky Way Galaxy.

Where are we going?

Astronomers Say They Have Proof the Milky Way Galaxy Is Still Expanding—And No One Can Explain It
https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/18198-astronomers-milky-way-galaxy-expanding

Heb 12:22-24 — But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

We are going to a city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where there are myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood—which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

Check this out Christian!

Rev 21:1-8 — Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and  unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Our sanctification through faith behaves in a way to change us from a personality of sin, the dominion of Satan, to God. And so the inheritance that we do not yet see although hope for, is very much alive in us by the power of the Holy Spirit as we wait eagerly for our uniting of a new heaven and earth, to the glory of God.

 Act 26:18 — to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an  inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Wisdom teaches us how to live free from sin and blameless for remaining in the land of promise that we inherit according to faith in the Word of God while living in the flesh here and now.

We are on a trajectory of salvation in Christ to eternal life in the promise land with Jesus, if indeed, Christ is in us?

Is Christ in you?

2Co 13:5 — Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

RESOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come  knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V21) Commentary
(1.) Because men’s integrity will be their establishment, v. 21. It will be the establishment,

  • [1.] Of their persons: The upright shall dwell in the land, peaceably and quietly, as long as they live; and their uprightness will contribute to it, as it settles their minds, guides their counsels, gains them the good-will of their neighbours, and entitles them to God’s special favour.
  • [2.] Of their families: The perfect, in their posterity, shall remain in it. They shall dwell and remain for ever in the heavenly Canaan, of which the earthly one was but a type.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways | P2-V15

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 

CROOKED PATHS

Wisdom delivers us from those whose paths are crooked, by faith.

What does that mean, by faith?

As we know from scripture, flesh and blood do not inherit the kingdom of heaven 1Co 15:50, and we are presently experiencing the knowledge of good and evil by consequence of disobedience that prevents us from entering the kingdom of heaven Rom 5:19. Why is that? The wages of sin is death Rom 6:23; God is: Life, Good, Holy, Wise, Just, Love, and Glory. We cannot serve two masters Luk 16:13; we are either serving disobedience, or obedience, but our faith determines which Rom 16:26. There is a very important distinction to make between those who are on a crooked path of sin, and those who are lost.

  • Those on the crooked path live to indulge their flesh even knowing Christ set them free from those desires.
  • Those on the lost path might look and act like those on the crooked path, but there is a genuine hope to being rescued.

DEVIOUS WAYS

Wisdom delivers us from those on the crooked path, and who are devious in their ways.

Those who’ve chosen to indulge in the pleasures of their sin in this world have developed a tactic, skills, and a strategy, like any enemy set out against their opponent; these people will invite and entice to engage in all sorts of experiences that illuminate the mind to knowledge that corrupts the heart for gain. These people will appear confident and worthy of your attention by what they know and understand about the sin of our flesh, and the chemistries’ it’s of. They speak with a double tongue to entice desires while convincing you by insertion of thoughts, “You’re missing out…” of something that you already know as on the crooked path. And they have become completely blind of it, unless they turn away from it themselves and receive sight.

Act 13:4 — So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come  knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V15) Commentary
[4.] They are resolute in sin (v. 15): Their ways are crooked, a great many windings and turnings to escape the pursuit of their convictions and break the force of them; some sly excuse, some subtle evasion or other, their deceitful hearts furnish them with, for the strengthening of their hands in their wickedness; and in the crooked mazes of that labyrinth they secure themselves from the arrests of God’s word and their own consciences; for they are froward in their paths, that is, they are resolved to go on in them, whatever is said against it. Every wise man will shun the company of such as these.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things | P2-V12

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;

WAY OF EVIL

Wisdom assures that disciples of the cross will be delivered from the way of evil, and people who speak perverse things.

What does this mean, that we’ll be delivered?

What is the way of evil to be delivered from?

I hope that I’m revealing the evidence of this in my own life (especially through my writing as the literature reflects the condition of my heart); I continue to practice preaching the gospel to fellow disciples that can discipline me with the Word of our God, and it’s only a matter of time before the iron is sharpened so sharp it will be time for battle, and then the process of sharpening starts over again for the next battle… before the war. I want to be ready if our Lord returns in the next moment, hour, day, year, but always at the ready.

Until then, there are souls lost out in the seas of this world that need saving, and what does it profit me if I’m physically fit for the storms of evil but not spiritually equipped with the gift of good news?

2Ti 3:5 — holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

Jesus equips His disciples with power … even and especially today! So don’t fear the mention of the cross of Jesus Christ; because He’s the way, truth, and life!

Jhn 14:6 — Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The power of the cross is evident by how we conduct ourselves in a world that wants to kill, just as it was in the days of God in the flesh and blood of Jesus. When converting to Christian, we become aliens in this world … it’s obvious by how we’re treated, but God knows those who are being drawn to Jesus by the work of His Word in His Church yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Are we trusting the wisdom of this verse when we preach, confident that we’re delivered from the way of evil (those who’ve denied the power of godliness)?

PERVERSE THINGS

I think the apostle Paul informs us well about the man who speaks perverse things:

2Ti 3:1 — But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,  4  treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate  weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,  7 always learning and never able to come to the  knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

Paul also testifies to the glorious work of this verse in his letter to Timothy:

10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11  persecutions,  and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

What say you?

  • Are you delivered from the way of evil?
  • From the man who speaks perverse things?
  • How do you experience this verse?
  • Are you preaching the gospel for the lost?

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come  knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V12) Commentary
2. More particularly, wisdom will preserve us,

  • (1.) From men of corrupt principles, atheistical profane men, who make it their business to debauch young men’s judgments, and instil into their minds prejudices against religion and arguments for vice: “It will deliver thee from the way of the evil man (v. 12), and a blessed deliverance it will be, as from the very jaws of death, from the way in which he walks, and in which he would persuade thee to walk.’ The enemy is spoken of as one (v. 12), an evil man, but afterwards as many (v. 13); there is a club, a gang of them, that are in confederacy against religion, and join hand in hand for the support of the devil’s kingdom and the interests of it.
    • [1.] They have a spirit of contradiction to that which is good: They speak froward things; they say all they can against religion, both to show their own enmity to it and to dissuade others from it. They are advocates for Satan; they plead for Baal, and pervert the right ways of the Lord. How peevishly will profane wits argue for sin, and with what frowardness will they carp at the word of God! Wisdom will keep us either from conversing with such men or at least from being ensnared by them.
God and Coffee

He is a shield to those who walk in integrity | P2-V7

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

SOUND WISDOM

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright

Job 1:1—There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

I’m curious… have you read the story of Job?

If you haven’t, stick around … because this book of the Bible is pressing on my heart to write my—I die daily devotions—on next. I digress.

If we didn’t know anything else about the man named Job other than what that first verse describes…

…what would you think?

Because it sounds like Job would be protected by God; he’s blameless, upright, and respects the power of His Holy God by turning away from evil.

So what could possibly go wrong?!

Well if we were to continue on, in the story, one might make the argument that God went wrong to be proud of Job, and that is exactly what Satan did; Satan made that argument, ultimately challenging the Word of God about Job, and was granted the permission to put his [Satan’s] challenge to the test.

What do you think happened to Job?

Do you think that Job remained blameless, upright, and fearing God?

If we, Christians today, think ourselves to be upright, how would it be determined?

Do we think that if we lived with knowledge of the scriptures, to practice them in faith by: prophesying, casting out demons, working miracles, etc.; that according to the evidence of that power through the scriptures, we must be upright?

The answer according to scripture is…

No.

Mat 7:21—“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

You see… there are quite a few fascinating insights and treasures we can gain by this story of Job regarding uprightness and integrity:

  1. Job was known by God.
  2. Satan challenged the integrity of God’s Word.
  3. Satan challenged the integrity of Job’s character.
  4. Job was put to the test.

Okay, now watch this…

  • We are known by God through Jesus Christ.
  • Satan is challenging the integrity of grace.
  • Satan is challenging the integrity of the cross.
  • We are being put to the test.

SHIELD

 He is a shield to those who walk in integrity

Jesus is our shield of faith as we breathe each breath, clap our hands, and stomp our feet! Thinking to myself:

“Shoot…

It’s time to feel that beat of the drum!

BUM-BUM-BUM!”

Let death come?

No!

Let change come!

1Co 15: — “… 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. …”

As we walk through the valley of this shadow of death, we’ll fear no evil.

