Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. 10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord; how much more the hearts of the children of man! Acceptable Sacrifice R Aylor Today Solomon names some things that the Lord detests and some things the Lord loves. He just told us in verse 5 how we should heed our fathers instructions and now Solomon tells us what awaits those who hate reproof. Today's passage concludes by saying how the abode of the dead as well as Hell itself cannot hide itself from the Lord… therefore why should any man think they might hide the intentions or the true desires of their heart from him? So what is it that is an abomination the the Lord? Verse 8 says it is

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. 6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked. 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. So Solomon cares about his own sons… much of Proverbs is addressed to them. He seems to be telling them “Don’t despise my words… Don’t be a fool! Be discerning with the things you hear in the world… where you go, who you hang out with… what you are drawn to… He shows them the outcome of the two paths they have to discern between… One results in much treasure and the other speaks of income as well but with much trouble. Then finally verse 7… let me read that one again. 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools. Did you notice that Solomon speaks of the wise spreading knowledge with their lips but when talking about the fools he emphasizes not the lips but say

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The Truth About Truth R Aylor Today Solomon is talking about the way we speak to one another and how God knows about every good and bad thing we say. He mentions a soft answer and a gentle tongue…This comes out from a person of wisdom. Solomon says the tongue of the wise commends knowledge. To commend is to praise something or recommend something for approval. So truth is to be held up high in our own life and to others. You know… truth cannot be toyed with or manipulated to our own liking… it cannot be juggled about to give us a false sense of justifucation on a particular day. Somehow… somewhere truth is set, unmovable fo

Don't Be A Dolt Blake Farley This is part one of a 5 part series on Proverbs chapter 17. For a full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com. Click on PROVERBS and you will see it there.

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. 35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully. Solomon gives us three situations to examine. Let’s take a look at them briefly and then consider their similarities and application. In the first Solomon says Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding… that makes sense right? But the question that comes to my mind is how did it get there in the first place? At some point this person was not a man of understanding... So then... wisdom must have been somewhere close enough for him to have found her. Wisdom has a way of getting her point across even in the midst of fools. I think we see over and over when we act foolishly and don’t listen to her words… and our foolish choices causes much misery to u

Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. 32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. What if you crafted a unique magnificat guitar. You spent a lot of thought into it before you ever began making it. And then you crafted it with great precision and supreme workmanship and there was never ever another quite like this guitar. Being a one of a kind and different than all the others, it was stolen. Over a period of time it was sold to many and given away to others… Because it was different than other guitars people began making fun of it… they strummed it harshly… they never put it back into its case… Once it spent a summer in a traveling carnival act where a clown juggled it along with 3 balls and strummed the guitar every time he caught it. It made its way to others… it was the guitar one took with them on the canoe ride down the river and another in their backpack to the mountains while

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. 28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Good Fear Brings Confidence R Aylor What is the context that surrounds this kind of fear we should have toward the Lord? Should we fear him like people fear a ruthless dictator? No. God is not like that. Like an abused child fears their father? No. What about the child who has a good loving father? Do they fear their father in any way? Sure they do. As a child grows and their character changes there is potential for them to mature and take on attributes of their good loving father. Throughout that journey they are going to have times of disobedience, right? But when they are thinking about doing wrong, the fear a spanking from their father sometimes motivate

Proverbs 14:2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. 3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. Today's passage talks about walking and talking and overall ways of people. Solomon speaks of one who walks in uprightness. Now, I know that means being holy and righteous… loving our neighbor as ourselves and God supremely… However in my mind I see this picture of a man standing upright along side of a man crawling on all fours like an animal. I think there might be a correlation between this picture of a man crawling on all fours… debase, feeding the desires of the flesh, following after his senses… not contemplating his life and purpose… one with a degraded sense of morality who has a corrupted discernment between right and wrong… no capacity for love… the kind that shares experiences, goals, dreams, hopes or aspirations. This man is not walking upright and does not fear the Lord but despises him and re

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. The Witness We Breathe Out R Aylor It is quite unusual to see a guilty person who takes the witness stand begin by being truthful and making a confession. Most seem to lie and deceive and manufacture stories and tell half truths that point the finger of guilt at others instead of themselves. But deceit doesn’t wait to get on the witness stand before it winds up destroying other people’s lives… The thing is... this deceit in the hearts of man... it usually begins like a cancer eating away in the very families of the one who spirts out lies. This cancer doesn’t pause or go into remission. Although sometimes the lies seem harmless and benign they are in fact malignant. They hurt a lot of people… including our loved ones and close friends… and wind up destroying our own selves in the worst way possible for eternity away from all that is good. But on the oth

Today's reading is a sermon from the Anglican Preacher George Whitefield (1714-1770) He was blessed with some unique talents in communication and vocalization as well as spiritual insights which he used for the glory of God. He was surly not a perfect man... Whitefield publicly renounced slavery early on. However, he participated in this horrible practice after he won plantation owners to the Lord and they entrusted him slaves. He advocated for legalization of slavery in Georgia possibly that they might help him maintain and operate his orphanage. He vocalized the good treatment of slaves and evangelized them. Beware reader... the end does not justify the means and we all have to give account to the Lord for how we rationalize the morals that come out of our brokenness. Whitefield's connection to slavery stands out as possibly being his most grievous sin . With that being said, history is a difficult thing to judge generally much less and yet more dangerously the intents of a heart individually... with the

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. 30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. What's Your Go To? R Aylor Do you have a “go to” in any area of life? I think most people do. Even when someone is asked a soft question like “How are you?” or “Whats been going on?”… or a something about the weather we usually choose from a few basic quips in our bag to respond with like:”I’m doing well, how are you?” or “Not much”, “same old same old”. If it’s been windy I usually comment how today I’ve had a bad hair day… (even though I am bald)… LOL. When I ask my brother what he’s been up to… I don’t know how many times… a lot!… he has answered me “about 5 10 1/2”. We have “go to’s” for clothes we wear… where and what we eat… who we seek counsel with… even things like were we go to first on line to get answers for various questions. The thing is… we also ha

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. At first glance it may seem a bit discouraging that Solomon says the wicked get to live in a house while the upright only live in a tent. Well, that doesn’t seem fair… but hey… the thing is… the possessions of the upright consist of a little bit more than a tent. See, those who have been given the righteousness of Christ and so are upright… they don’t really live here… Maybe we could put a bumper sticker on our tent that says “my other house is a mansion” because we’re just passing through and will soon come to the place that Jesus went to prepare for us. Its the Spiritual Kingdom of God…Thats our homeland now. If you know Christ there is a sense in which you were actually born in that kingdom… It is your birthplace and homeland. Look, there is a full inheritance waiting

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. In todays verse I think we see another truth Solomon has witnessed in his… well, study of human behavior… and likely experienced in his own life. As usual, the obvious truth he sees carries underlying principals that can be used for application in other areas of life. First, he mentions the personal bitterness unique to each persons heart. Of course physical trials can be bitter in the way a cold wind is bitter upon the face. An accident that one never fully recovers from is a difficult ordeal. A long bout with cancer that ends in death can be a strenuous hardship on the one who is sick as well as many family members. Each one of us has their own unique experience of bitter troubles in the body that can be as distinct as a fingerprint. However; I really don’t think Solomon is referring to these kinds of physical things... at least not detached from another k

Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. 7 Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. 9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. These verses give a number of insights about two different kinds of people… two different hearts. Solomon shows us the contrasts between the knowledge that comes from God and the arrogance of the foolish person… 6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, ... Why can’t the scoffer find wisdom? I suppose it is because he never admits he’s wrong about anything.... Then the last part of this verse; for a man of understanding… a man who knows he is broken and lacking. ... it’s an easy thing to seek godly knowledge... he hungers for it... 7 Leave the presence of a fool,... This one is pretty clear… the understanding person sees how a foolish person doesn't have good council to give and neith

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:5 A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. People bear some kind of witness with their life. They proclaim something about who they are to others. We could even think about satan himself. He proclaims his own glory… He says his way is best for us. He says sin satisfies. In the Garden of Eden he told Eve God was a liar… and that the fruit of the tree God said would bring death would actually make her like God. But satan is a false witness. Solomon says that a false witness breathes out lies. In John 8:44, speaking of satan Jesus said this: …When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. That’s who satan is… even when he tried his hand at quoting scripture when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness his intent was deceit and he came to Jesus as a liar. What about us? Are we a faithful witness or a false witness? Of course a witness is someone who has actually saw

For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. This has been a fascinating verse to me for many years. Maybe because it seems that Solomon is just stating the obvious and somehow he must have believed that with every truth he observed in life no matter how apparent there must be something in it for him to learn… a foundational principal that he could carry with him into other areas of life for application. As for this verse, I think we’ve all seen some form of what Solomon is describing here. Right? I mean... if there are no tools in your workshop, it is likely clean and without clutter, but many engines can be repaired by the use of tools, and with that there is going to be a lot of grease and grime… theres just no getting around it. It’s proof that you have been working to accomplish something. Whether your desk is clean or dirty… your house… your clothes… they all tell a story. And to achieve something

Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. For the full transcript go to braggingonjesus.com and click on Proverbs in 365 Devotions. Thanks!

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. It looks like both of these verses speak of some kind of increase or the lack thereof in a mans life. It seems Solomon is mentioning some of the insights he gained about people as he observed their everyday life in his kingdom. Maybe when he looked out his window or when he sat in judgment before individuals and heard their stories… You know… underlying every observation we make in life there is a truth where we can gain insight. But like Solomon, we must make our deductions with discernment. We need the Lords help with that. So let’s think about what Solomon has said… He tells us how a good man leaves some kind of inheritance to his children’s children… Inheritances usually consist of things like houses, money and land. He likely witnessed men who did this very thing. They were hone

Proverbs in 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 13:1 A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
 You know… there are two kinds of listening. And today it seems that Solomon really wants his sons to listen to his words of wisdom with the right kind of hearing. One kind is not sincere… This person may listen for a number of reasons but it is not genuine. If you have children then you surly know it’s possible for your instructions or scoldings to go on deaf ears… maybe hearing your words ever so faintly as background noise. A child may only listen to make a case against the rebuker and defend their own position either openly or as a way to rationalize in their heart. They’re really not interested in understanding why their father wants them to do this or that. They only care about justifying the argument for what they want in their heart. This is the scoffer whom Solomon says does not listen to rebuke. It makes since that the person who does not a

Proverbs 20:30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts. What could Solomon be trying to tell us today? Well, I think we see Solomon giving an example of how discipline is to be used for the good in a person who is caught up in crime or and evil heart… sinful actions. We’ve touched on how one of the qualities of a good king should be mercy… but here the most merciful thing is discipline. We can see how this works when a child gets in a pattern of disobeying their parents. They don’t come to their parents and confess when they’ve messed up but they wait until they get caught to apologize... and then they disobey again and instead of repenting and confessing they hide their sin again until once again they are caught. These times clearly call for a spanking… but it’s a spanking for their good. Solomon may be alluding to criminals in Israel... thieves and murderers who break laws of the land… but this principle of discipline extends to others… for example we looked at how child