Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Drive out a mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.” Proverbs 22:10 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t be that guy!”

 

In Proverbs 22:10 Solomon writes about a person he refers to as a “mocker”. Other translations use the term “scoffer”. The term that comes to my mind is “obnoxious knucklehead”. In short, we’re talking about the mouthy troublemaker. There are many variations of the type.

 

The most common form of the mocker is the Bart Simpson kind of person, one who is snarky and thinks they’re being clever by making snide remarks and cruel jokes. They pretend to be “just having fun” but they obviously enjoy poking people in the eye and cutting people down with their remarks. Almost always they end it with the phrase “just kidding”. But of course, they weren’t.

 

Another rendition of Solomon’s mocker, and one that is sometimes found in churches, is the hyper-critical person who evidently thinks criticism is a spiritual gift and that their roll in the church is to find fault with everything and everyone. They’re determined to get everyone else straightened out (often the pastor). Such people are critical of other people’s suggestions, they always believe that they have a better idea, and basically they just constantly rain on everyone’s parade.

 

What does Solomon instruct us to do with such people? “Drive them out.” He says that if you drive them out then “out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.”

 

Now I would caution that we shouldn’t be too quick to drive people out. We have to try to work with them first. For our part we must be patient and prayerful. We should attempt to discuss the behavior with the person and try to get them to stop it. In the churches I’ve been the pastor of I have had times when a hyper-critical person actually had good intentions, they were just going about it the wrong way. They honestly thought they had a gift for detecting flaws in people and processes and they were sure they were uniquely qualified to point out better ways of doing things. And, sometimes, on some occasions, they were right about an issue. So we do need to be patient and try to work with people.

 

But once a person becomes a thorn in the side of the group, and their continuous mocking or criticism or fault-finding becomes a festering irritant, action has to be taken. This is especially true in a church setting. A church fellowship is a delicate thing – it has to be handled gently and it has to be protected. As Pastor John Maxwell once observed, “Sometimes we grow by subtraction.” What he meant was that sometimes making a person leave actually results in improved health for a congregation and you end up better off for the loss.

 

A contentious person is a problem for any group so I urge you: “Don’t be that guy!”

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Listen closely, pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge.” Proverbs 22:17 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Acquiring wisdom requires discipline and effort.”

 

In Proverbs 22:17 Solomon urges his readers to pay close attention to his words and to then make an effort to actually apply them to their lives. What he’s describing is a disciplined pattern of study that results in understanding, and then in application. It’s not enough to just know and understand the material – we have to then apply it. Knowledge doesn’t become wisdom until it is applied in a meaningful and practical way that makes a positive difference in the life of the person.

 

I love the way Peter described the effort involved in acquiring Biblical wisdom, and what it looks like in actual everyday life. Let’s read 2 Peter 1:5-8 from the Living Bible. The Living Bible isn’t an actual translation of the Bible, it’s a paraphrase. In other words, rather than giving us a word-for-word or thought-for-thought translation of the passage, a paraphrase strives instead to simply capture the intent of the writer and then communicate it in common and easily understandable language. Peter says:

 

“But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good; and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become faithful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Acquiring Biblical knowledge requires study. Turning that knowledge into wisdom takes patient application of Biblical truths day-by-day, moment-by-moment, situation-by-situation, and person-by-person.  It’s a process that plays out progressively over long periods of time. It’s what author Eugene Peterson once referred to as “A long obedience in the same direction.” Each and every day we pray, study our Bibles, offer ourselves in service to the Lord and to others, and surround ourselves with other Christians who can serve as role models for us. As we continue to do that, we slowly but surely become wise in the ways of God, and we acquire more and more of the attributes of Christ.

 

Developing Biblical wisdom requires effort and discipline but it is well worth it. I encourage you to commit yourself to a lifetime of growing wiser and wiser.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.” Proverbs 21:25-26 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Instant gratification is not a blessing.”

 

We live in a very fast world. We have fast food, fast internet, and 24/7 online banking. “On-Demand” entertainment allows us to watch any movie, on any device, at any time – at home, in the car, in the dentist office, or virtually anywhere else. Our telephones provide us with “instant” messaging with almost any person, anywhere in the world, at any time. And the examples go on. We are fast, we are instant, and we are spoiled.

 

We no longer know how to wait for things. The concept of “delayed” gratification is foreign to many, and confusing to most. Why would you wait for something if there’s a way you can get it immediately? Why would you save your money so you can pay cash for a car if someone will give you a loan for one on the spot? Why wait for marriage to have sex if both parties are willing and eager to do it now? What’s the point in ever waiting for anything if there’s a way to get it right now, fast and easy, with little effort or  patience or discipline?

 

Because we live in a society that thrives on conspicuous consumption and instant gratification, many people have come to believe they are entitled to everything, and entitled to it now. Whether we’re talking about food, sex, travel, fun, or professional advancement, people want it fast and with a minimum of effort.

 

Living like that makes people lazy and undisciplined. It creates a sense of entitlement and impatience. And, it makes us weak. If everything comes fast and easy then a person will not know how to work hard over a sustained period of time to bring about good things for themselves.

 

Delayed gratification is a discipline that teaches important lessons and makes a person strong. This is why the Apostle Paul tells us to be resilient times of trouble and steadfast in prayer (Romans 12:12). It’s also why James teaches us to be patient and to keep trying when faced with difficult situations (James 1:3-4). Those are just a couple of the many scripture passages that teach the importance of discipline, patience, and delayed gratification.

 

In Proverbs 21:25-26 Solomon described a person who had a never-ending craving for more, more, more, but was too lazy to work for it. He wants it all, he wants it now, and he wants it without much effort on his part.

 

Have you learned to wait and to work for good things, or do you have to have it all right now?  More often than not instant gratification is a curse not a blessing, but delayed gratification, and the discipline and patience it requires, makes us strong.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife.” Proverbs 21:9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “How easy are you to live with?”

 

Someone once asked me if I thought the Antichrist could be a woman. I told them that I never used to think so, but if you’ve ever lived with a woman going through menopause … Well, I’ll just leave that thought there.

 

This problem of a nagging wife and a poor beleaguered husband seeking some peace and quiet on the corner of a roof is an issue that’s addressed directly at least four times in the Proverbs. And as I’ve pointed out on numerous other occasions, if God addresses an issue more than once in the Bible that must mean there’s a lesson here that somebody is supposed to be learning. Here’s another example: “Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife.” Proverbs 21:19.

 

Beyond that, there are zero instances in the Proverbs of Solomon making any reference to a nagging and hot-tempered husband. (Just saying …)

 

Ok, now that I’ve got all the ladies out there mad at me let me quickly say that I’m just kidding and that there is actually a larger lesson in this is for all of us. The lesson is that Christians should be easy to live with, not hard. We should be a blessing to each other, not a thorn in the side of those who share a home with us. Sadly however we’re often not easy to live with. Many times we’re nicer to the people we meet out in the world all day long than we are to the people who share a home with us.

 

Why is that? Since the people we live with are presumably those who are closest and most important to us in life, they should be the people we treat the best, not the worst. That was really Solomon’s point. I think he wrote his Proverbs on the issue the way that he did just to mess with the ladies, but the broader lesson is that God expects all of us to be a blessing to our spouse and children, as well as to anyone else who might share our home.

 

If you would like to read an expanded teaching on this subject you can go to my website at www.JimMersereauBooks.com and download the free articles “A Biblical Model for Marriage” and “A Biblical Model for Parenting”. Both of those articles provide additional Biblical insight into maintaining healthy relationships with those who are closest to us.

 

The question is: “How easy are you to live with?” But don’t answer that question yourself. That would be too easy. Ask the people who actually live with you what they think. And then be prepared to humbly make changes if you need to.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” Proverbs 21:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Giving is more important than having.”

 

I personally believe that the real measure of how advanced a society is, is found in how much they give, not in how much they have. Their true greatness is measured by how kind and compassionate they are, not by how wealthy they are.

 

The Roman Empire under the rule of the various Caesars was very wealthy. But it was also a cruel society that inflicted tremendous suffering on people, crucified them in the public squares, fed them to lions in the coliseum for sport, and would allow people to die in the streets from hunger and sickness while simply stepping over their dead bodies. Despite their great wealth you would not have wanted to live in that society.

 

The USA has also long been a prosperous nation but unlike Rome, we are also the most generous and compassionate nation on earth. No people give more to charity than we do. No nation on earth provides more humanitarian aid than the United States does. No country sends more military personnel around the world to help other nations fight off invaders, or to overthrow ruthless dictators, or to help others gain the freedoms we enjoy.

 

It has often been said that, “America is great because America is good. And should America ever cease being good, America will cease to be great.” Those words are often attributed to the French writer de Toqueville, and I believe he was right.

 

I’m convinced that America’s goodness grows out of our Biblical roots as a nation. God calls for His people to be good. That’s what Solomon meant in Proverbs 21:3. God expects us to be champions for righteousness and justice. We are to stand for what we know to be right, taking action when necessary, and we are to use some of our great affluence to bless and help others. This is solidly Biblical and it pertains not just to nations, but to individuals as well.

 

“He has told you men what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with Your God.” Micah 6:8

 

“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me … I assure you: Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:35-36; 40

 

“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:25

 

I could give you pages of additional examples from the Bible but even from these, God’s message is clear – He wants His people to be kind and compassionate, champions of righteousness and justice, and always looking for ways to bless others.

 

I encourage you to go out of your way to bless someone in need today.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life, searching the innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:7 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Invite God to examine your heart.”

 

When I read Proverbs 20:7 it reminds me of King David’s words in Psalm 139:23, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”

 

That’s what Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 20:7. The Holy Spirit searches our mind and heart to discover un-confessed sins, and to show us any offensive ways we might have, and to reveal habits that need to be changed, etc. Not only is it the Spirit’s job to search us and convict us like that, but it’s also in our own best interest for Him to do it. We will only be spiritually healthy if we have regular check-ups from the Spirit.

 

Physically I have been blessed with good health. I’ve never had any major illnesses, I take no medicines, and overall I’m pretty healthy. I thank the Lord for that and I appreciate what a blessing it is.

 

But it’s also true that I make an effort to stay healthy. I try to take care of myself by eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest. I also get an annual physical. I have an excellent personal physician (Dr. James Johnson) who I go to see every year on my birthday. At that time I ask him to examine me inside and out. He does blood work, x-rays, and a variety of tests and examinations all designed to search for any signs of potential trouble and to quickly deal with them. (Search me oh Doctor and know my inner condition. See if there is any sickness within me …).

 

Ok, that was lame, but my point is that just as it’s not only smart but necessary to have my personal physician conduct an annual examination on my physical body in order to help me remain healthy, it’s even more important to invite the Holy Spirit to conduct periodic spiritual examinations so I can remain spiritually healthy. And just as I’m grateful for the service Dr. Johnson provides me in order to maintain my physical health, so too I should be grateful to the Holy Spirit for the work He does to help maintain my spiritual health. And, I should accept that examination just as willingly as I do the other.

 

Good spiritual health doesn’t just happen, we have to want it and we have to do the things necessary to achieve it and to maintain it. Inviting the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and reveal to you things that need to be dealt with is an important part of maintaining good spiritual health.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair.” Proverbs 20:29 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Be grateful for your life.”

 

I have a complaint to make. I should probably keep it to myself because some of you will quickly realize that you have often been guilty of this. But then again so have I. So I guess I’m complaining about myself as much as I am about you but here it goes, “It annoys me to hear people complaining about getting old.” You ask them how they’re doing and they respond with lame jokes about getting old; or they complain about their age like it’s a disease or something. You know how that story goes.

 

But the truth is that every new day of life is a gift from God, and many people don’t get the privilege of growing old. In a few days I will get on an airplane, fly to California, and perform the funeral for my younger brother. He died at the age of only 60. I’ve performed a lot of funerals over the years and many of them have been for people even younger than 60. If you didn’t die as an infant, child, teenager, or young adult, and if you’re still alive to read this today, then praise God and thank Him for all the life He has given you so far.

 

In Proverbs 20:29 Solomon reminds us that life unfolds in seasons and that each season brings with it its own unique blessings. Young men are youthful, strong, and vigorous. Old men are wise, distinguished, and esteemed.

 

I remember when I was in my 20s, I was physically stronger than I am now and had more energy, but I was also often impetuous and foolish. Now that I’m in my 60s I’m not as strong as I used to be and I need a bit more sleep, but hopefully I’m more thoughtful and a little wiser. Life was good then, but in many ways it’s actually better now.

 

As the outer person ages, becoming progressively older and weaker, ideally the inner person is maturing and growing in stature, wisdom, and peace. Also, if you’ve done it right, the advance of the years should bring with it a greater degree of financial security and a better quality of life overall.

 

I think the longer you live the better life should get. Whether that’s true or not will depend more on your attitude than on your circumstances. Your happiness and contentment should be inward and work its way out, rather than coming from the outside in.

 

There’s an old saying regarding advancing age which I like a lot. It goes like this: “Grow old with me, the best is yet to be; the last of life for which the first was made.”

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.” Proverbs 20:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

 

That phrase, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it start begin with me.”, is from a song written by Jill and Sy Miller in 1955 and it has captured the imaginations of peace-loving people ever since. In addition to being a great song lyric, it’s also a Biblical principle.

 

Being a man or woman of peace is a theme Solomon addresses in Proverbs 20. In verse 3 he says, “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.” In verse 19 he writes about someone who stirs up trouble by being a gossiper, “The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid someone with a big mouth.” And in verse 22 he cautions us about seeking revenge, “Don’t say, ‘I will avenge this evil!’ Wait on the Lord, and He will rescue you.”

 

Many times being a man or woman of peace will take extraordinary effort and patience on your part. Paul writes in Romans 12:18, “If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” The implication is that not everyone will let you be at peace with them, but as much as it is up to you, do your best to be a person of peace.

 

So first, Proverbs 20:3 would have us acknowledge that most things aren’t worth the emotional energy it would take to get upset about them – so don’t. And if a dispute does arise, take steps to quickly resolve it.

 

But sometimes, as Proverbs 20:19 teaches, being a man or woman of peace will involve cutting people out of your life. Some people are toxic and don’t deserve to be in your life. There are people who feed on drama and gossip, and they constantly keep things stirred up. Avoid those people as much as possible; cut them out of your life completely if you need to. Sometimes in order to be a man or woman of peace you will have to take steps to separate yourself from toxic situations and get troublemaking people out of your life.

 

And then in 20:22 we’re reminded not to seek revenge. Holding people accountable is one thing; seeking to hurt them in return is something else. Usually it begins a cycle of retribution that will go back and forth and on and on for a long time. That accomplishes no good thing. Our God is a God of righteousness and justice. The Biblical principle of sowing and reaping is real and can be counted on. So shrug it off, go on your way, and leave vengeance to the Lord. In His time and in His way He will administer the discipline that is needed. Don’t allow yourself to be consumed with thoughts of anger and resentment, and don’t go seeking revenge. You be the man or woman of peace, and leave the rest to the Lord.

 

So, let there be peace on earth, and let it start with you and with me. Avoid disputes as much as possible; resolve them quickly when they do arise; avoid toxic people and cut them out of your life if necessary; and don’t seek revenge, leave that to God.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.” Proverbs 19:18 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.”

 

I once saw a movie called “The Boy in the Bubble”. It was about a boy with a compromised immune system and he could not safely be exposed to ordinary life. Therefore he lived his life shut away in a protective enclosure that shielded him from anything harmful.