Christ, by His Word, is the Holy Spirit that lives in us who are known by the Word of God; to be that shield to our integrity, that justice due our sin was paid on the cross of Jesus, and by our acceptance of that truth is an act of faith revealed at the confession of our behavior—Jesus is the name of the Lord.

AND WE SERVE HIM…

TO THE GLORY OF GOD…

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN!

Oh… the war is here… it’s already happening… can you feel it?

Satan is killing; people are dropping dead. Satan is taking; people are losing income. Satan is lying; people are cursing the day of their birth for want of understanding.

Can you hear?

The Whirlwind is here… do you hear?

Are we listening?

Job 38:1—Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?

I mean… who am I [Nathan] to say what’s next?

Is God to blame? No! God is not to blame for divine beings that have manipulated His [God’s] glory for the sake of their own, of which is not attainable, but Hell is their destiny… their choice, and regretfully so… .

We are but dust, a vapor in the wind, and yet…

LOVED!

  • As you examine your life, and think about Job, what do you experience and why?
  • How does our verse today inspire you?
  • What do you hear come from the whirlwind in your life right now, and what is your response?

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come  knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V7) Commentary
3. He has particularly provided that good men, who are sincerely disposed to do his will, shall have that knowledge and that understanding which are necessary for them, Jn. 7:17. Let them seek wisdom, and they shall find it; let them ask, and it shall be given them, v. 7, 8. Observe here,

  • (1.) Who those are that are thus favoured. They are the righteous, on whom the image of God is renewed, which consists in righteousness, and those who walk uprightly, who are honest in their dealings both with God and man and make conscience of doing their duty as far as they know it. They are his saints, devoted to his honour, and set apart for his service.
  • (2.) What it is that is provided for them.
    • [1.] Instruction. The means of wisdom are given to all, but wisdom itself, sound wisdom, is laid up for the righteous, laid up in Christ their head, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and who is made of God to us wisdom. The same that is the Spirit of revelation in the word is a Spirit of wisdom in the souls of those that are sanctified, that wisdom of the prudent which is to understand his way; and it is sound wisdom, its foundations firm, its principles solid, and its products of lasting advantage.
    • [2.] Satisfaction. Some read it, He lays up substance for the righteous,  not only substantial knowledge, but substantial happiness and comfort, Prov. 8:21. Riches are things that are not, and those that have them only fancy themselves happy; but what is laid up in the promises and in heaven for the righteous will make them truly, thoroughly, and eternally happy.
    • [3.] Protection. Even those who walk uprightly may be brought into danger for the trial of their faith, but God is, and will be, a buckler to them, so that nothing that happens to them shall do them any real hurt, or possess them with any terrific apprehensions; they are safe, and they shall think themselves so. Fear not, Abraham; I am thy shield. It is their way, the paths of judgment in which they walk, that the Lord knows, and owns, and takes care of.
    • [4.] Grace to persevere to the end. If we depend upon God, and seek to him for wisdom, he will uphold us in our integrity, will enable us to keep the paths of judgment, however we may be tempted to turn aside out of them; for he preserves the way of his saints, that it be not perverted, and so preserves them in it safe and blameless to his heavenly kingdom. The assurances God has given us of his grace, if duly improved, will excite and quicken our endeavours in doing our duty. Work out your salvation, for God works in you.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

For if you cry for discernment | P2-V3

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;

DISCERNMENT

For if you cry for discernment… how amazing it is that our bodies can cry for something as though there is Someone else on the other side?

Well, and because … God is!

When these bodies, our human bodies—no more than vessels that consist of flesh and blood, innocent in and of themselves—are tested and tried by the forces of good and evil, principalities and powers that mean to destroy our lives, react to the spirits of those who possess them, will one day testify and reveal the true nature of the person he or she once was … on that great and terrible day of the Lord come (Joel 2:11,31).

So the eyes fill with tears, legs give way, knees crash to the ground, the human body … defeated.

But what is the language of our cry?

Is it a cry for discernment or a cry in hatred against God?

LIFT YOUR VOICE

Lift your voice for understanding… how amazing it is that our bodies are designed to speak. We have voices to inquire the knowledge of God, but how do we inquire? With respect—the fear of the Lord?

Our bodies are defeated in sin, the innocence of blood cries out! But the spirit says to God… “Am I my body’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:6-13) Yes! Or do we not know that our bodies are the temples of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19)?

So we need to lift up our voices for understanding:

“Help me, God, a sinner, have mercy on me; please Father, help me understand!”

Discipline is not meant to be soft, but to give understanding in righteousness. And to be righteous requires much discipline, even to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Are we carrying our crosses?

Our death was defeated at the cross of Christ, and the sin of the world was taken away by the blood of Christ.

Our soul and spirit are redeemed in Jesus Christ, so wipe your tears, strengthen your legs, and rise; praise God…

lets go!

No enemy has power over you, so don’t fear, don’t be afraid, and practice righteousness! God keeps His promises in the name of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Lift up your voice in faith and believe, then move on, we have souls to save!

Lets go Church!

Amen.

  • Why do you think its important we cry for discernment?
  • What do you learn as you talk to God about discernment (write down your inspirations).
  • When you lift up your voice for understanding, what is the condition of your heart when you do?
  • Where are you when you pray and ask for understanding (track the layers of understanding you mature upon by journaling)?

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V3) Commentary
2. We must be much in prayer, v. 3. We must cry after knowledge, as one that is ready to perish for hunger begs hard for bread. Faint desires will not prevail; we must be importunate, as those that know the worth of knowledge and our own want of it. We must cry, as new-born babes, after the sincere milk of the word. 1 Pt. 2:2. We must lift our voice for understanding lift it up to heaven; thence these good and perfect gifts must be expected, Jam. 1:17; Job 38:34. We must give our voice to understanding (so the word is), speak for it, vote for it, submit the tongue to the command of wisdom. We must consecrate our voice to it; having applied our heart to it, we must employ our voice in seeking for it. Solomon could write probatum est-a tried remedy, upon this method; he prayed for wisdom and so obtained it.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Incline your heart to understanding | P2-V2

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;

ATTENTIVE

How does one make their ear attentive to wisdom? I know I at least, can make the mistake of thinking that earthly wisdom is what this verse is suggesting to mean: thinking back when I was child, obey my parents; years later, drive the speed limit; beat the deadline, get the promotion. All good things, but these things of our present time only last for a short while. Our lives on earth are but a vapor in the wind; we’re here, and then we’re gone, but what will we leave behind as a testimony to us, and where are we going according to Who, and why?

We can thank God for designing our souls in a way that inspires a choice. How are we going to live our lives in respect of what this verse of ‘attentive wisdom’ and a ‘heart of understanding’ mean? Will we go on to live a lifestyle of sin according to the gospel after claiming the label as to be a Christian? And if we do so—having deliberately chosen that course of sin—then are our hearts truly inclined to understand the meaning of Wisdom?

INCLINE

There is a serious tone with this instruction—incline your hearts to understanding. Because the nature of good and evil that we presently experience is obvious, but we treat our situation like a joke. And that’s not intended to be taken as condemning … we can joke, but not in regards to our faith in salvation through Christ by God our Father according to the gospel. That is serious. Our salvation in Jesus Christ is serious because He is going to return, and our faith will reveal the true nature of our hearts position. Do we actually believe? Do we actually understand the power of Heaven on earth that took away the sin of the world?

If one says they have faith in that spiritual reality of the cross (Jesus)—being our redemption from sin—and we continue to be in our sin: sexually immoral, addicted to pornography, creating lustful fantasies of others while intimate with our spouse’s, or just lustful arousal stirred up at the sight of ‘his’ or ‘her’ attractive features, and I haven’t even touched on lying let alone anger, or any other sin. But if we continue in this behavior… then are we truly inclining our hearts to understand the meaning of our faith in Jesus and the cross? If any of these struggles have pricked at your conscience, and you’re still reading, wondering how it’s possible to inherit the Kingdom of God. The short answer is faith, but it’s important to be reminded that faith without works is as dead as our flesh and blood. And wisdom is instructing us to cry for discernment and to lift up our voice for understanding—coming in our devo tomorrow.

  • What does it mean for me to have an ear attentive to wisdom?
  • Is my heart inclined to understand, but still choose to sin?
  • Is there any sin in my lifestyle according to the gospel that needs the cross?
  • Do I take serious that my sin was taken away by the cross of Jesus Christ?

P.S. Please feel free to reach out to us authors of T4P if there are any questions and or are in need of prayer, but otherwise, seek a brother and or sister in the Body of Christ when necessary to be prayed over with spiritual hands… be cleansed, and healed, in Jesus name [Hebrews 10: 19-22, James 5: 13-16]. Amen.

