Let Me Not Wander

When the hay is removed and new growth appears     and the grass from the hills is gathered in, the lambs will provide you with clothing,     and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats' milk     to feed you and your family     and to nourish your servant girls. (NIV) These verses go so well with the previous two verses. If you keep close watch on your flocks and fields, then you will not be in lack of provision. The farm will go the way it is supposed to go.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,     give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever,     and a crown is not secure for all generations. (NIV) There are many applications for this verse. One of them that popped into my mind right away was for a Christian School. So many times a Christian School starts off so good. Excellent spiritual emphasis, adherence to the Bible, high moral standards with the student body, etc. But after some years have passed, the good thing that they had is gone. A big example of this is Harvard. Originally a school that was to train men for the ministry, now the name of God is far from being glorified there. As a leader, know the condition of your flocks. Pay attention to your herds. The good thing that you have now will not last on its own.

Though you grind a fool in a mortar,    grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him. (NIV) It is a sad situation to be in if you are a fool. Those who are in Christ, when they are "ground" by the situations of life, will be sanctified by the process. They will go to God and His word, and the truth will sanctify them. But not the fool. Pray today that you are not this fool. Ask God to peel the scales from your eyes and let you see.

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,   but man is tested by the praise he receives. (NIV) This is an interesting verse. I wasn't for sure what it meant at first. I read it in a few other versions, and when I came to The Message version, the idea which is being presented coalesced in my mind. The Message version states it like this: The purity of silver and gold is tested   by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested   by giving them a little fame. To test what kind of man a person is, give him a little praise, a little honor. How he reacts to this will reveal his heart. Turn this verse toward yourself. How do you react to a little praise? Do you respond in humility or pride? Do you crave more or do you turn that praise toward Christ? These are important questions to ask, especially if you are trying to determine the nature of your own heart.

Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man. (NIV) So true. We are beings of wants and desires. We are beings of lusts and coveteousness. We always want more, and what we see fuels the fire of this insatiable lust.

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. (NIV) So many times it is easy to do and think things that are wrong, and then say to yourself, "...that isn't the real me." or "...I don't know where that came from!" But it is important to realize that your heart (your conscious self) is reflecting the real you. Where do those thoughts come from? YOU. Why did you make those choices? Because that is who you are. The only hope that we have is that Christ will come in and wash us.

He who tends a fig tree     will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master     will be honored. (NIV) Whatever it is that you do, you should do it well. Look after your job. Don't slack in your parenting. Master each homework assignment that you have to do. Get started on your projects in advance. Keep up to date with what is going on around you. Don't let things slip by without attention. If you can tend the fig trees in your life, then rest assured that, if God is willing to allow you to tarry here, you will eat of the fruit of your labors.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (NIV) A beautiful and profound passage that has etched itself into the hearts of so many people. Praise God for those people in your life who have served this purpose.

...restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand. (NIV) The mental picture here is descriptive enough. Grasping oil with the hand, or restraining the wind are both impossible things. So, if you have a quarrelsome spouse, the goal is not to restrain. You can't do that anyway. The goal that you must have is to please God in your own life, regardless of what your spouse is doing. Love God first with your own life and efforts. Love those around you next, as a way to love God. You will not change the heart of your spouse, that is God's job anyway. But you can minister to the heart of your spouse, and that is what you should do. I think that this mentality when dealing with difficult or quarrelsome people doesn't just apply to a marriage. It can also apply to many other relationships. Don't seek to restrain those people in your life.

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; (NIV) Another verse that is very true. When you live with someone who is prone to quarrel about every little thing, it is most definitely like a constant dripping. But for the record, a quarrelsome husband is just as bad.

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse. (NIV) This is so true.

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman. (NIV) This verse is speaking about accountability and keeping your promises. If someone puts up security for a stranger, they do not know how reliable that person is, but they still need to be held accountable. If someone puts up security for a wayward woman, they know that there is a lack of reliability there, but they still need to be held accountable for the security that they put up. Even if the promise that has been made is one that shouldn't have been made, it should be kept.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. (NIV) What warning signs are you seeing in your life today? Is there any impending danger that you could take refuge from? What about your actions? Are they leading to any consequences that could be avoided if you would take heed?

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt. (NIV) I was just talking with some of my students about this the other day. As a son you are a reflection of your parents. If you are wise, you will bring joy to the heart of the parent.

Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. (NIV) Once again, we read of the importance of friends. Especially in times of disaster, sometimes it isn't best to go flying back home. Sometimes it is best to call on that friend in your time of need.

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. (NIV) A friend who can not only tell you the truth, but can tell you the truth in love, that is sweet to the soul.

Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. (NIV) A bird knows to tend and care for its nest. A bird knows to leave the nest only to bring food back. Straying from the nest can be detrimental both to the bird and to the ones still in the nest.

He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet. (NIV) This is so true. When you are full, when you are not in a state of want, then even the sweet things are loathsome to you. Yet when you are hungry, truly hungry, then even the things that you would normally pass by become very satisfying. I think that this can be true in our spiritual lives. When we are around the Word all of the time, it loses its excitement. It becomes mundane. And sometimes to those who are always around it, or have grown up in it, the Bible almost becomes foul tasting. But when you are in a spiritual state of need, or maybe if you just recognize the need that is always there, suddenly even the hard or difficult things of God are so sweet and satisfying.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (NIV) True friendship doesn't stop all hardships. With true friendship there is still the possibility the occasional wound. But it is a wound that can be trusted. It shows a reality and a fellowship that can be had. But "kisses" can't always be trusted. Many times they are not true in their intents.

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. (NIV) Confrontation of wrong is an absolute necessity in a true Biblical friendship. That is hard to do many times. Most people don't enjoy confronting their friends, but rebuking your friend does so much more than a hidden love could ever do. In fact, you might say that an open rebuke, if done in the right spirit, is the fulfillment of love, whereas if love remains hidden, it goes unfulfilled.