Coming to the Still Waters

Today's verses are Proverbs 25:16-20, which read, v.16, 17 - Have you found honey?  Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit it.  Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, or he will become weary of you and hate you. Ah ha!  God is the one who made up the phrase  "all things in moderation."   Honey is great and putting honey on things brings a sweetness to them but we can also overdue on a good and sweet thing.  To much takes you into the glutton stage which is a sin because it becomes like an idol or god to you.  This concept is tied to the idea of being an overbearing neighbor that is soon resented because he is not in moderation about his appearances in the neighbor's home.  It is a good thing to know your neighbor but when you become a pest then it is going against what is desired.   This is a general principle of self-control that is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.  Self-control...

Here is a first for the blog.  It is not that I haven't been videod before but the first I have posted here.  We are going through the Gospel of Luke so here is the segment that deals with the birth of John the Baptist and Zechariah's prophecy.  

Here is another radio broadcast on God's top ten - the 10 commandments.  Hope you have a great Lord's Day.   www.alathea.com - if you want to hear some more Alathea music Pastor Adam

Today's verses are Proverbs 25:8-15, which read, v.8-10 - Do not go out hastily to argue your case; otherwise, what will you do in the end, when your neighbor humiliates you?  Argue your case with your neighbor, and do not reveal the secret of another, or he who hears it will reproach you, and the evil report about you will not pass away. In the book of Proverbs are many proverbs about relationships and here is another one.  We will have conflict with one another.  We will have times when we are angry with one another.  What do we do with that anger?  Do we immediately run to the court or to others and tell them about our problem in a one sided way to get their sympathy or support?  Do we run to the press or to FaceBook and put it out for all to see about the hurt of injustice that we feel? This rush to report gives the one who has offended you a chance to respond in the public arena and if they truly don't like you then they probably have some...

Today's verses are Proverbs 25:1-7, which read, v.1 - These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed. We enter a new section of Proverbs today.  Here are another 137 proverbs of Solomon that were collected and preserved by the men of Hezekiah who was king of Judah around 715 B.C. through 686 B.C.  During the reign of King Hezekiah there was an attempted revival of the Israelite people to God and these proverbs which may have been forgotten were written down for use in public worship. v.2, 3 - It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.  As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of the kings is unsearchable.    God and kings are compared here.  God, because He is God, knows everything and therefore what is not known by kings is known to Him.  Kings need counsel to know things.  They do have the resources at their dispos...

Our devotional today is an in between chapters one because on Wednesday we will start Proverbs 25. Today we will look at John 15:4-8 which reads, Remain in Me, and I in you.  Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.  If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers.  They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this:  that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. The question this morning is if you and I are remaining in Jesus.  A branch that remains on the vine has the opportunity to produce fruit but some don't and theref...

Here is the latest radio broadcast on perfection.  Thank you again to Alathea for the background music.  You can find out more about them at www.alathea.com

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:30-34, which read, I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.  When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest," then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man. We come to the end of this section of Proverbs that started in chapter 22.  We end these proverbs with the subject of being lazy.  As I was reading this I wondered if the writer had wandered by my garden lately that is away from our property.  Those weeds can take over in no time and soon you are hunting for the actual plants that you care about.  Attention, attention, attention is needed in that precious plot of ground.  A little effort at the start can be swallowed up by bei...

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:27-29, which read, v. 27 - Prepare your work outside and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterwards, then, build your house. This is a very practical proverb that is not followed often in our world.  We want everything right now.  A very economical dwelling place was a tent.  You would live in a tent while you worked the fields until you had the money from the harvest to build a home.  The order in which things are done here is the wisdom to be followed.  Many times we build the house with the hope of the resources later to come to pay for it.   I would like to stretch this beyond the obvious.  There are many times that we don't do the preparation work needed but want the final product.  We don't work the field and live in the tent for awhile before obtaining the home.  Or we obtain the final product by some other means and lose the opportunities of the benefits of the proper hard work to a...

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:23-26, which reads, These also are sayings of the wise, to show partiality in judgment is not good.  He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," people will curse him, nations will abhor him.  But to those who rebuke the wicked will be delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.  He kisses the lips who gives a right answer. We are coming to the close of these extra proverbs of the wise that Solomon has given us in addition to his.  We will finish them, Lord willing, this Friday along with the chapter.  The proverb today is about our assessment of good and evil and also our appropriate response to it.  Let's first refer back to Proverbs 17:15 which says,  "He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD."   We recognize that this is just the opposite of what we should do.  We should justify the righteous and condemn the wicke...

I thought I would post this one.  I think this was a good combination of story and Scripture.  Adam

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:19-22, which read, v. 19, 20 - Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. This has been a common instruction from the Lord about our response to the apparent temporary benefits of following evil and wicked practices.  Proverbs 3:31 says,  "Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways."   Proverbs 23:17 says,  "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always."   Also, the first verse of this chapter says,  "Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them;..."   It must be a common practice to see the advancement that those who are not following after God are making as success personally and professionally and envy what they have.  Remember you are gauging it off of what is important to the world and not what is important to God. Th...

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:15-18, which read, v. 15, 16 - Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place; for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. The Bible is full of word pictures and here is another one.  Even though there is warning in the Bible to not attack the righteous there will be.  The foolish will not obey this command and righteous people will fall and maybe up to seven times which means many times.  But, as Jesus said to His disciples each time He spoke of His death, He also included His resurrection, His rising up.  The righteous will rise back up to follow the Lord.   Seven is the number of completeness in the Bible but also the number to signify many.  Peter asked the Lord,  "How many times do I forgive my brother, up to seven times?"   Another example is found in Proverbs 26:16, which says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:11-14, which read, v. 11, 12 - Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back.  If they say, "See, we did not know this," does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?  And does He not know it who keeps your soul?  And will He not render to man according to his work? The proverb this morning is in the form of a petition and some questions.  He is calling out to God to deliver those who are walking in the way of the foolish.   "God, put something or someone in their path to get their attention to the road they are on and where it is heading."   Many are on the wide road that leads to destruction and many are just following all the others on the road rather than seeking out what is true.  Some are leading people down that road and others are just following those who are leading like there is no other way or option.  I think we have called the...

On a local radio station, WLPO of Oglesby, I have the opportunity to do a five minute show each Sunday morning.  Here is a sample.  I am going through the New City Catechism at this time.  The background music is by a group called Alathea which you can find more of their music at www.alathea.com  --Adam--

Today's verses are Proverbs 24:5-10, which read, v. 5, 6 - A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power.  For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. We want to be strong and we want to be increasing in power.  We want to win the war and experience victory.  How is that done?  By the counsel of this proverb, it is through the abundance of counselors.  We need each other.  Of course the counselors talked about here are those who are following after God.  These are counselors who are also seeking out the counsel of other counselors for steps taken in their lives.  These are people who are practicing what they are preaching in regards to following after the wisdom of God.   There is an abundance of counselors out there but many are not to be listened to.  Many of them need to be investigated to see if their lives match up with their words.  Many are flashy and pr...