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P2-V2) Commentary
Job had asked, long before this, Where shall wisdom be found? Whence cometh wisdom? (Job 28:12, 20) and he had given this general answer (v. 23), God knoweth the place of it; but Solomon here goes further, and tells us both where we may find it and how we may get it. We are here told,

  • I. What means we must use that we may obtain wisdom.
    • 1. We must closely attend to the word of God, for that is the word of wisdom, which is able to make us wise unto salvation, v. 1, 2.
      • (1.) We must be convinced that the words of God are the fountain and standard of wisdom and understanding, and that we need not desire to be wiser than they will make us. We must incline our ear and apply our hearts to them, as to wisdom or understanding itself. Many wise things may be found in human compositions, but divine revelation, and true religion built upon it, are all wisdom.
      • (2.) We must, accordingly, receive the word of God with all readiness of mind, and bid it welcome, even the commandments as well as the promises, without murmuring or disputing. Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.
      • (3.) We must hide them with us, as we do our treasures, which we are afraid of being robbed of. We must not only receive, but retain, the word of God, and lodge it in our hearts, that it may be always ready to us.
      • (4.) We must incline our ear to them; we must lay hold on all opportunities of hearing the word of God, and listen to it with attention and seriousness, as those that are afraid of letting it slip.
      • (5.) We must apply our hearts to them, else inclining the ear to them will stand us in no stead.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

My son if you receive my words | P2-V1

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The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security

Proverbs 2; I die daily devotional.

1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,

I love the language of promise this verse speaks; my son, if you will receive my words. I mean do you hear the confidence and truth by those words? The option is presented to us as we hear these words, and we can test them on family and friends to see how they respond. I think we’ll be surprised. I think we’ll learn by the attitude and behavior of those who hear this verse whether they’ve received these words or not, but I think the more challenging inquiry will be whether family and friends have treasured them; treasure my commandments within you.

RECEIVE AND TREASURE

Any one of us can say that, “Yah… I’ve received these words. I know the commandments by heart and believe Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.” But what if you know a person that will confess this and yet behave in a way contrary to the confession … it becomes a contradiction … no?

But see, whether the words have come to your ears through holy men or a broken vessel, the words themselves remain pure and true to that power they belong of—the Word of God.

So if we are going to receive these words, we must see past the human flesh to the Spirit of God; Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

We are in absence of the time when the apostles walked the earth with Christ to testify of the glory of the Kingdom at hand, and the glory to come, the Son of Man. But the words of which these same apostles that lived so long ago remain today, being heard from ear to ear, until all will hear.

But the option remains, if we receive, and that is something only you can answer and behave to reflect. When we behave as though we’ve received the glory of Christ’s coming by these words Wisdom speaks, then the treasure of the commandments within will become who we are (Eph 3:6, Jas 2:5, Rom 8:17, Tit 3:7) according to promise.

  • How does this verse speak to you?
  • What does it mean to receive these words of wisdom?
  • What is the greatest commandment?
  • Why should I treasure these commandments within me?

RECOURCE

[BP]

Proverbs 2 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; 19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.

COMMENTARY

Chapter 2

Solomon, having foretold the destruction of those who are obstinate in their impiety, in this chapter applies himself to those who are willing to be taught; and,

  • I. He shows them that, if they would diligently use the means of knowledge and grace, they should obtain of God the knowledge and grace which they seek (v. 1-9).
  • II. He shows them of what unspeakable advantage it would be to them.
    • 1. It would preserve them from the snares of evil men (v. 10-15) and of evil women (v. 16-19).
    • 2. It would direct them into, and keep them in, the way of good men (v. 20-22).

So that in this chapter we are taught both how to get wisdom and how to use it when we have it, that we may neither seek it, nor receive it in vain.

Matthew Henry (P2-V1) Commentary
Job had asked, long before this, Where shall wisdom be found? Whence cometh wisdom? (Job 28:12, 20) and he had given this general answer (v. 23), God knoweth the place of it; but Solomon here goes further, and tells us both where we may find it and how we may get it. We are here told,

  • I. What means we must use that we may obtain wisdom.
    • 1. We must closely attend to the word of God, for that is the word of wisdom, which is able to make us wise unto salvation, v. 1, 2.
      • (1.) We must be convinced that the words of God are the fountain and standard of wisdom and understanding, and that we need not desire to be wiser than they will make us. We must incline our ear and apply our hearts to them, as to wisdom or understanding itself. Many wise things may be found in human compositions, but divine revelation, and true religion built upon it, are all wisdom.
      • (2.) We must, accordingly, receive the word of God with all readiness of mind, and bid it welcome, even the commandments as well as the promises, without murmuring or disputing. Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.
      • (3.) We must hide them with us, as we do our treasures, which we are afraid of being robbed of. We must not only receive, but retain, the word of God, and lodge it in our hearts, that it may be always ready to us.
      • (4.) We must incline our ear to them; we must lay hold on all opportunities of hearing the word of God, and listen to it with attention and seriousness, as those that are afraid of letting it slip.
      • (5.) We must apply our hearts to them, else inclining the ear to them will stand us in no stead.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

But he who listens to me shall live securely | P1-V33

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Wisdom Warns 

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

Finally… the climactic verse that quiets the soul after the storm of hard verses prior to receive, but necessary for an experience of discernment between good and evil nonetheless. It might prove wise to refresh yourself with the previous disciplining verses of this chapter to then experience a feeling of understanding by it. After all, as children of a Heavenly Father that loves us, means to teach us in a way that prepares us for eternity with Him. And because our Eternal Father is Holy, we experience the consequential nature of sin by the Spirit of Wisdom at work in the soul of death—that we would find life in Christ. This verse reflects on the secure life we have in Jesus Christ, and no evil can cause us to fear, but rather… we’re equipped with a profound confidence to press on into the maturity of eternity.

LIVE SECURELY

So if we listen to Wisdom as she reminds us like a mother teaching her children to behave; she reminds us of the wisdom gifted us through her presence and yet, in the same breath, warns us of those who choose otherwise. And even though her children of disobedience, our siblings in the flesh, are not listening; she will still respect us as adults to make our own decisions that will inevitably experience the consequences thereof.

Just as a human mother knows by instinct how to nurture and care for the wounds of the innocent and guilty children, so too does mother Wisdom know how to spiritually address each of us.

Just as a child might experience a swaddling by their earthly father by disobeying his instructions, so too does our Heavenly Father know how to save His Child from death by His Word. Wisdom of which is presently speaking in our souls the words of the gospel, is also gracing us with a conscience equipped to heal from the pain of what was once wrong.

Now, here we are, in a place of silence, we can bow our heads, close our eyes, and pray on; we’re now more learned children, more prepared to face the dread of evil.

And when we open our eyes to see the world of the dead, we’ll know more how to understand the nature of respect and honor, but most importantly… the LOVE of our Eternal Father in Jesus Christ.

  • After the refreshed memory of the previous verses, how does this verse affect you?
  • Is there any part of your life where you’re not wanting to receive the counsel of Wisdom on, and why?
  • How do you feel about seeking a trusted person (in Christ) as a means to practice listening to counsel?
  • Do you experience the dread of evil?
  • Will you pray for clarity of conscience, and as you are guided through the Word of God for that clarity, seek cleansing and confidence through the Holy Spirit alive in you?

RECOURCE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V33) Commentary
4. He concludes with an assurance of safety and happiness to all those that submit to the instructions of wisdom (v. 33): “Whoso hearkeneth unto me, and will be ruled by me, he shall,’

  • (1.) “Be safe; he shall dwell under the special protection of Heaven, so that nothing shall do him any real hurt.’
  • (2.) “He shall be easy, and have no disquieting apprehensions of danger; he shall not only be safe from evil, but quiet from the fear of it.’ Though the earth be removed, yet shall not they fear. Would we be safe from evil, and quiet from the fear of it? Let religion always rule us and the word of God be our counsellor. That is the way to dwell safely in this world, and to be quiet from the fear of evil in the other world.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way | P1-V31

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Wisdom Warns 

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices.

2021 A.D. … is upon us! And with it… a fruit of opportunities. Happy New Year? We’ll see. If going into this new year with grand ideas of opportunities apart from Christ, well, according to His Word of salvation, we need to rethink our intentions and motives because no matter how bad or good the year can be, a person without knowledge of God is to our shame; 1 Corinth 15:34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. We have a responsibility to the ministry of our reconciliation to God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

FRUIT

The fruit of peace and prosperity might be on the forecast for the new year, but let’s not become in danger of deception by that fruit in thinking it means God is pleased when Christ is yet to be here with all His glory. I pray the fruit of our faith will not fail, and that those who are eating the fruit of their own way will stop. It is by grace that our Eternal Father draws all men to Christ, but their are those who have yet to respond to that draw, and remain in their choice of rejection. However, to those who have responded to the draw of God’s grace: I pray you’ll be blessed by the labor of your faith. The new year is already cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ! Jesus has already removed sin by the work of His cross, and I pray all will come to know His Name. When you look to the heavens this new year, be reminded that the fruit of Jesus Christ is eternal life. There is not a more valuable gift, nor a more important decision, than the confidence one receives through the Holy Spirit of God in the soul of the dead. Jesus Christ gave His life and assures it’s truth by the testimony of where He is today…

  • Do I know where Christ is today?
  • Do I know where Jesus is this new year?
  • Have I responded to the draw of my Eternal Father?
  • Have I answered the call to His ministry on earth?
  • Who is the Spirit of Grace?
  • What does faith mean?
  • Will I respond to grace? Will I answer in faith?
  • Do I have knowledge of God?

RECOURCE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V31) Commentary
[4.] Now they are eager upon their own way, and fond of their own devices; but then they will have enough of them (v. 31), according to the proverb, Let men drink as they brew; they shall eat the fruit of their own way; their wages shall be according to their work, and, as was their choice, so shall their doom be, Gal. 6:7, 8. Note,

  • First, There is a natural tendency in sin to destruction, Jam. 1:15. Sinners are certainly miserable if they do but eat the fruit of their own way.
  • Secondly, Those that perish must thank themselves, and can lay no blame upon any other. It is their own device; let them make their boast of it. God chooses their delusions, Isa. 66:4.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Because they hated knowledge | P1-V29

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Wisdom Warns 

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.

When I think of the idea of hating knowledge, I think of the apostle Paul telling me… Galatians 6:11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. I was guilty of this wrong in the past for the comfort of myself, not wanting to share the gospel—to avoid the persecution of the cross—for the sake of my environment mixed with tempting desires to experience in this life, or what’s worse, to share the gospel with words of faith, but a heart filled with fear and want, not actually taking serious the power of the Word—my faith was in vain.

HATED KNOWLEDGE

When I think about my disobedience to God I think of what the bond-servant James says… James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. I ask the question, “Why do people choose not the fear of the Lord?” And then clarity comes, the answers’ so evident, so true; yet here I remain as a man regretful of who I once was… the man in the mirror, until … I looked intently upon the perfect law of liberty. However, there are still those present with us today that choose rather to hate the knowledge of the cross and don’t fear the Lord. Don’t lose hope, keep praying for these people, but remain faithful to respect the justice of God in Christ our Lord. Let’s not fear persecution and keep looking intently at the perfect law of liberty.

  • What do you, and I, think of to be “hated knowledge”?
  • Why do these people choose not the fear of the Lord?
  • Are you and I looking intently at the perfect law of liberty?
  • How can we serve those who hate knowledge?
  • What can we do about those who don’t fear the Lord?

RECOURCE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V29) Commentary
[4.] Now they are eager upon their own way, and fond of their own devices; but then they will have enough of them (v. 31), according to the proverb, Let men drink as they brew; they shall eat the fruit of their own way; their wages shall be according to their work, and, as was their choice, so shall their doom be, Gal. 6:7, 8. Note,

  • First, There is a natural tendency in sin to destruction, Jam. 1:15. Sinners are certainly miserable if they do but eat the fruit of their own way.
  • Secondly, Those that perish must thank themselves, and can lay no blame upon any other. It is their own device; let them make their boast of it. God chooses their delusions, Isa. 66:4.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Wisdom shouts in the street | P1-V20

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Wisdom Warns 

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square;

We’ve just come out of some daily dying to the temptations sinners impress upon the innocent by the agent of evil—Satan. But now we enter into the severity of wisdoms call, and what it means when we don’t listen to the counsel of God.

WISDOM SHOUTS

I’ve never been Manhattan, but imagine you’re walking in the middle of time square of New York City. You’re walking and you begin to hear this voice coming from your conscience to “stop, watch, and listen”. So you do, and you observe as you feel this experience to your life being interrupted by this profound voice that compels you to stop, watch, and listen. This voice then begins to draw your attention to an interpretation of words that is not of this world, although personal to you. You begin to see your life stretched out in the course of time, and hear Wisdom lift her voice — this course satisfies a means to die. But listen to me, and you will live. Then you recall words spoken from long ago from men moved by the Holy Spirit of God. And there you are left in the square with a choice; “Do I follow this voice of Wisdom in my conscience, or do I suppress the motion into the darkness of ignorance and remain simple-minded on my present course?

  • Do I experience conviction?
  • Why am I convicted?
  • Why is there evil in the world?
  • Why is there good in the world?
  • What does death mean?
  • Do I listen to the voice of Wisdom?
  • Who are the men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God?

RECOURCE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V20) Commentary
Solomon, having shown how dangerous it is to hearken to the temptations of Satan, here shows how dangerous it is not to hearken to the calls of God, which we shall for ever rue the neglect of. Observe,

  • I. By whom God calls to us-by wisdom. It is wisdom that crieth without. The word is plural-wisdoms, for, as there is infinite wisdom in God, so there is the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. 3:10. God speaks to the children of men by all the kinds of wisdom, and, as in every will, so in every word, of God there is a counsel.
    • 1. Human understanding is wisdom, the light and law of nature, the powers and faculties of reason, and the office of conscience, Job 38:36. By these God speaks to the children of men, and reasons with them. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord; and, wherever men go, they may hear a voice behind them, saying, This is the way; and the voice of conscience is the voice of God, and not always a still small voice, but sometimes it cries.
    • 2. Civil government is wisdom; it is God’s ordinance; magistrates are his vicegerents. God by David had said to the fools, Deal not foolishly, Ps. 75:4. In the opening of the gates, and in the places of concourse, where courts were kept, the judges, the wisdom of the nation, called to wicked people, in God’s name, to repent and reform.
    • 3. Divine revelation is wisdom; all its dictates, all its laws, are wise as wisdom itself. God does, by the written word, by the law of Moses, which sets before us the blessing and the curse, by the priests’ lips which keep knowledge, by his servants the prophets, and all the ministers of this word, declare his mind to sinners, and give them warning as plainly as that which is proclaimed in the streets or courts of judicature by the criers. God, in his word, not only opens the case, but argues it with the children of men. Come, now, and let us reason together, Isa. 1:18.
    • 4. Christ himself is Wisdom, is Wisdoms, for in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and he is the centre of all divine revelation, not only the essential Wisdom, but the eternal Word, by whom God speaks to us and to whom he has committed all judgment; he it is therefore who here both pleads with sinners and passes sentence on them. He calls himself Wisdom, Lu. 7:35.
belief-structure, Nathan Dooley, Personality, Therapy

Nathan’s Public Journal | IV

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Sunday, 12/20/2020

When the cleaning crew arrived, the majority are ladies, and they’re attractive.

As soon as I saw them come in to collect their keys for access; their bodies burned that red and fiery orange color that orbed around their physique, but there was something different; I could see a light brownish glow that came from their brain. This color was new, or… I didn’t recognize it before. And as they would get closer, and closer, to the security desk, that brownish color intensified to it’s darkest form.

After issuing them their keys, WarCof appears next to me and asks, “Why do you see that color?”

Ignoring WarCof, I escort them to the elevators of the second floor.

My security desk is stationed on the second floor of my building of 4; my building is located on the west wing also know as West Tower-2 (WT2). There are 24 floors to each of these 4 buildings, and they’re built perpendicular to each other: North, South, East, and West.

They were built in this way for its main attraction, which is a globe that hangs in the middle connecting each of these towers at the 12th floor.

The elevators have two sets of doors; the first set grants access to visitors, tenants, and vendors to the Towers; the second set will open exclusively for authorized personal to the globe, but no tenants, vendors, or visitors have access—making my job that much more fun—not even the third party management company that answers directly to GE, or God’s Eye, we call it, has access without security, into the globe.

GE stands for Global Earth, which is the company name of very powerful people I have yet to meet in person, and to the best of my knowledge the globe functions as a meeting lab for Avengers. Okay, well, not exactly. But it gives off that feel … considering the secrecy and philanthropic vibe by research, and having observed the evolving change and activity from a distance for 7 years; it’s a mystery, and way way above my pay grade to care that much.

