The Good News A Journey Through the Bible

We are still in the book ofProverbs for today’s lesson. For those of you who have never taken the time to read Proverbs,maybe you should. It is filled with common sense wisdom and every day learning. Today we look at Proverbs 17:19-22 “He loveth transgression that loveth strife: and he that exaltheth his gate seek destruction. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
These few verses are so powerful in their wording. The message screams at anyone who will listen. Let us look at the first verse. “He loveth transgression that loveth strife.” Think about that for a moment. Those who love to trangress (if you don’t know the meaning of the word, look it up) so enjoy strife. The meaning of strife is bitter or violent conflict. Now doesn’t that ring a bell with the temperature of the country at the moment. Those two words go hand in hand. Because who ever loves to quarrel lives in sin and whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. Moving on to verse 20 – we are told that a person with forward heart finds no good. In other words, those folks whos heart is corrupt will never posper and if his tongue is perverse all he will do is fall into trouble where ever trouble happens to be. As I watch the things going on in the world today this is more and more prevalent. I really like the next verse it sheds light on the rioting and looting and total destruction of our towns. “He that begeth a fool doeth it to his sorrow and the father of a fool hath no joy.” I wonder what the parents of those children feel as they watch their children on national TV for all the world to see act so foolish. I wonder if it brings grief to their lives. The Bible tells us it does. These same children will one day have to explain to their children the cost of being so foolish , when their children do the same thing only worse. The last verse states that a merry heart is like a good medicine while a broken spirit dries up the bones. Oh my dears, how true this is. There is nothing but broken spritis running around like humans as their bones are dried up . These spirits would rather tear down as opposed to building up which is what a merry heart does. A merry heart gives the receiver the feeling of comfort and safety. Whereas, the broken spirit creates a void. Are we collectivly creating a void? Are we moving toward destruction? Are we not going to prosper as a nation because of what is going on around us? Our children are the product of their teachings both at home and school. These proverbs were true when they were written and they are true today. God sees all. As a nation we have become extremely foolish and spirits of dried bones . #proverbs,#god,#nation

Today’s lesson is brought to you from Proverbs 6:16-19 ” These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,feet that be swift in running to mischief, A False witness that speakth lies, and he that soweth discord among brethern.”
Shall we take a moment to look at this scripture. Proverbs is filled with wise lessons and it does not take a rocket scientist to understand them if one only reads and learns with an open mind. Breaking these few scriptures down tells us exactly what the Lord hates and why. He hates a proud look. Why you might ask. The reason is simple when one has a proud look- that more than likely shows their heart is proud and haughty. When a heart is proud then there is no way it will open up and learn. We know that pride leads to a conceited scense of one’s superiority. When that occurs then in the prideful person’s mind everyone else is beneath them. Look around that is what is happening to our country. People are prideful full of their own conceited sense of superiority. Proverbs 16:18 plainly states this “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” All the great empires fell because of pride. The Greeks, the Romans and the Bablyonians all fell because they were prideful. Now, let’s look at the second part of verse 16 in Proverbs 6. God also hates a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood. We are now in the thros of both lying tongues and the shedding of innocent blood. Nancy Pelosi stated in a news confernece which I saw that they as politicans deliberately hand the media hounds lies to perpetrate on the unsuspecting public. Once the lie is out there then the politicans use those lies to sell their platform. They speak those lies as truth and facts. In doing so they are part of the crime of shedding innocent blood. Those lies incited riots incited hate and incite bloodshed. Again read your history of all of the fallen empires. The next verse is one of my favorites because in my mind’s eye I see this happening. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief. Now, just think about that one for a moment. The lies are handed to the media. The hearts of those in office planes wicked imaginations also known as lies. Then once those lies are formed they run quickly to mischief, that is to the media and the unsuspecting public feeding them like feeding milk to a newborn. God hates that. And it stands to reason as to why he hates it. This action creates division, hate and destruction of his people. Which brings me to the last verse in toda’s lesson, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Ladies and gentlemen, all we have to do is look around us. Look at the destruction of our cities, our businesses, the burning, looting and hate that has been perpetrated on us. This is what God hates. And yet, we as sheep fall for it. We are stirred up with a spoon in a pot of water that is boiling – then the politicans and media sit back and let the hate mongers add their spices of vitrol to divide us to the point that no one feels safe. God hates this. My question to each of you is this. Why do you allow other people to pull your strings? Why do you allow other people to dictate to you? Why do you allow other people to control your emotions and line of reason? God has the answers and God is the one we answer to in the end. It is not a matter of if we die, it is a matter of when we die. It is not a matter of how we die, we do not get a choice in that, but we do get a choice in where we are going. That is unless we allow others to make that choice for us. So my question to you today is this. Are you going to be one who does those things in your life that God hates, are you going to be that person who allows someone you don’t eve know to dictate where you spend eternity which is a very long time or are you going to determine where you spend eternity? If your answer is that you are going to determine your eternity, then I suggest that you get off the sheep train. That you start thinking for youself and that you put your faith not in man, but in God. He is the one with the answers. #eternity,#God,#pride,#evil

