Month: February 2023

22
Feb
2023

Who will win?

I love a good competition. I was born into a family that loved competition, and I married a man who loves competition. We enjoy playing games just the two of us. (By the way, the last game we played, I won:)

Competition can be a good thing. Have you noticed, though, the amount of things that are always fighting for our attention? Let’s just name a few things to get us both on the same page: Phone calls, texts, emails, social media, music, advertisements, podcasts, books, television, friends, family, work, books we read, house work, meal prep, laundry. The list could be endless. As I was thinking about what I needed to accomplish today, I decided I would get done the most pressing thing with the nearest deadline.

We all have choices as we go through our days because so many things are competing for our attention. How do we decide what to choose to do and what we will fill our time with?

Proverbs 2 tells us about a few things that are competing for our attention, and as we analyze these things what is best should rise to the surface as we read about it in the Bible. However, as we get caught up in the whirlwind of our days, it may not seem so obvious on what we should choose.

Read through the box below and take some time to ponder what is in each column and the contrast that the first column – the way of wisdom from the Lord – and the other two columns that are the way of destruction.

Proverbs 2:6-11, 20-21 Proverbs 2: 12- 15 Proverbs 2:16-19, 22
The Lord gives wisdom The way of evil The forbidden woman
From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding Men with perverted speech Adulteress
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright Forsake the path of uprightness Smooth words
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity Walk in the ways of darkness Forsakes the companion of her youth
He guards the paths of justice Rejoice in doing evil Forgets the covenant of her God
He watches over the way of His saints Delight in the perverseness of evil Her house sinks down to death
You will understand righteousness,  justice, equity, every good path Men whose paths are crooked Her paths lead to the departed
Wisdom will come into your heart Devious in their ways None who go to her come back
Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul Nor do they regain the paths of life
Walk in the way of good
Keep to the paths of the righteous
The upright will inhabit the land
Those with integrity will remain in it

God’s ways protect us from harm. His ways are pleasant. His ways are good. His path is straight. His ways provide peace.

The ways of the man with perverted speech and the forbidden woman provide nothing good. The difficulty is that these ways are deceitful. We do not realize we are on this path at first. It seems to be fulfilling our desires and longings. We would call these people in our language today manipulators. They make us think that their ways are good for us and will provide us with the peace we are longing for. We think that their ways will bring fulfillment to what we want. What they really do is bring chaos into our lives. Their words and their actions bring chaos. Their words and actions cause you turn away from those who really love and care for you. They do this because they twist the words and actions of others into something they are not. Today, we call this gas lighting.

However, as we begin on this crooked path ourselves we are blind because the way is “dark.” We find ourselves making excuses to those that truly love and care for us. As we head down this “dark and crooked” path, the ones that love us are like Proverbs 8:1 “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” Wisdom calls out after those that are on the dark crooked path, but the further they get down this path they can no longer hear what wisdom is saying. The further they get from the voice of wisdom, the closer they get to destruction.

What is competing for your attention? What is competing for your thoughts? What is competing for your time? What is competing for your treasure (money)? What is competing for desires?

What is competing for your heart?

Stop and look around what path you are on. If you do not know, ask those that love you the most. If you do not know who loves you the most, ask your pastor. Many people have wise parents that would also love to give some wise counsel. You may not want to ask the ones right next to you because they may be on the same dark crooked path that you are. We need those that are wise in our lives so they can speak God’s truth into our lives. We need them to help provide that discernment in the midst of the competition

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding.” (Prov. 2:1, 2)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
08
Feb
2023

Then You Will Understand

As we study the book of Proverbs there are some key threads that can be found in almost every chapter, fear the Lord and listen to those that are wise. If we were to outline the book almost every topic would be able to fall under these two major categories.

As we dive into Proverbs 2, both of these major themes are interwoven. As I have grown in the Lord and been seeing the things of my heart revealed through various circumstances that happen, I see how valuable fearing the Lord is.

Proverbs 2:5 tells us “THEN you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

If we look at the verses preceding verse 5, we can see what the prescription is for understanding the fear of the Lord and finding “the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:1 tells us to “receive God’s words and treasure up His commandments.”

We must receive God’s Words. When we receive something we have the idea of accepting it. Have you ever taken something, but did not really want it? One of my daughters (who shall remain anonymous) had asked for a specific shirt for Christmas. I saw one that was similar and I really liked it, so I bought it for her instead. It was not the one that she wanted. She opened the present and took it home with her, but most likely won’t wear it or will wear it for yard work or as a paint shirt. However, when I got her something that she really did want she told me all about how she was going to use it and how much this was going to be helpful in her life. This is what receiving God’s Words is like.

We sit in church, read our Bibles, go to a Sunday School class, or listen to a podcast and hear the Words of God, but what do we do with them? Are we like the shirt that was opened but not used for its intended purpose? We hear the words, but there is no application or change in our lives? Or are we like the other gift that will transform our lives and bring about change.

When we receive God’s Word and treasure it, there will be change. There cannot help but be change. However, when we accept the gift of God’s Word, but do not see the value and the treasure that it will add to our lives it is in essence going in one ear and out the other. No brain cells captured the words of wisdom.

Proverbs 2:2 tells us that we must “make our ear attentive to wisdom and incline our heart to understanding.” This sounds purposeful. This is not something that happens naturally. We are naturally bent towards laziness and gluttony or the satisfaction of our sinful desires. We don’t want to listen to wisdom if it contradicts the desires of our hearts. Have you ever taken a moment and actually thought about what you really wanted? Try it and see what you come up with. Would you be like Solomon who asked God for wisdom when you could get whatever desire you wanted?

Proverbs 2:3, 4 concludes in telling us what we must do in order to understand the Fear of the Lord.

“Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures” (Proverbs 2:3, 4)

These verses are telling us that every part of our lives is seeking wisdom. We are listening for wisdom. We are seeking wisdom from all the right sources. We are searching for it like we would a lost treasure.

My husband and I love to watch mystery shows. Right now we are watching a show that involves some college students searching for a lost treasure that was hidden by three different tribes of Indians to keep it safe. They are setting aside everything in their lives and laying aside their own personal safety to find this treasure. Their goal in life is to find the treasure.

Is your goal in life no matter the cost to seek wisdom? Godly Wisdom? When you receive this godly wisdom do you seek to use it in your everyday life or do you cast it aside because it does not help you in satisfying your desires?

The key to understanding the Fear of the Lord is searching for wisdom from the right sources and then using it daily in your life because it is a treasure!

“Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:5)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments