Monthly Archives: December 2016

Proverbs

Proverbs 10:29-30

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Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
30 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
 
For those who follow after God find strength to face anything that Satan can throw at us. This strength helps us not to stumble or fall. Because we walk in the strength of the lord we shall inherit eternal life and always walk with God. For those who insist on doing evil shall only suffer destruction and shall inherit eternal life in hell with Satan. We need to use the knowledge we have to help these that insist on doing evil to find the saving grace of Jesus our Savior. We see in Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10:27-28

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Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
 
This fear that we see hear is a healthy fear. It is a state of mind in which one’s own attitudes, will, feeling, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God’s. When someone is walking in the favor of God they are promised a long life . One place the Bible tells us to expect a long life is the 10 commandments, where it says honor thy father and mother where your days may be long. The wicked have have a different kind of fear because they never know what is going to happen to them next because of their deeds. Even after this life we see the really of the hope we as Christians have in life eternal with our savior which we can rejoice and be glad for. On the other hand the wicked have nothing to look forward to because they have no hope of eternal life in heaven with God.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10:25-26

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Proverbs 10:25 As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
 
We know that when when a whirlwind comes up it is gone about as fast as it came. It is about the same when someone is trying to cause trouble it comes on strong but when we see that it is not of God it is gone just about as fast. We should know to that the foundation of our belief is built on the rock of salvation from Jesus that will stand forever. We can see in the next verse that just as vinegar can cause damage and destruction to the teeth and smoke can cause our sight to be hampered. This causes us discomfort just as someone who is lazy is sent to do a job and they do not do it. Can you imagine how God feels when He ask us to a job and we do not do it?We need to stay strong so we do not allow anything to damage our testimony. 1 Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10:23-24

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Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
23 It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
 
We see now that God will supply all our needs and then some. We know from some of the people from the Bible that those following God were very wealthy even the one that wrote this book and it also says God will not add any sorrow to it. If we have any problems with the wealth God gives us, spiritual or physical, it is not by God but by our own mistakes.Verse 23 we see that the fool is all about seeing how much trouble he can get in and it is because he lacks the wisdom that God has given to a man of understanding. Because of this the fool is someone who finds pleasure in getting into trouble and getting others in trouble. Lastly we know that fear is not God but one of those things that Satan uses against people. The wicked fear the punishment that is coming their way because they know they deserve it. Now we know that God grants the desires of the righteous if they ask and believe. James 5:16 we read that God answers the prayer of the righteous.”Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Proverbs

Proverbs 10 : 18-21

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Proverbs 10:18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
 
We see in this scripture some of what we have been witnessing for the past few months in the political arena. When someone lies about another person it is usually because of hatred and it is sometimes looked upon as slander. The more words that are said are not good because it has a tendency to lead to a lie or sin. If we restrain from running our mouths it is a sign that we have learned how to use the wisdom we have gained. The tongue that speaks of the redemption power of Jesus is symbolized as choice silver. As we have seen already what is in the heart is what we usually speak so it could be good or bad. Those that speak of righteousness are speaking to the multitudes who need to hear the word of God. Those that could care less for gaining wisdom are the ones that will never know the saving grace of our Lord.Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
Proverbs

Proverbs 10 : 15-17

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Proverbs 10:15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
 
This is some good verses where we see first that money can buy anything a man may want but how he decides to use his money is what is important and the poor just have what they have. A lot times people just say the rich get richer and the poor get poorer but if the poor have a desire to work they can pull themselves up out of that situation. We should all be content with whatever state we are in. While the rich man thinks he has his walled city for protection, the poor man knows he has nothing. Both should trust in the Lord as their only protection. Next we see those that labor are usually hard working and law abiding citizens with deep spiritual convictions which lead to eternal life.On the other hand those who do not like to work are usually dishonest and what they do leads to sin. Finally we should be eager to receive instruction because it helps us not make mistakes. While the person who rejects instruction is a fool and and has completely stop growing.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10 : 13-14

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Proverbs 10:13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
 
We see here that the wisdom that has been learned gives us understanding to say the right things at the time. For those that are void of understanding because of a lack of wisdom needs to be corrected and as we will see later in proverbs the use of a rod for correction is used. Verse 14 says that a wise man soaks up all the knowledge he can, this will help him to obey the leadership of God. A foolish person however loves to run his mouth about things he knows nothing about which will lead to his destruction. These two verses help to see a difference between saying the right things and the wrong things and what consequences of what we say can cause. In James 3:10 it says ” Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” I would like everyone today to find a good church to go to that teaches the wisdom and and knowledge of God and we welcome you at Luverne First Assembly 788 Glenwood Road.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10:11-12

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Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
 
Jesus told the woman at the well if she drank of the water He could give her she would never thirst again. This means that as a righteous person we are a well of living water to share with others. Again we see that the wicked are violent people and leads to nothing but destruction. As verse 12 goes on to say that hatred causes all kinds sins and it can lead to all kinds of division. Then we see that love covers a multitude of sins and we see this appearing several times in new testament. 1 Peter 4:8 says And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. True love seeks the highest good for another.
Proverbs

Proverbs 10:8-10

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Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
 
This helps us to see that a wise person is someone who can be taught and will listen. The fool on the other hand is someone who already knows everything and is continually running their mouth till they say too much and it comes back to bite them. Theses scriptures continue to show us that those that walk in path that God has laid out for them is one they can be sure of and does not have to fear of failing. On the other hand the people who walk in the dark are evil and in the end you can be sure their sins will find them out. Finally those that wink are usually up to no good and are plotting evil. Again it tells us the fool talks too much and winds up getting caught in his own folly. In these three verses we see we need to use the wisdom and knowledge we have learned of God to keep focused on the things we say and do and always be ready to take instruction to learn more.
A Note from Hope

A Tree? A Note from Hope

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A few days ago, I heard Mom tell Dad that they needed to get all the decorations out of the storage building. And then she said something about a tree.  Well, I just thought she was talking about the trees outside.

And then this week- I swear this is what happened- she put a TREE in the living room. A TREE. It wasn’t real because it was in parts, but she really put it in there. Then she put lights that were on strings all around it, and then she put this big silver string all around it. Scout tried to taste it but Mom said no.

We were so surprised at what she was doing, we just laid on the sofa and watched… I couldn’t even bark. Then Mom told us what it was all about.

You see, in about another week, we’re having a big party- in fact, folks all over the place are having parties – and all for the same reason. Because it’s Jesus’s birthday!

Dad says we really don’t know when Jesus’s birthday is, so someone a long time ago picked December 25 as the day to celebrate. And everyone who wants to, gets to help celebrate. Some people put up trees and lights and wreaths and other stuff- I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what else Dad and Mom decide to put up at our house. (I think I heard Dad say something about putting lights outside – don’t ask me why- maybe it’s to help the Little’uns find their way around.)

Dad says most everyone gives presents to the folks they love to help celebrate, so I guess that explains the boxes and bags all around the tree. I hope there’s something under there for us dogs. We’ve really tried to be good this year.

Dad also says that some folks don’t think it’s right to put up a tree or decorations to celebrate Jesus’s birthday. They think it’s making the real meaning of Christmas less important. I don’t know- it looks pretty to me, and I like watching the lights blink on the tree. I think it’s a good idea to make a big deal about Jesus- after all, He died for each one of us so we can go to heaven, and He couldn’t have done all that if He hadn’t been born, so it seems right that we make a big deal out of His birthday.

If you’ve got little kids who like to do crafts, look at this page we found- it looks like some fun things to make. (We’re not allowed to play with the glue sticks because Scout tries to eat them.)

Oh yeah! In case you haven’t seen our Christmas card yet, go here – you’ll never guess who’s in it!