Wisdom Search

Courage and Fear

2009-04-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

Courage - Facing death and choosing to do what is right anyway.

We, in America, have a very "light" view of what courage is. For many American Christians, the most courageous thing we have done is confessing our sin to another person. Here, we don't have to face threats of imprisonment or death for sharing the Gospel.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but it is dealing properly with our fear.

Joshua 1:6 is the first time that God told Joshua to "be strong and courageous." How could Joshua do this? In Joshua 1:5, we find the key. "Joshua, you can be strong and courageous because I will never leave you or forsake you." Knowing (and fearing) God is the key to courage.

"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." - John Wayne

Love

2009-04-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

This month is dedicated to studying the principle of "Love" and the character quality of "Courage."

What are some definitions of love?

What are some definitions of courage?

What do love and courage have to do with each other?

Love – Does the love that God has for me and I for Him motivate me to action? Am I so concerned about Christ’s reputation that I don’t care about my own? Though God does not need to have His reputation defended, we are called in Scripture to “walk worthy of the name by which we are called." God is the incarnation of perfect love, as seen in the Scripture passage which reads "God is love."

Proverbs 23:13-14 - It requires courage to act on love by disciplining a child or confronting/correcting a peer. The chastening of the Lord proves His love for us. It is not easy to confront a person, but if we love them, we will be willing to step out and share the truth and challenge them.

Brotherly Kindness - Proverbs 18

2009-04-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from Spring Break, apprentices!

Proverbs 18

Vs. 9 - "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."

Do we unknowingly contribute to the destruction of others by wasting opportunities to love others?

Vs. 21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

We have the power to encourage and to tear down. There are life-giving reproofs. We can give death to our neighbor by not saying anything at all (Ezekiel – the watchman).

"Wisdom is the application of knowledge gained from studying both God’s written Word and His revealed truth in Creation." - J.P. Moreland, Love Your God With All Your Mind

According to the Bible, developing a Christian mind is part of the very essence of discipleship unto the Lord Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 4:15-16)

Proverbs 1: Wisdom

2009-04-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1

Following God's wisdom will give you boundaries. There must be a distinction, however, between boundaries and bondage. In truth, boundaries give us freedom instead of taking it away.

vs. 10 - There is wisdom in preparation for what will come our way. We will be tempted - are you ready to deal with it? Wisdom determines in advance that it will have nothing to do with evil.

Brotherly kindness, in practical application, can not be based upon a foundation of mocking, sarcasm and deceitful words. The man who is laying a trap for another man, to see him fall - whether for malicious purposes or for "entertainment" is not exercising brotherly kindness (Proverbs 1:11-14). We are called to lift our brothers up when they fall and to steady them when they are weak.

Men choose daily to ignore wisdom. As Augustine said, "Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering." We look upon the wonder of the creation around us, and yet say that "there can be no God." We look upon our circumstances and say "God cannot be good." How does this relate to Romans 1 where it speaks of "the minds of them that believe not have been blinded?" Proverbs depicts wisdom as a character of God. Are unbelievers blinded to the wisdom of God? It would seem so, in considering James 3:15-17, which tells of the differentiation of the wisdom of this world and the wisdom from above. True wisdom, then, acccording to James 1:5, comes only from God. As sinners, yet at enmity with God and unredeemed by His grace, we are unable to call upon the wealth of the resources of the wisdom of God. But saved by the grace of God, we have been given boldness and access with confidence (Ephesians 3:12) to the overwhelming riches of the wisdom of God. It would then be only foolishness to not heed the cry of wisdom, choose the fear of the Lord, and walk in the riches given to us.

Brotherly Kindness

2009-03-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between brotherly kindness and love? Brotherly kindness is love based upon a relationship that gives a different perspective than does love that is expressed unconditionally to everyone regardless of relationship.

Wisdom

2009-03-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

Wisdom is the inclusion of knowledge and understanding learned by experience (applying the knowledge to get understanding to have the experience). Wisdom is not just acquired knowledge. Our "heart-knowledge," or wisdom, is based upon the head-knowledge. We must take every thought captive because that is what our heart knowledge is based upon. So we must acquire knowledge, and then by temperance and perseverance through the trials, we then develop wisdom. From that wisdom we have an empathy and compassion which we call brotherly kindness because we now have a relational understanding.

Proverbs 19:8 - "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good."

Wisdom - H3820 - A form of H3824 (heart; tender-hearted); the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything: - + care for, comfortably, consent, X considered, courag [-eous], friend [-ly], ([broken-], [hard-], [merry-], [stiff-], [stout-], double) heart ([-ed]), X heed, X I, kindly, midst, mind (-ed), X regard ([-ed)], X themselves, X unawares, understanding, X well, willingly, wisdom.

Thus, God is the only one that can give wisdom - Ezekiel 11:19 - "And I will give them a new heart, a heart of flesh and not of stone." He must be the one who gives us a heart of flesh to replace our natural heart of stone. (James 3:17 - "But the wisdom that is from above is frist pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy.")

Brotherly Kindness

2009-03-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

There is a knee-jerk response if someone is picking on your sibling - you beat up the guy who's beating up your brother. Why? Because he's your brother. Our kindness in this response is connected with a relational issue.

If I'm not relationally connected, how kind would we be to another person? If it was just "kindness," we would be dealing with an entirely different avenue - but this is "brotherly kindness."

If you see a dog attacking another human, there is a comradrie there as well - "I'm a human, that's a human, it might attack me too. We better do something about this."

Who is your brother? Who is your neighbor?

Praise & Obedience

2009-03-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 14:2 - "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth Him." Our obedience is a measure of our godliness. If we are living before the face of God, we will be obedient to Him.

Psalm 104:1 - “O Lord my God, thou art very great.” This ascription has in it a remarkable blending of the boldness of faith, and the awe of holy fear: for the Psalmist calls the infinite Jehovah “my God,” and at the same time, prostrate in amazement at the divine greatness, he cries out in utter astonishment, “Thou art very great.”

Godliness

2009-03-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Godliness is all I am choosing to love and glorify the Lord.

Praise is the natural expression of godliness. A man whose life is consumed with God cannot help but to praise Him.

Psalm 103:4 - "Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;"
Lovingkindness: Strong's H2617 - kindness towards God, piety
Piety is also one of the words in the Strong's definition of godliness, thus, by implication, we cannot hope to be godly except by the gift of the grace of God.

Psalm 40

2009-03-10T05:16:00.001-07:00

Who God is in Psalm 40:
- Hears
- Rescues
- Establishes
- Gives us a song of praise to sing to Him
- Does wonderful works
- Knows all
- Faithful
- Author of salvation
- Love
- Merciful
- Righteous
- Kindness
- Source of truth; is truth
- Deliverer
- Thinks upon us (more than can be numbered!)

The godly man is not exempt from trials and temptation, rather he sees God in the trials and praises Him through even the darkest night because his thoughts are fixed on God.

A Form of Godliness?

2009-03-02T10:58:00.001-08:00

2 Timothy 3:5 - "Who having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

What does this verse mean?

What is a form of godliness?

What power is being denied?

How do we deny the power of godliness?

R.C. Sproul on "Godliness"

2009-02-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

To answer his question, I fell back on the theologian's prerogative and gave him a Latin term. I said, "The big idea of the Christian life iscoram Deo. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life."
This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one's entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God....Continue Reading

Sincerity

2009-02-26T05:16:00.000-08:00

Sincere – pure; without wax (pottery with wax in it would crumble when heated)

Without sincerity, our godliness is mere hypocrisy.

Sincerity shows itself in how we live out our walk with Christ when there is nobody watching. Sincerity is living our life before God. There is a difference between living our lives for God and living before God. Do I view my godliness, my sin, my sincerity, etc. as me before God?

Proverbs 26:18-19 – This passage refers to a mocking and sarcastic man who deceives others by never completely saying the truth. His communication is based upon a foundation of lying. Sarcasm is a language of deceit that is neither sincere nor godly.

Godliness Defined

2009-02-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

Godliness is living my life in constant thought of God; worship rightly directed.

Godliness cannot be the end-all or the sum of the previous principles in this list, for it is one part of a list and not the end of the list. If godliness is merely purity of heart and life, then is it not a repeat of virtue? Why then would we be asked to add to our virtue more virtue? It seems only logical that godliness would be another principle which is added onto the previous list.

Common Grace and Godliness

2009-02-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

When a person that is not saved demonstrates good character, can it be to the same merit as that of a saved person as relates to godliness? Can an unsaved person really love someone? Romans 3:10-12 – There is none righteous, nor any that do good. Proverbs 20:9 – “Who can say I have made my heart clean?” Without Christ, we cannot do any good. Love, even when out of a pure heart (selfless), still brings benefit to one’s self. As humans, we are designed to love and be loved. The same is true with forgiveness – even when done selflessly; we will still be fulfilled because we were designed to forgive. Apart from Christ, when we try and fulfill those natural voids, we will remain just as empty. Does the Spirit of God work in the unbeliever, or only in the believer? The Holy Spirit will convict an unbeliever of sin when the Holy Spirit regenerates that unbeliever to salvation. He must, however, be working in the unbeliever in order to call them. The Spirit gives common grace to all. Yet, He moves differently within the believer than the unbeliever. Thus an unbeliever can have good character via the common grace of the Spirit. But that good character cannot and does not save. Proverbs 20:24 – “A man’s goings are of the Lord.” It is in and by Him that we exist.

Godliness and Sincerity - Proverbs 19

2009-02-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Sincerity is being honest and upright, so when you are not godly or sincere, you will not escape – you will perish. (Proverbs 19:9)

Sincerity – someone who is honest with themselves, God, and others.

Sincere friends are not friends for what they can get out of the relationship. They truly love (1 Corinthians 13) each other. (Proverbs 19:4-7)

The fear of the Lord is necessary to godliness (Proverbs 19:23).

Godliness and Sincerity

2009-02-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

Godliness

What type of person is God looking for? God is looking for a man to stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30). God requires us to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God (Micah 6:8). God desires that we love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength, and that we love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).

Godliness is something we are working towards. It would be living life in continuous mindfulness of God. It is a sort of living in God’s likeness. Can we be godly in this life? We cannot be perfect and sinless here on this earth, yet many of us know people who we would define as godly. Even the people we consider godly have some sinful faults, yet we say overall, as we evaluate their life as a whole, that they are godly. Godliness is found in the overall character of a man’s life.

As we study, we are going to look for things beyond what we’ve studied so far - aspects of the character of God. Coupled with godliness, we are going to study what it is to be pure in heart.

We should be sure to not put godliness in a box as we try to define it. All of the principles we’ve studied to date weave together as a tight fabric.

Godliness is, simply, one who has the character and qualities of God in his life. It is a character quality that is a collection of character qualities. You cannot be godly if you are not also honest, obedient, humble, etc.

Ungodliness - living my everyday life with little or no thought of God.

Godly Success: To give God glory, to love the Lord, love others, winning souls, being in the Word of God, suffering for righteousness’ sake, storing treasure in heaven. God does not measure our success by earthly possessions, but by treasure in Heaven. God does not measure our success by whether or not our muscles are in perfect tone, but by whether or not we have kept ourselves “fit” by staying in His Word.

Sincerity

Sincerity: the quality or state of being sincere : honesty of mind : freedom from hypocrisy

Etymology:

Middle French, from Latin sincerus whole, pure, genuine, probably from sem- one + -cerus (akin to Latin crescere to grow)

1 a: free of dissimulation : honest <sincere interest> b: free from adulteration : pure sincere doctrine> <sincere wine> 2: marked by genuineness : true

Sincere: What you see is what you get – all the way through.

David was called a “man after God’s own heart,” one who was willing to do anything God asked of Him (Acts 13:22). What characterized the heart of this man of God?

1) David was a man who had sorrow over sin (2 Samuel 12:13)

2) David was a man who loved God’s Word (Psalm 119)

3) David was a man who wanted to be like God (Psalm 17:15)

4) David was a man of discipline (Psalm 5:3)

5) David was a man full of praise to God (Psalm 8)

6) David was a man who loved the Lord (Psalm 18:1)

7) David was a man of prayer (Psalms)

8) David was a man who understood the greatness of God (Psalm 22:24)

9) David was a man who loved righteousness and hated sin (Psalm 109)

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

2009-02-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to “beat the air?” To run in place. To flail uselessly. What are good goals? To see other saved. Daily Bible reading. Evangelizing. Making visible the invisible presence of God. Being completely focused on God.

How do those goals relate to perseverance? We get tired of those things. It can get monotonous and tiring, but we must persevere. A race only has one winner.

How much of yourself do you have to give to win the race? Everything.

How often do you have to give everything in order to win the race? Continually until the race is over.

How important goals are in the equation of being a person that is characterized by perseverance? Unless you have a goal, you will persevere to “get through things,” but not necessarily to attain a goal. It is far too easy to quit unless we have an end goal. We are not surviving, we are standing and running harder and pushing on to reach the prize. Without a vision, the people will perish. If we don’t aim at something we won’t hit anything. We must have a goal so that we don’t run, beating the air. Goals define your purpose. We can sit here and say that we are going to persevere, but unless we are persevering towards something, we cannot be persevering at all. Perseverance is defined by a goal.

Running the Race

2009-02-12T05:07:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - If you are going to run a race, you have to persevere all the way to the end. Have you ever met a lazy Olympic athlete? They cannot win the race if they do not have self-control and the perseverance to keep pressing on. We must have perseverance in our Christian walk to endure the trials. What will you encounter when you go home that you will need perseverance to get through? Temptation. Peer pressure. Laziness. Apathy.

Why do we start our day with wisdom search? Why do we need to start off with Scripture in the morning? To sharpen our sword. It is far too easy to forget our calling and duty. But when we read the Bible each morning, we will be reminded of the wisdom to stand strong in the confrontations with all the bad influences we encounter throughout our day. Unless we have truth to remind us what we should be doing, we will forget and compromise.

No Perseverance?

2009-02-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – How important is perseverance? What could we accomplish without perseverance? Only easy things. Things that do not take effort or pain. What are the fruits of no perseverance? Laziness, failure, etc. How much trouble would we be in if we could not endure or persevere? Societally, we would just be a wreck. No problems would ever be solved. There would never be any children born, there would be neither exploration nor conquest. You could never become athletic or strong because you would never be able to endure the training to get there. There isn’t much that we do which doesn’t require some amount of perseverance. What does perseverance look like in a person? What about small amounts of perseverance? Perseverance is getting up when your alarm clock goes off even though you are tired. On a scale of one to ten, how much perseverance do you have? In history, who persevered? George Washington showed huge amounts of perseverance in upholding the morale of his troops even though the winter was harsh and the conditions deplorable. General Grant persevered even though all of the Union generals before him had not persevered and through his perseverance he won the war. Thomas Edison persevered in pursuing his inventions, through failure after failure. The people at the Alamo persevered.

Proverbs 10

2009-02-10T05:21:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 10:5 - He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. We are called to harvest, for the fields are white with fruit. Will we be found persevering in harvest, which is often hard work, or will we be found sleeping and valuing our own comfort over the call and duty that we have been given by God? We are called to be diligent. It is God who works in the hearts of man. We are called to work – not to produce fruit or to deliver results. That is God’s heart.

Proverbs 10:30 – The righteous will never be uprooted. This is our hope for perseverance.

2009-02-09T05:09:00.000-08:00

Psalm 9:1 - David is resolute: I will praise God. Perseverance is when the emotions and the happy times are stripped away, when the honeymoon is over, then I will praise you with my mind and my will. We cannot live off of our emotions in the Christian life. I don't have to feel it for it to be true, I know it to be true.

Quote on Perseverance

2009-02-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

"There's no end to this tunnel," said Phyllis—and indeed it did seem very, very long. "Stick to it," said Peter; "everything has an end, and you get to it if you only keep on." Which is quite true, if you come to think of it, and a useful thing to remember in seasons of trouble—such as measles, arithmetic, impositions, and those times when you are in disgrace, and feel as though no one would ever love you again, and you could never—never again—love anybody. "Hurray," said Peter, suddenly, "there's the end of the tunnel—looks just like a pin-hole in a bit of black paper, doesn't it?" From The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, chapter 12

Perseverance

2009-02-06T05:17:00.001-08:00

Proverbs 6:10 – Soft choices will destroy us. They are the archenemy of perseverance. When we make those little, soft, choices we are halting all the forward motion of perseverance. It is far easier to keep moving forward than it is to regain momentum after stopping. We must do hard things.

What are you fearing?

2009-02-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

Are you fearing the trials or fearing the God who's bigger than the trials? (Psalm 135) Is your God bigger than your trials, or are your trials bigger than your god? When we get caught up in the little things, we lose sight of the God who transcends all.

We must change our focus from a fear of the trials to faithfulness through the trials.

Acts 13-14

Antioch in Pisidia – expelled out of town
Iconium – plot exposed to be stoned
Lystra – Paul stoned to death à resurrected and went on
Derbe – Returned home, and then went back through the other cities (Acts 14:22)

Perseverance

2009-02-04T04:15:00.000-08:00

Perseverance for Christ is: No Reserve. No Retreat. No Regret.

Perseverance acknowledges God’s Holiness and my Sinfulness.

If you didn’t surrender everything last month, the fires are going to be really hot this month.

Psalm 34:1 – Is the praise of the Lord in my mouth at all times? This requires perseverance. Sin interferes with the healthy personal growth of every Christian. If I have praise constantly coming out of my mouth, nothing else can come forth at the same time. I can’t be putting people down, mocking, or speaking vain and empty words. If you have a bad mouth, no matter what the problem is, the prescription is always praise.

Psalm 34:4 – I sought the Lord… Sought is about diligently seeking after something. We will have to face fears in perseverance, but we must continue to seek the Lord.

How do you acknowledge God in all your ways? It is in praise.

When the disciples were in the boat in the storm, Jesus had told them that He would meet them on the other side. Their eyes should have been on the other side through the storm. When Jesus called Peter out of the boat, he actually called them all out of the boat. When Peter took his eyes off of the Lord, he began to sink. Instead of having his eyes on the Lord through the trouble, he took off and sank. Then, when he cried out, his faith changed from “Lord, if…” to “Lord, save me.” God’s arm is never too short to save.

Faith is at the bottom of perseverance. Psalm 34:19 – If you don’t have faith in who God is, and what He says He is, and that He will do what He promises to do – then you can never persevere. Affliction – adversity, calamity, exceedingly great grief. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. But faith enables us to persevere.

Perseverance and the Super Bowl...

2009-02-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

How did you win the Super Bowl? “It was only through perseverance.” – Ben Roethelsberger

Perseverance is doing more than you’re expected to do. Example: James Harrison (defensive linebacker) running 100 yards in Super Bowl for touchdown. Perseverance is taking the brunt of the trials, only in the strength of God. Example: Player catching pass and landing completely vertical, taking full force of the fall, to keep his feet in the end zone. Our actions bring a reflection on the rest of the team. Example: James Harrison punching other team’s player reflected back on the rest of the Steelers’ team. We can’t get away with our sin because it hurts everyone else involved.

We make the choice to sin. Sorrow over your sin includes the willingness to change.

Proverbs 3:1-4 – It takes perseverance in the daily events to keep our hearts on the commandments, mercy and truth. But if we endure over the long term, then we shall find the favor of the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – It requires perseverance to trust in the Lord rather than our own strength. Perseverance and endurance realize that we are incompetent in our own strength, but that we must lean on the strength and understanding of the Lord. We have no concept, not even the faintest understanding, of what God has prepared for us if we simply choose to trust Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Proverbs 3:8-9 – It takes perseverance to depart from evil.

Why do we have to fear the Lord to persevere?

Psalms & Perseverance

2009-01-30T05:13:00.000-08:00

Psalm 30:5 – This is an enduring perseverance in saying “I will never be shaken.” David has learned that even if he says in his prosperity that he won’t be moved, that in the prosperity doesn’t last and that in Christ he will stand fast regardless.

Psalm 60:5, 12 – This is the root of our perseverance, in the wisdom that we get from God. Whatever God tells us, we persevere and we endure, no matter what the cost.

Psalm 90 – Moses endured and persevered. He failed in his perseverance when he struck the second rock instead of striking it. It seems like a small thing, yet the punishment was that he couldn’t enter the promised land.

Perseverance to Faith

2009-01-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

Self-control becomes real and necessary when it is time to persevere and endure. Why do we want to have self-control? Because we have knowledge. Why do we want knowledge? Because we have been goaded with virtue. Why virtue? Because of faith.

Psalm 89:1 – If we are going to sing of the Lord’s mercies forever, then we must persevere in praising Him. When we smash our hand with a hammer, there is a proneness to take God’s name in vain. Why isn’t there a proneness to cry out to the Lord for help? To create this pattern for the reactions, we must faithfully train the responses.

Our Hope for Endurance & Perseverance

2009-01-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

Psalm 28 – It is clear in this passage that the reason David can persevere and endure the trials is because he has faith that God is the Lord who will save him. He starts off in the Psalm by expressing his feelings, but he concludes with an expression of the facts of who God is. We find our strength to persevere only in God.

Endurance is getting through the bad. Perseverance is striving towards the good.

The opposite of endurance would be a focus on the temporal and the right now. Anger is often a focus on the right now and the temporal.

Perseverance vs. Endurance - What's the Difference?

2009-01-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

Endurance is standing strong until the storm is past. Endurance is the long term. We learn to endure by persevering. We persevere to choose what’s right every time, and the long accumulative days of perseverance is called endurance.

Perseverance is the here and now, the reality, the active fight. Endurance kind of sneaks up on you.

Perseverance is the runner who falls, gets back up and keeps running. Even if he has to crawl across the finish line, he will keep pushing on because perseverance teaches us to say “So what, its pain.”

Perseverance is choosing to do right. It is "wherever you're at, be all there" - fully engaged. Doing what’s right whatever it costs. Endurance is the accumulation of persevering.

Apathy is the absence of action, indifference. It does not affect me. It doesn’t change me. The horse that resigns is the horse that will kill you. The horse that reacts is the safer horse to be around, because you know what he’s going to do. You can endure through the apprenticeship program. You can apathetically go through the apprenticeship program. You cannot endure and be apathetic. If I am persevering, I am very engaged. If I am very engaged, it will affect me one way or the other.

Perseverance and Faith

2009-01-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

How does perseverance relate to faith? We must have faith in the hope of our calling – the prize set before us if we will ever persevere. Who keeps going when he has nothing to go towards? No one. We will only continue in forward motion when we have hope in Christ. It is also who we are going with. Each of the trying times is a shared experience with God (Psalm 23). We don’t persevere alone.

Proverbs 24:16 – “For the righteous man may fall seven times and rise yet again…” It is only in the Lord’s help that we can rise up again. The righteous man is going to put the effort into persevering, even though he will probably fall. You don’t fall when you’re standing still. Falling (usually) requires moving forward in the first place. If we’re moving forward, it is not a matter of “if” we’re going to fall, it’s a matter of “when.”

Forward Motion

2009-01-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 23:17 – "Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." There are many, many distractions from being in the fear of the Lord continually. We either choose perseverance, to keep moving forward, or we choose an easier route, we choose to walk.

What distracts us from pushing forward, from persevering? Sleep, comfort (food, relationships, securities, etc.), other desires, victory, escapes (running, music, books), fear of failure, peer pressure (man-focus /fear of man), etc.

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

The faithful plodders just keep going despite life’s ups and downs.

When we persevere through things, that is God exercising our spiritual muscles.

Proverbs 22

2009-01-22T05:12:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 22:29 - The man who perseveres and sticks with a chosen profession will reap the blessings of diligence. Perseverance is sticking through the hard times, the bumps and bruises.

Proverbs 22:13 - If we don't have perseverance, we will be glad to take any excuse to sit down, to stop, to rest - to not keep going.

Proverbs 22:1 - This is a comparision between now and later. We can either have temporary wealth now or a great name later. Perseverance takes the focus off of today's pain and puts it on the glory of the ultimate goal.

Perseverance & Endurance

2009-01-21T05:14:00.000-08:00

Perseverance is...

Pushing through hard times
Keeping going when the going is difficult
Long-term vs. day to day (endurance).
Willing to go to the end no matter what it takes.
A runner pushing to the end.
Learn to persevere (aimed at a goal)
Fortitude – strength of mind that enables a mind to withstand adversity with courage (Proverbs 21:22)

What is the difference between persevering and surviving?

- Joy: If you are surviving, you don't necessarily have joy. You are living because you have to.

- It is the difference between wanting to persevere and having to persevere.

- There will be fruit of perseverance

Proverbs 21:5 - The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness, and those that are hasty only to want.

We are bombarded by a culture of the quick-fix mentality. This mentality is antagonistic towards perseverance and endurance because we are unwilling to persevere for the long-haul. The Christian walk is not about the quick fix, it is about the race. "When God wants to build a squash, he only takes about three months. When he wants to build an oak tree, he takes about fifty years."

"Never give in. Never. Never. Never. In nothing, great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." - Winston Churchill

Self-control and the tongue

2009-01-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

If self control is truly the control of the Spirit in our lives, then Proverbs 15:4 (“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”) is testimony to how our words continue to reveal our heart and how we are allowing the Spirit to control our lives. If our words are not holy, then that is because our hearts have not surrendered to the control of the Spirit. A wholesome tongue always speaks with the good of the other person in mind – it is a tree of life that encourages, challenges, and edifies.

Self-control is when God gives us the power to be slow to anger and slow to speak (Proverbs 15:1). The heart of the righteous weighs his answers – he takes responsibility for what he’s saying before he says it (Proverbs 15:28).

Quotes on Self-Control

2009-01-14T05:26:00.001-08:00

Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward. - Napoleon Hill

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self. - Aristotle

Defining Self-Control

2009-01-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

Self control is fleshly desires being denied.

It is the wholehearted and undistracted pursuit of one goal.

Synonyms: strength of mind, will power, self restraint.

Temperance is fixed position, might, power, strong in a thing, giving oneself wholly to something.

Self control is the grace of God in my life to resist temptation.

A Developed Appetite

2009-01-13T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness requires developing a refined appetite. The natural man always hungers for something, but it is only through the self-control of creating an appetite for righteousness that we will hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Assignment for tomorrow: Develop a personal definition of self-control. What is it? What does it look like? If we don't know what it is, how can we find it in Scripture?

Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness

2009-01-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

RIGHTEOUSNESS, n. ri'chusness.

1. Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.

2. Applied to God, the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness.

3. The active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Dan 9.

4. Justice; equity between man and man. Luke 1.

5. The cause of our justification.

The Lord our righteousness. Jer 23.

Proverbs 10

The characteristics of righteousness presented in this chapter offer us great opportunity to evaluate ourselves. Is my mouth a well of life? Or do my words reflect violence? What type of fruit am I bearing? Do my words feed others with wisdom? Or are my words simple chatter that starve others of the wisdom that God is giving me? Do I have hope? I also saw in this chapter the great rewards God promises to the righteous. Righteousness delivers from death. The righteous soul will not famish. The righteous shall never be removed. If we believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He promises to do, then we should see these and start hungering and thirsting after righteousness. God promises to the righteous what the world attempts to promise (and fails miserably). The world continually seeks to avoid hunger and death and instability and will pay millions in the pursuit of this goal. Will we not seek after righteousness which promises all these things?

Proverbs 10:2 - Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.

Proverbs 10:3 - The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Proverbs 10:11 - The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

Proverbs 10:16 - The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.

Proverbs 10:21 - The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Proverbs 10:24 - The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

Proverbs 10:28 - The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Proverbs 10:30 - The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

Proverbs 9

2009-01-09T05:04:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 9:8 – Self-control and hungering and thirsting after righteousness is evident in the wise man who listens to reproof. A man who desires righteousness is willing to take any amount of reproof to increase in righteousness. A man who has the self control to listen rather than react by defending himself or attacking the one reproving him is counted as wise.

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy of understanding. If self control is preparing to endure the temptations ahead, then we must have the wisdom to know what temptations we will be enduring. What are we resisting if we do not have the wisdom to know what is right, what is good vs. what is best? Thus self-control starts with the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy.

Self Control

2009-01-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

Self control is a preparation for that which you know will come. We know temptation will come. How do we prepare ourselves for that? This is why hungering and thirsting for righteousness goes with self-control. If we don’t seek righteousness, we will not have the self-control when we need it. Self control specifically talks about passions, desires, and fleshly desires.