Today’s lesson is taken from Proverbs Chapter 10. I have always found Proverbs to be filled with wise instructions. Common sense instructions that are often lost in the translation and understandting of life in general and the Bible in particular. Proverbs instructs man on the ways of behaving, treating others and being wise by gleaning knowledge. Then instructs man on the correct way to put all of this information to good use. Chapter 10 is filled with nuggets of knowledge.
For Instance, Verse 1 starts the theme of the chapter “The proverb of Solomon. A wise man maketh a glad father: But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” If one read only that verse it should hit them right between the eyes. When a child is born, most fathers are struting around like a proud peacock. Beating their chest and saying to the world, “Look at me. I am a father.” A mother worries over that child from before the day it is born until the day either she dies or the child dies. When that child makes foolish decisions that mother grieves – looses sleep and worries to the point of many times becoming ill. A child does not understand that concept until they also become a parent.
Now in light of all that is going on in the world, let us look at those folks who are destorying the very country in which they live. Verse 11 states “The mouth of the righteous man is a well of life, but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” Why in the world would a child want to place a burden on its parent such as this? Why would a child want to be seen in a public place, no matter that the child is now an adult- and cause it’s mother such a heaviness of heart by creating violence knowing there is a big chance that child might die at the hands of stupidity.
Verse 12 brings this point home even better. “Hatred stiffeth up strifes, but love covereth all sins.” Why would a child not want to make its mother proud? Hate is evil, hate is sinful and hate only destroys. Hate begets hate. Hate is destructive as we see on a daily basis. Hate brings death from which there is no coming back. No mother wants to bury her child or see her child locked up for crimes that child committed because of hate.
Moving down to Verse 14 we see this ” Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the fool is near destruction.” All of the people who are destroying this country both on the streets and in politics are creating destruction. Destruction that will never be reversed. Dectruction which will change the face of the country and not for the better. With that destruction will come changes that even those who are doing the destroying will not be able to live with.
Verse 23 ties it all together “It is a sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.”
They are not laying up knowledge because they are not being wise. They are being fools. They do not think about the fact that the consequences of their collective actions will fall on those who gave them birth or who raised them. That the future of the country will change in a way that will be detrimental to all. They have forgotten or maybe they never wanted to be someone’s child, sister, brother, niece or nephew, or grandchild. All they are thinking about is the right now. The “me” in the equation. The destruction of a country that is more free than any other country around. They also are not wise enough to know there will be a reckoning. The reckoning will be here and at death. They will have to answer for all of their actions. They will have to answer for all of their words and thoughts. Those mothers have a heaviness on their hearts that will never go away.
Those who are doing mischief- are according to Proverbs fools and there will be a price in the end. God is still in charge and he is still allowing spoiled and foolish children to tear up their playground. When he has had enough, he will disicpline and he will be heavy handed. #proverbs, #wisdom, #errentchildren,#foolishchildren

After another night of restlessness, I opened my Bible this morning. I did not have a specific scripture in mind. I just needed to listen to God. The page found me and it is very pointed and shouts to the rooftops the consquences of the bad decisions that are currently being made in this country and world wide. Now, I know there are those of you who do not believe in God and that is okay. There are those of you who will attack this post and that is okay. However, for those of you who understand that God is in charge and God knows what is coming you will understand this post.
Daniel 5 is where my Bible opened up to. The back story is the Children of Israel had been in captivity by the Babylonians. They had destroyed the Temples of God and taken the gold and silver vessels from the Temple. To add insult to injury – the King – King Belshazzar decided he would drink his wine and have his guests drink their wine from these vessels which belonged to God. During the course of this feast and this desacration, a hand mysteriously appeared from nowhere and started writing on the wall of the room where the feast was being held. The king’s soothsayers, and prophets were called in to translate. They could not.
However, there was one in the kingdom who was a captive who knew the translation. His name was Daniel and he was still a faithful child of God even in captivity.
This is what was written on the wall, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Opharsin. Translation :
Mene: “God hath numbered they kingdom, and finished it.
Tekel: Thou art weighted in the balances, and art found wanting.
Peres: They kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and
Persians ( Daniel 5: 25-28)
And that is exactly what happened. The point of this lesson in history is this. God has numbered this Country, he knows down the road, maybe we have been weighted in the balances and found wanting, and maybe our Country will be given over to foreign agents. We as a nation have not learned from any history, not the Greeks, nor the Roman or the Babylonians. We as a nation believe that we are in charge, that we have the final say in all things. We do not. We as a nation have become to self- centered, to self- righteous, to self- consuming, feeling to entitled that it is all about “me.” It is not. We as a nation believe that we are in control, unstoppable, infalilable and not answerable to anyone. We have allowed what is wrong to become right, what is criminal to become non- criminal, to hate authority of any kind, to hate our fellow man for whatever reason and to put God somewhere in left field. We have no anchor, no center and our ship is sailing off the edge of the world when it is not spinning around in a circle like a dog chasing it’s tail. And through it all we in our own finite minds really believe we are still in charge. We are so smug, so full of our own selves we really believe that we are indestructable. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, at the risk of losing even more folks from my page, I am here to tell you. We are not indestructable. We are not in charge and we will be held accountable at the end of the day. Whenever that may be. Just like Bablyon there will be a reckoning, there will be a day when we all stand before God and give an account of our actions. There will be a day when we are weighted in the balance and will be found wanting. The question is this will that day be before or after our Country is complete consumed by others or will God become tired of our disobedience and return like a thief in the night separating the chafe from the wheat.
Eternity is a long – long – long time. In fact it is never ending.
Hate me if you will. The truth will stand even when the world is on fire. There is still time to turn this thing around. To understand that God is in charge and he expects us to do as he asks. It is also time to understand that with a word or a wave of his hand, the world can end in the blink of an eye. Ask yourself this question what do you want to be doing when that happens? And feel free to share this. #takingastand,#God,#eternity

Today’s lesson is brought to you by Proverbs 18: 12. I know there will be those of you who do not believe in God or the Bible and that is okay. However, after much prayful thought and sleepless nights, I feel that since social media has been a platform for hate, destruction and vitriol is it time to go in a new direction. That is one of love, God and the results of sin. I have sat quiet too long and not spoken out about my yardstick. So, if this lesson reaches one person and changes them, then God’s work is fruitful.
So back to Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humilty.” Ladies and gentlemen we are on the eve of destruction. We see people who have no respect for the property of others, who have no respect for the lives of others and who have no respect for the history of this country. Their hearts are haughty, self serving and destructive. They go to and fro looking for ways to destory the country. They use the 1st Amendment to justify destroying everything in their wake.
We as a nation have become haughty, selfish and self serving. We as a nation and as a world have lost humilty. We have in the course of becoming haughty and self serving have turned on each other like a pack of ravenous wolves at the carcass of a dead deer.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us this, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” We have not learned anything throught the rise and fall of the great civilizations of the world, They became proud and haughty, truly believing they were mighter than God. They believed that anything was okay and that what was wrong was right and what was right was wrong. If the facts of history didn’t suit a faction they either destoryed it or re-wrote it. Example Egypt go back and read some of their history. Some of the Pharoahs statues were torn down and their writings scratched out and written over. Hundreds of years from now if the earth is still around those who study the past and dig up history- you know archeologies, those guys, they will see how foolish Americans were, how sad they were in the fact that some believed they could hide the parts of history that did not suit them.
Parents are told to train up their children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6. Sadly, it would appear that some parents have trained their children to be destroyers and haters. As they grow old, this will only become more evident, it will become generational. So the hate and destruction will continue until, we are overtaken by outside forces or God gets enough and destroys us himself. Something to think about. #God,#destructionofAmerica,#trainingupourchildren

In light of what I have been reading about the destruction of “church Buildings” today’s lesson is brought to you from Psalms 11:1-7 “In the Lord I put my trust: how say you to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For,lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make read their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snare, fire and brimestone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portio of their cup. For the righteous Lord leth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”
Men today as in the past may come through and destroy buildings with the status of “church” attached to them. They may burn them down, tear them apart or whatever they feel is necessary to destory someone’s faith. However, a faithful person understands that God does not dwell in a building. He dwells in the hearts of the faithful. This is just another trick of the devil who is walking to and fro seeking those whom he may devour. He is seeking those he might claim as his own. He doesn’t go after those he already owns, he goes after those who are faithful to God. We as a nation are playing right into the hands of the Devil. We have abandoned our post as the faithful and the Devil has walked in – They can destroy every church building around, tear down every “religous” icon- but for those of us who are faithful, they can never tear down the in dwelling of God. Bottom line it matters not what “color” Christ was as a human. What matters is he was sent to earth, from his father to die for our sins. He paid the ultimate price for us. He did it willingly- when we as people understand that, the building, the icon and whatever else man has placed in place does not matter. A Building is not necessary in order to worship God. While having a building is nice for the fellowship and the coming together, it is not necessary. What is necessary is the indwelling of God, the coming together of each other whether it is in a home or a parking lot. God has a plan –

 

 

 

 

During my travels on this earth, I have come across so many people who are not happy. They are not happy in their relationships, their solitude, their jobs, their faith, their whatever. No matter what happens in their lives, they are not happy. In fact, they are happiest when they are unhappy.

Being happy is not a state of mind, it is a state of being. It is an internal thing, it comes from the soul, the heart, and the mind. It is not something that can be purchased or given away. It is not something we can own or sell.

I have heard people say things like, “If I could just…” you fill in the blank, I could be happy. That is a lie. I have heard folks say, “If people would just do….” You fill in the blanks, I could be happy. That is also a lie.

No matter where you go, or what you do if you are not happy where you are, then you will never be happy where you go. The reason is simple, you have to carry yourself with you. You can never get away from the “you” that you are unhappy with. You cannot put the “you” in a closet somewhere when you move to a new place and expect to be happy. You have to make up your mind that no matter what life throws at you, no matter who disagrees with you and no matter your station in life, that you are happy. Paul stated that in all things he had learned to be content. In other words, he knew that he had baggage, her knew he would be beaten, jailed, shipwrecked, and left for dead. But he also knew it was up to him to be happy and contented. He knew that no one could make him happy and he knew that if he were not happy where he was – he would never be happy anywhere he went.

So, before someone decides that a change of scenery, a new place of worship, a new home, a new car, again fill in the blank, remember this, you carry you everywhere you go. If you are not happy where you are you will never be happy wherever you go.

As usual I find things that inspire me to write. I read something that really resonated with me. It was the story of a man who was hired to paint a boat. While painting the boat he found a small hole. Quietly he fixed the hole and went about his job of painting. He did not tell the customer he had repaired the hole; he just received the amount he was given for the paint job. The next day the customer came to the man with a bigger check. The man said that he did not ask for that much for painting the boat. However, the customer told him that his children had taken the boat out to fish while he was not at home. When he returned and saw the boat gone, he became worried because the children did not know the boat had a hole in it. When he saw the children returning to shore safely, he looked for the leak and found it had been repaired. The customer told the man that he did not have enough money to repay him for fixing the leak. He told the man that because he had fixed the leak his children were safe.
How many times do we quietly fix the leak in the boat of life of others? How many times are we willing to patch their hurts, their doubts, their flaws without payment?
When we fix others leaks, we receive blessings beyond measure, we may even save a life. Even when we are at our lowest, reach out and fix someone else’s leak, it will make you feel better and it might even save your life.