 

I think that’s a good illustration of how children are being raised in our society today – they’re being raised in a protective bubble, shielded from anything unpleasant, anything challenging or disappointing. So rather than the winners getting a trophy and the losers applauding them at the banquet, now everyone gets a participation trophy and nobody ever loses. College campuses have been turned into “safe spaces” where young people don’t have to hear ideas they don’t like or which they disagree with. And if you spank your child you might just get a visit from agents from Child Protective Services.

 

There are many other examples I could site but you get the point – our society is pampering our young people. To borrow a phrase from columnist George Will, “We’re raising a generation of delicate little snowflakes”. And as Bill Gates once said in a college commencement address, “The lessons learned from that kind of an upbringing bear absolutely no resemblance to anything in real life.”

 

In the Bible God is much more realistic about what it takes to raise a child well. It’s what Christian child psychologist Dr. James Dobson once called “tough love”. It is love that’s soft, warm, kind, and compassionate most of the time, but also tough when it needs to be.

 

The Bible is clear that children need rules and guidance so they understand exactly what behavior is good and acceptable, and which is not. They should be complimented, encouraged, and sometimes rewarded when they behave well, and they need fair but firm correction when they don’t.

 

In recent years I’ve spent a lot of time working with young men in jails and prisons. These are young men who have been caught-up in the drug culture and who are doing time for associated crimes. A common part of many of their stories is the lack of discipline and correction they received from their parents when they were growing up. In some cases these young men even learned how to do drugs and commit crimes from their parents. So now, as a young man who is incarcerated but trying to turn his life around, he needs to learn the lessons he should have been taught as a child.

 

It has been observed that if a child doesn’t respect and obey a teacher today, he won’t respect and obey a police officer tomorrow. And if parents don’t ’discipline and correct their children now, jail guards might have to do it later.

 

As Solomon said in Proverbs 19:18, if you will discipline your child now, there’s hope for tomorrow. If you don’t, you are setting him or her up for a lifetime of failure.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender.” Proverbs 19:17 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Err on the side of compassion and generosity.”

 

Have you ever struggled with the decision of whether or not you should give a couple of dollars to a homeless person? From time to time we all have. On the one hand, you don’t want to enable bad behavior. You don’t want to give them money for a meal, only to have them spend it on drugs or alcohol. On the other hand, you don’t want to be heartless and unresponsive to genuine need. So what should you do?

 

The Bible doesn’t actually make the decision for us, but it does provide us with general guidance. In numerous places in the Proverbs Solomon teaches against laziness and irresponsible behavior. The Apostle Paul even goes so far as to instruct us to let someone go hungry rather than enabling their bad behavior and poor decisions (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So on the one hand, Scripture is clear that we are to allow people to suffer the consequences of their own bad choices, even if that means saying “no” to their request.

 

However, more often the guidance God gives us in the Bible leans in the direction of kindness, compassion, and generosity. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus teaches that kindness and compassion to those in need is such an important act of ministry that when we do it, He receives it as if we did it for Him personally, “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

 

In James 1:27 we read, “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” There are numerous other passages in both the Old and New Testaments which teach the same lesson but God’s point is clear, He wants us to be kind and generous.

 

In Proverbs 19:17 Solomon tells us that compassion and generosity to someone in need is actually “a loan to the Lord.”, and that “He will give a reward to the lender.” This is the same truth expressed by Jesus in Matthew 25:40 just in slightly different words.

 

It’s true that we are to be good stewards of the resources the Lord has entrusted us with so we don’t waste them. We also don’t want to be taken unfair advantage of and we don’t want to be enablers of bad behavior. But we can trust that God will honor our good intentions and that in the end He will somehow make it right.

 

Sometimes the decision about whether to give or not will be clear to you and you will have peace about it. However since the weight of Biblical instruction on the issue leans in favor of kindness, compassion, and generosity, if you’re unsure of what to do and you’re struggling with the decision, the safe bet is to err on the side of compassion and generosity.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim