Proverbs 25 - Day 25

"If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat.  If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.  You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you."

                                                                  Proverbs 25:21-22

Throughout the Bible, the message is repeated to turn the other cheek, do not take an eye for an eye and to leave revenge to the Lord.  This is difficult to do, but God's form of retaliation is most effective.  Jesus encourages us to pray for those who hurt us.  By returning good for evil, we acknowledge God as the only one that can reconcile our accounts and we trust Him to be the judge.  When we take matters into our own hands, we are saying that we don't believe God can take care of the situation or that he won't do it in a timely manner or it won't be harsh enough.  God knows both sides to every argument and knows who should be punished and who shouldn't.  His plan will be sufficient.  The punishment will be harsh enough for the situation, it will be timely enough and it will be fair.  

Plus, when you turn the other cheek you separate yourself from the way the rest of the world would respond.  You stand out!  People begin to wonder why you would do something like that. It's a great opportunity to share the gospel with someone.  Who knows - you may even bring someone to Christ just because you DIDN'T retaliate! 

The Shepherd


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Stepping Up: A Call To Courageous Manhood

Courageous Men

When Does A Boy Become A Man

What's The Most Courageous Thing You've EVER Done?

How Do YOU Define Courage?

What Is Courage?

What Makes Someone A Leader?

How Do You Define Success?

What Do You Regret?

It's Time For Boys To Grow Into Men

Proverbs 27:17

What Men Really Need

Act Like Men

Proverbs 24 - Day 24

"I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.  I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.  It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down.  Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:  A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -- then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."

                                                        Proverbs 24:30-34

Over the past 20 years, I've listened to many people describe the difficulties they're facing with finances, relationships, employment, balancing their work life and home life.  One thing I've noticed is that the problems being discussed, although very complex to the person in the situation, have become more and more simplistic - at least to me.  Now, hear me out.  I'm not saying that I've become so smart that I can figure out any situation.  What I'm saying is, the issues that seem to be so complex in today's world were easily handled by my parents or my ancestors.  Many of our "toughest problems" are caused by our own actions or our own LACK of actions.  

Let me give you an example.  I was discussing the recent run up in gasoline prices with some of my younger co-workers.  As I listened to their viewpoints on the situation, it occurred to me that these people were not even born yet when the energy crisis of the 70's hit.  (Yes, I grew up in the 70's.  And yes, I hate it when reality slaps me in the face with the fact that I'm getting older!)  After the discussion had gone on for awhile, I jumped in with "at least there was gas to buy."  The conversation came to an abrupt stop as everyone of the "kids" turned to stare at me as if I was crazy.  I then explained the "Energy Crisis" of the mid-70's and how it didn't matter how much the price was because there wasn't any fuel to buy.  Lines formed around gas stations. People were only allowed to buy gas on certain days based on whether their license plate number was odd or even.  (That's right, vanity plates didn't exist). 

These kids had not ever seen a situation like this in their entire life.  They had not lived in an era of double digit inflation, double digit unemployment.  Suddenly, I felt like my grandparents must've felt when they were explaining the Great Depression to me.  And I'm sure the kids felt like I did when I was listening to my grandparents tell their stories.  It occurred to me, though, that the times have not been as tough as they were back then.  The 70's weren't as tough as 30's, and so on.  Over the years, we've become soft... We've become LAZY!  My parents both worked  full-time and when things got rough, they both started their own businesses on the side in order to try to make ends meet.  Today, the thought of working two jobs, to most people, is absurd!  It would cut into their napping time.  Our ancestors didn't have the luxury of sleeping in if they wanted to survive.  

This proverb points out that if we rank sleeping higher than providing for our self, then living in poverty is the choice we are making.  Unfortunately, the current worldly thinking is that the government should step in an help those people that are struggling.  Now, I'm all in favor of helping people out when they are in trouble, but we should have a realistic operational definition of what it means to be "in trouble."  You're not "in trouble" if you have a warm place to sleep and food in your belly.  Although you may not like your situation, it does not mean that you are "in trouble."  Your situation may have been caused by personal choices that you made throughout your life and now it's time to pay the price for those choices.  Maybe these personal choices are still being made on a daily basis due to some kind of addiction, whether it be drug addiction, alcohol addiction, lottery addiction, gambling addiction, video game addiction, pornography or maybe something else.  The first action would be to kick the addiction so you can make better choices from now on.

Next, you need to be inspired.  You truly can do anything that you put your mind to doing.  If you want to start your own business, do it!  If you want to go back to school and get that degree, do it.  Yes, it may take a while to get the goal completed and it will definitely take some extra effort but it will be very satisfying!  One of the best byproduct of doing this is the stories you'll have later on about the journey you are only thinking about taking today.  Look at how difficult the task looks on this side of accomplishing it, but when you take your first step and you start visualizing yourself completing the task, the journey is already started and the stories are being created.  How do I fund this activity?  Where will the time come from?  How do I make this dream happen?  I DON’T KNOW!!  But take the steps, start the journey and tell me how it's going for you!  Start writing your own recovery story or your own story about your journey.  Pray about it each day and ask God to help you see the path that He has for you.  Then take the steps to make it happen.  You CAN do it!!



The Shepherd


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Proverbs 23 - Day 23

"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don't despise your mother when she is old.  Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgement.  The father of godly children has cause for joy.  What a pleasure to have children who are wise.  So give your father and mother joy!  May she who gave you birth be happy."
                                                     Proverbs 23:22-25


The Lord has promised that when we raise our children in the word that the blessings we receive will continue for many generations to come.  Our children, their children, their grandchildren and even their grandchildren's children reap the benefits of that one person raising their children in the word of the Lord.  Think of it!  You're involvement in the Proverbs Challenge has started you reading the Bible.  As you grow spiritually, you will be able to lead your children to Jesus Christ and raise them in the word.  You may have just changed your family tree forever! 

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me."  John 14:6   That's the "truth" that Solomon is referring to when he says "Get the truth and never sell it."  Of course, Jesus hadn't walked the earth yet, but Solomon knew the truth of the Bible and he knew how important it was to keep it in his heart as well as sharing it with others.  
The Bible can bring you great wisdom and discipline.  From those two strengths springs good judgement.  This foundation will serve you well in life and help you make good choices. However, we will make mistakes along the way.  God knows that we are human which means we are flawed beings.  We need His forgiveness from time to time - actually, more often than we know!  When we ask Him to forgive us, He washes our sins away with a healing rain.


The Shepherd

Healing Rain

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Proverbs 22 - Day 22

"Direct your child onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."

                                                                      Proverbs 22:6

As parents, we want what is best for our children, always.  However, sometimes we need to take the long-term view in order to see the impacts of our short-term decisions.  As our children are developing, parents are training them how to conduct themselves when they get to be adults.  The way the parents respond in situations, the actions they take, the way they spend their free time, the habits they have, the quality time they spend together, every detail is recorded and imprinted on our developing child's mind.  Too many times we think that the child doesn't notice or isn't paying attention only later to find out that they were paying attention and they responded exactly how the parent did in the same situation.

It's very important that we train our children to travel on the right path by getting them involved in a Bible-based church early in life and continue to keep them involved as they grow.  When they have been raised in the word and have experienced God's love at an early age, they are far less likely to be influenced by the world.  They begin to see peer pressure for what it truly is, an attack by Satan to divert them from the path of righteousness.  They also learn how to stand firm in the word of God when these pressures increase and how to take the appropriate actions to remove the pressures. 
Here's a great book to read on correcting our own adult behaviors so we become good role models for our children. 

The Shepherd

Proverbs 22:6

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The Proverbs Challenge

Introduction to The Proverbs Challenge


Day 1 - Proverbs 1

Day 2 - Proverbs 2

Day 3 - Proverbs 3

Day 4 - Proverbs 4

Day 5 - Proverbs 5

Day 6 - Proverbs 6

Day 7 - Proverbs 7

Day 8 - Proverbs 8

Day 9 - Proverbs 9

Day 10 - Proverbs 10

Day 11 - Proverbs 11

Day 12 - Proverbs 12

Day 13 - Proverbs 13

Day 14 - Proverbs 14

Day 15 - Proverbs 15

Day 16 - Proverbs 16

Day 17 - Proverbs 17

Day 18 - Proverbs 18

Day 19 - Proverbs 19

Day 20 - Proverbs 20

Day 21 - Proverbs 21

Day 22 - Proverbs 22

Day 23 - Proverbs 23

Day 24 - Proverbs 24

Day 25 - Proverbs 25

Day 26 - Proverbs 26

Day 27 - Proverbs 27

Day 28 - Proverbs 28

Day 29 - Proverbs 29

Day 30 - Proverbs 30

Day 31 - Proverbs 31



Are you ready to take the next step?



The Psalms

Proverbs 21 - Day 21

"The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD."
                                                                     Proverbs 21:31


Although this often quoted proverb refers to preparing for battle, it really refers to being prepared.  God expects us to prepare ourselves for the journey, which shows an understanding of the concept that He is calling us to go and do His work in this world.  God may be calling us to write an amazing book, but we have to prepare ourselves by learning to read and write.  God is in control of the situation, but His control does not cancel our responsibility to be prepared. 

