July 2020 – Page 2 of 3 – Sonshine's Journal

July 21, 2020

Are You Satisfied?

Eccl 4 to 6, The Author of Ecclesiastes now wants us to know that grace and peace are not in increased possessions or wealth, because keeping up with the Jones’s is a futile thing for a person to do. If you want grace and peace, believe God, take Him at His Word and trust Him in the plan He has designed for you. True wisdom and seeing life from a godly perspective begins with understanding that there is an eternal purpose for every event and circumstance.

In Chapter 3, the Preacher revealed God’s eternal purpose by using the illustration of “time.” It gave the reader a beautiful picture of God’s sovereign order. Now, in chapters 4-6, he says something has gone awry and shows us how sin has brought about chaos. The evidence is the tears of the oppressed that have no comforter. But, in God’s eternal plan He sent His Son to be our comforter!

The words of Jesus come back to us. Want to know God’s eternal purpose for your life? Hunger and Thirst for His Word, and you will be satisfied.[Matt 5]

July 18, 2020

Potholes and Wisdom

Prov 30 Have you ever driven a city street only to feel your tire’s jarring as it fell into a pothole? Like a pothole, the writer, Agur bluntly said, “I am more brutish than any other human being…” I’ve got potholes in my wisdom. Perhaps you can relate to him. In God’s providence, Agur knew that there were three things more beautiful and four that he did not understand. There are three things that tremble in the earth and four that it cannot bear up. Just like a road that has potholes that cause the bumps in our journey, so Agur’s understanding is lacking, and his potholes needed repair. He needed the nuggets of wisdom.

Agur saw himself as God saw him. He concluded, wisely, he was not only NOT God! He didn’t even measure up to His standards! So his first wise counsel was to take a long hard look at what potholes were on his road of life that needed fixing. He concluded just as the Preacher did: the true source of wisdom is God, who is in heaven, and we are on earth, therefore let our words be few. [Eccl 5:2] Keep short accounts with God lest you demean his holy name. Be sure to fulfill the commandment to honor your parents, so your days are long and profitable.

Let the light shine in your pothole, so you see what is lacking and ask God for that wisdom. In a nutshell, that is the wisdom from Agur.

July 18, 2020

The Scriptures…are the Inner Workings

study the scriptures that speak of Jesus

Proverbs 25:2 Ever have your computer just up and die? You can’t see inside, but inside are all of the bits and pieces that make it work. Just like some parts of a computer are concealed, God conceals some matters. One day we will see all things hidden since eternity past. God has his reasons known only unto Him as to why He has chosen to reveal or conceal. The “secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants forever,” [Deut 29:29] What we do know is this: God has given us all the evidence we need to believe who He is and who Christ is.

In Acts 1, the disciples asked Jesus if He was going to restore the kingdom of Israel. He responded you are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his authority. God has wisely chosen to reveal His creation, which is the revelation of His invisible attributes; his eternal power and divine nature. [Rom 1:20] Also, He has shown His Son Jesus Christ and the path to salvation. Proverbs remind us that it begins with a faith belief in our hearts. It is our belief, coupled with a confession that leads to salvation. [Rom 10:9-10]

The Bereans examined what Paul taught to see if it were so. We too should examine, search out, or investigate the matter before us. We have the inspired Word —let’s begin there.

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020

Character Formation is a Team Effort

Proverbs 22:6 & 15 Character comes from years of training. God has placed before us those who influence us for good or evil from childhood through our adult years. What we do with that training determines our path of life. Some of us will become leaders, and some of us will be followers. The principle given in verse 6 is not a promise, but it “implies channeling the child’s conduct into the way of wisdom.”

Observation of children shows that some are quick learners, and some only learn the hard way. Perhaps that is why King Solomon said: train up, make it an ongoing process, in the way he should go because “folly is bound up in the heart of a child.” Children do not become automatically wise without training, and it must be an over and over again process.

One piece of that training includes developing skills of discernment. According to Webster, discernment is how to perceive truth from error, virtue from vice, and acuteness of judgment. It doesn’t end at age 18 or 25 or 50. It is an ongoing process, as Paul told Timothy: Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed. We are all a work in progress, and some are farther along that road than others.

Remember this promise: God’s divine power has bestowed on us—you and me—everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Therefore,

Be patient with self. Keep studying. Keep memorizing. Be diligent.

July 16, 2020

Wisdom is Like a Diamond

Prov 20 Wisdom is like a precious jewel, like a diamond, with many facets. Proverb’s author has been not just observing life, but he also recognizes that today’s decisions reflect what God has shown him in His Word. For example: “wine is a mocker.” That is what we call a metonymy, where we substitute a character quality for a concept. The wine itself cannot mock, but imbibing without care brings one to make a mockery of what God says. Again observing a king in his terrifying anger could be compared to the roar of a lion. Both terrify the person on the receiving end and the king’s rage reveals his lack of wisdom.

As you read each chapter in Proverbs, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth for your decisions. As you ask questions and dig for the truth, the Holy Spirit will open your heart to he wants you to glean and apply to your life. Seek His wisdom to determine the spiritual principle. Beware of self-deception, which is denying the truth that is before you. James explained it this way: “he is like someone who gazes at his face in a mirror. He gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was…” [James 1:24-25]

Proverbs is full of wisdom “jewels,” or precious diamonds, but just as a jeweler uses a unique lens to determine its many facets, it takes a discerning eye to distinguish between the perfect and the imperfect.

July 15, 2020

Proverbs 15 to 18: Self Questions

Through four long chapters headed as “contrasts of the blessed and the wicked,” we are confronted with the heart. Ten times Solomon uses the heart as his visual image. We may think we know our heart but in reality, only the Lord knows it. Jeremiah noted: ‘the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked..{Jeremiah asks: who can know it?} and he answers: The Lord searches the heart’ [Jer 17:9-10, emphasis mine] Our heart is revealed in how we respond to others in our countenance, our speech, and actions.

Lots and lots of questions come to mind as we read these four long chapters. Is today a day for my heart to do kingdom work? Is my ‘to-do’ list long even in lockdown or isolation mandated by our government officials? Do my marketing list and errands govern me or do they guide me to honor Him as I am out and about in my world? Does my heart seek to glorify God even in the everyday task of the home laundry basket?

As you ponder your day try some self-evaluation:

Did I stop to ask the Lord what His plans would be for me?

Did I ask him to guard my tongue and direct my steps?

God knows all, and He will evaluate our motives and our heart. Therefore, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” [Prov 4:23]

May this be our prayer for today:

What wilt Thou have me to do today that will bring you pleasure?

July 14, 2020

Study God’s Word to Gain Wisdom

Proverbs 13 Some sheep/children are teachable, and some will refuse correction. Solomon was a teachable child, “Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following the practices of his father David,” [1Ki 3:3] However, his son was incorrigible. We have all heard this saying: “Don’t do as I do but do as I say.” Perhaps in hindsight, Solomon is saying, do not lose heart; I have placed before you the wisdom I have gleaned to raise a wise child even though my own son did not accept that truth.

Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, chose to flounder with fools rather than walk with the wise. He was spiritually deaf, as many are today. They wish to have their ears tickled rather than heed God’s counsel. The principle is clear: A wise son (daughter) accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Today, Parents must hide God’s word in their hearts. The hidden treasures will guide you to understand the type of child God has placed in your care and how to raise them properly in the ways of God. When you are diligent, you can claim this promise from 2Peter 1:4 “Through these things, he [God] has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises,” so that by you can share the nuggets of truth to the next generation, as Psalm 78 tells us. As part of your parenting routine: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” [2Tim 2:15]

Which child are you raising? You can know by studying the book of Proverbs.

July 13, 2020

Can we know the right path to follow?

Prov 8/9 Are you a people watcher as you walk down the path of life? Solomon must have been. He pondered and realized there are two tracks of life (foolish and wise) and he personifies both. Solomon has observed: Vs. 32: Blessed are those who keep my [God’s] ways. Vs. 34 Blessed is the one who listens, watches, and waits.

As Solomon observed, he saw the contrast. The foolish follow Dame Harlot, as Solomon calls her. [Proverbs 7: 27] Followers of Dame Harlot find that “Her house is the way to the grave, going down to death’s chambers.”The wise are pursuing Lady Wisdom. The path of Dame Harlot leads to deception and darkness. The way of Lady Wisdom leads to honesty and light.

Learn from Solomon. Observe people’s decision-making process. Those who choose to follow and heed Lady Wisdom find that her path leads to blessings, and life eternal. ” I will love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.” [Proverbs 8:17] Lady Wisdom says: “For the one who finds me (wisdom) find life and receives favor from the Lord. But the one who does not find me brings harm to himself;” [Prov 8:35]

It could not be any clearer: Prov 1:7 “Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 9:10 “The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding.” Thus as Dr. Constable notes:

“Wisdom and godliness are practically synonymous.”

Beloved, Are you following Dame Harlot or Lady Wisdom?

July 11, 2020

How to Become Wise

Today we begin our walk through the book of Proverbs. Beloved, know this truth that will guide you step by step through life: “It All Begins with Fearing the Lord“

Every person has a life journey that ultimately leads to everlasting comfort and peace or eternal destruction. Proverbs is in the Holy Scriptures to help us understand the meaning of life through practical examples and also riddles.

Solomon will instruct us how to discern the fool and the wise man. Thus, Proverbs is a book to garner the unbeliever’s attention to see how he is wallowing in his foolishness and how to turn from his wicked ways to become wise. “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.”

The book of Proverbs will help us learn three things: wisdom, moral instruction (correction or discipline), and how to discern wise counsel. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding and acknowledge him in all your ways…”

As we walk through Proverbs, allow the Holy Spirit to train you practically to discern good and evil.

Thus today we choose [Prov 1:7] as our verse for today:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of discernment or knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

What verse jumped out at you as you read, and what verse are you meditating on for today?

July 10, 2020

Conclusion…

Ps 148-150 Have you ever gotten so intensely involved in a book that you aren’t aware of time? Or as you read the last chapter, you wonder why the author chose that ending? From Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, the psalmist asked lots of questions but now draws to a close his thoughts or his conclusion. People are to praise God because He is the creator and sustainer of all. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Ps 148: Praise God for his revealed creation. Let all creation praise Him for his name alone is exalted; his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

Ps 149: “Praise Jehovah in the assembly of the godly…For the Lord takes delight in his people;”

Ps 150: “Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him when you view the sky; for his mighty acts, his surpassing greatness. Praise him with song and musical instruments. Let us all with one accord praise the Lord.”

Psalm 1 began with words of blessing for those who meditate on His words. Psalm 150 closes with words of praise. In Psalm 45:1 he wrote: “I have composed this special song for the King; my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”

“Great and astounding are your deeds, Lord God, the All-Powerful!” [Rev 15:3]