Drawing Near to God

“‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” –James 4:6-8, 10 (ESV.  Read James 4:1-12).

James gives much practical advice for the Christian in how to conduct a godly life.  How to draw near to God is a theme throughout his epistle.  He spares no words in instructing his readers about living a life of faith and dedication to God.  His advice is that we are to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only” (1:22-25). He warns us against the sin of gossip, reminding us that the tongue is a little member of our physical makeup but can wreak havoc in stirring up trouble (3:1-12).  At the outset of his epistle, he reminds us that trials of various kinds can be expected in the Christian life.  Just because we are followers of God in no way insures that the road will be easy or the burden light.  But permeating the teaching of James is the assurance that God is near and ready to answer, to give strength in weakness and to walk with us through all trials of life.

Today’s focal passage begins with James quoting from Proverbs 3:34: “Toward the scorners He is scornful, but to the humble He gives favor.”  From the Septuagint, this would have been a familiar teaching for Jewish Christians.  And from a practical nature, as well as the admonition from another familiar proverb, Christians should know that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Drawing near to God involves a definite abeyance of an individual’s haughtiness and sense of self-sufficiency.  Humility is at the heart of drawing near to God.  It is recognition that we need a higher Power to guide and direct us, to be submissive to and to trust.  And just when we are ready to rely on God, the devil, that deceiver and tempter, will be present to tell us we do not have to rely on God, that we can, indeed, succeed on our own as we follow paths of least resistance.  Yet God is persistent and keeps urging us to ‘draw near’ to Him.  As James stated in 4:6, it is God who ‘gives more grace.’  And it is this gift of unmerited favor as we deliberately draw near to Him that strengthens us and gives us renewed determination to follow God.

Drawing near to God involves first, submitting to God.  This is a term with military connotation and means to get into one’s proper rank and position and follow the chain of command.  And then drawing near to God involves the worshiper’s humility before God.  Sometimes you may have heard someone voice a prayer such as this:  “Make me (us) humble, God.”  Humility must begin in the heart of the worshiper by confession of sins and turning from them—and certainly the sin of pride.  The worshiper must become humble of his/her own volition, an action of stripping self away and seeking cleansing and restoration.  “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV).  The end results of drawing near to God are that our search for holiness and peace will be rewarded as He promises, “And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever” (Isaiah 32:17, ESV).

Prayer:  Thank You, Lord, that the spiritual exercise of drawing near to You cleanses, refreshes and strengthens us, for now and for all eternity.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen

Keys to Successful Living

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction…My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” –Proverbs 1:7; 3:1-4 (ESV).

Many view Proverbs 1:7 as the key to the whole book of Proverbs.  Indeed, to hold God in awe and reverence and to have a personal relationship with Him is the beginning point of successful living. And what can we count as success?  Not necessarily accruing possessions or earning prestige and acclaim among peoples.  The wise man who penned the Proverbs knew that to seek the Lord and to please Him was the ultimate pursuit.  Jesus also emphasized “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  In advising that his son should follow the way of steadfast love and faithfulness all of his life, the writer of proverbs called to mind a covenantal tradition of binding love and faithfulness about the neck and writing them on the tablets and wearing them close to the heart.  This was a symbolic way of emphasizing the importance of the commandments.  In that way they symbolically made the fear of the Lord, love and steadfastness a part of daily living.  The promise is that this lifestyle will produce favor in the sight of God and man.

The writer of Proverbs makes this way of life seem simple and attainable.  Was he aware of all the pitfalls of daily living?  Of the struggle to make a living as well as to make a life?  The buffets and setbacks that occur along the road of attaining goals?  My thinking is that because he did know the struggles involved in living a good life, he could speak authoritatively about how to set a course for successful living.  He is talking about the things that really matter here:  peace, contentment, favor with God and man.  To follow sound instruction and to live by the principles of God’s Word are major keys to a life of contentment and peace.  Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe, a noted Bible scholar, states:  “Obedience to the Word can add years to your life and life to your years”  (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament.  Colorado Springs:  Cook. 2007, p. 1063).

In this forty-day period of concerted prayer for our nation, we have talked about and pled for America to turn again to the Lord so the He will hear and answer our pleas.  Here in Proverbs are the keys to successful living for individuals who make up our nation.  The basis for changes must of necessity begin with individuals, people, one-by-one, as we evaluate our own lives and seek to align our way of living with those we learn at the feet of our Master Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ.  What will we give up?  What changes will we make?  What difference will this call to repentance and faith make with us?

Prayer.  I confess, Lord, that I have been selfish and self-seeking.  I have many times thought more of my own welfare than the welfare of others.  May my resolve to be steadfast and prayerful, faithful and responsive to Your will make a difference day by day where I live.  Thus, You have promised that one-by-one, we can be as light in the darkness.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Proverbs to Live By –Withold not Good from Those Deserving It

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.  Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you.  Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.” –Proverbs 3:27-29 (ESV).

This could be called the proverb about being a good neighbor.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:9-10:  “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  This proverb also reminds me of the parable Jesus told in Luke 11:5-13 of the person who went to his neighbor at midnight, after the latter was already in bed, knocked, and asked for three loaves of bread.  A friend had come unexpectedly from a journey and was hungry.  The neighbor answered, “Do not bother me; my household is already at rest.”  But because of the impudence of the seeking neighbor, the man finally got up and gave him bread to feed his visitor.  The word translated “impudence” in Luke 11:8 is from the Greek word “anaideia,” and means “lack of sensitivity to what is proper; or impudence.”  This is its only use in the New Testament.  It would indicate that the seeker boldly and shamelessly awakened his neighbor and asked for bread to feed a visitor at midnight.  Jesus further used the parable to teach that we should keep on asking, seeking and knocking when we seek blessings from the Father.  He also indicates that a person would not give a serpent when asking for a fish, nor a scorpion when he asks for an egg.  The Father knows much better how to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him  The writer of Proverbs was teaching that those who have should give to those deserving help.  When we have the resources to help others, we should not delay and have them beg.  Just like Jesus taught in the parable, we should not give evil gifts when the persons are seeking that which will help them.

We live in a day with many hands held out begging that we give to this cause or that need.  We are often confused as to what charities and missions are just and worthy of our attention and giving.  Throughout the Proverbs, we are urged to get wisdom and understanding.  And we certainly must exercise these when we seek to respond to causes.  Some questions we can ask are:  Is the appeal coming from a just and honorable need?  Is the organization authentic?  Are the funds being used with good stewardship and to benefit the persons for whom the money or goods are given?  Or does the contribution line the pockets of deceptive and greedy leaders?  

The best advice is to pray about the matter and seek God’s leadership.  We should not be greedy ourselves and withhold when an authentic need faces us and challenges us to give.  When it is within our power to give and the cause is justified, then God will direct us not to withhold.  I, personally, have come to a peaceful settlement of what to do.  The Bible teaches,  “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10).  Offerings I make are always over and beyond the tithe—whether for mission causes sponsored by my church or entities within the larger community that seek donations.  If I have to say “no” at times, then I know that my conscience before God will be clear because I have not withheld what He directed me to give. How about you?  Do you need to make some financial decisions that will fit the proverb of not withholding gifts from those who need and deserve them?

Proverbs to Live By – Honor the Lord with Your Wealth

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” –Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV).

Why does God ask us to honor Him with our wealth?  Paul had advice to his son in the ministry, Timothy (and for us as well) about this subject:  “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (I Timothy 6:8-10, ESV). This advice followed Paul’s saying, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (I Timothy 6:7).  The writer of Proverbs was advising his son to give proper perspective to wealth.  Offer the “firstfruits” of everything to the Lord.  This was in keeping with Jewish law.  To bring firstfruits indicated that the people recognized God’s provision, that the offering to him (firstfruits) was a sacred pledge and all that remained would be sufficient for the family’s needs: “your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine.”  This promise reiterates what is taught in Malachi 3:10:  “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”  Paul substantiates this teaching about money and giving:  “The point is this:  whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written: ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever’” (II Corinthians 9:6-9, citing from Psalm 112:9).

Money and earnings seem a necessary part of our lives.  The Bible has many teachings about our perspective on wealth. In biblical times, barter was often the means of financial survival.  That was practiced somewhat even in the days when I was a child.  We took our eggs and chickens to the country store to exchange them for items we needed on the farm that we could not produce ourselves.  Oftentimes, we even gave our preacher of the “firstfruits” of our crops and the fryers we’d reared in our chicken lot.  And too, sometimes we would ask for money for the chickens and eggs we took to barter so that we could have a tithe to place in the offering plate at church.  I can remember well in my husband’s early ministry, when he had what we called “student pastorates.”  We would leave our church fields on Sunday nights with a live chicken strapped in a box, eggs carefully packed, fresh vegetables shared from a garden, and a gallon or two of milk.  We knew we would eat well the next week as we gratefully took these items, prepared them for eating and stored them in our small refrigerator.  The Bible has much to teach about our regard for money and how we handle it.  It warns us against greed.  Remember Jesus’ parable of the rich man who kept building bigger barns to store the surplus of what he harvested?  The dire warning was, “Thou fool!  This night your soul shall be required of you” (Luke 12:20).  The beauty of this parable to live by is that when we early-on in our Christian experience decide to tithe and to honor God in how we use the remaining nine-tenths of what we earn, we are assured that this promise will be fulfilled in our lives: “I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.  He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing” (Psalm 37:25-26).  How, then, can we afford not to honor God with the firstfruits of our earnings?  To be a blessing to others as we give according to God’s plan assures that we, in turn, receive the blessings of God.  However, we give because we love the Lord, not to have Him “pay us back” or recompense us.  But in His grace, He provides for those who honor Him.