Making Wise Decisions

All of us must make decisions every day. Some are small, almost insignificant (hmm .. which pair of socks should I wear today ... how about these hot pink ones?  Nah! Not my color!). Others are much (and sometimes MUCH) larger and significant (uh, which health plan should I choose at work?). So when it comes to making the right call, does the Bible give any insight?

The book of Proverbs (the Old Testament book of wisdom) offers us the following three strategies when it comes to making wise decisions:

1. Fear God. Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 15:33 make it clear that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. To fear God means to respect and honor him ... acknowledging the place he has as sovereign ruler over us and our world. This makes a lot of sense. If our relationship with God is out of whack, then how will we ever be able to make consistently "wise" decisions? It just won't happen. After all, it is HIS world in which we live and work and play ... AND make decisions!

2. Consult the Book. Proverbs 2:6 tells us that wisdom comes to us via God's mouth. Since the Scripture is from God's mouth (it is "God-breathed" - see 2 Timothy 3:16-17), it follows that there is much wisdom to be found in the pages of the Bible. Again, nothing surprising about this. After all, there is no wiser being than the God who knows anything and everything there is to know! So to consult the book that he authored is guaranteed to give us the wisdom that we need.

3. Get advice. Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:22 all state the value of seeking advice from others. But the key here is to get your advice from the RIGHT kind of people (I have heard advice given by so called Christians that's been absurd and downright contrary to God's will ... quite scary!). SO ... what kind of person should you seek out for advice?  How about a WISE person?  OK. So what does a wise person look like? For starters, seek out someone who fears God (Proverbs 15:16). If you want godly advice, go to a godly person! Secondly, look for an individual who is humble (Proverbs 11:2) and teachable (13:10). Don't go to Mr. Know It All. Don't seek out Mrs. Been There Done That. Rather, seek out a person whom you know has a humble attitude about himself. Thirdly, get advice from a person who has control of his tongue (Proverbs 10:19). Someone who controls their tongue is wise (it takes a huge amount of wisdom to know when to speak ... and when not to speak). In addition, if you seek out advice from someone who tends to "run at the mouth," be prepared for others to know your business! Finally, if you really want wise advice, seek out those who have a passion for the lost (Proverbs 11:30). This may not seem to make much sense on the surface, but think about it. A person who has passion for the lost understands the reality of eternity and the judgment that waits each and every person. Living in light of that understanding, they don't get caught up in this world, but tend to stay focused on what really matters. Now that's a person from whom I want to get advice.

So the next time you have to make a decision ... keep these three strategies in mind: Fear God, consult the Book and get advice (from a wise person!).

Thanks for stopping by  . . .
pj

Enjoying the Rail Trail

Yesterday was one of those gorgeous late October days that you dream of ... sunny and mild with the trees arrayed in their full autumn wardrobe of reds, oranges and yellows. Since Monday is my day off, my wife and I decided we had to spend at least a portion of the day OUTSIDE. So we chose to check out a rail-trail at the other end of the county. We had heard some real good things about this particular rail trail (the Conewago Recreation Trail). We were NOT disappointed. We spent about 2 hours and walked over four miles and enjoyed every step!

One of the most striking things about the trail is just how straight and level it is (no surprise, given that the trail follows the raised bed of what once held railroad tracks). It brought to mind these words from the Old Testament book of wisdom: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). So as we go through life we must do so in complete trust and dependence upon God. And as we do, he promises to remove the obstacles in our way that would prevent us from walking with him and fulfilling his purposes for our lives (Proverbs 11:5; Isaiah 45:13).

SO ... are YOU trusting God today? Are you recognizing his role in your life as the God who has a plan for your life and is working that plan?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The "Nevers" of the Gospel

During a morning time of prayer today, I was using one of my favorite devotional helps, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.  Praying through one of the prayers, I was struck by the following lines:

O LORD, May I 

    never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions,  

      but acknowledge thee in all my ways; 

   never limit my devotions to particular seasons

       but be in they fear all the day long; 

   never be godly only on the Sabbath or in thy house,

       but on every day abroad and at home; 

   never make piety a dress but a habit, 

       not only a habit but a nature,

       not only a nature but a life. 

Amen. 

Wow! Now there is a prayer I really need to be praying. Not just today -- but everyday! Take a moment and make this prayer your own. I suspect like me ... you need to do so, too! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are this week's offerings ... enjoy!

1. Denny Burke makes a strong case on why abortion is the most important issue in the upcoming election.

2. And while on the topic of the upcoming election, John Piper shares why he plans to vote. 

3. Ever wonder what the "blind spots" are for the church in America? Here's a very brief but very insightful response to the question, "What are the some of the blind spots for the American church when it comes to transformation?" 

