Eternally Minded

To live eternally minded is to set our complete desire on the things of God—exclusively giving all we are and have to what matters eternally.

Do you live with an eternal focus?

Although we may aim to live with an eternal mindset—it is easy to divert our attention to the here and now. After all, life and all its details—do scream for our devotion.

Living mindful of eternity does not mean we live careless of this life—just the opposite—we live as good stewards of all God entrusts to us, because we know everything has an eternal value.

Just the thought that our life and its actions carry an eternal value—should make us stop and evaluate what we spend our time, money, deeds, thoughts and words on.  Likewise this truth causes us to inspect our heart, because we know where our heart is—our treasure will be as well.

Everyone will face eternity and what we do now will matter then. It is important to examine our life and heart in regard to eternity.

• First—are we in right standing with God and Jesus?
• Second—do we live our life wholly devoted to furthering the Kingdom of God?
• Third—are we good stewards to the life God’s given us, and to all He entrusts to us?

Isaiah 55:1-3 says

Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.  “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.”

Essentially this scripture asks; why spend your life in service to self? Jesus is the bread of life. When we submit all—not just some—or part—but all to Him—we will be without want.

Please be encouraged to focus your heart on what matters—Jesus. In doing so we can’t help but to be eternally minded.

Ecc. 12:13-14

Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

Skillful Living 101—22 Parenting

Parenting . . . the hardest most complex job on earth. Yet parenting holds the highest value and reward of anything we might possibly do with our life.

Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

As a parent I am so grateful to have an instruction manual on child rearing—as I’m sure all parents are.

Unfortunately—most instruction manuals or directions don’t get read until completely necessary. If you’re young—please be encouraged to read the manual now! If you are in the middle of raising children—read the manual now! If your children are young adults—especially read the manual now! If you are a grandparent—read the manual now! It’s never too early or too late!

Being on this end of life where all but one of my kids are grown adults, I sometimes bemoan the fact that there are no “do-overs” when it comes to raising children.

If your kids are grown and your heart is heavy—caught up in regretfully recounting your mistakes—remember there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Ask for forgiveness—forgive yourself and do God’s best from here on out. God is a faithful redeemer—He redeems our errors and covers our sin.

The first ingredient to parenting is humble, unconditional love. We must by grace and the Holy Spirit’s assistance, love our kids the way God loves us—He never gives up on us. We must always hope and believe in our children. Sometimes love takes on different forms of behavior—this means—tough love is sometimes necessary.

At times I marvel at how complex parenting really is. Parenting is a letting go adventure. These children are born to us, of our own flesh and blood—and we lovingly train them to grow up—leave us—and live their own lives.

Parenting, from the very first hour, demands complete reliance on God. I am so thankful to have an all knowing, all loving, all understanding One to lean on. Prayerfully depending on God is imperative. Since raising children is a lifelong commitment with so many ups, downs and curves—all scripture applies.

One of the things I know—from experience—is we the parents, cannot instruct or impart to our children what we do not ourselves possess. If we want our children to be healthy people of integrity and good character, then we must be as well. There is no room for double-mindedness. Most things are caught rather than taught.

Proverbs—the Book of Skillful Living has crucial advice on parenting—no matter your stage of life.

Let’s look at Proverbs 22 and, with a sincere heart, intentionally live these principles and purpose to teach them to our children and grandchildren.

Verse 1—“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.”

• Taking on the name of Christ—invaluable
• God’s favor—vital

Verse 2—“The rich and the poor have this in common; the Lord is the maker of them all.”

• Identity is found in Christ alone

Verse 4—“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.”

• Humility and the fear of the Lord are high priorities to God
• The fear of the Lord inherit within a person helps them to love and obey God and parents
• Honoring God aids us in honoring our self and others, as well as authority

Verse 5, 3, 8, 10, 24, 25—“Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he who guards his soul will be far from them.”

• Guarding your soul from evil is crucial to a successful life

Verse 6—“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

• We can never stop pouring God’s love and Word into our kids. I’ve seen this dynamic take place in the life of my 2^nd son. When he gave up living for himself and surrendered to God—all that had been poured into his heart as a child never departed—God’s Word is timeless, alive and active, it never sleeps but always accomplishes what God sets out to do.
• Love the church and teach kids the same

Verses 11 & 14—“He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend.” “The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; he who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there.”

• A love for purity and grace are never overrated
• Friendship with the King—highly valuable!

Verse15—“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.” Proverbs 29:15, Proverbs 23:13-14, Proverbs 29:17, Proverbs 13:24

• The Word repeatedly warns—If we love our children we will discipline them
• Loving discipline and correction will create healthy adults
• Warning to fathers: Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (Colossians 3:21) Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Verses 18 & 19—“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge; for it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; let them all be fixed upon your lips, so that your trust may be in the Lord”

• Preserve wisdom, knowledge and trust in your heart
• Teach kids to bind themselves to Godly wisdom

Verse 29 & 13—“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.”

• God seriously does not approve of slothful behavior
• Diligently teach Children diligence
• A good work ethic is priceless

Skillful Living Tools:

• Children are a heritage and reward—enjoy them!
• Children are a huge responsibility—train them in the ways of the Lord
• Read and apply the instruction manual—the Bible
• Pray without ceasing
• Teach kids to prayerfully depend on God
• Teach integrity and Godly moral character
• Do not be double minded
• Teach kids to be single focused—God first
• Love never fails—unconditionally love the kids God gifted to you
• Fathers, do not provoke your children
• Love the church and teach kids the same

Please be encouraged to surrender your parenting to God and His Word—trusting Him for all the answers.

Side Note: God is redeeming the struggling, wayward child—no matter their age. My heart knows the anguish of watching your child self-destruct. My advice to you—keep your heart focused on God. Find peace and rest for your heart, in relationship with Him for He cares for you and can carry your burden, if you will just give it to Him. I am praying for you and your children.

Read and apply all of Proverbs 22 and please share with those who need to live skillfully!

Check out the Skillful Living Tool Box (updated) at the top of this page!

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Conviction vs. Condemnation

Godly conviction and all of its potency, has been misconstrued as condemnation.

The Bible says in Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Condemnation is not of God, but is a way for the devil to keep people under his thumb—where they never feel worthy to know and love God, or never feel good enough to be loved by Him.

Conviction by God’s Holy Spirit on the other hand is not only needed but should be welcomed. I love the way Oswald Chambers describes it.

Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
“My sins, my sins, my Savior, How sad on Thee they fall.”
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight . . .” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy.

Justification happens when we accept Christ as Savior. By the mercy of God, we are free from the penalty of our former sin—justification, by faith in Jesus we are declared righteous. The process/life of a Christian does not stop at justification, but begins there. What follows is sanctification. By the grace of God we become holy and learn to live righteously. The work of sanctification is ongoing victory over sin.

Conviction is part of the Christian life—it’s interlaced in the work of sanctification—it is vital for the transformation process of holiness.

The Bible says “Be holy for I am holy” (1 peter 1:16 and Leviticus 11:44). We won’t be holy as God is holy without the recognition of our un-holiness!

1 John 1:8-10

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

If we were perfect and never crossed the lines of holiness, then we would not need godly conviction.

Where conviction and condemnation get all mixed-up, is when one’s own heart and soul confuse and complicate the two.

Whenever we hear or read, the powerful, Word of God, it should cause us to examine our life and behavior—therefore align ourselves to His Word. The confusion comes when our heart, mind, will and emotions don’t want to get aligned.

A heart that is hard or judgmental will hear God’s Word and feel condemnation. A person who lives with a spirit of offence will be offended at the Word and blame the preacher/messenger for being condemning or too harsh. A prideful rebellious heart will rebel against the Holy Spirit’s conviction and manipulate the words to be condemning. A religious person will turn the prompting of the Holy Spirit into another reason to complain.

The sad thing about this, is that the person with the twisted perception never progresses in their relationship with God. Whereas one whose heart is tender will realize when their life, behavior, heart and soul don’t necessarily line up to God’s Word and will repent. Thus—such humility will lead one into God’s presence, where we can know Him personally.

The Christian life is not about being perfect but about relationship with Christ and if that relationship comes by way of Holy Spirit conviction—urging me to become more like Christ and drawing me closer to Him—then I’m all in!

What about you?

Please be encouraged to soften your heart and embrace godly conviction.

Coming up in the next blog—the counterpart to godly conviction: True Repentance

John 16:8
And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Skillful Living 101—14 Upright

If you’ve read the Bible for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come across the word upright. A huge component to living skillfully, is to ascertain uprightness. I know it can seem as an out dated expression or concept, but truthfully, living uprightly is key to relationship with God and to blessings.

