Author: Travis Manhart

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Resolutions to Live By (Part II)

“Resolutions to Live by” Part II  ( Philp. 3 :6-11)
 
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
 
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus ( vs. 14). 
We have been discussing the application of these verses which is backwards from our normal method. Normally we study the original language and then make application. So with these next Vida’s I want to get into the original language of specific key words and see what we can learn, starting with the first verse. It is going to be an eye opener, but first a story for context.
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” I do not know how many of us are living the life we had envisioned for ourselves while we were in college, I know I’m not. I desired to work in a large wholesale nursery where I could experience all the different faucets of it and have room for advancement. My desire was to work myself up the corporate ladder as I proved that I was capable of the tasks given me. It was a perfect fit for me, between my love of plants and leadership ( I was Student Body President in High School). My first interview was at Hines Wholesale Nursery and I was hired. I was very active in my high school and being Student Body President sold the deal ( wasn’t sure why, as opposed to more schooling, but I was glad it did). It also excited me that the nursery had been bought by the corporate giant Weyerhauser. In my first five years of working in the corporate nursery I worked in 4 different departments and by the time I was 21 I was overseeing 13 acres of liner stock (baby  plants). This was the very heart of this 600 acre nursery. I had 40 employees that answered to me, many the age of my parents.
Every summer the nursery offered a student program giving college students the opportunity to work at the nursery. They spent two weeks in each department and every two weeks through the summer I had 3 interns. They always looked at me with questioning eyes, as if to say your too young to be in this position. I got this look from everyone who I was introduced to, I understood. However I took my job seriously, much like Joseph with Potipher and David, when at 21 years of age, was leading a division of the Israel army into war. These God fearing young men were my inspiration and my prayer daily was,”God give me your wisdom and use me.”
Things moved along well career wise. I got promoted and was sent to Vacaville to manage all the inventory in a 200 acre nursery. A new site for Hines. That’s a lot of plants and responsibility! I was viewed by the Irvine nursery as the shining star and was often told by those who I worked with that they were glad I was going to Vacaville to keep things straight. Vacaville was beautiful with  its rolling hills and miles and miles of country, so very much unlike Orange Country. Prior to transferring I got married and while in Vacaville we had our first child. I was so glad to get out of So.Cal., however work was tough. I had to prove myself again as I was viewed as too young to have so much responsibility. There were many a day I had to exert my authority with people much older than me. I did not like doing that but I understood until they knew me, I would not have their respect. In time we settled, however I was still viewed as the transplant from Irvine Hines. At times this worked to my advantage because they knew, that I knew, all the “powers to be” and could call them at anytime. However after 6 years Weyerhauser decided to sell the nursery. We were told that some of us were going to be sent back to Southern Cal. I was certain that I would be one of them. I knew my counterpart in Irvine, he was responsible for training me, I also knew he needed help – I did not want to go back. I began interviewing at all the nurseries in Northern Ca., and the one that had the position I wanted was located in Fresno. We interviewed and I was hired.
I was both happy and sad. I felt I was going backwards in my career, leaving the corporate world for a father/son operation. They were so backward in everything they did that it took me a year to get them up to speed. I always liked walking the nursery in the evening when everyone was gone as I planned for the next day; I often wondered if I had made a mistake. However God’s presence was growing in my life. As field supervisor of a small nursery I made decisions from production to plant practices. Often I  had to explain to the owners as to why things were done as such. My best friends were the salesmen who would tell me that ever since I took over field operations that the plants sold themselves. My response was the same each time, tell the owners.
During one lunch time I read the verse we are studying, “what things were gain to me I counted as loss for the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” I knew this verse, having read Paul’s testimony many times before, but this time it was personal; I finally understood. My corporate ambition was me trying to fulfill me, and we all do this. Whether it is through our jobs, our family, or a special activity, there is always something we do and or strive for to give us that sense of identity, that my life matters. I knew that the Holy Spirit was asking me to surrender my corporate ambition and to make Him my ambition. I accepted His invitation, making Him my Great Prize. From corporate ambition to Christ’s ambition in me and for me. It was as if I was born again, again. Though scripturally we are taught we are “reborn” once, I have also experienced several “A-HAH”moments in my life and this definitely was one of them. I grew a mile during that 30 minute lunch period. As I look back on that year’s events, The Lord had been “engineering” this moment. It was wonderful, I felt so free from all my “driving” ambitions ( a type A problem) and from feeling the pressure to become somebody.
His presence was deepening in me as I sought Him in greater earnestness. I understood that whatever pushed me closer to Christ was what I wanted, be it blessing or trial, they both had there purpose. Everything settled in me; I felt solid. I felt like a puzzle that had finally been put together correctly. I was even happy, something that I had not been for some time. I was 30 years old. I began to teach  Spanish Bible studies to the men as they would ask me why I was so different. We met in the evenings, as I did not feel right about witnessing on the job. This lasted for about two years until the owner found out. He was so mad that I was “indoctrinating” his men that I knew my job was on the line. I began to interview again, but now in Northern Cal. During our stay in Fresno  our second daughter was born so Fresno would always be remembered as such, plus where I became God’s man. I got hired at a wholesale nursery in Roseville. I was so delighted to head back to what I considered home.
I could continue to tell my story but enough has been said to give us context to our verse. Now I want to study this verse in detail and make application.
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”
The words “gain and loss” are accounting terms. Paul, as it were, is taking account of all his assets, all his accomplishments, schooling ( which he had Ivy League education), his position in the Pharisees (which I believe he was going to become the next High Priest) as though they were written in the asset column of his life and he puts a big X through them and transfers them over to the loss column as he writes Jesus Christ into the asset column of his life. All those accomplishments could not give him the joy, the peace, or the love that knowing Jesus Christ did. His life prior was always a life of striving, seeking to prove to himself and to others that he was capable and worthy. Sound familiar?
 In Christ all that striving ends, as once and for all His love settles the question of our worth. Christ is able and fully capable to work in us and through us and cause us to fill good about who we are, and who we are becoming. As I’ve said before, His love is a game changer. And though I often speak of His love, I am concerned that many of us truly do not know it. If you are growing in Christ, then that deep knowing will come as you continue to seek Him.  If you are not growing and you truly remember a day when you were born again, then you are lukewarm.
I was lukewarm one time in my life, never to be again, by the grace of God.  Jesus says in Revelations 2:4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” To have left my first love means I have replaced Him with something or someone else, not a smart move. And in Revelations 3:15&16, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” Just as lukewarm water is distasteful and we spit it out, so a lukewarm life is the same to the Lord. And why, or what causes this condition, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” To be “lukewarm” means we have a high view of ourselves and a low view of Christ. It also means that our worship and desire are for the things and people of this world and not for God. We are lukewarm because just like water, we have two opposing streams entering into us and they each cancel out the other. We have not “Counted the Cost,” and there is not a more miserable person on the face of the earth than a lukewarm Christian. 
Counted is to consider, to give serious thought, but it also has the interesting definition of appointing, assigning, giving an order. It’s as if one looks at their list of accomplishments and assigns them, one by one to the lost column as knowing Christ becomes so much more meaningful, and this works for failures as well. To look at my failures and defeats and to see that in Christ they all have had a purpose, as it was those defeats God used to bring me to Him. He now would become my success – my Great Prize. Everything changes, from loser to victor because He gives my life purpose, direction and meaning.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become (ing) new ( 2Cor. 5:17).
 
 
We need to continue our discussion in the following Vida, but for now we have said enough. However in ending, I would leave us with a lyric of one of my favorite songs, “The art of losing myself to bring You praise.” This was Paul’s goal, and it needs to be ours as well.
Father God,
We were made by You and for You; to know You and grow in relationship with You is our highest goal and purpose. To do this is to live in harmony with everything that we are and are meant to be. Help us to understand this one single truth. Thank you and Amen
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Resolutions to Live By (Part I)

“Resolutions to Live By” Philippians 3:6-8 (Part 1)
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; ( he was in an “elite club” if you will, his ” pedigree” was the top of the top)
Concerning zeal ( for the Jewish faith) persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (He conformed himself to the law with a passion and he saw Christianity as a threat to Judaism and was determined to stop it. However, his life was radically changed – read Acts 8&9)

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
 
Paul was no ordinary guy. He was definitely a determined individual – goal oriented and a type A  personality. He was purposeful in setting his goals and he accomplished them. He derived his importance and self esteem (prior to salvation) from meeting his goals. Such are type A personalities; I myself am a type A personality. I remember in the early days of running the business I drove my men to work, including myself. I worked along side them and every fifteen minute segments  I  mentally measured its production. I had so much self made stress ( one of several downfalls of this personality type) that one of my vendors, a friend, remarked that I was going to give myself a heart attack.  Since he was a friend, I took his advice. Made a few adjustments, but I still measured the minutes. However the adjustments did make me alittle more human and less of a machine. And though I took his advice, I still maintained a tight hold on production and ended up firing about a third of my crew (now for the third time).
This time however it was harder on me, for I was firing people I worked side by side with. I asked The Lord if it was me, am I expecting too much? He impressed upon me that I needed to return back to the management style that He taught me as a young man; to “rule over men in the fear of the Lord ( 2 Samuel 23:3) which meant I had to trust the Lord with the business, every aspect of it. It is one thing to trust the Lord when you are managing for someone else, it requires a much deeper trust when it’s your name on the line for everything – from the quality of work to the bills you owe. I agreed with Him in my spirit and in so doing it brought  me back to my roots, helping me immensely, making me human once again. Trusting Him with the business would be a process that He would test me in, but I was pointed in the right direction. What really helped was seeing His hand in the business, from the little day to day things, as well as in the big things. From helping me gain new contracts, as well as granting me the wisdom to get my “to do list” completed each day – a big deal for a type A. He was my Senior partner/ Heavenly Father and I was his son, together we would run His business in a way that honored Him and cared for people by putting out an excellent product.
 Sadly, and something I had to deal with, was the pride I did derive from being able to work like a machine. To be able to discipline my actions and thoughts to accomplish all the work we did. I had 15 employees and it was just me and the men. Lisa paid the bills, but I did all the rest. That was fifteen years ago. Much has changed since then, I now have an assistant that helps me, but the biggest change has been me. I no longer live for  accomplishments or efficiency, or take pride in being able to work like a machine ( I see that as stupid now, life’s too short), but I live for Christ. I still enjoy working, being disciplined and efficiently using time, that’s gjust being a good steward and being business smart, however my self- esteem does not come from work, it comes from my relationship to The Lord.  I also enjoy the interaction I have with my men and have worked very hard to cultivate good relationships with them. That is what matters now and I look for opportunities for Christ to use me with my clients and vendors.
 My work has become my “tent job.” Just like Paul made tents to provide for his own needs, yet through making tents he had several opportunities to share Christ and or invite his clients to the evening Bible studies he taught (Acts 18:1-4). And so is my work, and so is your work. It is where we “rub shoulders” with our co- workers and/or clients,  giving opportunity for Christ to be seen in our  lives. Possibly even to invite them to an evening Bible study or to church, or to share Vida4U with them. It is super important that we realize these opportunities and be looking for them. We cannot afford to be worldly minded by getting caught up in the daily hassles and issues of life. To be able to see past that, trust God with it and to comprehend what is really at stake. We are advocates or ambassadors for Christ as Paul says and every interaction is an opportunity for Christ to gain ground in the lives and souls of the people we deal with; be it our sons or daughters, husband/wife, co- workers or clients etc., we are to be a “fragrance” for Christ, 2 Corinthians 2:15

“For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:”

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” We must start here, square one and grow in this truth. If we do not believe this, practice this, we are not going anywhere. We are just simply playing “Christian,” that’s all. There is no reality to our faith, no connection to Christ, or seeing the workings of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. Our faith can be viewed as a charade and this can’t be, for the price of faith is way too costly. Our time with God is our foundation. Even group Bible studies, fellowships, and church cannot replace our personal devotions with God. They collectively work together to promote balanced growth, however it seems that when our schedules are too busy, it’s our quiet time with The Lord that gets set aside. For some reason we think our time with God is optional, it’s not. People say you can’t take the Bible literally and maybe that discourages us from reading it? I liken this statement to a parent telling their children, “I am going to teach you right from wrong so your life prospers and your happy, wise and safe…. But don’t take anything I say literately, you can pick and chose what you want to believe.”  What a confusing message that would be to our children. We would never do that to our kids, nor does God do that to us – hence the need to read the scriptures. So maybe an attitude adjustment towards God’s Word needs to be made that will cause us to prioritize it. We will not grow solidly otherwise.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: Jesus told a couple parables in Matthew 13. It was regarding the heart attitude and mind set we need to have so as to grow strong in our faith, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

( Matthew 13:44-46).
The parables begs the question, do we know who and what we have in Jesus? If not, it is no wonder that we struggle in our faith and find ourselves more devoted to materialism or our jobs etc., than to the Lord. It is no mystery that we do the things that are most important to us.
“for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Think on all these  verses and we will comment next week on them adding clarity by going into the Greek definitions. This Vida is my personal narrative on how these verses have impacted my life. In closing, ask yourself, have you suffered loss because of your faith in Christ? We will continue our discussion in the next Vida.
Father God,
Thank you for this study. May you become our pearl of great prize, our treasure that makes us willing to sell it all to gain more of You. Reveal to us what idol or idols we have placed above You. We may not even know it, so we give you permission to reveal it to us. Help us to be of a humble enough spirit to acknowledge it, as well as have the wisdom to surrender it over to You. Magnify Yourself in us Lord. Thank you and Amen
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New Year’s Resolution

“New Year’s Resolution”
As we start the New Year it is customary for new resolutions to be made. We take account of ourselves and say, “I need to quit smoking, or drink less coffee, or eat better or exercise more or date better people or be more patient with the kids etc.” There are countless things we could seek to improve on or change, but can we stick to it? I know the first couple of months at the gym it is super busy, however by March it has thinned out and by April, we the regulars, have the gym back to ourselves. What happened to all those people with their earnest resolutions? It is my opinion that their resolutions were not “deep enough.” They did not deal with the whole man. Foundational to all of us are our souls, our inner person and the world we live in and rub shoulders with largely ignores its importance. The emphasis is always on the outward and aside from this shallow value system, life is just busy. Therefore unless we are purposeful with our time with God ( which our spirit equals 1/3 of our person) there will be no time to pursue Him. We get caught up in the demands and minutia of life. How do we prevent that from happening to us? We talk about un-cluttering our closets, garages etc., the same is true with our life. And to determine what we keep and or continue to do and what to discard or stop doing is based on our internal values; who we want to be as people. This takes serious thought, for our decisions should be life changing.
Did you know that the apostle Paul made a New Year’s Resolution list? Well actually I don’t think he waited till the New Year, but it is a very comprehensive list that is filled with thought and conviction. There is nothing shallow or superficial about his list and in studying his writings, I am convinced that he through the help of the Holy Spirit, kept them.  In Phillipians 3:6 – 14 we find this extensive list, or we could even call it his personal constitution. As with legal or civil matters, we do not  change the constitution, we conform ourselves to it; such should be the seriousness of our resolutions. Here’s Paul’s, I’ll give us a little background first…
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; ( he was in an “elite club” if you will, his ” pedigree” was the top of the top)
Concerning zeal ( for the Jewish faith) persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless ( he conformed himself to the law with a passion and he saw Christianity as a threat against Judiasm and he was determined to stop it, but his life was radically changed, read Acts 8&9)
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, (again, as in, “I will repeat” ) I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
 
“…Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example ( vs.17). “
 
Amen, that is quite a constitution to live by. As a Pharisee, Paul was serious about his faith. As a Christian he was just as serious if not more so, and that I believe is part of our problem; the majority of us do not take our faith serious enough. Scripture teaches we are to count or consider the cost. However we hear that God loves us and Christ paid for our sins and we think, “Great, I got Eternity in the bag,” and we go on and flirt with the world, compromising our faith and values.  We never clearly separate ourselves from the world rather we get caught up in the per suits of our own wants and desires (materialism) but not God’s.
The word divorce has terrible consequences to a family, however in this application it is exactly what we need to do. We need to divorce ourselves from the world. In a divorce both parents still need to talk working out matters regarding the children. However aside from that there is a clear division between them. We still need to interact with the world, but what are their ambitions, desires and values, we are not to take on, rather Christ’s values and desires.
What the world uses to fulfill their inner needs, or what they do to make themselves feel good about who they are etc., is not what we do. We drink at one well and one well only, the well of God’s love. It is always Holy, Lovely and Satisfying. We need nothing more. To not do this is to make ourselves vulnerable to the world’s calling, especially since 1/3 of our person is the man or woman of the flesh, our carnal nature. The fleshly cravings live inside of us. It’s like the movie ” Sleeping with the enemy.” We not only sleep but do everything else as well and its voice grows louder the more we stay away from God’s well of love. Here’s a poem that in a few words  summarizes what I am trying to say.
We must lose ourselves to find ourselves…
We must lose our pride to find God Grace…
We must lose our rights to live in God’s…
We must lose our idols to find the one true God…
We must lose our self ambition to encounter God’s….
We must lose to win, for in God’s economy the currency is faith…
We must lose all that we clutch so tightly to gain what the Father seeks to give us. Without this step of faith our Christian Walk will always be anemic; lacking power, conviction, peace and joy, is that how we want to live? I know I don’t; I refuse to live like that. There is no price I am not willing to pay to be closer to Christ. Some costs have been easy to pay, others difficult requiring the help of the Holy Spirit and so will be the future.
We will revisit these verses in following Vida’s to get a clearer understanding of what Paul is saying. This is an overview, big picture look at Paul’s resolutions.
Father God,
I see how much room there is in me for growing closer to You. I realize now that most of my Christian life that what I thought was faith was nothing more than a ” lukewarm,” half hearted commitment on my part. Forgive me Father, for You are truly worth all my efforts. Help me to divorce myself completely from the world and be wholly Yours. Thank you and Amen
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“New Things”

 “New Things”
I hope everyone had a very nice Christmas. It’s a lot of work but the rewards of seeing the family is well worth it especially if family includes grand kids. Our grandkids are just now getting old enough ( 2 1/2 years and under)  to “get Christmas” in the sense of family, celebration and presents. To see their expressions as they open a gift is precious. They yet  have many years till they understand the true meaning of Christmas, but that time will come as well.
As we are facing a new year with future hope mixed with uncertainty, a question faces us. Does my faith believe that God is greater than all circumstances and can lead me into this new year, or does uncertainty and fear overshadow my view? The answer makes all the difference in how we live out our lives. I have been accused of not being a realist because I hope when hope cannot be found. I have learned that it really depends upon where you place your hope. There are at least two ways in general to look at any problem, God’s view of it with Eternity as a platform or my way. My way is tied to the influences and circumstances of this life which makes things very shaky and hence it stands to reason that I would have uncertainty and fear.
Depending upon which way we chose determines our reality and how we live life.  Since hope is so critical to the human soul, our view affects our ability to have and maintain hope. A hope that is based here, earthly,  will at times succeed and other times fail. A hope focused that eternity is what I live for,  can never fail me, for God’s Kingdom is Eternal. Eternally loving, eternally right and pure, making right all that has been hurtful, painful, unjust and impure. It’s so worth hoping for. It gives strenght in the hour of weakness, sight in the darkness and courage in times of fear. To nurture, maintain and grow this eternal hope there is not a price that’s not worth paying. Fortunately Christ paid it all, completely, and all we need to bring to Him is a humble heart and a willingness to grow closer to Him.
I understand fully that life can be super challenging, even overwhelming. I often say to the Lord that this situation or problem is beyond me. That I do not have the wisdom or the insight to resolve it. I need Him to intervene and show me and He does. When I was in high school I use to pole vault. I use to feel overwhelmed by  the heights I had to vault over. The bar was way above my  best jump. Yet  a “stick”( fiberglass pole) in my hands, applied as designed brought my body up and over a height that I could never do on my own. The mastering of that pole determined everything. Though it was not me  jumping, it was the  pole vaulting my body over the bar, I needed to trust it and that is true in life.  The mastering of the “pole of faith” by  trusting God determines the challenges and obstacles  that we can overcome, ….or that overcome us.
 Young David did the same thing when he put a small rock in his sling. He swung his sling with all his might and guided by the Lord, he released it, striking Goliath on his forehead tumbling the giant to the ground. Then taking Goliath’s  own sword, decapitated him. Gross, yes, but a great picture for how we must finish the job when dealing with sin, especially secret sin. Had David engaged Goliath in hand to hand combat, David would have been killed. When we try to defeat our obstacles, be they worry, fear or challenges in our own strenght we can easily become defeated. The prayer of faith must lead, as David’s sling and rock. It affects change even before we arrive. The pole of faith must then be deliberately used, specific promises in God’s Word that ENGAGE GOD on our behalf. As we face our circumstances, He acts, vaulting  us over our fear and insecurity by giving us peace, and/or giving direction and clarity so the problem can be resolved. These are simple analogies, word pictures; however how we use our “tool or weapon” of faith will determine our outcome. As you (we) are  looking at a new year the question is, where does my confidence lay?
Many of us hear news of potential future events and it causes fear. Fear to such a degree that it affects us. The fear becomes our reality, regardless of whether it actually happens or not. We fear what we can’t control and it affects how we interact with our relationships as well. We do not need to live this way. The apostle Paul lived through so many terrible situations. In many respects he experienced our fears and lived through them. In  2 Corinthians 11:21-28 Paul speaks of his suffering – only to prove his apostleship to the Corinthians. They were being mislead by false teachers.
 
“Are they ministers of Christ? I (speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one ( his back must have been a scarred mess)
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches…”
Given all that he suffered and endured he had no fear of the future, for he knew nothing could separate him from God’s love. In Roman’s 8:35-40 a most famous passage,.. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

( we do not like this last part, but to its extreme so is God’s love)


Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through and by his trials Eternity had been pressed into Paul and this is a comment from the last Vida I feel is worth repeating. Just as metal receives the impression of a specific mark through much pressure or gold once made molten and purified by the furnance is poured into a mold taking on a cherished shape, so  Paul, via his trials had all concern for this life removed. He was left with one single purpose and one single hope, that of glorifying Christ in his body and finishing the race he was called to run. Fear had no “seed bed” in him. Faith choked out fear. Paul knew that God was greater and was able to use all circumstances to make Himself known and Paul was not just ok with that, he gloried in that knowledge. Roman 8:28 -30..” we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. “
Paul also learned that in his weakness, God was glorified. II Corinthians 12:9 &10…
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in (your) weakness. Most gladly — therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 