Preparing ourselves starts with spending time in the Bible;  preparing our hearts to be guided, listening to the word of God, and taking action when directed.  As we grow spiritually, we begin to understand that all of our preparations are useless without God.  We should begin every day in prayer asking for God's guidance through the day.  We should ask for His assistance with the difficult tasks that will be discovered today and that He show us the pathway to it's successful completion.  We realize that we cannot begin to understand the power of the Lord, but we call upon that power to help us in our time of need.   We can prepare ourselves to the best of our ability, but if we don't include God, we are lost.  The victory belongs to the Lord!

We must also remember to give God the glory after He has empowered us, guided us, protected us and delivered us victoriously.  Too many times we forget this very important step. It shows God that you know you couldn't have done this without His help.  I think we've probably all worked for someone that took credit for our ideas or our accomplishments and we're familiar with how that made us feel.  Now consider this, what if the person actually believed they came up with the idea or completed the task without your involvement when it was only possible because of your involvement.  How would that make you feel?  You see, we typically don't even recognize all of the ways that God has helped us or equipped us to perform His work in the world.  For example, when was that last time that you thanked God for being healthy or for being able to think?  What about for being able to move about unimpaired or for the ability to earn a living.  These are all gifts from God.  Now, God knows that we are flawed beings and that we can't possibly thank Him for everything that He is providing for us, but we should work harder to recognize where He has helped us and give Him the thanks he deserves.

Creating a list of our many blessings will help keep those blessings in front of us and help us to give thanks to God for them.  It also helps us to begin to recognize other blessings that may not be so apparent to us and add them to the list as well.  It helps us build a heart of thanksgiving and keeps us grounded and humble.  It also keeps God in the proper position of awe and respect.  When we recognize how much of our existence is because of God's grace and how little we have control of - that's when we begin to see the awesome nature of God!   

It's our duty to prepare ourselves to be used by God and it's our duty to give the glory to God as He hands us the victory.  Start with prayer, end with victory!!


The Shepherd 


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Proverbs 20 - Day 20

"The LORD's light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive."
                                                                        Proverbs 20:27


When my son was younger, he was a Boy Scout and I was one of the leaders.  We would get the opportunity to participate in weekend outings at least once a month.  In order for the boys to have enough time to really enjoy the weekend, we would need to be packed up and ready to go right after work on Friday evening.  We would drive to the location, sometimes a few hours away, and then hike back to a remote cabin.  Sometimes the cabin would be big, sometimes it would be small, but by the time we would get there, it would always be DARK!  Of course, the boys would never admit this, but I noticed how they would seem to preoccupy themselves with the gear and linger far away from the door as the adults made their way into the dark, cold and hopefully empty cabin.  The cabins never had electricity so there wasn't a light switch to flick on to illuminate the room and sometimes our flashlights can cast the most bizarre shadows.  By the time everyone came inside, though, there were enough flashlights and lanterns that you could make out the details of the cabin fairly easily, but still there were areas of darkness.  The first night was always the "scariest" because you just didn't KNOW all the details of the cabin.  By morning, the sun would illuminate every detail.  The cabin would seem so much smaller in the morning but it also felt safer because we could see everything.  There were no longer any dark crevasses where evil could linger... 

That's how it is with us.  We are the cabins.  Sometimes we have many rooms of many sizes and sometimes it just one little room.  Sin is the darkness and God is the most powerful source of light you can ever imagine.  Our willingness to let God into our life can be represented by either a tiny little candle or wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows.  Asking Jesus to come into our life and be our savior and our guide is the first step.  Then we begin to ask Jesus to point out the areas in our lives that need attention.  He will place on your heart the biggest item that needs to be fixed first.  He will only give you one.  You will not get a list.  Just one.  Take that one item and ask Him how it should be fixed.  He will layout for you in your mind the steps you should take to correct the problem.  It might take a while for you to receive direction.  Continue to pray on this one item and eventually the resolution will arrive.  I don't know how it works - I can't explain it.  I just know it works.  Through this process you are asking God to illuminate the areas of our lives that need to be cleansed.  You are removing this sin from your life through this cleansing process.  During the cleansing process you will begin to see this sin as God views it, which helps us as we try not to repeat the sin again. 

There is another side of this that you need to be aware of and that is Satan does not want you to do this.  Satan lives in these dark recesses of our lives. These are his footholds.  He digs up these sins and throws them at you when ever you're trying to do the right thing.  For example, that thought you had as you were reading the previous paragraph - the one that went like this - "God will never forgive my sin because...."   That negativity comes from Satan.  He tells you that you are not worthy.  He tells you that you'll never amount to anything.  He laughs at you as you attempt to do anything positive.  He also introduces adversity into our lives as we try to follow God's plan for us.  Isn't it time we kick him out?   Isn't it time for Satan to get his eviction notice?