The attributes of the upright are: Integrity, blameless, prudent, virtue, honor, morality, truth, reliability, decency, discrete, honest and righteousness.

Two character traits of an upright person are wisdom, and understanding. The book of Proverbs is drenched with instruction on being wise and acquiring understanding.

Everyone with any sense—desires to navigate through life skillfully. Remember—the book of Proverbs is our guide for skillful living. A firm grasp on uprightness will assist us in living wisely.

One way to look at uprightness is to see it as freedom. Leviticus 26:13 says,

I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.

The burden of bondage causes us to slump over with heaviness, worry, condemnation and shame. Freedom looses us to stand upright, both in our stature and in our heart and soul.

Almost all of Proverbs 14 has to do with walking uprightly, but I will highlight just a few (or more) significant verses, using NKJV and The Message.

Verse 1, “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”
This is huge and one of my favorites (being a woman and all). If we are not in unity and submission with God and His will, as well as with our husbands, we—with our own hands demolish our family! Careful ladies!

Verse 2—“He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.”
The Message version reiterates this verse very frankly. “An honest life shows respect for God; a degenerate life is a slap in his face.” Ouch!

Verse 3—“In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.”

Verse 9—“Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.”
Upright people have a hard time sinning—God’s favor, is their reward.

Verse 10—“The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish.”

Verse 12 & 13—“There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again—it leads straight to hell. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak.”

Verse 25—“Souls are saved by truthful witness and betrayed by the spread of lies.”

Verse 29—“Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.”

Verse 30—“A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.”
One way to attain good health is to align your heart with God’s.

Verse 33—“Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known.”

Maybe you’re wondering—how do I live uprightly? How do I get wisdom and understanding? These are not stupid questions!

First, start with sincerely asking God—if we seek Him we will find Him. Seeking God means to wholeheartedly go after Him.

Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

Next, if you’re seriously seeking Him, expect that He will answer and show you His will. When He does—deny yourself and obey His directives.

A lot of the time God keeps silent because He knows we won’t listen and do what He tells us, that’s why we must seek Him diligently. If we want to be wise and have understanding thus live uprightly—the first wise step is to listen and obey.

Proverbs 1:28-29
When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.  For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear (obey) the Lord.

Changing our lifestyle is not always easy and change has to start on the inside. In seeking God first, we can be confident that He will take care of all the things we are concerned about. (Matt. 6:33)

Please be encouraged to ask God to help you live your life uprightly, you will not regret it—there are many rewards for upright living!

Skillful Living Tools

• To live skillfully—ascertain uprightness
• Understand that living uprightly is freedom
• Build your home with wisdom—don’t tear it apart with un-submissiveness
• The home and family of the upright will flourish
• Respect and honor God by living an honest life
• Be slow to anger
• The first step in being wise—is to listen and obey
• Remember change starts on the inside

Please share with those who need to live skillfully!

Check out the Skillful Living Tool Box (updated weekly) at the top of this page!

Skillful Living 101—12 Get WIsdom!

Have you ever tried to wake a sleeping teenager up? If your life is anything like mine…you give the first call…then the second…by the fifth, your voice is raised. Finally, our darling teen raises their sleepy head and says, “Why are you yelling at me, you’ve only asked me to get up once?”

In thinking and praying about Proverbs 12, wisdom—once again is the main theme. It’s not exactly stated over and over as in some of the Proverbs, but it is highly implied. And in reading this Proverb you just know, if only one had wisdom all the truths written here could so easily be applied to life. Essentially this is true of all the Proverbs.

It reminds me of waking my sleepy, almost comatose teenagers. In Proverbs we are urged, warned, advised, counseled, directed and yes bluntly told to get wisdom, to secure understanding, to desire righteousness; basically we are told to “Wake up!!”

You know that feeling when you look someone in the eye and give them detailed instructions? They’re nodding yes they understand, yet you know it’s just not sinking in? I’m getting the inclination that this is how the book of Proverbs is—God’s alive and active Word is reiterating what we should do. We nod in agreement, then walk away and say “Now what was that again?”

What’s interesting about obtaining wisdom, is that the moments of forgetting what God’s Word says will lessen and the ability to obey will increase with the more wisdom we attain.  