On the way to the elevators, the cleaning crew is in front of me, and the ladies have my attention whether they’d asked for it or not. They are talking in their native tongue, Spanish. Some are giggling while making subtle glances in my direction; young, early twenties, somewhat petite, but the worst part is…they’re desirable, and they know it.

My routine is rote which makes this part of my job very dangerous in that I’m human and experience what humans desire; which if not controlled, compromises the nature of my position to prevent liability, maintain integrity, and hold dear my vows to Laura; the vulnerability of the human condition is sensitive to the extreme, and for some odd reason the reproductive system of my body ignites this desire to be fruitful and multiply more children of wrath in this world.

These colors of light about these ladies is entrancing… How the deep dark red is pulsating to their hearts’ beat, their bodies lit a flame that orbs about them, and now, how the color of their minds are shifting shades of brown as I draw closer or further away. I stare more intently at the color of their mind and feel this urg—

“DING” – “SECOND FLOOR—GOING DOWN“

Distracted by the elevator’s artificial operator, I think to myself “Why do I see that color?”, and quickly come to my senses.

It’s afterhours and in the event there is any malfunction, especially an indicator of a technological glitch in the artificial intelligent geware; I must be ready to respond and immediately notify PM—Property Management—which technically is that third party management service aforementioned, so they can quickly report the issue and await further instruction. I’m more or less a backup system in the event of a cyber crisis, and the geware system need be shutdown; or basically, quite simply, the elevator doors, just…don’t open.

On the way back to the security desk I process the color activity between me and those attractive women, why did the color behave like that?

Then WarCof, still with me, said—”Nathan, you don’t see your own color for a reason, but as you’ve already witnessed: there is a blue to green light orb that describes the essence of men, so too, you have in like fashion as they. As both these colors between men and women collide, a language is revealed. A language of activity that has the power to reveal an active truth. And as those ladies drew nearer to you, the colors revealed the nature of your sin, your desire; humans have a chemical energy and radiance that influences the behavior in which you were experiencing. When the green orbs of men clashes with the orange orbs of women, information that is invisible to the human eye you now have access to see, and the brown color in the minds of those women—you found attractive—reveals a nature of sin that is in every human.”

Stunned, I didn’t know what to think. I went on autopilot and continued to process every word of what WarCof said… and in that state, I remained.

I arrive home, it’s late, Laura is already asleep, but there she lay in all her magnificence, with that beautiful deep red to fiery purple orb that lights up the dark just right, it’s perfect, and incredible. The light behaves in such a way that it brings peace as she sleeps, “pfffffffff…” then there’s this loudest fart that came out of nowhere vibrating the entire room, strong enough to disturb the colors of the orb. That was amazing and quite profound, I thought it would never end. She shuffles a little bit, unconsciously, like she was about to wake up, but nope. No matter.

I can’t help but to watch her sleep, like a creeper, and I have so many questions. Like… why does her mind not behave like that of the other women? I don’t see the brown glow in her mind? Is she attracted to me? Have I no attraction for her? Does she not have that sin as WarCof said? Was WarCof wrong? Can I trust what WarCof is telling me? Is something wrong…

THE TASTE OF IMMORTALITY

belief-structure, Nathan Dooley, Personality, Therapy

Nathan’s Public Journal | II

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Tuesday, 12/15/2020

Time 0140—In the morning of this brisk, silent, night. Well, “silent”… as in a feeling; my beautiful wife is breathing in a way that indicates REM sleep, and there is a sound of warm air blowing through the ventilation system—to fight off the cold in the night; awe of course, and the sound of the ‘k’ ‘e’ ‘y’ ‘s’ mashing against my keyboard as my fingers mean to type quietly. I don’t want to awaken the… Naura; ooooohhhh…I’m joking-I’m Joking! My wife (Laura), is the sweetest; even if she woke up, she’d probably unconsciously give me a hug and a kiss, then back to bed.

So after listening to the critique, well… honest advice, of my wife, on the original version to this journal entry (12/12-14/2020), decided on a different tactic for this post. I won’t bore you on the details because written well, it won’t matter.

Don’t mind skipping past the reference structure below. It’s my map.

  • Jesus Christ is my belief structure.
    1. What does that mean? (salvation).
      1. Human soul and God.
        1. Saved by grace through faith.
        2. How does faith work?
  • I love my wife—priority.
    1. She is the core/center of my responsibilities.
      1. I need structure.
        1. Public Journal/accountability
  • Job with hours to aid me on this trajectory.
    1. Not ideal, but blessed.
      1. I work nights and days.
      2. Best option at the moment.
        1. Aim for only nights if available.
        2. Or learn how to write, like, very good!
  • Psychology Professor—Jordan Peterson.
    1. Mentor/Maps of Meaning/(biblical skeptic?)
      1. I think Jordan’s strategy to understand ‘meaning’ is awesome!
  • My personality— understand and improve.
    1. 1 Peter 3:15 (but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;)
      1. There is a hope in the personality of a believer.
        1. My personality is wild; I want to understand it.
  • Skill/s to master:
    1. Writing.
    2. Videography.
  • Goal/s…
    • Is there more than one?
      • Where is the sacred ground?
        • What is this going to do?
          • How will this be effective?
            • What is the sacrifice?
              • Will the practice, preach?
                • What does it mean?
                  • When is it time to plant?
  • The seed is to sanctify Christ as Lord in my heart.

Time 0439—Just completed a couple scheduled devotionals (P1-V15 and P1-V16). Now that, that work is prepped; it frees me up to get creative with this public journal. The idea is to write in a way that tells a story, a true story, but with a twist. The reason this journal is public is to benefit both the writer, but more importantly, the reader. And I can’t have you bored out of your mind. So let me go get some more coffee real quick as I think about you in this story of ours.

Time 0519—I kid you not, as soon as I grabbed my coffee cup to head downstairs, Laura says to me, “Are you getting coffee?” Mind you, she has no idea what I’d just written, the room is dark (other than the candle next to me), and she couldn’t see that I’d grabbed my cup (because a black fabric blocks her view as it hangs from our ceiling nearly the length of our desk). This might be prophetic—said facetiously. I asked her how she knew I was going to get coffee, and she says “I don’t know.” I mean, that’s just providential!

Anyway, as I thought of you while getting coffee; I was inspired by the written word of God, to have a title for our story:

THE TASTE OF IMMORTALITY

Time 0911—We live in the realm of the eternal, this isn’t a fictional story. There are fictional names to real characters in mine and your stories, but our land of the eternal is very real—nonfictional (actually occurring) as we live today. There are enemies and friendlies that move all around and about us, so listen closely as we venture into the world of the eternal. And experience the taste of immortality.

Time 2111—There is a character by the name of WarCof, also known by his initials (WC). It’s getting late; I have less than 3 hours. The time is dark, evil is lurking. WarCof is an image-bearer of the Light, an eternal being known as the—Wonderful Counselor. The earth at this time of our lives, is also know as—the world of wrath. This world of wrath is presently an age of what feels like an eternal hell; these earthly beings are wearing face masks, carrying hand sanitizers and disinfectants, maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of the inevitable consequence of sin—death.

Time 2145—Laura and I (Nathan), decided to go out into the world of wrath between the gap of 0911-2111; for nearly 6 hours, we were out at a shopping center called NorthPark; we exchanged clothing items that were the wrong fit for us at the H&M shop, and found a gift for a close relative. The shopping center was packed with people, and as Laura and I walked a couple laps, the strangest thing started to happen with my eyes.

At first, all I saw was gray, the color gray was everywhere; the shops, the people, the merchandise, everything with a physical form was gray. I blinked a few times, no change. I closed my eyes and rubbed each of them simultaneously with my hands, when they opened, I met WarCof. WarCof strangely appeared in this magnificent color of white/purple, his figure wasn’t that attractive, but built like a man. He was about my height (5’7″), but couldn’t figure his weight, it wouldn’t register in my brain. His voice made a sharp deep powerful sound, although, it felt gentle to my ears—a perfect tone.

“Look”, he said. And when I did, I saw everything perfectly still. Nothing moved, no sound was made, no air was felt, and the people and their children completely frozen in their place. I saw families in mid step, mouths unmoved although stuck open from mid conversation, a kid frozen in mid air from leaping off a bench. Police officers… well… nothing too unique there, they were already posed.

But here is where it gets interesting.

As I continued to look … two distinct colors began to emerge specific to their gender, male and female; the women have this color combination of red/orange giving off this beautiful fiery glow, their bodies are transparent as the color intensifies at their core, their heart burns an intense deep red; the color of the men glow an amazing blue/green, and a deep cold dark blue intensifies at the heart, exactly the same way the deep red does for the women. Then my eyes shift to gaze upon my wife, I nearly fall to the ground ducking; she has this froze pissed off face, it’s actually quite cute and funny.

Laura burns with a different color than the other women I see. Her heart burns with that same intense deep red, but where there is a fiery orange for the other women… Laura has a gorgeous purple similar to that of WarCof. “Why”, I say to WarCof, but then everything unfreezes. WarCof is disappeared, gone. Everything returned as though nothing happened, but something remained…

THE TASTE OF IMMORTALITY

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Find all kinds of precious wealth | P1-V13

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The Enticement of Sinners

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil;

If you have not watched “THE LORD OF THE RINGS” and “THE HOBBIT” trilogies, it will be quite the adventure if you do. Let me give a little insight as to the relevance.

There is a character by the name of Smeagol, who finds a precious gold ring, and by it becomes possessed by this dark evil power. The evil ring “blesses” Smeagol with extraordinarily long life, but it consumes him. Smeagol was a normal person (or Hobbit), but the ring, over time, literally transformed him, his body, into an unidentifiable harmless creature. The person that was once Smeagol became… “Gollum”. Gollum crept his way into the deep darkness of the Misty Mountains, keeping hidden this ring of evil power he called, “my Precious”, until… well… you’ll have to watch the trilogies.

MY PRECIOUS

What happened to Smeagol, or rather, Gollum, at the end of the story is what happens to those who are described by our verse—We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil. Those who’ve placed their hope in precious pleasures to experience in this life forfeit their own soul, becoming possessed by an idea that deludes them into their fate of what it means to be evil. They become the outcome of the Ring-bearer, which ultimately, ends in death, despair, and alone to burn—forever.

  • What in this life describes for you, “my Precious?”
  • Are you enticing people away from the gospel?
  • Does your character reflect Jesus Christ?
  • Are you possessed by sin?
  • Will you let go of the “ring”?

RECOURSE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V13) Commentary
Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out, and keeping in, the paths of wisdom, and that is to take heed of the snare of bad company. David’s psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon’s proverbs; for nothing is more destructive, both to a lively devotion and to a regular conversation (v. 10): “My son, whom I love, and have a tender concern for, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.’ This is good advice for parents to give their children when they send them abroad into the world; it is the same that St. Peter gave to his new converts, (Acts 2:40), Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Observe,

  • 1. How industrious wicked people are to seduce others into the paths of the destroyer: they will entice. Sinners love company in sin; the angels that fell were tempters almost as soon as they were sinners. They do not threaten or argue, but entice with flattery and fair speech; with a bait they draw the unwary young man to the hook. But they mistake if they think that by bringing others to partake with them in their guilt, and to be bound, as it were, in the bond with them, they shall have the less to pay themselves; for they will have so much the more to answer for.
  • 2. How cautious young people should be that they be not seduced by them: “Consent thou not; and then, though they entice thee, they cannot force thee. Do not say as they say, nor do as they do or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them.’ To enforce this caution,
    • I. He represents the fallacious reasonings which sinners use in their enticements, and the arts of wheedling which they have for the beguiling of unstable souls. He specifies highwaymen, who do what they can to draw others into their gang, v. 11-14. See here what they would have the young man to do: “Come with us (v. 11); let us have thy company.’ At first they pretend to ask no more; but the courtship rises higher (v. 14): “Cast in thy lot among us; come in partner with us, join thy force to ours, and let us resolve to live and die together: thou shalt fare as we fare; and let us all have one purse, that what we get together we may spend merrily together,’ for that is it they aim at. Two unreasonable insatiable lusts they propose to themselves the gratification of, and therewith entice their pray into the snare:-
      • 1. Their cruelty. They thirst after blood, and hate those that are innocent and never gave them any provocation, because by their honesty and industry they shame and condemn them: “Let us therefore lay wait for their blood, and lurk privily for them; they are conscious to themselves of no crime and consequently apprehensive of no danger, but travel unarmed; therefore we shall make the more easy prey of them. And, O how sweet it will be to swallow them up alive!’ v. 12. These bloody men would do this as greedily as the hungry lion devours the lamb. If it be objected, “The remains of the murdered will betray the murderers;’ they answer, “No danger of that; we will swallow them whole as those that are buried.’ Who could imagine that human nature should degenerate so far that it should ever be a pleasure to one man to destroy another!
      • 2. Their covetousness. They hope to get a good booty by it (v. 13): “We shall find all precious substance by following this trade. What though we venture our necks by it? we shall fill our houses with spoil.’ See here,
        • (1.) The idea they have of worldly wealth. They call it precious substance; whereas it is neither substance nor precious; it is a shadow; it is vanity, especially that which is got by robbery, Ps. 62:10. It is as that which is not, which will give a man no solid satisfaction. It is cheap, it is common, yet, in their account, it is precious, and therefore they will hazard their lives, and perhaps their souls, in pursuit of it. It is the ruining mistake of thousands that they over-value the wealth of this world and look on it as precious substance.
        • (2.) The abundance of it which they promise themselves: We shall fill our houses with it. Those who trade with sin promise themselves mighty bargains, and that it will turn to a vast account (All this will I give thee, says the tempter); but they only dream that they eat; the housefuls dwindle into scarcely a handful, like the grass on the house-tops.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

Let us lie in wait for blood | P1-V11

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The Enticement of Sinners

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause;

The flesh—our human flesh—in and of itself, is not sin, but is the representation of a decision made long long ago.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

We are born into this life innocent as infants, but there is an issue, we are not innocent. We are actually separated from that definition; because God is innocent, we are missing that component of true innocences, and are guilty as sin. But thankfully our God had a goal in mind whenever we broke covenant with Him long long ago.

Genesis 3:20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

INNOCENT

In reading the above passage—The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them—from Genesis 3, what do you think God used to cloth Adam and his wife? The garments of skin that represent our flesh is innocent in and of itself because it functions exactly as a body is designed to function, unless we change its design—which is exactly what Adam and his wife attempted by making coverings using fig leaves. They realized that they were no longer innocent, but guilty, deserving of the death that God warned would happen. And so, now, here we are… dying; generation after generation experiences the significance of sin. We try and try to, literally, cover our own ass, by making up excuses to justify our wrong. But there is hope, God had a plan—Redemption!

Jesus is the innocent One, born without sin—meaning without the seed of Adam—from the virgin, Mary. Jesus was, is, and will always be, the plan for taking away the sin of the world (you and me), and redeeming us as reconciled to God. But how is this possible for human kind considering life has continued on as it has after Christ was crucified on the cross nearly 2000 years ago? It’s possible by believing that grace saves through faith, and we have a choice to believe that Jesus, is the grace, to our faith; that belief structure, intern, resurrects in us, a new creature—no longer bound by the guilt of sin in our soul. We are redeemed! Death will have its course until the day of Christ; faith in Jesus is our compass of confidence as we live through this death. And that is why we pray, Jesus, come. Amen

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

  • Can you accept responsibility for sin?
  • Will you accept that you cannot pay off your sin with good deeds?
  • Do you accept the grace of God?
  • Is your faith in Jesus Christ for redemption from sin? (new creature—transformed mind)

RECOURSE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Romans 12: 1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V11) Commentary
Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out, and keeping in, the paths of wisdom, and that is to take heed of the snare of bad company. David’s psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon’s proverbs; for nothing is more destructive, both to a lively devotion and to a regular conversation (v. 10): “My son, whom I love, and have a tender concern for, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.’ This is good advice for parents to give their children when they send them abroad into the world; it is the same that St. Peter gave to his new converts, (Acts 2:40), Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Observe,