Proverbs 6:16-19: Six things that the Lord hates. These characteristics directly relate to our self control and fleshly desire. Pride is not preparing. It is the foolish young man who believes he can resist the temptation of the harlot (Proverbs 7). We prepare to speak truth (have control over a lying tongue) by filling our lives with truth. We must seek righteousness in order to live an upright life. We don’t physically shed innocent blood, but we do destroy those around us, drag other’s character through the mud, and generally hurt people through our words. As the New Testament says, when we hate another person, it is the same as murdering that person. Self control starts with seeking to see and meet the needs of others. When we begin to truly love others, then we will not tear them down. A heart that devises wicked imaginations is not a heart that is hungering and thirsting after righteousness. This goes back to filling our lives with truth and love. Self control over our thoughts is only gained through putting the right things into our minds and then living it out. It is an active choice to love others and live the truth of God’s Word. Feet that run hastily to mischief are not feet which are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Once again, we are not focusing on that which is true and right. Where our eyes are, our feet will then follow. If we hunger and thirst after righteousness, then our feet will run towards righteousness rather than mischief. If we don’t plan something, then it is the natural tendency to waste our time in unprofitable things rather than in the meaningful pursuit of righteousness. A false witness that speaks lies and he that sows discord among brethren. Once again, these are the characteristics of a man who is not pursuing truth, love, and righteousness in his life.

Virtue and Mourning

2008-11-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

Value In Realizing Truth Unto Excellence.

Taking Home Our Realizations Of Utilizing God's Holy Natural Eternal Saving Salvation.

We need to be a lamp with such a powerfully bright (dunamis) light that people will be blinded by the love of God.

When we are saved, we get plugged in to the power source. When we have the Holy Spirit, we have choices. God reveals to us things in our lives that He doesn't own, and when we give it to Him, we have more light. We have been given the power to live with the light all the way on - if we're not it's because we're not choosing to. Is He Lord of my life?

Mercenaries in the Crusades - when they were anointed, if they gave everything, they would allow their sword to be anointed under the water as well. But if they were saying, "No, the sword is still mine - God can't have my sword" they would hold it out to the side away from the water.

Virtue requires being completely anointed by the Spirit - giving God everything.

We will never experience the fullness of God's power until we give Him everything.

Virtue - holy. God is holy. He expects us to be holy.

It is much easier to go back than it is to go forward. We must humble ourselves and pray, and seek His presence, and turn from our wicked ways, and then God will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. It's not the non-Christians who have a problem in this country. It is us because we won't get on our face before Him. We refuse to recognize sin in our own lives and have godly sorrow (mourning) and repent and turn and get up and go in a different direction (thoroughness). He wants a complete vessel.

How deeply do you grieve over sin (Psalm 38; Psalm 6)? If you are not broken over your sin and repent, then God cannot use You.

What does God mean to you? Are you a fearless army? Do you acknowledge that every breath You take is His - your life doesn't have anything do with you?

Virtue - Dynamite Power

2008-11-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

Virtue is the dynamite power of the Holy Spirit in you to live a holy life unto God. (Patty May, Wisdom's House)

Dunamis (verb) - to enable of miraculous power, explosive (Luke 8:46; 21:27; Philippians 3:10). This is the action of virtue.

Aretas (703) (noun) - this is a state of virtue (2 Peter 1:5-8)

Our focus is on the verb. We need to understand how much power that God has placed in us to live a holy life, to make wise choices. We get an English word from this enabling of miraculous power - it is dynamite. We are not talking about a firecracker bit of power, we are talking about dynamite power. Big power is what God has given to us.

Luke 8:46 - The woman with an issue of blood had to touch Jesus in faith in order to receive the virtue (dunamis power). A prayer shawl had five strands hanging from it, standing for the books of the law. In between each of the five strands, there were four spaces - standing for YHWH. This woman came to him after having an issue of blood for twelve years (twelve years - the age of Jarius' daughter that was healed) - her healing was so miraculous; it was clear to those around her that she was healed. The Jews had a tradition that if you touched the edge of the prayer shawl of the Messiah, that you would be healed. This is proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah. Then He goes and he raises Jarius' daughter from the dead - this is the same dunamis power. This is big power.

We are not mamby-pamby Christians. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN DUNAMIS POWER! He has given us the power to stand. He has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We don't need to fear the future, because He has not given us to wrath. He has given us power.

Psalms 4:3 -God has set apart those who are godly for himself. He has given us the dunamis power to be godly. Only through His power are we able to be godly. In and of ourselves we can only do wickedness. We can only sin. We are not free to live godly lives except by the power of Christ. Then, when we choose righteousness through His power, then it is a sacrifice of worship to God (Psalms 4:5).

Psalms 4:7 - To have joy in the time of trouble is power.

Psalms 4:8 - God puts us to sleep. If we are resting in the arms of that great Savior and we are trusting in Him, then we will sleep and rest in peace. Jesus Christ is the prince of Peace.

Virtue

2008-10-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Virtuous - cheyel - 2429 - army, band of men, soldiers, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, trained, valor, victories, warrior, worthy, to wait, bear, bring forth, fear, hope, be in pain, rest, shapen, stay, trust, wait carefully, patiently wounded; from the same word: victorious (Ruth 3:11; Proverbs 12:4; Proverbs 31:10)

Proverbs 31:10 - rubies are harder than diamonds. It is the color red that represents the blood of hrist and the purity he gave us when He died on the cross for us.

Proverbs 31:29 - "But you surpass them all." It is a race. (1 Corinthians 9:24 - "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run but only ONE gets the prize. Run in such a way to get the prize!") (Hebrews 12:1-3 - What is it you need to put off? Are you fixing your eyes on Jesus?)

God's power enables us to live virtuous lives (2 Peter 1:3).

There is a difference between trying to be virtuous and training. (The righteous man falls seven times, but he rises up again.)

Virtue - 1411 - dunamis - Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19; Luke 8:46 - power, dynamite
Virtue - 703 - aretay (Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:3; 2 Peter 1:5) - manliness, valor

Are you allowing God's power to penetrate your life?
Are you living a life of excellence?

1 Corinthians 13 - qualities of virtue
Psalm 37 - fourteen things to do while waiting

Defining Virtue

2008-10-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Please comment with any definitions for virtue you have!

Some definitions I found were:

According to its etymology the word virtue (Latin virtus) signifies manliness or courage. "Appelata est enim a viro virtus: viri autem propria maxime est fortitudo" ("The term virtue is from the word that signifies man; a man's chief quality is fortitude"; Cicero, "Tuscul.", I, xi, 1 - Waldron, Martin Augustine. "Virtue." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.

"Virtue,” says Augustine, "is a good habit consonant with our nature." - Waldron, Martin Augustine. "Virtue." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.

Saint Thomas's definition of virtue: "habitus operativus bonus", an operative habit essentially good, as distinguished from vice, an operative habit essentially evil. - Waldron, Martin Augustine. "Virtue." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15.

Virtue is manly strength or courage; bravery; daring; spirit; valor.

Virtue is active quality or power; capacity or power adequate to the production of a given effect; energy; strength; potency; efficacy; as, the virtue of a medicine.

Virtue is energy or influence operating without contact of the material or sensible substance.

Virtue is excellence; value; merit; meritoriousness; worth.

Virtue is specifically, moral excellence; integrity of character; purity of soul; performance of duty.

Virtue is a particular moral excellence; as, the virtue of temperance, of charity, etc.

Since the human soul is conditioned by three factors—emotions (feelings), capacities, and dispositions (characteristics)—it is evident that virtue must be one of these. – Augustine’s Ethics

Virtue is something for which men are called good or bad or for which they are praised or blamed. Since one is not called good or bad on the basis of his emotions, it is clear that virtue is not an emotion. Furthermore, virtues are the result of some kind of choice but a man does not exercise his will (i.e., make a choice) when he experiences such emotions as anger or fear. It is also clear that virtue is not a capacity, since a man is not praised or blamed for having the ability to experience certain feelings. A human being receives his capacities from nature, but nature does not cause him to develop into a good or bad man. Therefore, since virtues and vices are not emotions or capacities, they must belong to the genus known as dispositions or characteristics. – Augustine’s Ethics

Virtue in man is whatever characteristic makes him a good man and causes him to perform his function well. – Augustine’s Ethics

The mark of virtue is to experience an emotion at the right time, toward the right objects or people, for the right reason, and in the right manner; in other words, in accordance with the mean. As already shown, virtue is concerned with emotions and actions. In judging emotions and actions, we criticize excess and deficiency and praise the mean, which is construed by most people to constitute success. Both praise and success are signs of virtue and excellence. Consequently, virtue must be a mean in the sense that it aims at the mean. – Augustine’s Ethics

Virtue is a disposition of the soul in which, when it has to choose among actions and feelings, it observes the mean relative to itself. This mean is determined by a rational principle of the kind that would be formulated by a man of good sense and practical wisdom. – Augustine’s Ethics

In all areas of human conduct the mean is most desirable and its attainment is the source of all moral virtue. – Augustine’s Ethics

Thoroughness (and Virtue)

2008-10-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

Thoroughness - fully done.

"The only offense against the world is a thorough knowledge of it." - John Locke

Virtue is an all-the-time thing. You can't turn character on or off. Either you thoroughly apply virtue or you aren't truly virtuous at all.

Virtue isn't virtue if you have skeletons in the closet.

Virtue - thorough moral excellence.

"Moral excellence is only determined by the author of morality and the exemplifier of excellence. Virtue can only be judged by the exemplifier of moral excellence." - Dan

Thoroughness - we're talking about the entire inner man.

Virtue without thoroughness = double-minded man; hypocrisy.

Proverbs 23:12 - apply = thorough; hearing and doing
Proverbs 23:17 - Do the virtuous envy sinners? No...in order to be virtuous we must fear the Lord.

What quotes do you have on Virtue?

2008-10-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some:

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/virtue/

Mourning

2008-10-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to mourn?

Who can mourn?

How does it relate to virtue?

How might it not relate to virtue?

Any other thoughts?

What is Virtue

2008-10-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

What is Virtue?

What can it do?

Who can get it?

How do you get it?

How do you lose it?

MMR Widsom Search

2008-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a place to encourage continuing dialogue and though on the MMR Wisdom Search time. Please record your ideas here, but please stick to the topic and be wise as to that which you write on this very public conversation. It is also worth noting this is a separate run blog and does not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of Miracle Mountain Ranch.