Now, I know some of you are reading this and thinking Satan isn't real it's just a mythical image created to strike fear in our lives so we try to be better people.  If you're thinking this way, I have a challenge for you that will show you how real he is.  Take on a task or a role at your church. Step out of your "comfort zone."   Every one of those reasons why you can't do that - is Satan. You see, your "comfort zone" is a spiritual coma.  Your body is alive but you're spirit is being snuffed out by not spending time doing God's work.  The less you physically do, the less likely you are going to do anything for God.  Anything that makes you idle, is from Satan, hence the saying "Idle hands are the devils workshop."  When you try to break away from these tools that make you idle, Satan steps in and convinces you that what ever you were going to do is not as important as what you were doing before.  Just keep sitting there... doing nothing... letting time slip away... until you die... and become his.

Let me give you a real life situation.  When I signed up for my first mission trip, Satan stirred up all kinds of problems in my life.  My work suddenly "required" me to be available the week I was going to be gone.  Everything seemed to "need" my attention.  There was no way I was going to be able to go because of "fill in the blank!"  I went anyway!!  And when I got back, my job was still there.  Everything was just fine.  In fact it was better because I could now see Satan for what he is.  The great deceiver.  The great liar!!  For so many years, the voice I was listening to was not God's but Satan's voice which was keeping me from experiencing the greatest gift ever.  I was now on fire for Christ!  My faith had been ignited and I want you to experience this gift as well!!
   
God has a better plan but He's not going to force it on you.  You have to want to improve your situation.  You have to overcome the negativity that Satan is throwing at you and take the step anyway.  You have to move out of your comfort zone before it's too late.  Break those chains of sin that bind you and keep you from doing God's work.  Get up and do God's work - however small the tasks is - just do it.  God is there to guide you and show you the way!  His way!  He will illuminate the path!!



The Shepherd

Amazing Grace - My Chains Are Gone

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Proverbs 19 - Day 19

"Fear of the LORD leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm."
                                                                     Proverbs 19:23


Respect and awe for the Lord leads to a life uncommon.  When we trust that the Lord will provide for us as we need then we begin to take steps in our faith journey.  It gets easier to take those steps after we've taken the first one, but that first step seems like a giant leap.  That first step has kept many people from experiencing the joy that the Lord has for them simply because they cannot work up the trust to step out of the comfort zone into God's arms.  God is standing there, like any father would be as they teach their child to walk, saying, "I'm right here.  I've got you.  You can do this.  Just one step.  Here we go, now.  Ready?"    

That's just it though... we're NOT ready.  We don't ever feel ready.  I haven't had any training for this.  I'm not qualified for this.  If I'm walking then I'm headed somewhere?  Where am I going? What are you going to ask of me?  What if you want me to do something I don't want to do? God is standing there knowing your thoughts and the feelings of your heart, knowing that you're afraid, knowing that you're feeling uncomfortable, and He's asking you to trust Him.  Trust in Him as you take that first step.  The creator of the universe has an incredible journey planned for you.  He knows your hearts wildest desires and He wants to help you get there, but it all starts with a very tiny, but very important, first step.  God knows that your not ready to hit the mission fields on step number one but it's a lot easier to adjust the direction we're traveling in when we're actually moving.  You can't steer a car when it's not rolling.

Once that first step is taken, God can begin to show us how wonderful it is to be walking with Him.  To have Him provide for you, or show His hand at work in something you're working on is amazingly satisfying and rejuvenating.  It's truly amazing how much energy comes back to you when you experience this.  I've seen some spectacular things happen on our short-term mission trips to Ecuador.  I've met some fascinating people.  I've been introduced to new ideas and new ways of doing things.  All of these things have helped me see things differently.  What might have been a roadblock in the past is now just a bump in the road thanks to the added confidence that came with overcoming the obstacles.  

The more you walk with God the more you want to read the Bible.  The more you read the Bible the more you realize the gift that God gave all of us through His son - Jesus Christ.  The more you realize how unworthy we all are of this gift  the more humble you become and the more you want to say "Thank You, Jesus, for taking my sins away and setting me free from the bondage of sin."  The more thankful you become the more you want to walk with God... and so on.  The further you walk the more your relationship with God grows.  God protects us.  He provides for us.  He refreshes and renews our soul.  

But it all starts with that first step.  Are you ready to take that first step?  Let me know if you are.



The Shepherd



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