  • 1. How industrious wicked people are to seduce others into the paths of the destroyer: they will entice. Sinners love company in sin; the angels that fell were tempters almost as soon as they were sinners. They do not threaten or argue, but entice with flattery and fair speech; with a bait they draw the unwary young man to the hook. But they mistake if they think that by bringing others to partake with them in their guilt, and to be bound, as it were, in the bond with them, they shall have the less to pay themselves; for they will have so much the more to answer for.
  • 2. How cautious young people should be that they be not seduced by them: “Consent thou not; and then, though they entice thee, they cannot force thee. Do not say as they say, nor do as they do or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them.’ To enforce this caution,
    • I. He represents the fallacious reasonings which sinners use in their enticements, and the arts of wheedling which they have for the beguiling of unstable souls. He specifies highwaymen, who do what they can to draw others into their gang, v. 11-14. See here what they would have the young man to do: “Come with us (v. 11); let us have thy company.’ At first they pretend to ask no more; but the courtship rises higher (v. 14): “Cast in thy lot among us; come in partner with us, join thy force to ours, and let us resolve to live and die together: thou shalt fare as we fare; and let us all have one purse, that what we get together we may spend merrily together,’ for that is it they aim at. Two unreasonable insatiable lusts they propose to themselves the gratification of, and therewith entice their pray into the snare:-
      • 1. Their cruelty. They thirst after blood, and hate those that are innocent and never gave them any provocation, because by their honesty and industry they shame and condemn them: “Let us therefore lay wait for their blood, and lurk privily for them; they are conscious to themselves of no crime and consequently apprehensive of no danger, but travel unarmed; therefore we shall make the more easy prey of them. And, O how sweet it will be to swallow them up alive!’ v. 12. These bloody men would do this as greedily as the hungry lion devours the lamb. If it be objected, “The remains of the murdered will betray the murderers;’ they answer, “No danger of that; we will swallow them whole as those that are buried.’ Who could imagine that human nature should degenerate so far that it should ever be a pleasure to one man to destroy another!
      • 2. Their covetousness. They hope to get a good booty by it (v. 13): “We shall find all precious substance by following this trade. What though we venture our necks by it? we shall fill our houses with spoil.’ See here,
        • (1.) The idea they have of worldly wealth. They call it precious substance; whereas it is neither substance nor precious; it is a shadow; it is vanity, especially that which is got by robbery, Ps. 62:10. It is as that which is not, which will give a man no solid satisfaction. It is cheap, it is common, yet, in their account, it is precious, and therefore they will hazard their lives, and perhaps their souls, in pursuit of it. It is the ruining mistake of thousands that they over-value the wealth of this world and look on it as precious substance.
        • (2.) The abundance of it which they promise themselves: We shall fill our houses with it. Those who trade with sin promise themselves mighty bargains, and that it will turn to a vast account (All this will I give thee, says the tempter); but they only dream that they eat; the housefuls dwindle into scarcely a handful, like the grass on the house-tops.

God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

If sinners entice you | P1-V10

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The Enticement of Sinners

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.

This verse reminds me of when Jesus was enticed by the devil in the wilderness, but Jesus prevailed. This world represented by sinners, eagerly entices us away from our faith in Christ by its many indulgences; just one more drink; just one more social media post; one more opportunity to become somebody; one more sin; just one more [fill in the ______], but whatever it takes to ignore the conviction of truth heard from God.

The pleasantries of immediate satisfaction that sinners aim to have every moment is like Sirens to the hearts of men; there is pleasure in the heart of death, but pain in the salvation of the soul because of the truth about knowledge. Wisdom teaches us through the words and behavior of our Lord during the time of His temptation how faith is secure in Christ. Jesus faced the options to the concept of “just one more” temptation to prove the evidence of a KING, but did not accept. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Jesus rebuked Satan, and Satan went away. The power of darkness consumes us sinners to death, but God in His love and mercy blessed us with a faith to believe in Jesus—not forced, but given. We worship the Lord our God through faith by believing in Jesus Christ. To have Jesus means we have the Holy Spirit to help us discern good and evil, and to rebuke that which is evil in ourselves.

  • What temptation are you currently facing?
  • Is your faith secure in the promise of Christ?
  • Are you rebuking that which is evil?
  • Do you believe that Jesus is alive in you?

RECOURSE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.  8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V10) Commentary
Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out, and keeping in, the paths of wisdom, and that is to take heed of the snare of bad company. David’s psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon’s proverbs; for nothing is more destructive, both to a lively devotion and to a regular conversation (v. 10): “My son, whom I love, and have a tender concern for, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.’ This is good advice for parents to give their children when they send them abroad into the world; it is the same that St. Peter gave to his new converts, (Acts 2:40), Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Observe,

  • 1. How industrious wicked people are to seduce others into the paths of the destroyer: they will entice. Sinners love company in sin; the angels that fell were tempters almost as soon as they were sinners. They do not threaten or argue, but entice with flattery and fair speech; with a bait they draw the unwary young man to the hook. But they mistake if they think that by bringing others to partake with them in their guilt, and to be bound, as it were, in the bond with them, they shall have the less to pay themselves; for they will have so much the more to answer for.
  • 2. How cautious young people should be that they be not seduced by them: “Consent thou not; and then, though they entice thee, they cannot force thee. Do not say as they say, nor do as they do or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them.’ To enforce this caution,
    • I. He represents the fallacious reasonings which sinners use in their enticements, and the arts of wheedling which they have for the beguiling of unstable souls. He specifies highwaymen, who do what they can to draw others into their gang, v. 11-14. See here what they would have the young man to do: “Come with us (v. 11); let us have thy company.’ At first they pretend to ask no more; but the courtship rises higher (v. 14): “Cast in thy lot among us; come in partner with us, join thy force to ours, and let us resolve to live and die together: thou shalt fare as we fare; and let us all have one purse, that what we get together we may spend merrily together,’ for that is it they aim at. Two unreasonable insatiable lusts they propose to themselves the gratification of, and therewith entice their pray into the snare:-
      • 1. Their cruelty. They thirst after blood, and hate those that are innocent and never gave them any provocation, because by their honesty and industry they shame and condemn them: “Let us therefore lay wait for their blood, and lurk privily for them; they are conscious to themselves of no crime and consequently apprehensive of no danger, but travel unarmed; therefore we shall make the more easy prey of them. And, O how sweet it will be to swallow them up alive!’ v. 12. These bloody men would do this as greedily as the hungry lion devours the lamb. If it be objected, “The remains of the murdered will betray the murderers;’ they answer, “No danger of that; we will swallow them whole as those that are buried.’ Who could imagine that human nature should degenerate so far that it should ever be a pleasure to one man to destroy another!
      • 2. Their covetousness. They hope to get a good booty by it (v. 13): “We shall find all precious substance by following this trade. What though we venture our necks by it? we shall fill our houses with spoil.’ See here,
        • (1.) The idea they have of worldly wealth. They call it precious substance; whereas it is neither substance nor precious; it is a shadow; it is vanity, especially that which is got by robbery, Ps. 62:10. It is as that which is not, which will give a man no solid satisfaction. It is cheap, it is common, yet, in their account, it is precious, and therefore they will hazard their lives, and perhaps their souls, in pursuit of it. It is the ruining mistake of thousands that they over-value the wealth of this world and look on it as precious substance.
        • (2.) The abundance of it which they promise themselves: We shall fill our houses with it. Those who trade with sin promise themselves mighty bargains, and that it will turn to a vast account (All this will I give thee, says the tempter); but they only dream that they eat; the housefuls dwindle into scarcely a handful, like the grass on the house-tops.
belief-structure, Personality, Therapy

Nathan’s Public Journal | I

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Monday, 12/7/2020

Here I sit, cameras in view, the time for me to be off duty is fast approaching. It’s nearly 06:00 (military time) coming off of a 12hr deep night shift during the weekend. My occupation is as a level 2 Private Security Officer and my work schedule is not ideal, but it’s currently the closest to my preference considering the options; this schedule fits my focus at this duration of my life. That focus is … well, we’ll get to that, but right now I’m still getting over this cringe.

I didn’t realize just how, hmmm … damaged I was, until re-reading some of my material of old. I can see where my mind would get stuck in the trauma of my past; a lot of my first posts I’d published nearly 3 years ago are written in a language of which feels, irreconcilable. I think, needless to say, I’m thankful for the grace—to be ever learning through undeveloped skills—of inexperience; the mistakes are endless, and that’s frustrating (I learn hands-on). However, there is a story in my mess waiting to be written, just not yet. Alright—time to head home.

So… now I hope, is as good-a-time as any to welcome you to my journal. If you’ve followed along with me (I know those of you who have) until now, you know this about me. I’ve been thinking about this journal idea for too long now (like yesterday—that’s a joke); writing happens to be very therapeutic for me, so uh… thank you, Therapist, I guess. This idea is much-much more than a therapy session you get to sit in on to hear all about my life’s drama. It will be an empirical psychology, only it’s written to be watched through the lens of intuition and imagination that writing/reading ignites!

Psychology—according to wordnik—at its core; the study of the human soul. And there is where I’m going to learn how my salvation is alive! I don’t know about you, but I want to understand my soul. And more than that, I want to understand the relationship between salvation of the human soul and God. I want to learn about what my belief structure means; I found someone in the field of psychology, a mentor. I’m exercising (like working out in the gym or fitness center) the weight of the gospel in my conscience. So I thought, “Well, what if my ‘T4P’ people want to keep a watchful eye on this progress and quite possibly, discover something of their own by this as well?” A big part of this idea goes out to Dallas Fluegel (check em out on YouTube) because I really like how he has structured—is structuring—himself by his videos, and want to apply that to my life.

Tuesday, 12/8/2020

What if you could understand your personality?

Function the way that you do?

Feel the way that you feel?

Does that not sound absolutely terrifying, it’s so awesome! Anyway, there are reasons I behave the way I do as soon as I wake-up into this world of causality that provides insight into who Nathan is and why he is, the way he is. I want to tap into that meaning of myself, so… here it goes. *Let’s make this a page turner.

Pages: 1 2 3
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley

The beginning of knowledge (Fear God) | P1-V7

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The Usefulness of Proverbs

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I tattooed “FEAR GOD” on my chest back in the day as a reminder to this rule, this principle, that teaches us youngsters in the faith—the beginning of knowledge. I don’t mean to encourage anyone getting a tattoo, but rather stress the importance of always to remember what the fear of the Lord means. The fear of the Lord at it’s core is a reverence of our Holy Father in Christ the Lord—Jesus.

FEAR

Fear in the context of a child in respect to their parents is how we ought to behave when addressed by God or when inquiring the affairs of God. That also includes everything about this moment of my writing and your reading. All of our present experience is inspired from the source of our cause, for example; the focus of this devotion is derived from that fear of the Lord as trust is established in God. There is no reason to fear that which is evil if our faith is truly to believe in the Person of Jesus Christ—the Word of God. God is good, and to accuse our good God of being evil, is evil.

And so when we as a rebellious people on this edge of contemplation about God are finally disciplined to one conclusion, there is a choice we must make: (a) Trust this good God at His Word as our heavenly Father by believing in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; or (b) deny the grace of which means to save your soul, and accept the consequence to your choice as an enemy to God—of which will be the judgement that claims your soul according to your sin. I pray you’ll choose the former, not because it hits the pride where it needs to, but because God is Someone we can trust by believing the Word of Jesus Christ—Truth.

FOOL

When engaging with the activities of this world, it’s so natural to be brought back to the reality of a fool. We become so drunk with time; always busy or despairing. Be mindful of our time here on earth, but don’t live like there’s no tomorrow or you’ll miss the eternity of today. Don’t worry about anything, fast from everything. Do not wish to, seek to, or love to save your soul in this life because whoever loses their soul for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s will preserve their soul to life eternal.

RECOURSE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. The Enticement of Sinners 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.

Luke 17:33 Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.

John 12:25 The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V7) Commentary
Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, here lays down two general rules to be observed in order thereunto, and those are, to fear God and honour his parents, which two fundamental laws of morality Pythagoras begins his golden verses with, but the former of them in a wretchedly corrupted state. Primum, deos immortales cole, parentesque honora-First worship the immortal gods, and honour your parents. To make young people such as they should be,

  • I. Let them have regard to God as their supreme.
    • 1. He lays down this truth, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (v. 7); it is the principal part of knowledge (so the margin); it is the head of knowledge; that is,
      • (1.) Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshipped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this.
      • (2.) In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by the instructions that are given us unless our minds be possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every thought within us be brought into obedience to him. If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, Jn. 7:17.
      • (3.) As all our knowledge must take rise from the fear of God, so it must tend to it as its perfection and centre. Those know enough who know how to fear God, who are careful in every thing to please him and fearful of offending him in any thing; this is the Alpha and Omega of knowledge.
    • 2. To confirm this truth, that an eye to God must both direct and quicken all our pursuits of knowledge, he observes, Fools (atheists, who have no regard to God) despise wisdom and instruction; having no dread at all of God’s wrath, nor any desire of his favour, they will not give you thanks for telling them what they may do to escape his wrath and obtain his favour. Those who say to the Almighty, Depart from us, who are so far from fearing him that they set him at defiance, can excite no surprise if they desire not the knowledge of his ways, but despise that instruction. Note, Those are fools who do not fear God and value the scriptures; and though they may pretend to be admirers of wit they are really strangers and enemies to wisdom.
God and Coffee, I die daily devotionals, Nathan Dooley, Salvational Engineering, Spiritual Insights

To understand the words of the wise | P1-V6

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The Usefulness of Proverbs

Proverbs 1; I die daily devotional.

 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.

It’s been nearly a month since I wrote of how the wisest person on the face of the planet received their wisdom—The proverbs of Solomon. And now here we are in the 21st century being fed of its milk and meat to understand the words of the wise and their riddles.

SPIRITUAL MILK AND MEAT

Take milk and meat as our example to a figure of spiritual speech: (a) milk is our figure of speech for those recently born into Jesus Christ by their awareness of good and evil, and (b) meat is for those grown to handle the many questions that newborns will have regarding this developing faith by their understanding to the meaning of the knowledge of good and evil.

NEW BELIEVER

If you believed in the gospel last month, your faith is in dire need of milk (the Word of God) provided through the sustenance of our Church Body (your local christian church). The Word of God has revealed to you your condition of death that separates you from God; in other words you’ve reached a state of awareness [enlightenment] to the nature of your condition—spiritual condition—of which condemns you to death because of sin. At this stage of development the soul hungers for the pure milk of the Word because eternal life is a promised result upon believing, but it takes time to grow.

The Helper (Holy Spirit) is that established energy and power of wisdom and truth; Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. You will go through a process of being born while aware of the experience, not like being born as a human baby of which we don’t recall; because a soul that is condemned to death ignores the wrath of God which is directed at the sin, not the person, that person has made a conscious choice to accept the wrath of God rather than repent of their sin by faith in Christ. So there is an experience of deep mourning or spiritual grieving by the separating of loved ones during this process of faith development; they are not accepting this truth when we are, and it’s a very painful spiritual endurance, but this experience is very necessary because it intimate-izes our relationship to God.

TEENAGE BELIEVER

At this stage of our faith development there are worldly experiences that will test us, train us, and much pain (healthy pain); think of it as becoming a super saiyan—dragon ball z style! Any of you readers familiar? Okay, well, the point is that our personality transforms into the calling of God; the ministry of reconciliation is taking shape in our psychology, and our faith is developing into a responsibility. Our frame of reference is shifting from an earthly temperial perspective to an immortally eternal perspective; so there will be much discipline from your parents (another figure of speech) whom—if is in Christ—will raise you up in that discipline of our heavenly Father. Expect much correction with edification as your soul is resurrecting to life from the dead (even though you’re awake to witness it).

Remember, it took 3 days before our Lord was resurrected from the dead and many more days later before ascending into heaven to be at the right hand of God our Father; so don’t let anyone try and tell you that this process of conversion happens simply in the day of which you believe, it takes time in respect of salvation. And as we continue to devote ourselves to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will teach us the meaning of Truth; we will learn how to see through the facade of the deceiver, and discern good and evil.

RECOURSE

Proverbs 1 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity; 4 To give prudence to the naïve, To the youth knowledge and discretion, 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching; 9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil; 14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,” 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood. 17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom Warns 20 Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings: 22 “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge? 23  “Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD. 30 “They would not accept my counsel, They spurned all my reproof. 31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices. 32 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Hebrews 5:11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Luke 3:16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer  for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one  according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

COMMENTARY

Matthew Henry (P1-V6) Commentary
2. As an interpreter (v. 6)-to understand a proverb. Solomon was himself famous for expounding riddles and resolving hard questions, which was of old the celebrated entertainment of the eastern princes, witness the solutions he gave to the enquiries with which the queen of Sheba thought to puzzle him. Now here he undertakes to furnish his readers with that talent, as far as would be serviceable to the best purposes. “They shall understand a proverb, even the interpretation, without which the proverb is a nut uncracked; when they hear a wise saying, though it be figurative, they shall take the sense of it, and know how to make use of it.’ The words of the wise are sometimes dark sayings. In St. Paul’s epistles there is that which is hard to be understood; but to those who, being well-versed in the scriptures, know how to compare spiritual things with spiritual, they will be easy and safe; so that, if you ask them, Have you understood all these things? they may answer, Yea, Lord. Note, It is a credit to religion when men of honesty are men of sense; all good people therefore should aim to be intelligent, and run to and fro, take pains in the use of means, that their knowledge may be increased.

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