4. J.C. Ryle writes about Seven Marks of a Right Heart ... good stuff!

5. Here's a practical, relevant and downright convicting post ... Have you ever told God you are all in? 

6. And on a lighter note . . . 


Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Big Time Dive!

If you have paid any attention to the news media in the past couple of days, you may have heard the name, Felix Baumgartner. Baumgartner  set an all-time record this past Sunday for the highest sky dive ever done. The Austrian skydiver's jump from over 128,000 feet (that's just over 24 miles!) broke the old record, set in 1960 by a whopping 25000+ feet (over 4 miles!). His peak speed during his free fall of 833.9 mph broke the sound barrier. In doing so, he became the first human being to do so without the use of any type of craft. Just what was going through his mind as we was falling toward earth?

“The exit was perfect but then I started spinning slowly. I thought I’d just spin a few times and that would be that, but then I started to speed up. It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I’d lose consciousness. I didn’t feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself. We’ll have to wait and see if we really broke the sound barrier. It was really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”

Many have applauded Barmgartner as an example of courage and faith (talk about a "leap of faith!"). Others have questioned the huge amounts of money (estimated in the multiple millions of dollars) spent on such a stunt. But no matter what camp you might be in .... all must admit that in doing what he did, he caught the world's attention (it is  estimated that over 8 million watched the live stream coverage of his jump - let alone the many more millions of people around the world who tuned in to the voluminous subsequent media coverage given to Baumgartner's feat). 

As I pondered on his world attention grabbing feat ... the thought entered my mind that we who choose to follow Christ should be living lives that do just that ... grab the attention of the world around us! Here is how the apostle Paul put it in his second letter to the church at Corinth: 

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj 

PS - If you have yet to see video of Felix's jump ... check this out! 

STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Life can be somewhat stressful at times ... yes?  YES!!!!!!!!! Encountering stress is not an "if" it is most definitely a "when." For life in this fast-paced, broken world often immerses us in situations and events that cause our hearts to throb and our heads to pound. Anxiety and fear raise their ugly heads within us and get an iron-like grip on our souls.

So ... what should we do when we begin to feel overwhelmed by stress?  We need to follow the example of King David ... who in his lifetime faced much stress. In Psalm 131:2 he writes, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul . . ."

Now that sounds like it's easier said than done! So how can we calm and quiet our souls when our world is churning around us? In the 1700's a woman by the name of Katarina von Schlegel wrote what has become one of the favorite hymns of the Church. We don't know much about this German believer, but we do know from the words of this hymn that she was a woman who knew the value of trusting in God. And that, my friend, is the real key to dealing with stress. Take a moment and read through the lyrics of this hymn. And if you want to experience the beauty of the hymn when set to music, check out this Youtube video. 

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to your God to order and provide; in every change God faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake to guide the future, as in ages past. Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know the Christ who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow for forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

So What's with "Amen?"

I was not raised in a "churched" family. That means we did not attend church (although for a brief time my twin brother and I were sent off to Sunday School at a nearby Lutheran church). God was present in our home but only in a nominal sense. So I was taught a few "stock" prayers as a child. At supper it was "God is great and God is good,  and we thank Him for our food; by His hands we all are fed, Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen." And then there was the bedtime prayer: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Gramps, Inky and Tipsy (my dog and cat) -- although as I reflect back I don't think I ever prayed for my cat!), etc. .... Amen."  Now as a youngster, I really did not understand all that I was praying (especially with that bedtime prayer ... I mean what little kid thinks about dying and having the Lord take his soul? I did not even know what a "soul" was!). I also did not really understand what that "magical" word "amen" was all about. All I knew was if you tacked it on to a prayer ... then somehow God would be more prone to hear and respond.

I wonder how many Christians really get the meaning and the importance of that four letter word? This morning, I was reading some comments on prayer written by Martin Luther, the "father" of the Protestant Reformation. Luther understood the meaning and reason for using the word, "Amen" to end a prayer ... any prayer. Take a moment and read what he had to say.

"Finally, mark this, that you must always speak the Amen firmly. Never doubt that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say “yes” to your prayers. Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, “Very well, God has heard my prayer; this I know as a certainty and a truth.” That is what Amen means" (from the book, Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer). 

So for Luther, closing prayer with an "amen" is important because it demonstrates that the one praying really believes his prayer has been heard and that God will respond in accord with his perfect will (see 2 Corinthians 1:18-20).

SO ... the next time you pray ... say that "AMEN" with a heartfelt confidence that the God of the universe HEARD you and will RESPOND!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj