One of the definitions given for grace on Dictionary.com is, "a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment." This definition applies to the verse in Proverbs 1 that I shared a couple weeks ago and it also applies to the next verse in the Bible where the word grace appears.
Proverbs 3, verses 21 and 22 say, "My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck." Solomon clearly believed in adorning ourselves with things besides nice clothes and jewelry! Just to review, Proverbs 1:8-9 say "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
Garlands for our heads, chains and ornaments for our necks. What are these pleasing qualities and attractive endowments that Solomon is referring to? Sound judgment, discernment (or understanding) and our parent's teachings. If you haven't read the first few chapters of the book of Proverbs, I would invite you to do that. Solomon spends a lot of time talking about how godly wisdom, knowledge, understanding, sound judgment and other desirable qualities are way more important than rubies, gold, jewels, or any other wealth.
Why? My guess is because Solomon was extremely rich and he wanted his people and his children to know that there were things out there more desirable than material wealth. Solomon was appointed as king at the tender age of 12. God appeared to him in a dream and told Solomon that he could ask for whatever he wanted and the Lord would give it to him. What did that 12 year old boy who just became king ask for? Did he ask for riches? Gold and silver? Precious jewels? Nope. He was humble and knew he did not have the wisdom and knowledge at his age to run a kingdom. So that is what he asked for. He wanted to be able to rule his people with a wise and understanding heart and to distinguish between right and wrong (1 Kings 3:6-9). Because God was so pleased with Solomon's request, not only did he give him the wisdom he asked for, God also gave him extreme wealth. In fact, it is believed that King Solomon was the richest king ever!
What is it that you are adorning yourself with each day? I know for me, it's not always wisdom, understanding, or patience, especially with my kids. But I really want it to be! And I know that if I humble myself and ask my heavenly Father to give me wisdom to be a good wife and mother He will. And you know what? He will give those things to you too. So as Ephesians 6:14-17 says, lets put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, put on our helmets of salvation, pick up our shields of faith and our swords of the Spirit and do battle each day against the evil one who loves nothing more than for us to be unkind, impatient and selfish people. I pray that today you will resist the devil and choose the abundant life that God has for you. Have a blessed day!
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
3 Life Lessons in 3 Miles
As I was running this morning, some things occurred to me. I'm not a fast runner and I don't have great form. Truthfully, I struggle with running. But I love the way it makes me feel. Once I have settled into the run, usually after about a mile, and for the rest of the day I feel as if I'm on top of the world (if you're having a Leonardo DiCaprio moment right now I'll pause for you..........................). Okay, back to reality. :-) When I run, I tend to pray a lot and think a lot. Today my thoughts started to center on how running and life are very similar.
First, I thought about my pace. Like I said, I'm not a fast runner. I have to set a steady pace or I just can't run as far as I want. If I start out to fast, then I end up walking because I've run out of breath or I get a cramp. If I start to slow, then I find myself wanting to give up because the run is taking to long. The same thing applies to life. If we jump into something to fast, we tend to burn out or make mistakes because we didn't plan ahead. But when we take the time to plan and set goals, we can accomplish what we set out to do. In 1 Peter 5:10, Peter says, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." Sometimes when in life and in running, we suffer. But we have to trust that God will restore us and make us strong and steadfast so we can finish this life race for Him.
The second thing that occurred to me while running was that I don't have very good form. Meaning, I tend to slouch and plod. If you are a runner then you know what slouching and plodding can do to you. It's hard on your joints and your muscles when you plod along. And slouching makes it hard to take the good breaths you need to keep your oxygen levels up. So I have to focus on keeping my shoulders back and listening for the sound of my foot steps so I know if I'm plodding. Trying to keep good form when I'm running is almost more tiring than the run itself! But I discovered that if I keep my head up and my eyes focused ahead, my form was better almost instantly. Why? Because I was focused on what was ahead of me. Not the ground under my feet or the distractions to my right or left. This also allowed me to adjust my pace because I could see the hills coming and I knew that if I wanted to run up them, it would require a little more effort.
When we keep our eyes focused on what is ahead of us in life, instead of the distractions to our right and left, we can see the obstacles we are about to hit before they get to us. Oh how often I have had something hit me right in the face all because I was distracted by something that wasn't even on my path! James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." I consider those distractions, those things that are behind me that I can't change, those things that are beside me yet not on my path, I consider those things to be from the devil. Simply reminding my self to resist him and he will flee helps me to keep my eyes focused ahead on the path the God has for me.
The last thought about life that cropped up during my run was that it's better with someone. My pace was much slower today than on Sunday when I ran a 5K race with my daughter. It was so cool to have a lot of people around encouraging you in your run and being able to encourage them too was awesome. We weren't meant to do this life by ourselves. We need to be around friends and family that will encourage us in our walk with the Lord so that we will stick with it. There is something wonderful about being surrounded by a group of people that are doing what you are doing. They know how difficult it is, they know how far you have to go because they have to go the same distance too. Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, so long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." The devil will come against us in this life with distractions, trying to make us think that our sin is better than what God has planned. Surround yourself with other believers who will encourage you every day so that you don't get distracted.
I know this was a bit longer of a post than I usually write but I wanted to put my thoughts down somewhere permanently as much for myself as for you. I hope you will keep in mind that when we follow the Lord, we are not guaranteed as easy race. We have to keep our eyes on Him, keep moving forward and surround ourselves with others who are doing the same thing. Have a blessed day friend!
First, I thought about my pace. Like I said, I'm not a fast runner. I have to set a steady pace or I just can't run as far as I want. If I start out to fast, then I end up walking because I've run out of breath or I get a cramp. If I start to slow, then I find myself wanting to give up because the run is taking to long. The same thing applies to life. If we jump into something to fast, we tend to burn out or make mistakes because we didn't plan ahead. But when we take the time to plan and set goals, we can accomplish what we set out to do. In 1 Peter 5:10, Peter says, "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." Sometimes when in life and in running, we suffer. But we have to trust that God will restore us and make us strong and steadfast so we can finish this life race for Him.
The second thing that occurred to me while running was that I don't have very good form. Meaning, I tend to slouch and plod. If you are a runner then you know what slouching and plodding can do to you. It's hard on your joints and your muscles when you plod along. And slouching makes it hard to take the good breaths you need to keep your oxygen levels up. So I have to focus on keeping my shoulders back and listening for the sound of my foot steps so I know if I'm plodding. Trying to keep good form when I'm running is almost more tiring than the run itself! But I discovered that if I keep my head up and my eyes focused ahead, my form was better almost instantly. Why? Because I was focused on what was ahead of me. Not the ground under my feet or the distractions to my right or left. This also allowed me to adjust my pace because I could see the hills coming and I knew that if I wanted to run up them, it would require a little more effort.
When we keep our eyes focused on what is ahead of us in life, instead of the distractions to our right and left, we can see the obstacles we are about to hit before they get to us. Oh how often I have had something hit me right in the face all because I was distracted by something that wasn't even on my path! James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." I consider those distractions, those things that are behind me that I can't change, those things that are beside me yet not on my path, I consider those things to be from the devil. Simply reminding my self to resist him and he will flee helps me to keep my eyes focused ahead on the path the God has for me.
The last thought about life that cropped up during my run was that it's better with someone. My pace was much slower today than on Sunday when I ran a 5K race with my daughter. It was so cool to have a lot of people around encouraging you in your run and being able to encourage them too was awesome. We weren't meant to do this life by ourselves. We need to be around friends and family that will encourage us in our walk with the Lord so that we will stick with it. There is something wonderful about being surrounded by a group of people that are doing what you are doing. They know how difficult it is, they know how far you have to go because they have to go the same distance too. Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, so long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." The devil will come against us in this life with distractions, trying to make us think that our sin is better than what God has planned. Surround yourself with other believers who will encourage you every day so that you don't get distracted.
I know this was a bit longer of a post than I usually write but I wanted to put my thoughts down somewhere permanently as much for myself as for you. I hope you will keep in mind that when we follow the Lord, we are not guaranteed as easy race. We have to keep our eyes on Him, keep moving forward and surround ourselves with others who are doing the same thing. Have a blessed day friend!
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
A Garland to Grace your Head
When my daughter was little, she loved to play dress up. Truthfully, I don't know many little girls who don't! She would put on fancy dresses, shoes, silk gloves, and pretty necklaces and tiaras. She would want her hair done up like a princess and I was happy to help. She looked so pretty when she was done and the smile on her face as she twirled around in her outfits is something I hope I never forget.
Some of that little girl still lives in all of us ladies. I know I still love to get dressed up in something beautiful, have a great hair do, and wear beautiful necklaces. And I think there is a time and a place for those things. But the Bible tells us there is something else, something better than any jewelry that we should be adorning ourselves with.
Proverbs 1 verse 9 is the second time the word "grace" appears in the Old Testament (NIV version). The verse says, "They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." In order to understand what this verse is talking about, we need to look at it along with verse 8. Together they say, "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
Solomon is telling us that the wisdom and instruction of our parents are like fine jewelry that will make us look beautiful if we heed that instruction. Some of you may be thinking, "My parents were far from wise," and that may be true. But God didn't just give us our parents to rely on. We have His Word as well, which truthfully, is far better than anything else we could look to for wisdom and instruction on how to live life and guide our own children.
Grace in this verse, is used a little differently than in Psalm 45:2 which we looked at last week. But I think the concept is still the same. God will give us everything we need if we seek Him. That includes wisdom and knowledge like we could never imagine. We can't earn godly wisdom by doing good deeds or being a "morally good" person. It has to come from the Creator. He is the bestower of the garland of wisdom. He is the Father who secures the necklace of knowledge around our necks. He loves you and me and He wants these things for all of us and He has made it easy to get them. We just have to ask Him.
Some of that little girl still lives in all of us ladies. I know I still love to get dressed up in something beautiful, have a great hair do, and wear beautiful necklaces. And I think there is a time and a place for those things. But the Bible tells us there is something else, something better than any jewelry that we should be adorning ourselves with.
Proverbs 1 verse 9 is the second time the word "grace" appears in the Old Testament (NIV version). The verse says, "They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck." In order to understand what this verse is talking about, we need to look at it along with verse 8. Together they say, "Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."
Solomon is telling us that the wisdom and instruction of our parents are like fine jewelry that will make us look beautiful if we heed that instruction. Some of you may be thinking, "My parents were far from wise," and that may be true. But God didn't just give us our parents to rely on. We have His Word as well, which truthfully, is far better than anything else we could look to for wisdom and instruction on how to live life and guide our own children.
Grace in this verse, is used a little differently than in Psalm 45:2 which we looked at last week. But I think the concept is still the same. God will give us everything we need if we seek Him. That includes wisdom and knowledge like we could never imagine. We can't earn godly wisdom by doing good deeds or being a "morally good" person. It has to come from the Creator. He is the bestower of the garland of wisdom. He is the Father who secures the necklace of knowledge around our necks. He loves you and me and He wants these things for all of us and He has made it easy to get them. We just have to ask Him.
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