A Thousand Generations Blessing

In Exodus 20:6 God makes a stunning statement. He declares that he will show “steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Yes, you read that right. He will bless your decedents if you truly love him and keep his commandments. He will bless your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and on and on for generations.

God is worthy of our love. He is worthy of our hearts. He is worthy of our obedience.

He establishes his laws to help and protect us. He loves us, and he sets boundaries for us. He wants us to follow him and his ways. He wants to bless us for obedience.

Take some time right now to think about this verse and apply it to your life. You and your decedents will never be the same again.

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Moses Wisely Listened to Advice (Exodus 18)

In Exodus 18 Moses and the Israelites were wandering in the desert. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came to visit him, and he observed Moses busy all day serving as a judge in the disputes between Israelites. Jethro quickly realized that Moses was going to burn himself out if he kept up this practice. 

Jethro knew Moses was a man of God, feared God, and heard from God. He knew Moses was a great leader and God’s chosen leader for the Israelites. He also knew the Moses was human and would run out of energy if he continued as the only judge. He urged Moses to train up capable men to serve as judges in simple disputes and have only the most complex matters come to Moses. He counseled Moses to train up other leaders and multiple his effectiveness through other men of character and wisdom.

Moses’ response is recorded in Exodus 18:24, “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.”

A few days ago this blog highlighted how wise people listen to advice. Moses modeled this for us. There was a problem that he may or may not have seen. His wise and caring father-in-law offered sound advice, Moses took it to heart, and Moses changed his ways.

Let us listen carefully to the godly, wise, and loving people in our lives. When we face challenges, let us seek them out. When we are blinded to our challenges, let us be open to their advice and take it to heart. Let us follow Moses’ example.

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Seek Jesus & Deny Self (Romans 2:7-8)

In Romans 2:7-8 Paul contrasts two different types of hearts: a heart that pursues God in doing good and a heart that seeks self. The difference is striking.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:7-8)

The heart of a genuine Christian has been transformed from stone to flesh, from self-centered to God-centered, from love of self to love for Jesus Christ.

Out of the heart the mouth speaks, the person acts, the life is lived. What we love we pursue. What we value we seek.

A genuine Christian loves Jesus, lives for Jesus, and longs to obey his commands. A non-believer is bound by sin, seeks self, turns from the truth, and pursues evil.

The reward of for a genuine Christian is God himself for eternity. We live for him now and forever more. We love him now and forever more. We worship him now and forever more. We experience his presence now and forever more.

The consequence for unbelievers is just the opposite. Rejecting the truth and pursuing evil means facing the wrath and anger of our just and holy God. It means eternal separation from God.

How would you honestly assess your heart? Do you love Jesus Christ? Do you love him? Do you live for his glory? Do you see evidence of your love for him in how you live, what you think about, and what you seek?

If you have a heart that genuinely loves Jesus, rejoice. This is a gift and a miracle. Take time to praise God for coming into your life and transforming you.

If you do not have a heart that genuinely loves Jesus, take time now to surrender to him. Admit your sinfulness, admit your need for a Savior, acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Cultivate a heart centered on Jesus, die to self, and live all-out every day for him.

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Spiritual Goals

What spiritual goals do you have for the coming months and years? Where would you like to be in your love for Jesus Christ and your walk with him? What would you like to accomplish for the Lord in the next decade or beyond?

Have you ever set spiritual goals?

We often have goals in other areas of life. We set academic goals of achieving a specific grade in a class, grade point average in high school, SAT scores, attending a specific college, and achieving a specific degree.

We set athletic goals like exercising a certain number of times a week, playing on a particular team, averaging a specific number of points, playing on a select team, making the varsity team, or competing at the college level.

We set career goals such as landing a particular job, earning a specific salary, attaining a high level management position, and being able to afford a high standard of living.

In just about every aspect of our lives, we tend to set goals. But do we approach spiritual matters and our personal walk with God in the same way?

When it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ, he is the ultimate target and the object of our love and admiration. Goals are not an end in of themselves, but they do help us to live more and more in a way that brings glory to God. Let’s seek to love him more and live for him more.

Here are some goals to consider:

• Read the Bible every day, seeking to apply the truths of the Bible to your life
• Read and study a particular book of the Bible in the next month
• Get involved in a Bible-preaching, vibrant church
• Gain a circle of friends who are passionate about Jesus
• Identify one area of sin and battle it with truths from the Bible, faithful prayer, and accountability from a wise Christian
• Read a book that will feed your faith
• Spend regular time in prayer
• Keep a journal, recording specific truths God reveals to you in your personal times with him

What are your spiritual goals?

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Wisdom & Words

I did it again. I cannot believe I just said that. I wish I could take it back.

Everyone has had thoughts like these. Everyone has had moments like this. Everyone has said something they immediately regretted.

Our words matter, and our tongue is very hard to tame.

As we look at wisdom and folly, let's take some time to consider our words.

The wise and the fooling talk differently.

Wise people carefully choose their words, but the foolish speak rashly. The wise know when to stay silent, but the foolish do not. The wise encourage and bless others, but the foolish talk a lot about themselves. The wise build others up with their words, but the foolish cut others down. The wise use their words to inspire and lead, but the foolish use their words to promote themselves.

Here are some verses from Proverbs that speak to this issue:

Proverbs 15:2 – “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”

Proverbs 15:7 – “The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.”

Proverbs 18:6 – “A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”

Proverbs 18:7 – “A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”

Do you speak with wisdom? How would you evaluate your words? How would you assess your speech? Do you bless and encourage others. Do you build others other? Do you gossip or slander? Do you cut others down? Do you make the most of your words?

God cares deeply about the words we use. Commit today to pursue wisdom in all areas, including the words you use. Pray for self-control and ask for daily help from the Holy Spirit.

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Wisdom & Listening to Advice

Wise and foolish people differ greatly.

A wise person listens well, is teachable, and seeks advice from others. A foolish person talks more than listens, is not teachable, and does not accept advice from others.

Here are five Proverbs that illustrate this:

Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Proverbs 13:10 – “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Proverbs 15:5 – “A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.”

Proverbs 18:2 – “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

Questions for self-reflection:

1)      Are you a good listener?

2)      Are you teachable?

3)      Are you coachable?

4)      Do you accept instruction from those over you?

5)      Do you listen more than you talk?

6)      Do you take advice to heart?

We all want to be wise, and no one wants to be a fool. Seek today to grow in humility, admit you have many areas in which you need to grow, and listen carefully to the wise and godly people in your life. Seek to be a good listener, ask questions that help you grow, and be slow to talk. Pray that the Holy Spirit will empower you to accept instruction and grow in holiness and wisdom.

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Treasuring Wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-10)

When I was younger I collected baseball cards (Topps were my favorite!). It was more than just a hobby; it was a passion. I spent hours seeking cards I was missing in a set. I spent countless hours reading, studying, and organizing cards. I worked hard at it – very hard – but it never felt like work because I loved it.

Have you ever had a similar experience? Have you ever worked extremely hard at something but it did not feel like work? When we value something, work can feel like play. When we treasure something, spending large amounts of time on it can seem to fly by like minutes.

It would be great if we could pursue wisdom the same way – with all-out effort that did not feel like effort at all.

Proverbs 2:1-10 focuses on treasuring and pursuing wisdom.

“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;

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,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

guarding the paths of justice

    and watching over the way of his saints.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice

    and equity, every good path;

for wisdom will come into your heart,

    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;”

We all want to be wise, and we all know it is good. But, do we truly treasure it? Do we pursue it with joy like it is a valued jewel or a prize like silver?

When we pursue good grades, we pay careful attention to our teachers, we take copious notes, and we study for hours. When we actively pursue a league championship, we listen closely to our coach, we watch hours of game tape, and we practice long and hard. When we desire a particular career goal, we watch leaders in the industry, we faithful sharpen our skills, and we build our resume.

If we love it, all of this effort is a joy. If this prize is valuable enough, every minute is worth it.

May this be true in our pursuit of wisdom. May we value wisdom greatly, joyful pursue it, and excitedly expect God to fill us with his wisdom.

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