~Proverbs~

I love the book of Proverbs. So, I wanted to share some of my favorites...

Proverbs 2:1-5

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

3:1-6

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments; For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about they neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favorur and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths.

3:24-26

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and they sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep they foot from being taken.

8:11

For wisdom is better than rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

9:10-11

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of they life shall be increased.

13:3

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

16:3

Commit they works unto the Lord, and they thoughts shall be established.

17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

20:29

They glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head.

22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

29:17

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

~Who He Wants Me to Be~

Habakkuk 2:1
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

My best shot at doing what is right and giving Jesus everything I have, does not even come close to what he deserves. That is where his great mercy and grace comes into my life. I am human and this human (my) nature fights battles in my mind, days when my nerves are on edge, being too opinionated, wanting to fix everything and my list goes on and on. They are all things I know Jesus will help me with and things that He wants to change in me. He is still working on me. As long as I make my entire self available to him, he will do a great work. I want to keep my eyes on Him and listen to what he tells me and do what I need to do to become who he wants me to be.

~The Door~

John 10:7
… Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:9-10
I am the door: by me if any man enter, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I have wrestled most of the week with this blog. I don’t know why. I have had a lot on my mind, but I keep going back to the discussion we had in Sunday School about the importance of a door. Cindy (our Sunday School teacher) pointed to one of the doors in the church, opened it and asked the purpose of the door. What if the door wasn’t there? One person said they pictured just a solid wall, not even an opening for a door. That is what I thought at first too. If there was no door or opening, there would be no way into the building. Others thought of an opening with no door and those suggestions were that the elements could get in, burglars could easily gain access, that if there was only an opening that those seeking refuge could easily gain shelter. They were all great answers that led me to my conclusion.

Just for a moment see yourself as a building. The Bible tells us we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. If we have no door and just an opening, we become vulnerable to everything Satan attacks us with or tempts us with. If a building has no door and only an opening, the rain is going to come in and the snow is going to blow in, animals are going to make their home there and burglars can come in at anytime and rip the place apart. All of these things over time will rot and destroy the building. It can no longer be a place of refuge. If there is a solid wall and no opening at all, those that we are meant to reach or be a refuge to cannot gain access. We may be this strong building that keeps all the elements out, but what good is a building that cannot be used. We must have a door and we must use the door. We can’t just leave it open and let anything and everything in, but we can’t keep it locked up either.

Jesus refers to himself as the door in John chapter 10. He is our door to heaven. When the door of the ark was shut, God shut it and no man could open it. If Jesus is the door keeper to our temple, we can’t fail. He will keep our building strong and clean and he will open the door when we are meant to be used by Him. Are we ready to allow Jesus to be our door keeper?

~Give Me Oil In My Lamp~

During the alter call at church Sunday morning, dad made a statement about the 10 virgins. There were 5 wise and 5 foolish, but they were all virgins. I have heard and read the parable many times, but yesterday it moved my spirit. They were all pure and they were all seeking the bridegroom, but 5 had something that the other 5 thought they could do without. To those out looking in, there may not have been any visible difference in any of the 10. We do know that the 5 foolish knew when their lamps went out that the 5 wise had what they needed. I don’t want to be on this journey just to think I am getting by and things will be ok and find out after it is too late that I haven’t stored up what I need to complete the journey. I don’t only want to live a good life, believe in Jesus and just let the rest go. I want the wisdom and the oil. I want to be filled with what I need to make it to heaven. I don’t only want it, I need it. It is a necessity for my life. This may not make sense to everyone and that is ok, but I want more than anything to be drenched in the oil and have more stored up that will take me through the rest of this journey.

Matthew 25:1-13
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold , the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day not the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

~Hide His Word in Your Heart~

I just wanted to share an idea I read in a book last year. I wanted to memorize more scriptures. A way to hide God's Word in my heart. We live in a fast paced life and finding time to add anything else into our day, sometimes seems impossible. So, one way I started working on this was by posting scriptures around my house. You can get a bulletin board or just hang them on the fridge. I have a board in my kitchen and one in my bathroom. The one in my kitchen is beside the back door. So, I see it a lot through the day. You could also make a point to read it aloud each time you leave your house. The one in my bathroom I read while I am brushing my teeth, getting ready or washing my hands. The details are up to you, but posting weekly or monthly scriptures in places where you will see it a lot is one way to memorize scripture. I am not saying this should replace studying the Bible. We need to have a time set aside to read and study the Bible. It is so important in our daily walk with Christ. This is a way to include hiding God's Word in our heart during everyday activities.

Here are some scripture ideas you could start with:

1 Corinthians 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 16:2
All the ways of man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord wiegheth the spirits.

James 1:4
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Psalms 73:25&26
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon the earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my protion forever.

Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way properous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Psalm 62:1-2
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Ecclesiates 3:14
I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.