A Wise Heart Proverbs 23.15

A Wise Heart Proverbs 23.15

My Friend had a note to himself on the door to his shop, " Work harder" At the time he was managing a business that, at the time, had a potential of growing to annual income of 6 digits. How could he be saying to himself to work harder? I am not sure of all of the implications to the motto. I think that most of it was to be an example to his sons. To be faithful to his family. Even though the shop was grossing more than just a few hundred some days, and most of the time by noon, some thing of the work ethic was in moral fiber of my friend.

Mean while I had had returned to the U.S.A. From the slow lane, in a foreign country, like living back in time, spending most of the week in a small village of a few hundred people. Getting out a few days a week and doing 40 mph out on the four lane highway seemed just fine to me. Now I was trying to make a go of it, make ends meet, and earn an honest living. For me, $20 an hour, in the construction sites seemed like plenty, but we were having trouble making ends meet, and we were not even paying rent! Marianne started working part time, and that was humbling. We had always done well with my wages from the woods. I had very little understanding of the seismic shift that was coming to our economy. I found myself working Saturdays. I even stayed home from church a couple Sunday's to be able to get a few things done around our home, which at that time was only 2 travel trailers.

The Lord had spoken to me years in advance a word that I needed and still need as I just turned 50 this year.

" Work smarter, not harder." For those who know me, hard work has never been a stranger to me. But wisdom in business management has always been something that I could use more of.

This fall another word came to me from Proverbs 23:15

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; NIV

At first I took this to be some guidance in praying for my sons, for them to have wisdom, and for me to blessed with joy in seeing them succeed and enjoy the abundant life they have been promised in Christ. Today, after meditating on this and digesting the context, I can hear our Lord saying to me, " work smarter today, not harder, and my heart with rejoice over you, with singing!"

This summer I was in a real struggle to keep it together, mentally and emotionally. I was determined to work hard at paying down our debt. We are doing great in a few areas, and have never had struggles with a few of our accounts. By Gods grace we have never been late or behind on any payments. We have paid down certain loans, but one credit card keeps running up there. In July, we took on a few new cleaning contracts with our cleaning business. I had promised Marianne that I would quit working in the day, and only concentrate on the cleaning hours , so she would not have to work so much. Well, it did not happen. I worked my self to a frazzle, and debt did not go down. $30 an hour work kept coming in and I chose, not to say "no" except to a few really good big projects.

I have called it, " burning the candle at both ends." Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that he and his team worked night and day to not be a burden to the body there.¹ This is a great example of " spending and being spent"² for the sake of others being served in love and for the increase of faith in the hearts of Christs disciples, true?

May we each be led, as we know we are capable of doing, to serve one another with a pure heart. A mind that is protected by the peace that passes all understanding can be had for each of us, "today"; if we will give everything over to Our Father in Prayer. Look to see what he hands back to you on the to do list for today, and do not worry about the rest, ok? The following thoughts are describing more of what I have learned in the last couple months. May they be food for your soul. :) If there be anything note worthy of what Christ has wrought in me, all glory to him! G.W.

A Tender Heart An entry to my Face book wall, November 26^th 2011

Well, lately I have had a troubled heart. For a week, I was so stressed I did not feel safe driving. Yea, Greg, me having fears of being hit, or not able to concentrate enough so much that I was concerned that I might hit some one. I did hit a power pole and take my mirror off. AND locked the keys in my van 2X. Oh, well, its past and I am walking more humble than ever. Did you see the movie "Brave Heart"? Cool. What about all the broken hearts out there, anyone ever see one? I see them almost every day. Had one myself a time or two. The following is an excerpt from lesson 24 in the BLBible Institute course. I am learning from about 15 other teachers, some maturity and stability that I need in my own walk. A Tender Heart is what Jesus had³, and still has. I pass this on in hopes that it might encourage a few of my face book friends, and perhaps a family member or two also:

...maybe you have been betrayed by someone who you thought was a friend or a loved one. That hurts so deeply. Perhaps someone has undermined you, lied about you, or stabbed you in the back, who you thought was a strong supporter. Now, I am sure it has happened to most of us to one degree or another. If it has not, it will. It is just one of those guaranteed things.

But the question is: how do I react? How do I respond when I have been hurt, betrayed, or attacked? That is when it is the hardest to love. Do I harden my heart? I have been hurt so I want to harden my heart. Or do I become calloused and negative? If so, then God’s love is choked out. Do I become bitter, close my heart, or hold on to ill feelings? It is easy to do that, isn’t it? It is very natural, but it is not supernatural.

Jesus said, “As I have loved you, even so, love one another” (John 13:34). It is not a natural love. It is a supernatural love. If we become bitter, if we harden ourselves, if we get callused or cynical, even as pastors, then God’s love is choked out. It cannot flow. So the Lord wants me to run to Him. Only with His love can my heart be strong and yet tender at the same time. How do you keep a tender heart in this world? It is really easy to see how people get hardened in this world and how people get cynical or closed off. But with Christ, we cannot afford to do that because He has called us to love. We can keep a tender heart and yet be strong through the power of His love as He heals us.

Servant Leadership – Lesson 24 The Supremacy of Love by Wayne Taylor

1For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. - 1 Thessalonians 2:9 KJV

2And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. - 2 Corinthians 12:15 KJV

3 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

A New Tee Shirt Luke 12:11,12

A New Tee Shirt Luke 12:11,12

This summer a friend of ours came up with a good tee shirt idea, kind of like WWJD "What Would Jesus Do?" This shirt says, "Ask me about Jesus." The point to the message on the front of the shirt is to allow someone to tell other of their faith in Jesus.

Not all of us ready to be that bold. There are very few of us that are as emphatic as the African American Preacher Dr. S.M. Lockridge. In his message, " That's my King" he describes very thoroughly his Savior, Lord. His all in all. One can appreciate good enthusiasm. This type of Charisma is displayed by many when they follow their sports team.

The truth is we are all called to take the witness stand, and it should be a sober, humbling approach that we take when we are testifying for, or against, the man Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth.

This is the one who is declared by his Disciples today to be the promised Hebrew Messiah, God in the flesh. The one whom time and Calendars still acknowledge, even when science and schools are denying who he really us. Even when popular scholars are distorting him for who is really is and even what he said he was. The references that we make to B.C. and A.D. declare him as factual and historical. Have you ever read the Jewish historian Josephus?

The scriptures declare that we will all bow our knees one day, and confess that He ( Jesus of Nazareth) is Lord.

Right now, while it is called "today" we can call upon him to be our savior, but also choose to confess and obey him as our Lord.

In doing that we have a position to maintain, daily, and that is to take up our cross and follow him. It sounds like a lot of work and sacrifice, but HE is worthy of such an effort. It's kind of like me being able to pay $100 for the average NFL ticket. Would it be foolish to just let it sit on the dresser, or maybe even post it on the wall and not attend the game? Paying for a plane ticket, or spending the time and $ for gas and the drive to see our local team, "The Seahawks", or my current fav. "The Broncos" would be part of the commitment that I should follow through on, true?

Its my choice, even if the ticket was given to me free. Free, just like Christ's' redemption on the cross, given to "whosoever" will believe, so they will not perish. I can just leave that ticket laying there and look at it, toss it, or idolize it on the wall, like a WWJD icon. Should I try to placate my broken relationship with the Almighty by plagiarizing redemption, salvation, and restoration of relationship as a son with a Father, with mere religious jargon? It would be better hitch hike to Seattle a few days ahead of date on it, doing "what ever it takes" to get there and use my "free ticket" for what it was intended for.

Another part of the response that we can make to Jesus is to confess him before others. Jesus said it plain and clear:

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33 KJV

I heard of a woman who was able to make use of an opportunity to be a witness in her community. During the time period that she lived, it would have been unthinkable for a woman to accomplish what she did with a public impact like this:

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. - John 11:45 KJV

Apparently, according to this reference, Jesus did not stick around after raising Lazarus from the dead, therefore the Jews came to Mary for the report of what Jesus had done. She conveyed what had happened or more importantly she confessed who Jesus was, and they went their way and told the Pharisees what she had testified of.

The new tee shirt that Marianne bought me has made me think of the strategy Jesus gives us as disciples when we are called to the witness stand, whether it be in our home, out on the street, or in a real court.

"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Luke 12: 11,12 NIV

Martha, like Mary had taken to heart what Jesus had told her about that one needful thing. She got the point of "religion" It is not only about service, and accomplishments. It is about relationship, and that starts with acknowledging who the other person really is.

John 11:27b records what Mary and Lazarus' sister, Martha, declared in public:

"Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

She faced excommunication¹ from her religion in making a public statement like that. We think, well it's a no brainier, that any one seeing Jesus face to face like that would be able to know him rightly and boldly declare him to others. But how many of us have denied him at work to keep our position? How many times have avoided the questionable subject of my personal faith with relatives? There is help to be able to say the right words at the right time, if we will approach the throne of grace² and ask for it in our hearts.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always ready to a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;" 1 Peter 3:15 NKJV

May we be ready for those divine appointments like Phillip had. May we be able to hear that still small voice, even if it just says to take a certain road or approach a stranger like he did. Jesus will give is the words to say! Especially if we are bold enough to wear a shirt, "just asking for it" G.W.

1 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. - John 9:22 KJV

2 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrew 4:16

Pulling Out The Weeds Matthew 13:22

Pulling Out The Weeds Matthew 13:22

The other day I was in our back yard pulling out weeds in the garden. The biggest one was a bull thistle, about 5 ft high. I kept it aside from the little pile that I had accumulated from just one small area. Later, my trophy weed, which I was so proud of, made the trip up the steps with me to our front yard, where I could show it off.

Normally weeds of this size are not possible to truly irradicate. The tap roots are most likely to break off and the thing will eventually grow back somehow. This year, weed pulling has been extraordinarly easy because our soils have been exceptionly wet this spring with all the rains. I have learned a lesson from this. Why don't I water really heavy in the dead heat of summer, and then be wiling to muck through the mud and pull those weeds that have gotten away on us? In like manner; if we are overwhelmed with cares of work, family, or personal things, its time to soak our hearts with alot of what God has to say about things. Saturate our souls with the water of the word, and the worries can be rooted out.¹

After I showed Marianne my trophy, this sport became her endeavor, which she normally avoids, due to allergies. She made a pile in the garden twice as high as mine, and even made it accross the street to start pulling weeds in a flower area by where we park. I mentioned, "Wouldn't it be something if humanity could get garden vegtables to grow faster than the weeds?"

By the spoken word of the Creator that is recorded in Genesis 3, the soil is under a curse. In the new economy of life, Jehovah God was presenting to Adam and Eve an adversity that most of mankind has faced ever since. As "stewards of the earth"², we have thorns and weeds growing in the areas where we are trying to gain our livelyhood. Whereever we are trying to plant, water, and prune plants that are to bear us fruit or pretty flowers, we encounter weeds to some degree. Now days, most of us are not famers, working directly with the crops that become our source of food or commodity. So how does this relate to me? There are mechanical breakdowns with any thing that moves, or that is electronic. There are traffic problems. There are social issues with customers, co-workers, and in some cases employers, teachers, or goverment officials. Can any one relate? Our lot is to be facing these weeds and experience the hard sweat that it takes to remove them, till the return of Christ and the earth is made made new again.³

If your feeling the worries of this life choking you spritualy, take courage, and roll up your sleaves, along with me, and pull those weeds out. Don't remove the people in your life, or park your car and start walking. Move away if you have to, but only as a last resort for peace. Pulling the weeds, in most cases involves a paradigm shift, a new perspective, and a real change in my own heart. Lately the deceitfullness of serving mammon, or obtaining wealth⁴, has been minimizing the "Fruits of the Spirit" ⁵ that Jesus wants me to be emanating to others.

There is a deception that can come upon us as we work. When we work, we are rewarded with a wage. Some of what we do is just survival or self maintenance; but most of us labor 8 hrs or more a day to produce a product, or a service to others, and the reward is money. With that money, we have the power, or the ability to do what ever we want. That is within the natural laws that exist and the market value of dollars we posses. It is the purposes that motivate our labor that are the question to be answered. Money itself is not evil, it is the love of it.⁶ Jesus declared that we cannot serve God and wealth.⁷ So how can I be working, and enjoy it, but not let the rewards of it become the master that I serve?

Obtaining wealth, or my goal to be "debt free" is not an end in itself. Interviews with lottery winners have shown that the "victims" testify that they are no more happier now that before they bought the winning ticket. I recently heard a radio preacher expound on Matthew 5. The beatitudes, or the description of a truly blessed and happy life that Jesus taught us, or is still trying to teach us through the written scriptures, no where mentions wealth. The merciful, the peacemakers, the ones who are persecuted and suffer for what is right are the truly happy and fortunate ones.

For 10 yrs now I have been working 2 jobs, burning the candle at both ends per say. I believe that I am right where I should be in life, and with work, and most things will not get totally cut out of the time budget. I am seeking a paradigm shift⁸ in the approach that I use to face these daily tasks and positions of responsibilty. The seven hats hanging on my office wall are allegorical to the multi- tasking that I face each day. I wear the Sherwin Williams hat on painting days, and the True Value hat on carpentry days. Most days I am changing hats at least 2-3 times. How can I let God's word bear fruit as I fulfill each of these responibilities? Which of these hats should I take down, and retire, for this season or possibly for ever? The tree climbing one? Not yet. For today I will wear the husband / father hat first. The negotiations of the construction business and the janitorial business are major time blocks that require alot of mental energy and concentration. Doing the work is the easy part, and its very therapudic. Pulling the weeds is very rewarding!

Our world view needs to be based on the good seed, the words of Jesus that we can live by. They are "spirit and life" for us.⁹ May we continue to hunger for God's word and take time out to read it, or listen to it as we drive or work. I need to be less anxious about things; and learn to be in prayer as I go about the "Martha" duties; so that the cares of this world are not hindering God's word from bearing fruit in my life.

We also need fertilizer at times, and that can really help the garden veggies up strong and produce a lot of fruit. May this re-birth that each person can experience be given any one who reads this devotion and wants illumination¹⁰ to what God is speaking to them. For the disciples who have been hearing Christian teaching for years, may there be a fresh anointing so that what is heard is put into practice more than ever before. May our spirit, or our character, and "good works" ¹¹ be an ever growing brighter light in this dark age, by putting into practice what we have heard from God. G.W.

1That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, - Ephesians 5:26 KJV

2So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. - Genesis 9:1-3 NKJV

3Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ... "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:1, 4 NKJV

4"Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. - Matthew 13:22 NKJV

5But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, - Galatians 5:22 NKJV

6For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. - 1 Timothy 6:10 KJV

7"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God andwealth. - Matthew 6:24 NASB

8 Paradigm Shift def. "a profound change in a fundamental model or perception of events,"

9 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. - John 6:63 NKJV

10For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. ... But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. - 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, 14 NKJV

11"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16 NKJV