Category Archives: Devotional

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:29 “A Bold Front”

“A wicked man puts up a bold front,
     but an upright man gives thought to his ways.”
 
After reading this proverb, my wife pointed us to Elijah and the prophets of Baal, 1 Kings 18, as a perfect example of the ‘bold-front of the wicked’.  In it, Elijah called for a showdown between the LORD and Baal, and in verse 21 he said to the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”  He called for the prophets to build an altar, sacrifice a bull and lay its parts on it, but not to burn it.  In turn, he would do the same.  He finished his challenge and said in v. 24, “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”  Oh, and he dug a trench around his altar and had the people pour 4 large jars of water on it 3 times.  It says in verse 34 that the water had filled the trench.
 
We then explained that the wicked man puts up a bold front because that’s all he has.  He has nothing behind it.  Elijah was just himself against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah.  Their sheer number along with the wavering belief of the people would be enough to silence most, but after Baal did not answer no matter what the prophets did and for however long, the silence was theirs and it was deafening.  The text goes on to describe the LORD’s response to Elijah’s call in v. 38, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”
 
We then spoke about the path to Wisdom’s House and how giving thought to our ways keeps us on it.  Reflecting on that side of this ‘coin-proverb’, we can see how Elijah stayed on the path and did not abandon his faith or let it waver.
 
As we considered the ‘upright’ man, I asked my kids where is Jesus, the One who is both just and true, Revelation 15:3?  We once again found that in Him, the path to Wisdom’s House was fulfilled.  For though we are to examine ourselves as we are also directed by Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:5, we now do so in the light of Jesus, who fulfilled the law beyond our ability to obey.
 
The flame God sent to Elijah entirely burned up his sacrifice in the sight of all of the people, as Elijah said in verse 37, “so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you are turning their hearts back again.”  In the same way, God sent Jesus, who is so much more than a flame,  to turn our hearts to Him and make them new, Ephesians 4:23-24.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:24, “The Mocker”

“The proud and arrogant man- ‘Mocker’ is his name;
     he behaves with overweening pride.”
 
In this proverb, we were introduced to yet another member of Folly’s house:  The Mocker.  Mockers stand just off the path to Wisdom’s house, scoffing and casting stones of derision upon those who walk it.  They offer nothing of themselves and only find purpose in assaulting the pilgrims.
 
When I asked my family about it, my wife pointed us to the story of Elisha, 2 Kings 2:23-24.  Elisha was such a pilgrim on the road to Bethel and some kids jeered at him saying, “Get out of here, baldy!”  To which Elisha cursed them and 2 female bears came out and mauled 42 of them.
 
‘Proud and arrogant’ are two signifiers of the mocker, for he places himself above others.  ‘Overweening pride’ helps us to see how high he positions himself.  This was a big clue for us to see how Jesus fulfilled this Proverb that we may become new creations.  Again, we looked at its reflection and saw His example in John 13:3-17.  Jesus placed Himself below His disciples and took the role of a servant, Philippians 2:7, and washed their feet.
 
When we continued to peer into Jesus’ life and example, we saw that it was the ‘Mocker’ who was on the cross next to Him, Luke 23:39.  Of all the members of Folly’s House, the Mocker remained the closest to Jesus, till the very end. Yet not even his words could stop Jesus from saving us.  For though Elisha’s curse brought bears to maul the mockers, Jesus’ death and resurrection defeated sin’s curse and brought eternal life to all who believe in Him, John 3:16.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:23, “Calamity”

“He who guards his mouth and his tongue
     keeps himself from calamity.”
 
My kids already understood a portion of the depths of the wisdom in this proverb.  So early on does this proverb speak so clearly, as early as the first word that crosses our lips.  As triplets, my kids get to experience the benefits as well as the not so beneficial aspects of being the same age.  When one of them makes a mistake, the other two are quick to point it out.  As my daughter, who was attempting to put her interrupting brothers in their place, famously shouted, “If you won’t listen to me, then I won’t listen to me!”, this quote has been used many times to point out when our words get ahead of our mouths.
 