Thankfully God is very long-suffering and offers periods of grace to us, but I do believe we need to wake up and acquire wisdom.

For the most part wisdom is free; however it is costly in the sense that, as we apprehend it, we can no longer walk in our former foolishness. And to some that’s the deal breaker.

I want to encourage you to desire a crown of wisdom. A crown brings honor to the one who wears it. It encircles the head reminding us of its presence. It also surrounds our mind with protection. We should think of a crown of wisdom as we would a wall of protection surrounding a city; it will protect us from invaders, as well as our own harmful decisions and from speaking foolish words we may regret.

The beauty of wearing a crown of wisdom is that it will give us the ability to follow God’s ways.

Following are a few ways from Proverbs 12, that a crown of wisdom will benefit its recipient.

• Verse 1—“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Wisdom will assist us in loving instruction and knowledge and will help us heed correction—wisdom will help you us not to be stupid.
• Verse 4—“An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.” Wisdom will help wives to be a delicately beautiful addition to her husband. Instead of a burdensome weight a wife can be of value. Her husband will benefit from her wisdom and both will prosper.
• Verse 11—“He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.” Wisdom will aid us in being productive and help us stay on task; it can keep us free from the trap of laziness.
• Verse 17 and 22—“He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.” “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Wisdom will cause us to be the Lords delight and sustain us in righteousness, helping us speak truth, it can deliver us from being a gossip, a liar, a deceiver and from being deceived.
• Verse 25—“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” Wisdom can keep us from anxiety that causes depression, it will keep you in the truth of God’s good word.
• Verse 28— “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.” Most importantly a crown of wisdom will keep us in intimate relationship with the Lord, helping us to live eternally minded.

Wearing a crown of wisdom is a huge responsibility, but well worth the obligation. The only time a crown of wisdom can tarnish is when we take the glory of being wise unto ourselves. We must remember every good and perfect gift comes from God…especially a crown of wisdom.

Please be encouraged to seek God for your crown of wisdom, I trust that you will wear it well.

Skillful Living Tools:

• Wake up and acquire a crown of wisdom—ask God for it
• Love instruction, knowledge and correction
• Wives: get wisdom—be an excellent wife
• Speak truth, declare righteousness
• Avoid depression by staying in God’s Word—speak the truth to and over your mind
• Live eternally minded

Please share with those who need to live skillfully!

Check out the Skillful Living Tool Box (updated weekly) at the top of this page!

Skillful Living 101—10 Practical Truths

Within Proverbs 10, we find 32 practical truths. Each verse can be seen as a precious jewel with its own significance, beauty and value. Put them all together and they become a beautifully fashioned piece of jewelry. A necklace to adorn ones self.

Living skillfully takes the forethought and time of adorning our heart and soul with these beautiful hand crafted, by God, pieces of work. I want to highlight just of few gems (verses) from Proverbs 10 that stand out and demand attention.

Verse 8
The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall.

Receiving instruction is an act of humbling our self. Proverbs 11:2 says, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Likewise James 4:6 should cause us to yield to humility, it states, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We do not want to be resisted by God, this fact alone gives us reason to be humble.

Verse 12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.

This principle is just like God! His love is so enormous that it can and does cover a multitude of sin. I remember being confronted with an awful situation where someone had sinned against me. I had to make some serious choices that would not only affect me, but my whole family—as well as our heritage. By the grace of God I uttered the words “I have enough love to cover this sin.” I am not a saint—I would not have been able to forgive and love so deep, except for the love of God making it possible.

Covering someone’s sin may seem weak and unwise, but it’s a biblical standard to live by, especially because we need God’s infinite love to cover our own sin. The concept with this scripture is restoration, we don’t cover sin to hide it, but it’s with the hope to see the person restored. God always purposes to restore people to Himself. Besides, nothing is ever hidden from God.

Verse 13
Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

Just the other day I came across Psalm 32:9 “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle.” This is a good scripture to pray! Who wants to be equivalent to a senseless, stubborn donkey, that has to be led by force and struck by a rod of correction? It seems life would go so much better if we just yielded to understanding.

Verse 19
He who restrains his lips is wise.”

This is great! Short but effective—be smart—bridal the tongue!

Verse 29
“The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.”

I love this! All throughout Proverbs we are urged and instructed to get understanding and wisdom—the wisest choice we can make is to love and follow God—to give Him everything. God’s way is not a burden but a strength! His ways empower us, they are a delight and asset to those who choose to live by them, on the other hand, ruin—is set aside for those who choose not to follow. Let’s get understanding!

Please be encouraged to read all of Proverbs 10—digest it and live skilfully by its wisdom!

Skilful Living Tools:

• Daily adorn yourself with God’s Word
• Be humble enough to receive instruction
• Be humble so God won’t resist you
• Be filled with God’s love
• Cover sin
• Yield to understanding
• Live uprightly
• Find strength in God’s ways

Please share with those who need to live skilfully!

Check out the Skillful Living Tool Box (updated weekly) at the top of this page!

Decisions, Decisions!

Short but sweet…

Do you ever find yourself in need of making a decision? Everyday right?  Basically no matter who we are or where we are in life, decisions constantly need to be made.

The good news is we have a guide that can assist us in any circumstance and through any decision.

Psalm 119:105 articulates,

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The Word of God is lamp to our feet for daily guidance and a light to our path for long-term direction.

If you ever feel stuck and not sure which way to turn or what choice to make and need light shed on a subject, crack open the window of Gods perfect Word.

Psalm 119:130 says,

“The entrance of Your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.”

Be encouraged to let the light shine in!

I will be going through the archives of my blogs over the next few weeks and re-posting various ones that would be ideal to reread. My reasoning in this is—the next month will be crazy busy for me! After celebrating my 50th birthday with my amazing family and friends here, I am also blessed with the opportunity to spend precious time with my lifelong friends, (who actually hold sister status in my heart) in sunny California! I will hit the ground running when I return; for I have several big events coming up, one being my son Parker’s high school graduation!

HAPPY GRADUATION TO PARKER!!!

I will return to writing fresh material in mid May. Thank you so much for reading and following this blog! I appreciate you!

God Bless and overwhelm you with His infinite love!

Skillful Living 101—9 Wisdom’s Invitation

You are cordially invited

Wisdom has skillfully constructed her home and set an elaborate table. Serving a delightful well calculated cuisine—delicious, nourishing and satisfying; most importantly this menu is abundantly available to all who will listen.

Following is your personal invitation from Proverbs 9:4-8:

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on? Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me! I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread, roast lamb, carefully selected wines. Leave your impoverished confusion and live! Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” (The Message)

Once again Proverbs summons us to take a hold of wisdom. Sometimes it’s easy to tune the invitation out, thinking “I’m okay, I have an ample amount of wisdom” But 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men” Take the very wisest of all human beings and compare them to God. If God were foolish, His foolishness would be even wiser than the wisest of all men.

We will never be above accepting wisdom’s invitation; it will do us well to embrace all the wisdom God has to offer.

For example—we need wisdom to digest Proverbs 9:7-9.  In our human intelligent, if we consider ourselves wise, than we may feel as if we can’t be taught. Proverbs 9:7-9 says, an unwise person will not accept instruction, but instruct a wise person and they will be wiser still. Teach or rebuke a righteous person and they will increase in learning. Verse 8 goes as far as to say “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you”

Amongst the array of delicacies at wisdom’s banqueting table, we find the capacity to live a humble lifestyle. A humble person welcomes instruction, is teachable and accepts rebuke and correction—no matter their age or position in life.

In Proverbs 9:10-12, the invitation is extended once again to fear the Lord. Why? Because…

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”

Wisdom’s invitation to fear the lord will keep us from folly. In verse 13-18 of Proverbs 9, the voice of folly sends out an invitation as well. Wooing the unassuming, impersonating the voice of wisdom—saying, “’Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.’ And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, ‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’ But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell”

God in His kindness has extended His invitation to embrace wisdom. Be encouraged to accept.

Skillful Living Tools:

• Tune your heart to hear and embrace wisdom’s invitation
• Be wise and accept instruction, teaching and rebuke
• Live humbly
• Fear the Lord
• Resist folly

Check out the Skillful Living Tool Box (updated weekly) at the top of this page!

Skillful Living 101—8 Wisdom’s Excellence

The Excellence of Wisdom

Wisdom, insight and understanding sound their request. Let all who have a heart to hear—pay attention to the excellence of wisdom.

What is the excellence of wisdom? Nothing less than Christ.

