Two things I need to know...

Proverbs 30:
7 

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.[a]

The man declares, I am weary, O God;
    I am weary, O God, and worn out.[b]
2 Surely I am too stupid to be a man.
    I have not the understanding of a man.
3 I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son's name?
    Surely you know!

5 Every word of God proves true;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
    lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I ask of you;
    deny them not to me before I die:
8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
9 lest I be full and deny you
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
    and profane the name of my God.

Sometimes I get the feeling that people, maybe even Christians especially, when they get older, think they have come to know it all and understand it all. Not the writer here. He began by saying that compared to God we are all pretty stupid. There is still a lot we do not know, even after all these years.  We never will. But there are two key principles we all need to learn: the truth is always best, and contentment covers a lot of bases.  All of us at times sacrifice truth for personal appearance or convenience; we need to get over that. Truth always matters, because God is always true. Why lie?  Any of us who declare we are always honest deserve a smack in the mouth.  The second blessing, contentment, is also not so easy for us, yet it may seem more attainable.  I have seen it - not often, but occasionally, in the lives of some sainth.  It is well worth having and pursuing, which almost seems like an oxymoron: to pursue contentment. But then again, by the grace of God, nothing is impossible.  "Lord, today, teach me to be totally truthful and completely content." 

Study today... Wisdom tomorrow...

⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
⁷ for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

(Proverbs 25)

We've all heard these words before, in a more general statement. It was Christ Himself Who applied these wise words to the presumptive Pharisees who thought they deserved God's approval and blessing.  Wisdom: taking God's truths to apply to life.  That's what we need. Sometimes, as we read the Proverbs, and a lot if Scripture in fact, we wonder what in the world it has to do with us.  Wisdom is when the Spirit of God works with the Word of God to tell us "OH! This is when and how it all makes sense." May we study today to be wise tomorrow and every day. 

Bless and Be Blessed

Psalm 134 

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants ofthe LORD,

who stand by night in the house of the LORD!

2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!

3  May the LORD bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth!

Sometimes simple is best.  Such is the case in this short Psalm of Ascent, sung by God's people as they travelled together to worship.  Come to bless God - to fill His heart with Joy by doing what He wants us to do: recognize Him as Creator and Lord.  When we do so, we are the ones who will be blessed - truly happy, with our lives in order.  We will come away ready to go back into daily lives with the dose of reality we need - He is LORD and it's a privilege to be His. 

More than you asked for...

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Proverbs 21:21

Solomon asked for wisdom, and received much more.  God was pleased with his request.  God is also pleased when His people pursue what is important to Him: right relationships and reflecting His lovingkindness.  He wants us to want to be in fellowship with Him and those He has put in our lives to have relationship with.  And He wants us to go out of our way to do something to bless these same people.  He wants us to live our lives for others, not just ourselves.  When we do, we find out that it is more blessed to give than receive.  When we do, we find a sense of purpose in life, a deepness in our relationships, and a returned respect we only dreamed were possible.  We do the first not to receive the second; rather, we receive the latter as a pleasant surprise in pursuing the former.  So, what will we ask for with our actions today?

Unlimited God

II Chronicles 2:
5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. 6 But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? 
Solomon, in all of his wisdom, got it right.  He was entrusted with an awesome, even impossible task - building a temple for the One True God. How can you build a box big enough to contain the infinite Creator and sustainer of all things? How can you make it glorious enough to even reflect His glory, let alone be worthy of it? Solomon goes on to make plans to include the best materials, designed by the most renowned craftsman of his day, sparing no expense or investment of time, to do the impossible. It cannot be done, but it was. The same is true of our lives - we cannot live worthy lives for God apart from Him.  Our best does not cut it , yet that is what we are called on to do. We are not to "give up", but to press on, knowing that in and of ourselves we will never be enough, but that by His grace in Christ, He accepts us and transforms us. As Solomon says here, we are to be the place of His offerings: "Take my life, Lord, and do as you see fit.  It's all I have, and you can do great things with it."

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom

 when he has no sense?

Proverbs 17:16

Like many proverbs this seems so obvious, but seeing it in the ESV makes it stand out so much.  The play on words makes it stick with you.  We can have all the money in the world - or opportunities or friends or any other resource, but if we have not the wisdom of God as to how to use them, they are wasted away.  Let's not waste away all that God has blessed us with today. Let's make it count for Him. 

How to Have a Rotten Life

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
    but envy makes the bones rot.
Proverbs 16:30
Never Enough.  That is the problem I see most often in my counseling.  People like to compare what they have to others, or the availability of all that is out there, and they never have enough.  Peace within never comes from without.  Life - real life - comes from what is within, never from the stuff outside - be it relationships, gadgets or approval of others.  We all know that deep down, but we do not live it well.  Rot... Think of the rottenest thing you can, and then contrast that will the calmest thing you can think off, whether it be by a beach or a stream, or sitting in your living room on Christmas Eve silently looking at your Christmas tree.  The contrast of those two things is only the beginning of that between life lived in thanksgiving and faith toward God, and life pursuing everything else under the sun.  Chose life.