February 2012

“Desire without knowledge is not good – how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” – Proverbs 19:2

Desires make great servants but horrible masters.

Every human being has a deep desire for justice, meaning, beauty, and connection to other people.  This isn’t a bad thing - these desires are good.  In part, they are what make us human; they’re what we all have in common.

It’s how we embrace these desires where our humanity begins to splinter.

A fool takes a desire for justice into his own hands and seeks revenge, even murder.  A fool over-concludes the circumstances his life and populates a desire for meaning with assumptions and outright lies.  A fool perverts love into lust, objectifying people to fulfill a need of being known and accepted.

“Desire without knowledge is not good.”

Desire itself isn’t what’s wrong with humanity.  Desire without knowledge is the real problem.  The wise among us embrace desires as guides, not masters.  Their desires point them towards healthy decision-making.  They understand that their desires provide a trustworthy framework for understanding the world.  Ultimately, their desires lead them to God.

Desires are a good thing.  Don’t be afraid of them.  Just remember: either you control your desires, or they’ll end up controlling you.  

Birds have nests, spiders have webs, humans have friends.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  Proverbs 18:24

A sticky friend is someone who loves you no matter what.  When the whole world leaves the room, this friend stays.  When you need advice, rebuke, or just someone to listen, this friend is there for you.  No matter the circumstance, sticky friends stay the course of the trials of your life.

What kind of friends do you have?  Unreliable or sticky friends?  Why is that?  What can you do today to invite friendship into your life?  What kind of friend are you?  Unreliable or sticky?  Why?  What can you do today to be a better friend to someone?

There is a lie going around that we don’t need each other.  Don’t believe it.  We NEED each other for almost everything.  Choose to have friends and be a friend today.

Have you ever asked, ‘What’s God’s Will for my life?’  Are you looking for His guidance concerning something in your life today?  Well, God’s guidance is more something He does, than it is something He gives.

Listen as Kevin explains & continues the ‘Renew My Mind’ series by looking at Proverbs 16.

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“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.”  Proverbs 17:3

This thing you’re going through, it may not be what you think.  God’s not punishing you.  He’s not far away.  He hears your prayer.  This fiery test you’re going through isn’t meant to destroy, but to refine.

Often, what we see as punishment, distance or unanswered prayer is simply God making us new.

Most of us don’t need new horizons; we need new eyes.  Only then will we realize all that God is providing us right now.

“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have no sense.”  Proverbs 12:11

Work.

Some of us love it, others of us loathe it.  Regardless, Wisdom says we need it.  Theologian & Pastor Tim Keller defines work as: Rearranging the raw materials of a particular domain for the flourishing of everyone.

One of the beautiful things about work is that you don’t need anyone else’s permission to do it.  Unlike a ‘job‘ or an ‘assignment‘ or a ‘calling‘ (3 things many of us are still searching for), work is something we can do everyday, because all we need are the raw materials right in front of us.

Take a look around.  Cleaning, learning, going to the gym, making dinner, calling a friend, even praying; these are the raw materials of everyday life.

“Those who work their land will have abundant food.”

Whatever land God’s given you today, take the raw materials it provides and rearrange them for the good of someone else.

Wisdom is a path.  It’s something we pursue everyday, one foot in front of the other.  It’s not a door, a latch, a key, a formula, or a 5 step program.  Wisdom is a journey of trusting God each and every day of our lives.

Listen as Kevin continues the ‘Renew My Mind’ series by looking at Proverbs 3.

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“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.” Proverbs 9:7-9

One of the most accurate measures of your character is how you respond when you’re confronted, challenged, rebuked, or accused.

If your response is curiosity, it indicates one thing.  If your response is defensiveness, it indicates another.

What if just 1% of what the other person is saying to you is true?  Is it worth your curiosity?  If not, what percentage of it needs to be true for you to listen?

“Rebuke the wise and they will love you.”

“Your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.  The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.  For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.”  Proverbs 5:21-23

If you live today the way you lived yesterday, how will your life turn out?  What kind of person would you become?

One of the most difficult things for a person to do is to ‘unlearn‘ something.  We all have habits, tendencies, and thought patterns that ’lead us astray.’  There are things that we continually gravitate towards that don’t benefit us in any way – they’re even destructive – these are the things we must ‘unlearn.’  For most of us, however, these things seem impossible to ‘unlearn.’

Wisdom invites us into a new way of living.  A way of living that isn’t controlled by ‘our own great folly‘.  A way of life that doesn’t discount the power of ‘unlearning‘ bad habits and ways of thinking.  In fact, Wisdom doesn’t categorize ‘unlearning‘ as impossible or unattainable at all.  No, Wisdom gives us the path to freedom: discipline.

“For lack of discipline, they will die.”  

Discipline is simply being constant in purpose.  It’s taking responsibility for everything we think and do, and with a vision in mind, making those things obedient to our vision.  The real beauty of discipline is that you don’t have to worry about what happened yesterday or what may come tomorrow.  No, discipline is the art of taking responsibility for now.  Discipline is all about the choice we’re making right now.

What things do you need to ‘unlearn‘ today?

(A MONTH OF WISDOM: We’re spending the month of February in the book of Proverbs.  Beginning Feb 5, join us as we commit to reading 1 chapter of Proverbs a day, everyday, until Mar 6.  During our journey, we’ll post ‘Mosaic Today’ updates every weekday focused on WISDOM (via text & email).)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Proverbs 4:23

“What do you want?”  

This is as important a question as ‘what do you believe?‘ or ‘who do you worship?‘ because what you want reveals the true desires of your heart.  In part, what you want most reveals what you actually believe and who you actually worship.

Here’s a good exercise.  Take some time today and make a list of the top 10 things you want right now.  Look at the list.  If you were to get all of these things, where would that leave you?  Getting what we want can be the greatest prison we could be in or it can be the most freeing thing we could experience.  It all depends on what we want.    

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

Walking With God

‘In the original Hebrew, “in all your ways submit to him” is more literally “in all your ways know him.”  This fundamental statement of how to relate to God implies more than mere reverence.  Nodding in God’s direction is not enough: You must know him by living closely with him, relating to him personally in every aspect of your life.’ - Phillip Yancey

Knowing about somebody and knowing somebody are two very different things.  The former requires only information about somebody.  The latter requires a relationship.

Which will you experience with God today?