As we read Proverbs 8, it’s as Christ Himself is calling to the very core of our being, saying listen—my words are plain, give ear to understanding, use good judgment, do not be foolish, but embrace Me—behold wisdom and live.

Wisdom’s value is priceless, of more worth than gold, silver and precious jewels.

What do you desire most? Proverbs 8:11 shamelessly states, nothing we desire can compare with wisdom. That’s a huge declaration, one to ponder.

Take that which is of greatest desire to you, feel its worth—and know that the scripture says wisdom is of greater value.

Be stirred to make an exchange with God—that which you desire, for that which God desires for you—Christ the excellence of wisdom and the fruit of His righteousness.

Proverbs 8:17-18 coincides with Matthew 6:33, they pronounce;

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness.”

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

It really is simple, but most difficult for our flesh; seek Him first and He adds all things, according to His will, to you. Our human mind wants to reason how can this simple daily choice of seeking God first help me?

Listen…wisdom is calling…instructing us to choose to seek Him first.
Hear with faith…tune your spiritual ears.

Proverbs 8:19 articulates that the profit of choosing Him first is superior over any other choice.

“My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.”

Verse 34 offers a nugget of truth on seeking Him—that will change your life.  It says, watch daily at His gates and wait at His door post.

Watch for the Lord—wait for Him, He will come. Jesus is the wisdom of God, He fills every need—every day!

If you want blessings, favor and life from the Lord, simply keep His ways, hear His instruction and make your heart His home.

Proverbs 8:33-36 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.”

Be encouraged to read Proverbs 8 with the perspective of wisdom being Christ—it will bless you!

Check out the skillful Living Tool Box (updated weekly) at the top of this page.

Skillful Living Tools:

• Ask for the revelation of Christ as the wisdom of God
• Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
• Keep His ways
• Listen to instruction and be wise
• Watch and wait for the Lord

Skillful Living 101—7 The Heart

The issues of life spring forth from the very heart of a person. In Proverbs 7, we are instructed to engrave God’s commands on the tablet of our heart, cherishing every Word; keeping them close so we might not sin against our God.

A comparable bit of history is the Ten Commandments. They were written by the finger of God on stone tablets, so the people might not sin against Him.

How privileged we are to live in such a day in age where God the Son, can have His being in us and personally inscribe His loving commands—His living words, on the tablet of our heart.

Proverbs 7 illustrates four positionsof the heart.

Verse 3 describes a prepared heart; our heart is prepared as God’s presence etches His commands on it. In verses 6-9, we read about a simple-minded person who neglected wisdom; whose heart was unprepared to meet the charms of Satan. Therefore became devoid of understanding. He followed a loud, rebellious, married, imprudent woman—to her home—to her bed—to his death.

Proverbs 7:10, says she was a woman with a crafty heart. She devised evil and pursued the unwise fool who would join her.

Next, Proverbs 7:14-19 speaks of a religious heart, one that makes offerings and vows to God, giving Him lip service from an empty heart that never intends to live righteously or obey His commands.

Proverbs 7 ends with a warned heart, verse 25 warns the young man; “Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray onto her paths.”

In this Proverb we are given a treasury of skillful living tools regarding our heart.

In diligence, let’s engrave God’s Word on our heart. Let us invite Him to carve His commands on hearts of stone, causing them to soften as we draw near—drawing so near—our heartbeat becomes one with His. His very presence—is His finger writing living words on our heart. This is the essence of a heart prepared for God.

In the drawn near position we are able to guard our heart from being crafty. Likewise, discernment will dwell in us and we will be vigilant to recognize the snares of those with a crafty heart.

As we are situated in God’s presence, religiousness has a very difficult time taking root in our heart and life.

Lastly, the heart that is filled with God listens intently, pays attention to warnings, heeds correction and is filled with wisdom.

Please be encouraged to read Proverbs 7 and to apply the skillful living tools to your life!

Skillful Living Tools: 

• Prepare your heart for God’s presence
• Prepare your heart to meet the charms of Satan
• Write God’s commands on the tablet of your heart
• Invite God to engrave His Word on your heart
• Be vigilant against a crafty heart
• Guard your heart from religion
• Offer God heart service, not lip service
• Pay attention to warnings, heed correction, be filled with wisdom

The  Skillful Living Tool Box at the top of this page, is updated weekly—check it out!

Thanks for reading and share with those you care about!