"God's Unconditional Love for Us"

“The king’s favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame” (Proverbs 14:35). When I was a little boy the last thing I wanted to do was get my dad mad at me or have him disappointed in me. We can all relate to wanting our dads to be proud of us. Some of us went to extremes in the pursuit of our dad’s approval, and many indulged in negative excesses when they did not receive it. Whether you ever received your earthly father’s blessing or not, your heavenly father desires to bless you, and He loves you unconditionally. You are the apple of His eye (Psalms 17:8), and He is proud of you. He brags on you, just as he did Job. He is not pleased with you one second and disappointed in you the next. God’s approval of you is not based on your works and efforts, but on the unchanging blood of Jesus. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Peter 1:18,19). “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Colossians 1:21, 22). Our Heavenly Father is pleased with us because He is pleased with Jesus. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we come into right standing with God.

Having a Humble Spirit

“Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:19). Many times, God’s principles contradict our natural understanding. In fact, they seem contrary to human nature. Our natural inclination is to hate our enemies, but God tells us to love them. When men hurt us, He says to forgive them. When others take advantage of us, he says to go twice the distance. Today’s proverb is baffling to our human reasoning as well. By nature, we all want to be with the “in crowd.” We desire acceptance, respect, and popularity. Yet, once again, God puts His emphasis on the inward man. A humble spirit with the lowly is better than dividing the spoil with the proud. Our world system and its mores are diametrically opposed to Kingdom principles. Proverbs 15:16 says: “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.” I have found that the “Better…” proverbs, almost always contrast worldly perspectives with what God says is best. The point is: we cannot always trust our own understanding, which is precisely why God tells us to lean not on our own understanding but to acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5,6). It is imperative that believers base their decisions on the unchanging Word of God. The world’s values and beliefs change daily. It takes humility to seek God’s will. The question is: Do we really want to do His will, or would we rather follow the fickle ways of the world?

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15). The major reason that cults and false religions are so prevalent today is because men do not know the Word of God. Since they do not know it, they cannot recognize heresy and false doctrine when they hear it. As a result, the church and her families are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14). Without the Word of God, we are like a sailboat without a rudder. We have no direction, are totally dependent on the wind and waves and are carried about wherever they take us. When a pastor, Christian leader, or unsaved person (such as a boss at work) attempts to lead us, we have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, our brothers and sisters in Christ and our co-workers to make sure that the counsel we have been given lines up with the Word of God. When Paul instructed the brethren in Berea, “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11). The perversion of the gospel of grace will become more prevalent in the last days. “ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (I Timothy 4:1, 2). As men of God, we must contend for the faith and be prudent in our lives.

A Counterfeit Man

“A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame” (Proverbs 13:5). Lying is the very essence of hypocrisy. When we lie, we make a false representation of ourselves to others. The locker room boastings of youth are far too often carried into adulthood with men competing to outdo one another and pressuring others to conform to a worldly view of manhood. Authentic manhood is godly manhood, and it is far different from the picture we have been given. As Christians, we lie every time we go to church, put on our happy Christian masks, and act as if everything is wonderful, even as our world crumbles around us. It is easy to lie to others, when we are so used to lying to ourselves. Christians are no different from the world, in that we are afraid to be vulnerable, honest about our problems, and transparent in our struggles out of fear that we will be judged or perceived as weak. Instead of confessing our faults to one another (James 5:16) and having the strong lift up the weak (Romans 15:1), we play the church charade and hope that no one sees us for who we really are. When tragedy strikes, some Christians refuse to allow themselves to grieve because of a distorted belief that they need to show the world that they are “strong in the Lord”. However, they forget that Jesus wept, laughed, grieved, and experienced the entire gamut of human emotions that we experience. Suppressing how we truly feel is another form of lying and hypocrisy. Men of God, let us ask God for the courage to be real men and not merely a guise of the real thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, “If it is a crime to make a counterfeit dollar, it is ten thousand times worse to make a counterfeit man.”

Loving God's Word

I love the Word of God; even though there are times, it wounds me deeply. It cuts to the quick and exposes my selfish motives and desires. It is a mirror that reveals my sin, and the reflection I see is often ugly to behold. Like peeling an onion, each layer of self that is removed brings tears and pain, yet I thank God for the power of His Word and its ability to convict me of sin. Dwight L. Moody admonishes believers to: “Cling to the whole Bible, not a part of it. A man is not going to do much good with a broken sword.” General Robert E. Lee said, “The Bible is a book in comparison with which all others are of minor importance. In all my perplexities and distress the Bible never failed to give me light and strength.” II Timothy 3:16, 17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Men of God, do not run from the Word. We have a tendency to set the Word aside when we struggle with sin because we do not enjoy being convicted. Nonetheless, if we love knowledge, we will love the instruction that comes with it; the foolish, stupid man hates reproof. Continue to dig in the Word, godly men, and allow it to convict you. “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him” (Psalms 18:30).

Silence the Venom of Gossip

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends” (Proverbs 17:9).
No one likes to be talked about or to have people gossip behind their backs. We all want to be given the benefit of the doubt, and if we have offended someone, we want him to come to us so that we can do our best to resolve the situation. Despite the fact that we want these considerations for ourselves, how often do we extend the same courtesy to others? Are we quick to spread tidbits or share “facts” that we have not bothered to confirm as truth? Do we tell talebearers that we are not interested in participating in their sin? Perhaps we do not even spread the gossip that we hear, but we encourage its telling by merely listening. The world sees nothing wrong in repeating a matter, and they usually could not care less if the information is true or not. Especially with today’s media, as long as it makes good copy or boosts ratings, then they are happy. They are not concerned that lives, marriages, and friendships can be ruined by the telling of tales. Talk shows, reality television, and the tabloids are full of gossip, half-truths, and lies and we consume tons of it daily. A godly man realizes the dangers in gossip and diligently avoids it. He understands that, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins” (Proverbs 10:12). “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8). Men of God, be reconcilers and cover a transgression. Don’t be gossips, talebearers, or separators of friends.

Who's Influencing You?

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

When one of my brothers was a teenager, my parents tried to get him to understand the correlation between the friends he had chosen and the trouble that inevitably found him. He was not willing to give up these friends until he matured to the point where he could weigh the pros and cons of their friendship. He eventually realized that the cost for their friendship was too high a price to pay. For better or worse, the people we hang around influence us. During my freshman year of college, I received a care package from home. I eagerly tore into the box to find soap, shampoo, and my favorite cookies. I greedily stuffed two cookies in my mouth and immediately spit them out. They tasted like soap! The close proximity between the cookies and soap had cross-contaminated them. The cookies absorbed the pungent fragrance of the soap to the extent that it had lost its own uniqueness. When we walk with wise men, they will invariably rub off on us. Similarly, if we walk with fools, they will negatively influence us and eventually overpower us. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (I Corinthians 15:33). We can be in the world, intentionally witnessing to those around us, loving the lost with the love of God and still be separate. Jesus ministered to the sinners and publicans, but hand-chose his inner circle. We should follow the same example.