LogosWalk Word Journal
Hearing God Speak through His Word

"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word
in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance."
-- Luke 8:15 (NASB)

Archive for the '20: Proverbs' Category

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Ecclesiastes 11:2-3 • Spiritual Financial Planning

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
“Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies.”
    —Ecclesiastes 11:2-3 (NASB)

It’s not unusual for someone to engage in extensive financial planning in order to ensure not only that their family’s present needs are taken care of, but that specific future goals are met. It’s not only the prudent application of meeting all current obligations according to whatever budget is available, but properly planning future vacations, anticipated expansions or changes to homes, children’s education, retirement, etc. It’s rare that we take the same approach for the family of God into which we’ve been born. Financial planning for spiritual matters is often limited to what is perceived as a tithing obligation.
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Proverbs 30:18-20 • The Natural Order of Things

Saturday, July 4th, 2009
“There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Four which I do not understand:
The way of an eagle in the sky,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,
And the way of a man with a maid.
This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, ‘I have done no wrong.'”
    —Proverbs 30:18-20 (NASB)

Agur lists some things “which I do not understand”, and then makes a contrast with something that he does understand. The things “too wonderful for me” are all connected by being natural phenomena found within God’s creation. (Isn’t it interesting that they cover the air, land, sea, and man?) The thing he understands and to which he draws a stark contrast is adultery—physical unfaithfulness. In contrast to the natural ways of creation exhibited in the first four items, unfaithfulness is a conscience choice that goes against God’s original intentions. Sin is always a choice that leads away from the natural order of things.
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Proverbs 30:7-9 • Setting the Right Priorities

Friday, July 3rd, 2009
“Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God.”
    —Proverbs 30:7-9 (NASB)

While working for a secular company that was relocating from one state to another, I found a side issue to the whole thing to be fascinating: How people make life-changing decisions. The pending decision of whether or not to follow the company to a whole new state or quit and look for another job, whether to sell one’s current house to move and buy a new one, whether to uproot children and family members to a new place—these and dozens of other factors had to be fit together into the larger equation, “What do I want to do with my life?” It was one of those rare points in one’s life when faced with a deadline to completely evaluate one’s goals and review how well it was going up to that point. Although the weight to each factor varied depending on the individual, they were all still faced with asking themselves if they were in the right jobs, if they could fulfill plans for their family, when and where they might retire, and so on.
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Proverbs 28:9 • When Prayer is a Problem

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
“He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.”
    —Proverbs 28:9 (NASB)

The biblical definition of “to listen” or “to hear” is to put the message into practice in one’s life, to allow behavior to be changed. We often think we’re “listening” to another by simply allowing them to talk. When GOD talks, however, we have to act upon His message. There’s a stark difference between the person who comes away from a sermon determined to put into practice what the Spirit has taught through the message, and the person who thinks going to church each week and allowing the preacher to talk fulfills some kind of minimum requirement.
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Proverbs 27:17 • Iron Sharpens Iron

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
“Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.”
    —Proverbs 27:17 (NASB)

Here’s what really fascinates me about this verse: Is this strictly speaking only about “Believers” sharpening each other? Or does it generally apply to anyone? The use of “man” is fairly generic. Often the Old Testament implies something more about the object of its teachings by providing a specific description such as “neighbor”, “brother”, “the wicked”, “the righteous”, etc. Such labels give us more information. I keep going back to my initial feeling that this observation has a dual meaning depending on other factors. What happens if both men are Believers, or both men are non-Believers, or there is one of each? I suspect that it still holds true that “one man sharpens another”.
(more…)

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Proverbs 26:25 • The Appearance of Legitimacy

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
“Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be wise in his own eyes.”
    —Proverbs 26:25 (NASB)

Not that it probably will ever happen, but if a television network’s news program invited me to come on the air to discuss something related to Christianity, I’d want to know who else they invited. They’re famous for quickly assembling a “panel of experts” representing differing viewpoints for a given spectrum. In the American culture of “fair play” and freedom of speech, this is deemed to be “fair and balanced”. I would turn down the opportunity because I believe it does far more harm than good.
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Proverbs 24:27 • First Things First

Monday, June 29th, 2009
“Prepare your work outside
And make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterwards, then, build your house.”
    —Proverbs 24:27 (NASB)

It usually begins with the sincere, heartfelt statement, “To attract more people like [fill in the 1st blank], we need to organize [fill in the 2nd blank] here at church.” After more than a century of conditioning by a consumer-oriented culture, the approach to increasing attendance at church mirrors the same marketing techniques for selling laundry detergent. Having identified the target audience, the follow-up approach amounts to an advertising campaign to attract their attention so they’ll choose our brand and product over the rest. It puzzles me to no end as to why the repeated biblical example is for prophets, apostles, teachers, believers, and even Christ Himself to GO OUT TO the people, yet so much of the time we think in reverse, plotting on how to get them to come to us.
(more…)

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