Betsy and I went straight to James 3:1-12 to give our kids a clear concept of what power we have in our mouths.  Matthew 15:18 drew us in even deeper for the tongue gets its signal from the heart.  When I asked my kids, “Where’s Jesus?”  We were immediately brought to the beginning of the book of John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  In v. 14, we read of how “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”  When we considered Jesus as the Word of God, the Proverb flipped and we saw the depth of the heart of God.  If the words on our tongue come from our hearts, then the Word of God must come from His.  However, Jesus was not guarded, and the calamity of the cross was not avoided, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.  For our sakes, he bore our sins, 1Peter 2:24, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and become new creations in Him, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
 
Jesus fulfilled this proverb by taking its truth and wisdom upon Himself for our sake.  He took our sin and the calamity it brings to the cross.  A way has been made for us; a way beyond death that starts even now for all who believe in Him.  Come to faith in Jesus even now.  Become a new creation in Him, and live your new life today!

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:22, “The Mouthpiece of God”

“A wise man attacks the city of the mighty
     and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.”
 
We opened this one in military fashion and read it like advice given by an old experienced General.  We then thought of the story of David and Goliath, 1 Samuel 17.  When Goliath- the mighty mouthpiece of the Philistine army, was brought down by David, a child of Israel- by the power of God, the Philistines ran.  It was a great example that highlighted the seed of wisdom embedded in this proverb.
 
When I asked my kids, “Where’s Jesus?”  We thought of a similar story of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac, Mark 5.  In it, we read of how a man- tormented by demons and mighty in strength, ran to Jesus.  The demons begged Jesus and first implored Him, by God, not to torment them, v. 7.  Then they implored him a second time ‘not to send them out of the country’, v. 10.  Again, for the third and final time, they implored Jesus to send them into the nearby herd of swine, v. 12.
 
It was the imploring of the demons that still sticks in my mind even to this day.  When I look at both this story and the Proverb, I look down and see the reflection of the Great Commission staring back at me, Matthew 28:16-20.  In it, compared to the demons, we see that likewise, the disciples came to Jesus, but in worship, not in fear.  Both verses declare Jesus’ sovereignty, Mark 5:7/Matthew 28:18.  Jesus came to direct them both- one in fear that they would be sent out of the area, the other in love to be sent to the ends of the earth, Mark 5:10/Matthew 28:19.  Both stories sought incarnation, one of possession, the other of surrender, Mark 5:12/Matthew 28:20.  When obeyed, the teachings of Jesus guide us to eternal life with Him, while the possessed pigs ended in destruction, Matthew 18:20/Mark 5:13. 
 
We then spoke about how this man was made into a new creation at the feet of Jesus, v. 15.  He may not have been beheaded like Goliath and paraded around before the nearby town.  Something much more frighteningly beautiful had happened.  It was the townspeople who were frightened, like the Philistines, and it became their turn to implore Jesus to leave when they should have implored Him to stay.  The story ends with the man imploring Jesus that he might accompany Him, v. 18, but Jesus commissioned him to stay and tell everyone what had happened.  In a way, we saw how Jesus fulfilled this proverb and remade the man into the mouthpiece of God.  And in the pigs’ reflection, that they must have seen in the waves before their fatal “baptism”, in their doom, we see the hope in who Jesus calls us to be.  
 
We see the two.  What will we choose: the path of new creations that Jesus, our General, calls us to in love, or the path of the pigs?

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:21, “Beyond the Tales of Fairies”

“He who pursues righteousness and love
     finds life, prosperity, and honor.”
 
Such a wonderfully put if/then proverb.  If one pursues this, then one receives even more.  The path could not be clearer, and as we described it to our kids, the movie ‘Princess Bride’ came to mind.  The scene was at Miracle Max’s:  Fezzik and Inigo Montoya had just brought a lifeless Westley to Max’s door in need of a miracle.  When Max asked for payment, they only had 65 and the noble cause of ‘true love’ to offer.  Even though this ultimately became a game of denial to Max who, as explained by his wife Valerie, had his confidence to perform miracles shattered by Prince Humperdinck, it was only after he heard that the Prince would suffer if Westley was healed that he agreed to work for them.  Even though the promise of revenge would be enough to inspire Max’s aid, it remained clear that the pursuit of true love was the ‘noblest of causes’.
 
And yet when I invited my kids to look beyond Hollywood, where the story is scripted and the fairy tale ending exists, we were confronted with what happens when life, prosperity, and honor do not accompany the pursuit of righteousness and love.  We found the story of Job to be unshakably clear.  His was a story that matched the beginning of the proverb, but found death, poverty, and shame instead.  His misery of losing everyone and everything was topped with his health, Job 2:7-8, as it reads that Satan covered his body with boils.
 
My kids already have a ‘real life’, though thankfully lesser, example in watching me with my health and already intimately understood the failings of this proverb.  They already saw the gaping hole in its logic and heard its cry that begged to be fulfilled.  We then looked to the only One who can and has fulfilled it, Jesus, the Son of God.
 
This life was broken in the lives and actions of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3, but was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, 1 Corinthians 15.  Not only that, but we found that we are the ones pursued by God, John 3:16.  And we are the ones who become His righteousness through our faith in Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
 
Our salvation by God’s true love is the ’noblest of causes’.  Jesus fulfilled it and creates us anew free from sin to live eternally with Him beyond the tales of fairies.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:20, “The Keeper of Tomorrow”

“In the house of the wise are stores of
          choice food and oil, but a foolish man
     devours all he has.”
 
Initially, we began to explain what ‘choice food and oil’ was in this coin proverb.  For our kids, we simply called it ‘the good stuff’.  Once again, the two sides of this proverb spoke about the same thing:  time.  Those who live at Wisdom’s house concern themselves with tomorrow, while those who live at Folly’s house only think of today.  If one eats all he has what will he eat tomorrow?  This made sense to them as one of my kids, when he was younger, brought a piece of pizza to bed.  When I asked him why he did that and not just eat the piece before bedtime, he simply said, “When I wake up, I’m hungry.”
 
We then asked, “Where’s Jesus?”  Our kids answered, “At Wisdom’s house!”  Yes, but when we looked at Matthew 6:25-34, we saw something that the proverb failed to mention, “do not worry”.  The proverb pointed out that it’s better to store than to devour, and while that is true, Jesus told us to look at the birds.  “They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” 6:26.  We stayed there for a bit.  We thought about how eventually even Wisdom’s house will run out of food.  It was just a matter of time.  Instead of worrying about it, which doesn’t even add an hour, v.27, Jesus helped us to consider how much more valuable are we to His Father than the birds.
 
Now, Jesus didn’t advocate Folly’s house and devour everything, ‘for tomorrow we die’, type of thinking.  He took the worry out of tomorrow by looking to the Father.  For if/when it is time, He will guide us as He did Joseph, in Genesis 41.  Our trust in Him is what guides us as ‘new creations’, Philippians 4:6-7, for only He is the Keeper of tomorrow and knows what it holds.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:19, “Merely A Walkway”

“Better to live in a desert than with a
          quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.”
 
Leave it to the book of Proverbs to tell it like it is.  For my kids, we again spent some time talking about the benefits of marrying wisely as we did for 21:9.  Defining terms while role-playing them was fun, but as my kids say to us that they need our help to choose wisely whom they will marry, the dead-end of this proverb was revealed.  Proverbs, at times like this verse and just recently in 21:16, offer little to no hope.  If you did marry ‘her’ because of her looks, or ‘him’ because of his charm, only to find they were coverings for their ‘quarrelsome and ill-tempered’ hearts, then sorry, but you are stuck.  And yes, though this is true for many who have made that mistake, when we looked at how Jesus fulfilled this verse, we saw an opening.
 
In the book of John, chapter 4, we find Jesus asking a Samaritan woman for a drink.  She was a Samaritan and He was a Jew.  Samaritans and Jews did not get along.  She was drawing water in the heat of the day at a time when most people were inside.  She had a checkered past, which most people do who try to avoid others.  Jesus revealed she has had 5 husbands and the guy she’s living with now wasn’t even her husband. With a few words,  Jesus simply walked over many cultural roadblocks and issues.  Suffice to say, if such things were to be adhered to, Jesus should not have been talking with her.
 
Other than some spite that we can read into her comments to Jesus, v. 9-25, we do not read of her having a quarrelsome or ill-tempered heart, but it’s not hard to imagine her having one on a bad day.  However, her checkered past put her in a similar boat to avoid.  Jesus did not avoid her but was in fact there for her, and He did not leave her as the proverb did with no hope for change.  He opened the door for her to have Living Water which led her to become a new creation who sought the people she was trying to avoid to tell them about her talk with Jesus, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” v. 29.
 
So, from my children to yours, yes, marrying wisely will be a jewel in their crown for generations to come, but even then life and unforeseen circumstances can change things.  It is of little value or consequence to do things out of fear when even the best-laid plans come to naught.  The closed-door of our heats is not closed to Him.  The rocky seas of cultural disputes and our checkered pasts are merely a walkway for Jesus.

Spiritfire- Proverbs 21:18, “The Plan of the Lord”

“The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
     and the unfaithful for the upright.”
 
There is an understanding of a ‘line for judgment’.  Romans 3:23 helps us understand ‘why’ we are in line to begin with.  However, as our turn is next to enter into the judgment stored up for us, this proverb tells us that the wicked take our place.  Isaiah 43:3 gives us an Old Testament example of how this was worked out in Israel’s story.  Egypt, that ‘splintering reed’, Isaiah 36:6, became the ransom for Israel.  I understand that Israel needed a ransom and that the sacrificial system was given to minister to them, but even then, it was the spotless lamb for the transgression.  How the wicked became a suitable replacement for the righteous was beyond me, and though I find myself in a similar seat as Habakkuk, who complained to God about His use of wicked Babylon to correct Israel, Habakkuk 1, I found my thoughts were drawn to Jesus.  If it was God’s way to ransom the righteous with the wicked, what about Jesus, Mark 10:45?
 
Basically, I really had no idea how to explain this to my kids, except to say that before Jesus, this was it.  Before, as the apostle Paul described it in Romans 3:21-26, our redemption was either by the substitution of the wicked or by the blood of lambs, but now because of Jesus a better hope has been revealed, because of Him, a better way was made known, Colossians 1:27.  Needless to say, this was where we should have ended up, because, before the ‘mercy-seat’ of Jesus is where our hope is found.
 
My thoughts now travel to Jesus’ death on the cross for us.  His sacrifice was better than that of Abel’s to cover his brother’s sin, Hebrews 12:24, though he did not willingly offer it as Jesus did.  Sin made Cain take it in gory as a replacement for his glory, much like how his parents took the leaves to cover their nakedness and shame.  However, as I reflect on Jesus, how am I to consider Judas’ death in light of His?  Was Judas a ransom for Jesus?  Jesus knew no sin, Hebrews 4:15, so He needed no ransom for He was not a prisoner, but He came to set the prisoner free, Luke 4:18/Isaiah 61:1.  Judas’ deeds, like Cain’s, sought for him a covering.  He thought taking his own life would provide it, but only Jesus’ sinless life could.
 
This Proverb revealed the plan of the Lord to provide for our need to be ransomed.  Like Judas, we can’t accomplish it.  It is only through Wisdom’s fulfillment in Jesus that we may be ransomed from sin and become new creations in His glorious Light, 1 Timothy 2:6.

Spiritfire Proverbs 21:16, “One Who Strays”

“A man who strays from the path of understanding
     comes to rest in the company of the dead.”
 
Recently, my family read a kids version of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan as retold by Gary D. Schmidt & illustrated by Barry Moser.  It helped my kids to better understand the ‘path’ and why anyone would stray from it.  First, we spoke of the “Path of Understanding” as that of the discernment between right and wrong.  When I asked my kids what they thought could be a reason why someone would stray from it, we talked it over and flushed out a few: “Distractions”, “disobedience”, and “following the crowd”.  
 
