life

20
Dec
2023

Pursue Righteousness and Kindness

“Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness,

Will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

Proverbs 21:21

I love Christmas. I love decorating our house for Christmas. I love shopping and buying presents for people. I like having a list to shop from, but I also like figuring out what someone would like and getting that for them. Then seeing the look of pleasure and surprise on their face knowing you figured out just the thing that they wanted or needed. I also love the opportunity to get together with family and friends to celebrate the reason for this special time – JESUS.

As I consider this verse from Proverbs 21:21 and ponder the purpose for Christmas, I can’t help but think about all that Jesus left behind in heaven so that He could be an example to us in pursuing righteousness and kindness. Jesus didn’t just pursue righteousness and kindness, He is the personification of righteousness and kindness. He isn’t just the personification of righteousness and kindness, but He willingly gives us “robes of righteousness.” (Is. 61:10).

How do we receive these robes of righteousness? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9). Jesus died in our place paying a debt that we could not pay, and once He paid that penalty and we believe that He did, we receive from Jesus “robes of righteousness.” It sure seems like those who believe in Jesus get the better end of the deal. We deserve nothing and did nothing and yet we get everything.

Looking at our verse in Proverbs 21:21 Jesus pursued righteousness and kindness, and what did he receive in return? He gives us the hope of eternal life. He gives us righteousness. We receive honor because we have the hope of spending eternity in heaven with God.

So how does Jesus benefit from living a righteous and kind life? He brings honor and glory to His Father. He represents His Father to us. We see how living a life of serving God by serving others brings the greatest peace, hope, joy, and satisfaction we could ever desire.

Jesus came to earth as a baby to grow up and live a sinless and righteous life to demonstrate His love (Rom. 5:8) for us and teach us how to live. (Phil. 2). So how than shall we live?

We should live righteously demonstrating love and kindness to others. The more our love for God grows the easier it is to love and serve others. Jesus is our greatest example of this.

The more we love ourselves the harder it is to love, serve, and show kindness to others. How can we live righteously and show kindness to others when we are always looking at how to please ourselves? As we give of our life to others, just like Jesus did, we are breathing life into others.

As we plant seeds of righteousness into others, we will see the seeds of that righteousness flourish and grow in their lives. As we seek to love and serve others, we are demonstrating honor to others.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11).

As we celebrate Christmas and remember the true purpose of Christmas, we need to appreciate Christ’s sacrifice for us. We must be thankful for the righteousness and kindness that He showed to us, and we must cherish the example He was. As we experience feelings of dissatisfaction related to our selfishness, we then need to turn to the only One who can really give us peace, hope and joy. There is not one verse in Scripture that encourages us to look out for our interests. There is not one verse that says we are to focus on ourselves and deny others. God made us in His image. Since we are made in the image of God, the logical conclusion based on the example of Christ is to focus on others and deny ourselves.

Let’s commit to celebrating Christmas, by living lives of righteousness and kindness and demonstrating God’s image to everyone we come in contact with by loving and serving them well.

Merry Christmas!

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 2 comments
03
May
2023

Peace or Distress?

Have you ever said about yourself or about someone else, “that was a dumb mistake?” When we look at another’s life, we easily can see what decision they should have made. When we look at our own lives we tend to be clouded in our judgement in the midst of a decision. Later on, when we look over the same situation, we say, “what was I thinking?”

Proverbs 7 and Proverbs 8 have quite the contrast between wisdom and folly. In the midst of the scene that is set for us in Proverbs 7, the young man that is mentioned would not say in the moment, “this is a dumb mistake.” Rather, he is being led along by his fleshly desires.

Proverbs 7 sets the scene for the forbidden woman. These characteristics that are laid out for us can apply to many different foolish decisions that we make.

This scene in Proverbs 7 is set at night. Jesus said in John 3:19 “…men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” Foolishly, we think that if we participate in satisfying our fleshly desires in the dark or at night, they will less likely be seen. However, God is not blinded by darkness. “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:20).

The characteristics that define this forbidden woman are smooth/flattering words (7:5), wiley of heart (7:10), wayward (7:11), not a keeper at home (7:11), lies in wait for her victims (7:12), has a form of godliness (7:14), seductive (7:16, 17), illicit means of satisfying her fleshly desires (7:18), and plots and plans her deception (7:19, 20).

The key here is deception or lies. She wants the simple to believe the same lies that she believes. The more someone else believes her lies, the better she gets at telling them. These principles do not just apply to a man that is being seduced into an adulterous relationship with a woman.

These principles can also be applied to a woman that is being seduced by her sin. We all have desires that we are trying to get satisfied. We believe the lie that our desires must be satisfied and we must do whatever it takes to have our desires satisfied.

Proverbs 8 is the contrast to Proverbs 7 and shows us the characteristics of wisdom. The words that a wise person uses are wise and understanding words. These words that wisdom desires to share are not hidden or spoken in secret. “Wisdom cries aloud in the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads, beside the gates, and at the entrance of the town.” (Proverbs 8:1, 2).

The words of the wise seek to educate the simple or those they are with (8:5). The wise also speak words of truth and righteousness (8:7, 8).

So the contrast between those that are walking on the path of foolishness vs. the path of wisdom is seen in our actions and our words. Underlying all of these are our thoughts. What thoughts are you thinking?  I will do whatever needs to be done so that my desires can be satisfied. The adulterous woman has a form of godliness (“I offered my sacrifices” Prov. 7:14) making others think that she is a good woman when in reality she is covering the sin in her heart with outward actions that are a form of godliness.

The way of the wise do not hide the truth. They are willing to tell whoever will listen to them what the truth is.

What thoughts characterize your life? Are you seeking to satisfy your desires and believing lies or are you searching for the truth? Wisdom does not hide what it thinks, but the deceived tell things in secret. What is the result of listening to folly? You will injure yourself. Foolish choices produce injury and impact someone for the rest of their life. Wise choices give us life and produce fruit in our life that begets more wise choices.

The young man that went the way of the adulterous will find it easier the next time to turn onto her path. The person who tells one lie will find it easier the next time to tell a lie. The person who drinks alcohol or looks at pornography or whatever foolish choice will find it easier to go down that path again. The more sin we commit the more deceived we are into thinking this is the only way my desires will be satisfied. Rather than experiencing peace and satisfaction we will experience disharmony, agitation, and distress.

Those that choose the path of wisdom will continue to follow that path because the wise choices bring peace. Wisdom begets life, peace, joy, and favor from the Lord.

Are you experiencing peace or discontentment? Are the choices that you are making producing life or causing you injury?

“And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates and waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself and all who hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:32-26).

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
01
Jul
2020
And above all

And above all

 

I haven’t written a blog post in a while. So much is happening in our country and everyone has such a wide variety of opinions about all that is happening. Of course, I have my opinion too. I hope we all do. Most importantly, I hope that we are able to engage each other in a peaceful conversation whether we agree or not and try to understand the perspective of the other. As I watch the rioting and the looting and rhetoric that continues to plague our country, I keep thinking about two words – RESPECT and PEACE.

As a little girl, I grew up in a predominantly white community. We were very poor and were even on food stamps for a while so we could have food to eat. I just learned this week that my grandparents even paid our rent for six months. I remember how hard my dad worked and how much we struggled, but that did not negate any of the values that we were taught. Just because we were so poor, it did not mean I was ever allowed to be disrespectful to anyone. Just because we were poor did not mean that we were not taught the value of work. Just because we were poor did not mean that someone owed us anything. 

No one owed us anything. We had to work for it.

I was never taught that someone’s skin color meant anything other than they were different than me. The song I learned as a child keeps going through my head “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, and yellow, black, and white; they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

I not only learned this as a child but I internalized it. Jesus loves all people and therefore so should I.

As parents, we have a responsibility to teach our children. God loves all people and so should we.

The part of all these demonstrations that is disturbing is the vandalism that is taking place. Our country has given us the freedom to protest. Our country is a country of the people, by the people, and for the people. We have the freedom to let our voices be heard. This is a wonderful freedom that we enjoy.

What has gone terribly wrong with these protests is the disrespect that has come from them. Disrespect does not breed respect. Two wrongs do not make a right. If someone wants to be respected, they must also show respect.

If we want to experience peace, we must pursue peace.

When I see protesters yelling at police men/women, I want to ask what they think they are accomplishing. When vandals run through stores looting and setting things on fire, does that make the shop owners want to stay in those areas?

The other thought that keeps running through my mind is a question that Jesus asked, “Whoever is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” (John 8:7).

None of us are perfect. We have all committed wrongs. There needs to be justice, and this needs to be balanced with grace. I don’t know where the balance is. Sometimes there needs to be more grace given and sometimes there needs to be more justice applied. The problem we are seeing today with the looting and the rioting is that the mobs are not seeking peace, rather they are taking justice into their own hands. When the people take justice into their own hands, there is no restrictions and no boundaries. It is chaos. When a police officer steps out of bounds and does the wrong thing, there is justice.

My heart grieves for all who have lost their lives during this time of turmoil. So many senseless deaths. I am saddened that George Floyd died and the means by which he died. Since his death more than five people have died, countless have been injured, and millions of dollars’ worth of property has been damaged.  Is this the answer to the problem? Do more wrongs make it right?

I grew up learning that hard work and respecting others was something to be valued. Are these no longer important values? I believe that we need to get back to what is important.

Respect.

Peace.

Life.

All life.

Love others and treat others as we want to be treated.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:14, 15).

 

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