Everything that Paul speaks of is so opposite of how we are geared and are told to live, but it is through these trials that Eternity had been pressed into Paul and how it gets pressed into us. In Phillipians 3:8  this verse needs to be our compass if we are to live victorious lives, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and  in verse 13&14 ” Brethren , I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press ( strain, to break a sweat) toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus my Lord.” 
I know that Paul is a unique vessel, but cannot we learn from his lessons and allow the Holy Spirit to impress these truths upon us as well?  Can we not see from his life how God kept him not from the trials and hardships but through the trials and hardships, giving him victory? You may say that his type of victory your not interested in, but to ” be more than conquerors through him that loves us ( Rm. 8:37)”  is to have a spirit that cannot be conquered. Why would we not want that? As we look at a new year with its aspirations, uncertainties and fears are we willing to put Christ first? This world is not permanent and to live as though it is, is to be as the man in the parable that built his house on the sand. When the rains came it washed his house away. His house represented all his efforts, labor and monies. They were all wasted, as opposed to the man who built his house upon the rock which represents Christ ( Matt. 7:26). Life with Christ transcends this life and gives purpose and meaning  to all that we do, even as insignificant as giving a child a cup of cold water because of Christ kindness in us.
Lastly, Joshua challenged the nation of Israel by saying “chose you this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” As we look at a new year, who will we serve, the god of fear and uncertainty or the God who knows the beginning from the end?
May God give us the courage to chose wisely and to chose Him – daily. Amen
Father,
Thank you for this challenging study. We are needing our foundations purified and made right before we can move forward victoriously. Shake us up if necessary and bring us to the point where as Proverbs 5:6&7 says ” To trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge You and You WILL direct our paths. Let this become our life in this coming year. Thank you and Amen. 
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God Myths Part II

God Myths Part II  

Another belief is that, “All religions lead to the same place.” A lot of people would agree with that and  further add that what matters most is that you “have faith.” Both these statements sound reasonable,  however when you really uncover what is being said, it is not sound. “All religions lead to the same  place” is true, but it’s not Heaven and that’s the problem. There is a huge difference between “religion”  and a relationship with God.  They are not the same. The only people Jesus criticized and really got into  it with were the religious leaders of his day. He accused them of “straining out a gnat (in reference to  fanatically following the law) but swallowing a camel (in reference to personal responsibility to their  follow man and walking in humility before God, which the law also emphasized).

Regardless of the religion, religion is a set of beliefs, a set of rules and to some it provides comfort. To  others they think it gives them the right to criticize others, or to think themselves more superior. It is  interesting that Jesus never said to believe in a religion, he said to “believe in me.” “Believe that I came  to be a ransom for you, so that through faith in me you can know the Father.” Every word that Jesus  spoke to his disciples he spoke in terms of a relationship, not religion. A relationship is guided by one’s  heart, and religion is led by rules. Rules allow certain personality types the room to become fanatical in  their adherence. Paul in the New Testament was exactly like this. He was zealous for the Jewish faith to  the point of putting Christians in jail and taking the life of others until Christ met him in the form of a  brilliant light (Acts 9) causing him to fall off his horse. Religion in its purest form regards man and beast  and keeps a knee bent before God. Unfortunately, it is hard to maintain that without a connection to  God. I know because I too in my early years was like this. I could dot my I’s and cross my T’s, at least in  appearance.  I was able to discipline myself to do and say the right things and read the Bible exceeding  many of my friends in the memorization of it. I even taught others. But pride and forgiving others  became a problem and I could not see how my “helpful comments” were taken as criticism. I was very  religious, having “faith” but not compassion or understanding. I made it to church every Sunday and  Wednesday but could not meet my wife half way. I looked good on the outside, really good,  but on the  inside I was a mess. That to me is the fruit or the result of pursuing religion. You may have a different  story, but that’s mine.

THE CHANGE: The change was very painful. As a religious person, divorce was a marked sign of failure.  Religious persons were not to divorce; it was like breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Can’t do that  and still look at yourself in the mirror. My wife was done with our marriage and we were only three  years into it with a little one year old girl. This could not be happening to me, but it was. I asked for her  to attend counseling. I was sure that the counselor would see my point of view and help my wife to  agree that I was right. The counseling session became a nightmare as he pointed out my rigid stance and  almost impossible environment that I had created to live in. I was shocked and confused, having  nowhere to go. On the drive home I began speaking to God. It was the longest and hardest 45 minutes I  had ever driven; neither one of us speaking to the other and me asking God why He gave me such a bad  counselor. As I spoke, He interrupted saying only two words, “He’s right.” He’s right, I exclaimed, as my  inside exploded in confusion and pain. How was he right I asked, and the next answer changed my  world. “You are trying to earn my love with all your actions, not understanding that I love you as you  are. My love can’t be earned; I give it freely.”  The best picture I can give you as to what happened next  is the picture of an old building that has been condemned and needs to be destroyed. Explosives are set  in specific areas of the building and detonated causing the building to implode on itself. It caves in and  comes crashing to the ground in a heap of dust and ruin. That was me.

THE NEXT STEP: We finally arrived home and by now I was crying beyond control as a new understanding was arising in me. All my actions and sayings from my past came as a fast forward movie  through my mind and with my new understanding I now understood how that everything I did was to  earn God’s love.  My most innocent actions outwardly had a spin to them, and the strict lifestyle that I  had forced my wife to live under because of this, was crushing me inside. What I loved about her was  her free spirit. That is what attracted me to her but I had destroyed it in just three years. It was more  than I could bear and I cried out to God.  I said I needed Him and that I was lost without Him. That if He  wanted this mess, I was all His, one hundred percent! The next moment changed my life as His forgiving  love flooded my soul. For the first time I knew I was loved, unconditionally. It was all Him  unconditionally loving me, for there was nothing in me worth loving. I stayed in my room for some time  just trying to understand it all, and when I finally stepped out of my room I stepped into a house that  was ice cold. The house that religion built destroyed my wife. I saw her with different eyes now and  understood that all I had done was repeat the criticisms she had grown up with. I could have died as I  was coming into this awareness. How did I not see it? All I had to do was love her and she would have  been the best wife a man could ever have. I now had years ahead of me to prove that I had truly  changed. There was no sense in telling her, she had heard those words before ‐ I needed to live them.  It  was a miracle that she did not divorce me. I still don’t know why, except that God intervened.

FAST FORWARD: We have now been married 35 years. In today’s world of divorce and remarriage it is  an impressive amount of time. However the credit is not mine, it belongs to a God who got to me early  in my relationship with Him and my marriage to my wife.  He showed me the difference between  religion and a relationship with Him. Religion is me trying to make myself acceptable to God, to earn His  approval. A relationship with Him is Him reaching down through Christ to me, atoning for my sins on the  Cross and with open arms inviting me into a relationship with Him. A relationship that I accept by  believing in what He has done for me. And as one cultivates a relationship with a friend by spending  time with him or her, so my life has now been spent in studying His Bible, praying and attending church.  I did that all before as well, except I did it to earn His love, NOW I DO IT BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE, SAME  ACTION, BUT FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MOTIVE.  This is my story, my testimony that I freely  share with you. As I mentioned in the first article the best way to help people is to be transparent. Let  them see your strengths and your weaknesses. I have hidden nothing and in being transparent my hope  is that it gives you hope. Given freedom to work God is able to rebuild us, despite the mess we have  caused for ourselves. None of us is beyond His help, or His love that changes us from the inside out.

MY FINAL WORDS: A walk of faith/trust is just that. You can’t see God, but you trust Him and in His Bible  He reveals Himself. I have learned to see His hand in my life through answered prayer, as well as  through unanswered prayer, through His guidance in tough situations ‐ giving me words to speak, as  well as helping me as a landscaper to create beautiful landscapes. The last 30 years of my life of truly  knowing God and walking with Him have been very challenging, as my life has not been spared any of  the hardships to be found in this life. However, through the pain and challenges I have learned of God’s  faithfulness and that regardless of the struggle, problem, or challenge, that God and I equal a winning  team. Winning in the normal sense, but also winning in the sense that I no longer live by sight but by  trust, and in trust I free God to be God and to do as He sees best. I can trust HIS LOVE.

HOW TO KNOW HIM ‐ In John chapter 3 there is an interesting conversation between a very well  respected religious leader and Jesus. The meeting occurred at night, being that the religious leader  Nicodemus, who did not want to be seen speaking to Jesus. He acknowledges that Jesus was from God  because of the miracles He does.  It is interesting to note Jesus’ next comment, “Truly, truly I say to you  unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus never asked how can a man  be saved, at least not outwardly. However, Jesus knew Nicodemus’ real question and that was it.   Nicodemus responded by asking “How can a man be born again when he is old?” He does not  understand that Jesus is speaking of a regeneration of the soul, not the body.  This dialogue continues  till verse 16 & 17 where Jesus condenses salvation and his purpose into these two verses, “For God so  loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (in reference to His death on the Cross), that  whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the  world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Religion condemns, but  God seeks to save. So the question is, what will you do with Jesus. Is he a great man, a great religious  leader, or is He God Incarnate; the gateway by which all men must past to have a relationship with God?  I accepted Christ as a young man, but strayed terribly as I tried to prove my worth to Him, a frequent  mistake of religious people. There is even an example in the Bible of a man promising God a human  offering,  “whatsoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me shall be the Lord’s, and I will  offer up as a sacrifice” (Judges 11:31). If God gave Jephthah victory in battle this was his promise. This  was a rash statement coming from a religious man showing to what extremes religion can go. This was  and is contrary to everything God stands for. After the victory he comes home and his only daughter  meets him…., he keeps his promise. The house that religion builds is also the house that religion tears  down. May Part II clear up the difference between being religious and being in a relationship with God.  It makes all the difference in your life and those that you love.

FINAL NOTE: We do a biweekly devotional called Vida4U (Vida is life in Spanish) that I write during my  lunch time. It will help you to know The Lord better. Please request it at Arthur@Vida4U.com.  Thank you for reading, stay in touch and may God guide and continue to show you His love, starting  with this Christmas as a celebration and remembrance of Christ’s birth. Remember,

“FOR GOD SO  LOVED, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON….” Christmas is the celebration of that.     Merry Christmas – and Move Forward in His Grace

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God Myths and Other Such Sayings

God Myths and Other Such Sayings

Welcome  to  our  December  edition.  This  is  my  most  meaningful,  yet  challenging  article.  Before I begin, I want to make an underlining point. Just like I write throughout the year  about landscaping to help us understand  and  see what our landscapes  can be,  so I write  this  article  with  the  intent  to  help‐  as  one  friend  would  help  another.  With  all  of the  different opinions about God, I will probably step on someone’s toes; however, that is not  my intent. My goal is to encourage people in their faith and/or present another perspective  on  commonly‐held sayings that influence our beliefs about God. Whether we believe in a  God or not, these sayings are widely known and are spoken among us.

Last year, after writing The God Mystery, I received many positive comments and a few not‐ so‐positive ones, which is to be expected.  Last year’s article was presented as a one‐sided dialogue, where I invited you into my thought processes on how a life of faith has impacted  my  life.  I  have  always  held  to  the  belief  that  to  help  others, you  must  be  willing  to  be  transparent—to let  others  see  your  strengths  and  your  weaknesses  and  to  see  how, through your belief system, you deal with the stresses of everyday life. By living out a faith  that gives hope, we can in turn give that same hope to others. That was the main intent of  last year’s article. I would encourage you to reread it. You will find it under publications on  our website.

This year’s article is a bit different. It is set more as an open dialogue.  The answers I give  are what I believe to be a few key statements to the sayings; however, I am not trying to  answer  every  aspect  of  each  saying.  My  intent  is  that  you  will  come  to  your  own  conclusions  after  I  introduce  new  and  hopefully  beneficial  thoughts. With  that  as  our  introduction, let’s begin.

In the course of the year the topic of God comes up. Sometimes I can respond, other times a  response is not appropriate. I would like to take this time, therefore, to discuss the top four  of what I consider misused or misunderstood sayings.

“God would not give it to you if He felt you could not handle it.”

This is a great way to start hating God. For example, a child loses his or her mother, or a  father  dies  of  cancer, leaving  the  mother  to  be  the  sole  provider,  when a  well‐meaning  friend drops the above saying. Like an atom bomb, it blows up in your head.  What are you  supposed to say:  “Well, thanks God! I guess I needed more stress in my life.” It is probably  the most misused  saying. How is it that God gets blamed for all the painful and difficult  situations in our lives? Many times our choices, or the choices of others, are the cause of bad things happening to us. Poor eating habits, excessive worry and/or  stress,  substance  abuse and/or an emotionally challenged past can take its toll on us and on others. These  and so many more choices/circumstances set the stage for the course of our lives.

So  where  is  God  in  all  this?  I  can  tell  you  with  great  certainty  that  He  is not  the  one  dropping  the  bombs  on  us.  If  you  want  a  picture  of  God,  think  of  Him  as  a  lifeguard.  Whether  you  acknowledge  Him  or  not,  whether  you  go  to  church  or  not,  He  is  there; however, when you start to drown, when your own strength or your own ability comes to  an end, or when you can no longer think your way out and you call out for His help, He is  there. He responds to the heart that seeks Him.  Like a father watching his mature kids, he  does not interfere  until  they  ask  him—so is  God.  As  long  as  you  think  you  can  do  life  without God, then do it.  He will not interfere.

I personally have long learned that I don’t want to do life by myself anymore. I am teaching  my granddaughter and grandson the concept of “both.” They are close in age: twenty‐eight  months and twenty‐five months.  They want to do everything by themselves.  I say, “This is  too hard for you; let’s do it together.” And of course, they say, “No Grandpa, I do it.” So I let  them until they say, “Grandpa, help.” I respond by saying, “Both is better” and together we  finish the task at hand. That is my take on life.  I could do life by myself, but definitely not  with the same wisdom, love for people, joy and laughter that I currently have.  I could do it,  but why, when “both” is so much better.

Is this saying ever true? Depends upon our relationship to the Lord; if the next verse  describes us then the saying is true, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not  upon your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will  direct your paths.”  This is my all‐time favorite go‐to verse. It fits all of life’s situations for  me. It is found in Proverbs 3:5‐6. When you have made the choice to follow God, then God  partners with you over the care of your life.  As one pastor put it, “The concerns of the  sheep become those of the shepherd.”

“I am a good person.”

There is so much behind this saying and much depends on the context. If the context is an  invitation to go to church and this is the reply, then we are saying, “I do not need to go to  church, because I am a good person.”  If we are in church, and the pastor gives an invitation  to know God on a deeper level, and we decline, it means, “I do not feel the need to change.”  Even deeper still, and underlining all of this, is the belief that because I am a good person  God accepts me. There is a huge problem with this thinking. God is not about goodness. If  you are good, your wife or husband appreciates it, your kids appreciate it, your coworkers  and neighbors benefit from it, and maybe the driver of the car that you let in front of you  appreciates it, but it does not do much for God.  God has not called us to a life of “goodness”  but to a life of “holiness.” Holiness is a state of being that is unattainable for man, just like  righteousness is unattainable. Yet, this is what God seeks. We have a saying, “A miss is as  good as a mile.” It does not matter how hard we try, holiness and righteousness are out of  our reach. So, all the self‐effort and all the diligence of following specific rules cannot make  us more holy. However, in this life you will gain many points, and friends.  (For a more in‐ depth discussion on this, Part II, “God Myths Continued” can be found on my website.)

“God helps those who help themselves.”

I was raised with this saying, and it has some truth in it.  There is a verse in the scriptures  that says, “He who does not work let him not eat.” In other words, work to provide for your  needs  and the needs of others.  Yet, this is not the  same  as our  saying.  The underlining  basis for this  saying, and where I have  concern with it, is that it is a hiding place and an  excuse for pride.  I did it myself, and if perchance I need a little assistance, the Man upstairs  is there to lend me a hand.  However, it is I who built my castle—it was done by my own  efforts.  I  earn  the  money  I  do  because  it  is by  my  efforts,  and  so  on.  There  is  no  acknowledgement that the very breath we breathe is a gift.  It was He who formed life and  gave  us  the  ability  to  think  and  learn, etc.  (This  might  offend  those  who  believe  in  evolution—not my intent.) And, yes, by applying ourselves and by learning, we have gotten  to where we are. However what about those who are just as capable, just as smart, but have  not had the opportunity or parents who could afford college, etc. This attitude is narrow‐ minded and lacks gratitude, humility, and the acknowledgement of all those who helped us  along the way. And, it  lacks  compassion for the  less fortunate.  The true  saying  is, “God  helps those who seek His help.”

“There are many ways to interpret the Bible.”

As one who has studied the scriptures for most of his life, this statement is scary. It is as if  to  say, “God does not know how to talk.” He may mean this, or He may mean that. Who  really knows? And, furthermore, man wrote the Bible. Take what you can from it, and if it  helps you, then good. Language, that which we use to communicate thoughts, desires, and  intentions, has the means to be very specific and the languages the scriptures were written  in—Hebrew,  Aramaic, and  Koine  Greek—are the languages that  are  much  more  specific  than English.  So I study the Bible in these languages to get the full intent of the verse. (I use  study aides. I do not  speak these languages.) And, in the  study, I  see not man’s hand but  God’s hand as He overshadowed and moved man to communicate the truths He sought to  say. To believe that God is not capable of preserving His Word (The Bible) is to believe in a  God who is very small. Therefore I find that God speaks very clearly, and through the study  of the original languages, a translation and meaning is gained. What the Bible is open to is  the  application  of the meaning. What  one  verse may mean to me  could mean something  different  to  you or  help  you  in  a  completely  different  way.  Much  depends  upon  our  background and current situation. I often ask my wife after church what she received from  the message. It normally is something different than what I gained from it. She is a different  person with a different set of needs and she hears things differently than me. We each come  with  our  own  set  of  “filters”  when  it  comes  to  listening.  Therefore  application  of  the  interpretation  is  where  we  vary,  but  the  interpretation  is  of  a  single  truth.  God  speaks  clearly. He does not mix words and His overarching message is His love for humanity. His  love  for  you  and  me  and  a  passionate  desire  to  be  in  relationship  with  us  is  the  main  message of the Bible and is what I will talk about on my website in Part II.

In conclusion, I want to thank you for reading our landscape articles throughout the year,  but I especially appreciate you reading this article.  I started out as a friend and I end as a  friend. Hopefully I have been of help, though I am sure that some of my words may have  been somewhat challenging.  In either case, you know my heart.  We are different enough to  have different views, but we are similar enough in that we can respect each other’s points  of view.  As they say, “It is what makes the world go round.” Merry Christmas!

Have a Happy, but safe, New Year, and I invite you to read Part II.

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“Laws of Life” Part II ( Proverbs 13)

 “Laws of Life Part II ( Proverbs 13)
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction ( vs. 2&3).
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom (vs.10).
 
Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard (vs.15).
 
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (vs.20)
 
 
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: ( vs. 2&3). The word “keepeth” has what I would call a noble meaning and everyday working definitions. The noble meaning has to do with keeping God’s Word on your lips and in your heart. I think we come short in understanding this responsibility and fail to give God’s Word its rightful place in our lives. We live distracted lives, lives that get tangled up in the minutiae of this life. When focused on knowing the Lord and His life through us, Life is much, much, bigger. You see with eyes that look for opportunity for God to gain ground, both in your life and in the lives of others, and you become a ready conduit for His life to flow through you as you become a citizen of heaven. This is the highest definition of the word and truly the only hope there is for our world.
The every day meanings, and there are two;  both having good and practical definitions, just not as life changing as the first. One is to be trustworthy with sensitive knowledge. Once personal knowledge has been entrusted to you, it stays with you. You are trustworthy because you “keep your mouth.” The other meaning has to do with keeping your speech pertinent. You say what is needful and helpful and that’s where it stops. No gossip or telling rumors. “Running of the mouth,” infers to people that not only violate this but also violate the trust that others have placed with you. Often times gossipers speak just to hear themselves speak. They add no real quality or help to the conversation. A lot of talk/news programs in my opinion remind of this. The host and his guest just rattle on, maybe making a few good points but really are not helping or being sensitive to the situation, or to the people affected by what they are taking about. They add more “noise” to the topic than anything else.
“….but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” There comes a point when you have said too much and now it is going to cost you. I think divorce is a very sad example of this. Instead of walking away from an argument and considering our words, we react from a place of hurt and say things that can’t be taken back. To be a man or woman of honor and react to hurtful words without first considering why they’re said is to play the fool and there is nothing honorable in that. Maybe the other party has a hurt that we are not aware of, or maybe they have lost control and given a cooling off period will recant their words. It’s times like this that someone has to chose the noble road and it might as well be us. It will be to our honor and to God’s glory. Proverbs 16:20 speaks to this, “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord ( instead of running off with our mouth), happy is he,” and Proverbs 19:11, “The discretion (or wisdom) of a man (or woman) makes him slow to anger, and it is to his glory (or honor) to overlook an offense.” What makes God so Great is that He forgives, heals and restores. If we follow suit, by the grace He supplies, we will represent Him well.
 
“Only by pride cometh contention:” If we boil pride down to its most rudimentary and crude definition, what is it? Or better asked, what do the words “pride, sin and I” have in common, it’s the letter “I.” It’s about me, is the most basic definition of pride. Yet a humble person never thinks like this; it’s about us, you and me, and unless we both win we both have lost. Pride only breeds contention because it cares nothing about understanding the other person. It’s only concerned about getting its point across, therefore there can be no peace or harmony and the relationship will never grow. In fact there is a good chance you are actually going backwards. Sounds weird but growth is necessary to maintain harmony and interest. It’s the emotional “glue” of a relationship. When growth stops, then dissatisfaction has the opportunity to begin. Growth can take making forms, becoming better friends, going through challenges together, or the best is growing in Christ. There are times that your spouse or friend may get “stuck” by life and your consistent example of God’s love is a tool that God can use to move them forward. And if love is present, pride cannot rule.
“But with the well advised is wisdom.” What does it mean to be well advised? In context we are talking about life, and “LIFE” is a huge topic. Mental learning is only one part of it, “emotional smarts” is as important, if not more important. I cannot tell you how my knowledge of the Bible stories have helped me deal with problems of today. I know the scriptures were written in a different period, but the heart of man has remained consistently the same. And more importantly, God has remained the same. The way He dealt with sin then is how He deals with sin now.  And the way He responds to a man or woman of faith then, is how He responds now. So in many ways I can predict God’s response. I can say “God this problem is too big for me, I don’t have the smarts or the energy to deal with. I ask that You would, according to your will and glory.” Having prayed this I know God will respond. I don’t know when or how, but that I have  His attention, I definitely have that! And this is just one example of how wisdom, or the “well advised” plays out on the stage of every day life. To make this a habit is to live the best God has to give – it’s super cool when God is trusted and given the freedom to be God.
Dear Father,
This is a short devotional but the truth You have shared are life changing. Help us to heed your love and release our fears, insecurities and all the securities we cling so tight too and give that space completely over to You. We were created to “operate” as such, and are so much more alive and human when we operate according to our Creators purpose. Love is our gas and anything else takes away from our performance. Thank you and Amen.
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“Laws of Life” ( Proverbs 12)

“Laws of Life” ( Proverbs 12)
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction ( vs. 2&3).
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom (vs.10).
 
Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard (vs.15).
 
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed (vs.20)
 
“A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth.” This verse is very similar to the last Vida, “A man shall be satisfied by the fruit of his mouth.” The importance of not only our choice of words, but the heart from which we say them cannot be understated. In fact the choice of our words, the tone of our speech and the expression on our face, all start with our heart. Therefore to be “satisfied by the fruit of our mouth,” we first must correct our heart. In Jeremiah 17:9 the Lord teaches,  “The heart is deceitful above all things, and — desperately wicked: who can know it?
The word deceitful comes from two adjectives ” Aqaba and Aqeba.” The first adjective means “deceitful, insidious” and the second means “foot printed.” Jeremiah uses the first adjective to describe Israel dealings with God. Israel was always forsaking God and “whoring after the gods of the other nations.” God was never good enough for her. Only when they were in trouble – normally because of their waywardness, did they cry out to God (sounds like some of us ). The other adjective  refers to footprints. Hosea uses this word to describe the town of Gilead, saying that it was “a town with bloody footprints.” So though murder is far from us, what does the scriptures say about hatre?
 In  1 John 3:15  we read, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” I have met and know individuals, both Christian and non Christian that have struggles in this area –  feeling justified in hating certain individuals. This is not OK; hatre enslaves and eventually destroys the barer of it. Also, hatre is a form of judgement and all judgement belongs to God. We are free to dislike the person, having nothing to do with them, but to hate them is crossing the line. At times the offense is so overwhelming that hatre is the only response we have. God understands the offense and how it has deeply wounded and hurt you, even changing your life, but hatre is not the answer; it only accentuates the act, and deepens the pain. If you happen to see the individual or something triggers your memory you relive the event because of hatre; you can never get free of it. Only forgiveness stops the cycle, and forgiveness is not because they deserve it, it’s because you need it. Imagine carrying a dead body on your back the whole of your life. That would be disgusting. It would effect everything you do, making it super difficult to have healthy relationships. And in fact, this was a form of punishment for someone who was a murderer. I cannot remember what culture or period of time, but the murdered victim was tired to the back of the murderer and through the process of the corpse decaying, disease spread into the murderers body taking his life. That’s a super gross picture, but an extremely accurate picture of what happens to our soul when we give in
to hatre.
“Desperately wicked” Anas has several meanings. It means in poor health, weak, sickly or a sickness that can lead to death, and in context to the verse, it means an incurably wicked and desperately sick heart.  It is hard for us to relate to this definition for ourselves but from God’s position of being utterly holy it’s not. So desperately in need of a new heart that it required HIS LIFE to be able to transforms us. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we have a hope that is God born, not subject to man’s weaknesses. I would say that our state of being, based on God’s solution, was and is very, very serious. When God spoke through Jeremiah these words Jeremiah’s response is found in verse 14, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” Many times we hear truth and deflect it from ourselves: yes this is true of these people or that person, but we never see ourselves in it. Jeremiah, one of the main Old Testament prophets, not only spoke these words to his people the Jews, but then he accepted them for himself.
King David after committing adultery with Bathsheba, which as King he was above reproach ( he could do what he wanted) sought to hide his sin except God knew and God was not ok with David’s sins. When confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet, David accepted it and repented. Chapter 51 of Psalms is his full repentance. In verse 10 he seeks God for a new heart, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”When we honestly examine ourselves as 2Corintians 13:5 speaks of,” Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…” If we do this, we will find that we are in desperate need for a Savior as well. 
To “eat good or be satisfied by the fruit of our mouths” a heart transformation then is required. Of course it does not happen overnight, but by growing in His grace we are changed. It is His love that changes us, heals our hurts giving us hope and making us vessels that not only know His love, but can give His love to others. We will never completely be free of our sin nature, but we do not have to listen to it or follow it. A changed heart equals changed actions and changed speech that seeks to exalt Christ.
“but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.”  In varying degrees does this verse play out on the stage of humanity. The “violence eaten” is dependent, and measured out in accordance to the transgression. The verses in Galatians 6:7&8 speaks to this “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” What a man sows is what he shall reap (or eat).  Nothing escapes the universal laws that God has established. As the law of gravity which governs man physical world, so has God established His moral laws that are just as universal governing over man’s actions.
 
Father,
 Thank you for this time of study. Help me to see the freedom that grows in me as I continue to seek You. Let me not grow weary, but remain true to the path of faith. Others may have their fun here, while because of your love for me, I am in the furnace being purified from my pride and ego. As the goldsmith purifies the molten gold removing the dross till he see’s his reflection, so let me stay the course believing that You are doing a good work in me. Thank you and Amen.
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“Attitudes that bring success” Part II (Proverbs 12)

“Attitudes that bring success” Part II (Proverbs 12)
 
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish (vs.1).
 
A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised(vs.8).
 
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding(vs.11).
 
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him(vs.14). 
 
 
***This devotional represents my career life and my thankfulness to a God who has been more than faithful.***
 
“He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread:” Life is a balance, especially seen through the teachings of scripture. Working to meet ones needs is  commended in scripture, verses those who are not willing to work for themselves or their families. Yet not just our needs but the scriptures speak of giving to those in need as well, but what defines “in need.” It refers to those who are working but come up short ( single moms), or were working but because of an injury can no longer work or the aged are some examples. This is different from able bodied individuals who are unwilling to met their own needs but rely on others – hand outs, government aid etc. To some extent our welfare system fosters irresponsibility  by giving money to these individuals. When people go without they become willing and/or creative about making money which inturn builds self respect. We have taken that away. The difficulty is when children are involved, which in most cases they are. It’s a tight rope, a balance between caring for the children and enabling those who should have the care of the children to continue being irresponsible. However I still believe there is a better way than just handing out money. To throw money at a problem in hopes that it goes away does not work, the problem is deeper than that.
Someone “that tilleth his land shall be satisfied.” Satisfied ” Sabea” has multiple meanings. It refers to one’s labor and or efforts but it goes beyond just being full. It also means being content with life, having seen God provide through your efforts. It means a person who is happy with themselves because they are doing what is right by working and providing for their family. It’s impossible to be content with life if you are not first content with yourself. Sabea means this, right with God and “tilling my land.” Sabea is a good word, a healthy word, both physically, and emotionally but all that is taken away when people are given “crutches instead of shovels.” They will never be satisfied as long as they are takers and not givers. However on the other side there are those who are driven and work too much. Most of us work long hours and hence it is easy to have our identity wrapped up in our jobs. However our identity and self esteem needs to come from our relationship with the Lord, not work. Here’s a saying, ” do we work to live or do we live for work?And even if we are not working long hours but we live for work, our identity is still misplaced. The  sum total of who we are exceeds what we do at work or anything else for that matter. To truly be satisfied, this balance must be maintained.    Without this balance we burn out.
but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding(vs.11). Reyq is the Hebrew for vain. It has several meanings, worthless, a pitcher that’s empty or a person whose worthless, or an object with no content, evacuated. What comes to mind is a period of time in my life when I just was not making enough money to make ends meet. I was working three jobs, my regular wholesale nursery job, in the evenings I made an attempt to sell water purifiers and on Saturdays I helped mow and blow about eight Carl’s Juniors. It made for a long day. This was a super hard time in my life, I hardly got to see the girls. Often times being in bed by the time I got home from mowing or selling water filters. I learned through the coarse of these months that selling the water purifiers was a pyrimaid set up based on much hype and delevoping what was termed as a “down line.” People that you enlisted that purchased the product to sell. There was really no sales going on just people getting hyped up and buying minimum orders. The guy I was helping mow the Carl’s Juniors was one of the few that actually sold something. This get “rich scheme” quickly became a vain per suit to me and once I felt that I felt free to leave it. I owed my family my best effort but this was energy and time wasted. I was so happy to be home in the evenings again. The term ” evacuated” or I like the term a “black hole” was how I began to relate to all the pyrimaid schemes that have since come my way.
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him
This verse became my compass. Whatever my future job would be I was going to work for it, and maintain a work ethic that was readily know by my actions and speech. I had requested my two weeks vacation and knowing that the owner and I were not getting along I sought to start my own maintenance business. By the time the two weeks were over all I had was a lot of frustration. Not having experience in  marketing, I didn’t know how to. However I was determined to not move the family  a fourth time pursuing the next promotion by interviewing at different wholesale nurseries. My first day back from my vacation my boss called me in and fired me. At the time the girls were six and eight. I remember it as if it was yesterday, though it was May of 1989. As I walked to my truck the Lord began speaking to me using the scriptures, which He often does. He quoted Abigail as she spoke to King David, “…but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God;” (1Samuel 25:29) basically how the Lord had David in the palm of His hand, He had me. I was scared but I knew God was in this.
After living on the credit card for three months I landed my first commercial maintenance job. It replaced my salary dollar for dollar. It took me three days to cover the grounds and on the other two days I sought to get more contracts. I found my Christian principles in business as giving me preference over other contractors, in that my clients sensed my honesty and could believe my words. Bible studies during my lunch half hour had been a habit for years and now I found them even more critical, feeding my body and soul at the same time. It was exceedingly hard work, working harder than I thought I ever could, but the company grew. God was the owner and I was his assistant and since then till now that has not changed.
Satisfied in the true Biblical sense has God in the middle of it. However I know several clients, not believers but are really good guys who emit a sense of being satisfied with their life. They have worked hard and are now reaping the benefits. Being good husbands and dads their actions reward them and there is satisfaction in that. I love these guys, but I challenge them to go deeper, to not stay docked at the port they built for themselves but loose the ropes and be willing to trust God to give them a life that is fuller and more meaningful. To be willing to explore the ocean of faith. We will fine that our safe predictable docks are quite restrictive and lacking the fullness of life that only a life of faith will experience. Life with God is bigger, it’s more riskier, but when God is at the helm it’s a satisfaction that way exceeds that of mans.
 
Father God,
 We live in a world that seeks to redefine all that You say. Instead of finding our true identity in just You, it says we need money, wealth, fame, a great job and so on. Money is nice to have but it won’t make us better people, oftentimes we are worse because of it. To live for fame may be a cover up for low self esteem and a great job if it comes through honesty and hard work is probably the only thing you would agree with. However if it becomes a stumbling  block from knowing You, then it has become a dangerous distraction. Give us wisdom to not be so foolish as to live for this world. For your faithfulness exceeds this world and  knows no boundaries. Thank you and Amen.

 

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“Attitudes that bring success” (Proverbs 12)

 “Attitudes that bring success” (Proverbs 12)
 
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish (vs.1).
 
A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised(vs.8).
 
He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding(vs.11).
 
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him(vs.14).
 
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad(vs.25). 
 
In school some considered me “teachers pet,” but I was never that. Teachers pet to me was obvious. They behaved like an angel when the teacher was present and were quite the opposite when they were with their peers. I have always enjoyed learning and so I was know for asking questions ( hence, teachers pet). Especially in math I asked a lot of questions, because math was hard for me. There were times in my classes that I was the only one asking questions, making it super awkward. I felt in those times that I must be a real dummy. However the teacher must have sensed my awkwardness and would encourage me, commenting that my questions were thoughtful and that she appreciated the fact that at least someone was paying attention. That made me feel good though I paid for it afterwards. Still, it was my education and if the rest didn’t want to learn, that was their choice. So the verse “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge:” was and is an easy fit for me. And if this is our attitude towards earthly principles, how much more diligent should we be with eternal truths?
Some of us struggle with receiving instruction/correction from others, why? The statement, “I already know that” might be true or it might be that we think we know it. However the person trying to teach us realizes that we really don’t. As a manager of people, now for many years, I really appreciate my employees that are teachable. Those that feel that they already know, it does no good trying to explain the work to someone with that attitude. They won’t hear me. I’ve learned to just put them on the job, wait for about ten minutes and they will be calling me with questions. It never fails. However, why do I have to go through this with them each time? Why do they not just listen the first time, or with the example of school, why did not more classmates ask questions? Based on their posted test scores, they should have. How many times does our insecurity, our fear of what others think of us, get the better of us? We knew we should have asked that question, but held back because we didn’t want to appear stupid. To love knowledge means we are willing to run that risk. To love knowledge becomes more important to us than what others think of us. It’s a big step towards freedom. Freedom from the fear of man and a growing freedom in accepting myself. We will never know everything and that’s alright.
God was using this period in my life to teach me about myself. To accept that I had strengths and that I had weaknesses. That He loved me just the same and that my weaknesses didn’t need to define me. That I could learn and develop my weaknesses into strengths. Some weaknesses, e.g. Sports were just going to be. I would never be as good as some of the faster more agile classmates. I would always be “second string,” and I needed to accept that. To be ok in our own skin goes a long way to receiving instruction with gratitude. And in learning new and purposeful things, it builds upon our self esteem. My insecurity cannot rule if I truly know that God loves me. To be ok in His book means the world to me, and it should mean the world to you as well.
“but he that hateth reproof is brutish,” or “baar” means someone who will not listen, hence someone who will not learn and spiritually it means someone who is “stupid.” The Hebrew definition literally uses the term “stupid” in reference to the ways of God. I would much rather be unlearned in certain aspects of earthly life than to be stupid in the eternal ways of God.
“A man shall be commended according to his wisdom.” Halal, means to shine, to praise, to boast. Instead of being praised/admired for the outward, which is the curse of this society, we are praised for our wisdom which reflects our person. If praise is merited it should be for this, not for how attractive or sexy we are. These are passing qualities that do nothing to further or deepen relationships. Another very interesting definition of halal and how it is used most often in scripture, is in reference to the Levites. Their jobs were to praise the Lord during the morning and evening sacrifices. And this to me is the true fulfillment of wisdoms use, it leads us to praise the “Wisdom Giver.” For all wisdom and the ability to gain it comes from our Creator, The Lord.
“But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.” Perverse or “Awah” is a loaded word. It means twisted, to do wrong, to bend, physically distressed, a person mentally disturbed and it also refers to preventing and or perverting right behavior which is a clear picture of our society. There are those who say right is wrong and wrong is right so as to excuse and or commend their own “Awah” behavior. Jesus accused the Pharisees of perverting God’s truths, blind guides leading the blind. Jesus words fit well into today’s world and the fall out is seen in our society. The overuse of both legal and illegal drugs, the inability to live with someone ( we’ve become too me oriented), misuse and overuse of sex to qualify a potential mate and there is so much more. If we go into sex trafficking, pornagraphy and its affects on the family, as well as on the participating individual, we get a much clearer picture of our society. We have such a desperate need to return back to the ways and truths of God. Our “accepted sins” are a twisting and perversion to the human soul. They steer us away from the purity and joy found in the love of God. Yet, there is always hope found in the patient and forgiving love of God. Remember the words of Christ when he addressed the crowd who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. After convicting the crowd of their sins, he addressed the woman and said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”( John 8:11). The only one that could condemn her, did not. Repentance and receiving His forgiveness, whether it be for a specific sin or a life of sin is a new beginning that is offered to those who would.
“…Shall be despised,” shame or contempt. Individuals who are given over to perverse behaviors are in general contemptuous by society. Even when they leave or seek change the effect and affect of these behaviors are difficult to escape. They maintain a stigma of being less. Where as in their past life style they are accepted. It makes it hard for them to get away from their past and start over. I sure the woman caught in the act of adultery found the same problem, even though Christ himself forgave her. Our society and individuals have suffered much because God’s Word has been disregarded and or misrepresented and the fallout of that is being reaped daily. As individuals we have the opportunity to live changed lives, to live lives that seek to glorify God, not only being a blessing to our souls but to others as well.
Father God,
Let us be lovers of the knowledge that is first pure and then peaceable. We can build a solid foundation in our lives. For your truths will enable us to stand in the days of difficulty and trail  and not only stand, but be bettered by it. Give us wise hearts and minds that see through the clutter and false promises of this earthly life.
Thank you and Amen