I then described how a rock rolls down the ravine and eventually “comes to rest” when it is done.  Often times our momentum needs to run its course, like the rolling rock, before we can come to our senses and realize we are lost.  The many times I’ve misled our family on road trips comes to mind.  The “company of the dead”, we discussed was no place they wanted to be and reminded us of those who dwell at Folly’s House.
 
When I asked my kids “Where is Jesus?”  They spoke about how Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life” as in John 14:6.  We then unpacked the judgment of the Proverb.  Once you stray, sorry, you are with the dead.  Then I asked, “How does Jesus make the ‘one who strayed’ into a new creation?”  Repentance, grace, and forgiveness was the response.  Matthew 18:12-14 tells us how there is rejoicing when the sheep who was lost is found.  The Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-32 brought this proverb to its fulfillment by telling the journey of a son who went astray and finally returned to his father, who was filled with joy to receive him.

Half-A-Year With God

Half-A-Year With God
 

At the outset, I only knew life was getting too complicated for me.  God pulled me close and reminded me to look at Him.  So, to do that I more or less copied the format of Psalm 119.  Over 182 days, or half of a year, I took the letters of the English alphabet and listed 7 words of each that can be used to describe God.  I did this one word per day often asking God which one I should use.  I think I failed maybe once or twice to keep that schedule.  I then would think on Him and write whatever came to mind.  I eventually had to limit each word’s description to around 7 lines according to my notes, but I didn’t need to start doing that until around ‘E’.

At first, I was excited as A-G were fun.  I liked thinking about Him, and before I knew it, a lot of time had passed- 49 days to be exact.  Then what I was doing started to sink in.  I knew I liked thinking about Him, but I began to wonder, ‘Did I like it that much?’  I felt the first pangs of frustration around ‘M’, as I began to want to do my own thing.  I still liked doing it and knew/appreciated the value, but it was starting to get in the way.

Then by ’S’ I had turned over another leaf and began asking myself “Who am I?”  I didn’t deserve to do this.  “I am not worthy”.  Then things started moving faster.  Voices and accusations from others could be heard:  “He sure likes to listen to himself.”  “He’s full of himself.” etc. and the question of, “Why is he even doing this?” echoed around in my head. They made their appearance in the last word of the last letter in the form of a mirror.  As it crumbled with vanity, I reflected on this journey.
 
This assignment was given to help me keep my eyes on Him, and though life didn’t get any less complicated, it accomplished the task even more than Bible reading.  Which reminds me, the verses I put at the end of every entry were at times silly and sarcastic, at others quite pertinent to the word.  I often found them with a Google search:  “‘Word-of-the-day’, god, verse”.  I would read it to see if I liked it, then done.  Lack of sleep and sickness also took its toll on me as week ‘Z’ was just bad, which I’m sure was reflected in my writing style.
 
All things considered, I’d do it again.  It is better than any personality profile test.  The words I chose revealed what I most think about in regards to God.  Most of the time I had 20+ words to choose the 7 from.  At others like ‘Z’, I had around 10.  I know I learned a few new ones as well like ‘xyresic’, which helped to increase my vocabulary.  During any letter with which I had difficulty finding my 7, I again used a Google search:  “‘letter’, words”.  Theologically, I haven’t combed through this to see where I fall on the heretic/orthodox line.  I imagine I’m all over, like my alphabetizing ability.  I do remember ‘God’s favor’ being a consistent theme, which makes sense as it is something I pray for every day.
 
One last thought, as my kids grow, I know I won’t be here forever.  This will probably be one of the greatest things I can pass down to them- more or less a, ‘What I think about God’.  If they would pass it to their kids, adding their own “Half-A-Year With God”, their kids would see their lineage and heritage of thought/prayer/relationship with God that may encourage their own.  If you choose to do this, feel free to make up your own rules.  I also posted this with links to whatever I wanted, again found by a Google search.  
 
In an age when we take pictures of what we eat, may this be something of longer lasting and edifying substance.