Proverbs 1 "Why Proverbs?"

 Why Proverbs? Let's go straight to Solomon's reasons...
       
             "for attaining wisdom and discipline;
               for understanding words of insight;
               for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
               doing what is right and just and fair," Pr.1:2-3

 There's more reasoning in the following verses, but we'll stop there and skip to verses 8-9, where Solomon says instruction and teaching

      "...will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."

Reading that made me smile! You see, I like a little glitz & glam, some call it bling, and to me this sounds like a flower for my hair and a pretty sparkling necklace! Just go with me here....Wisdom and Knowledge are Godly bling!!! This excites me to no end!

 So what happens when we don't want to wear this bling God gives us through His word & the Holy Spirit? Just like uncared for jewelry we become dull, our spirits tarnished. We will most likely participate in ill-gotten gain, which always results in sin & selfrighteousness.

        "Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
               it takes away the lives of those who get it." (v.19)

Self seeking ways will always end up taking our very lives & everything we once held dear. I know a
60+yr old man, so stubborn in his ways, refusing to accept help or forgiveness that he loudly proclaimed to his family, "Go away and never come back!" He sits in his house dejected & alone because that's what he wants. He has numerous health problems, which put him in a drugged stupor, hardly able to care for himself. He has lost most of what was once dear to him, and most recently, by his angry request, the presence of his descendants. My heart aches for his soul.

    "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?" (Pr.1:22)

 My NIV bible has a footnote saying the Hebrew word translated 'simple' usually references one without moral direction and inclined to evil. "How long will you [immoral] ones love your [immoral] ways?" Skip to verse 32. "For the waywardness of the [immoral] will kill them." I see this happening all around our world and it breaks my heart. However, there's only so much we can do, then each one must make their own choice to accept God's bling! Praise the Lord for the power of prayer & the promise of hope as long as there's still breath.

 So today let's make a commitment to stay in God's word for the 31 days of January as we read through Proverbs! Let's keep adorning ourselves with wisdom, knowledge and discipline. Let's keep polishing our Godly bling daily, so we can

     "live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." (v.33)

Using the share buttons, please invite your friends! Have a beautiful day!

Read Through Proverbs

So, most of the holiday season is over. Christmas and all is glamour and mystery is past. New Years Day is next & then all will be much slower & quieter....maybe! ;)

With the new year brings resolutions. What is yours? Reach your fitness goal, save more money, work on an attitude...or maybe be in God's word every day? This thought inspired me to help any who might want to set that goal. We all need a little motivation & support if we plan to obtain a goal, so join me, starting January 1st, 2014, as we read through Proverbs!

          31 days in January
       + 31 chapters in Proverbs
          31 days of devotions

So sign up today for daily devotions sent to your inbox all through January! Join us as we read, share & learn together! I'm excited for what God will teach us through His word!

You can sign up for emails on the top right side of this page. Or, from your smart phone, visit web version on the bottom of the page, then find the 'follow by email' box on top right. For either way, enter email address, click submit, verify you're human...how annoying...click submit again. You will be sent an email with a verification link. YOU MUST CLICK ON THAT LINK TO ACTIVATE YOUR REQUEST and ensure you will receive emails.

See you in January!

Blessings!

Poem: Birth of Christ

The virgins name was Mary. To her the angel said,
"You are favored, blessed art thou among women.
You'll bear a son, name the child Jesus.
Emanuel, interpreted, God with us.
He'll reign forever, His kingdom will never end."
Mary replied, "Let it happen as you have said."
Joseph, distressed at this life changing news,
Wondered what was the best way he could choose.
An angel told him in a dream that night,
"Joseph, don't be afraid. Take Mary as your wife,
The child conceived is of the Holy Ghost."
These things took place, as prophesied long ago.
When the world was taxed, by the kings decree,
To Bethlehem Joseph traveled with his wife Mary.
In the city, no vacant room was found,
They settled for a stable, with animals around.
Mary gave birth to Jesus that night.
Imagine that moment! What a beautiful sight!
Wrapped in swaddling clothes laying on the straw.
That night shepherds suddenly an angel saw.
"Don't be afraid," the angel told the men.
"I bring great news - Messiah is born in Bethlehem!"
The angel was joined by multitudes from heaven,
"Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men!"
The shepherds went to find the precious child.
After seeing Him, spread the news far & wide.
Wise men from the east, led by a bright star,
Arrived much later, due to traveling far.
Worshipping the child, each gave a great treasure,
Presenting gifts, gold, frankincense & myrrh.

His birth still exciting after two thousand years;
Spread the great news! Spread the great cheer!
How beautiful and perfect the innocent babe,
Who then grew up and His life He gave
So that I may live victorious and free,
Forever carried in the hands scarred for me.
Dear ones, let's give our lives to Him!
He won't shy away from our pile of sin;
That's what He wants, its why He died!
Experience His grace & lift up your life!
He loves you dearly, you are one of His own,
Let's gather, dear ones, around His throne
And worship Him with abandon and awe,
His Majesty, our King, the Saviour of all!

~Kaylene Yoder



Sharing with...Creative K Kids

Jesus: A Messy Life

Who or what comes to mind when you think of a messy life?

The drug addict?

The prostitute?

A nasty divorce?

The abused?

Death of a loved one?

The self-destructor?

The murderer? Rapist?....

We all have some kind of mess in our lives. Life just has a tendency to get messy. Some try run from their own mess. Most of us run from other peoples messiness. We don't want to be bothered, involved or thought of in association with anothers problems or sin. So we run. Easy fix, right?

Ever notice how Jesus led a messy life?

He was conceived by an unwed teenage mother. In Bible times, disgrace in one of the highest degrees.

He was born in a stable. One of the most undesirable, humblest places. Is a stable where you'd want to give birth? Surrounded by smelly animals, with only the husband, first time dad, to help you & see you go through your first childbirth. Stables & childbirth are messy. Throw it all together while on a trip!... yup! That's mess!!

While still a baby, He was a hunted child. Hundreds of boy babies were murdered in search for Him. Imagine the panic, desperation, & fear all families with a boy child experienced. If I was in that situation, I might be willing to expose the hunted in order to save my own. I wonder if Joseph & Mary were also concerned about that? They must have felt great fear & loneliness as they escaped their home, not knowing whom to trust. What a mess!

At age 12, Jesus showed wisdom & knowledge beyond His years when speaking in the temple. Imagine being Jesus' peer or siblings. The one who did no wrong & kept growing in favor with God & men. Kids are mean creatures sometimes. He must have experienced scorn & mockery!

His parents, teachers & elders probably felt intimidated or unnerved by this child much wiser than themselves, & tried putting Him in His place. After all, He's not the adult here, right?!! Sounds like the makings for sticky situations!

Then, as an adult, He performed miracles, drove out demons, healed unhealable diseases & all manner of sicknesses, touched the dead & brought them to life, ate with sinners, an adulteress washed His feet...the list goes on & all of it brought on some kind of drama. Some kind of disorder. Yet He wasn't afraid of it! He invited, dined with, rubbed shoulders with, & touched mess every single day.

Then He died. Death is messy. His death was the bloodiest, most horrific of all; the way He died, the reason He died, for whom He died...it was all just a mess!

While Jesus saw more trouble than most of us ever want to experience, He still wants our botched up lives. He invites us to hand over our trash so He can heal, restore, & renew, establishing in us a beautiful, holy, unscathed picture of redemption!

So if Jesus got down & dirty for us, & we are to live like Him, we have no excuse to be separating ourselves from others who have dirt/sin/messiness in their lives. Yes, we must be aware of the dangers & temptations of putting ourselves in undesirable situations, but someone has to show them Jesus! Why not you?

This Christmas, invite someone not of your church or regular circles to dinner in your home, followed by an evening of family games. Or choose a family to bless with food & clothes. There are endless ways to shine your light for Jesus, but don't make your interaction with them about how much they need Jesus.

Don't preach to them. Simply show love & acceptance.

Jesus doesn't need us flashing a blazing floodlight around in His name. No, He's quite capable of attracting lost souls with a little heart aglow for Him!

Be that warm place, that little glow for someone this Christmas!

I'm Too Busy For You

We hear it a lot. We say it a lot. "I'm so busy", or "I don't have time".

I wonder, are we really too busy? How busy is too busy? When is being busy wrong? When am I harming others with my busyness? Am I communicating to my loved ones that I don't have time for them? That I don't find them important enough to slow my busyness? Or do I just become too easily stressed out? I have this little sign in my kitchen & while it makes me smile, I wonder. Is being stressed really a dessert of life?

 We are told repeatedly in God's word that we are to stay busy, work hard & be diligent in our tasks. "All hard work brings a profit". (Pr. 14:23) Hard work induces sound sleep so it might even be healthy to be busy! (Eccl. 5:12) But when is too much, simply too much?

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8 "Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless - a miserable business!"

It sounds as if this man had no siblings or descendants, so he kept himself very busy. Maybe he kept himself so busy any siblings or descendants no longer wanted to be around him. Either way, most of us do have families & they keep us very busy! Just the daily tasks of making a household run smoothly can be exhausting, then we have other activities, commitments & appointments. We are always going, always doing, always running, always tired, always just a bit stressed. Just like this man, there is no end to our toil, yet we are not content. Like him, have you ever asked yourself, "Why am I doing so much? Is anyone benefiting from my exhaustion? And, why am I not having any fun?" Even when we add something fun or enjoyable to our schedules, we can't really relax & enjoy it! It just turns into another appointment. How strange that we have to WORK an appointment of relaxation into our overworked, exhaustive schedules. And then, even stranger, it becomes our normal!

 The Ecclesiastes writer said "This too is meaningless - a miserable business!" Could I be entertaining a miserable business? Or maybe a miserable busyness? I believe they are one & the same. I've experienced the miserable busyness far too often. This man had no family, but I do. This man wasn't hurting anyone except himself, but I am. This man may not have drove his family to the point where they didn't want to be around him, but am I? Am I communicating to my loved ones that I'm too busy for them? Too often I snap, I raise my voice, I hustle, I don't listen, I don't engage & I become the contentious woman of Pr. 19:13. Ugh! It's not fun for anyone; me or my loved ones. It's simply a miserable existence. A miserable busyness. All in all, a miserable business.

So today I threw away my little sign, removed a few things from my to-do list & wrote down:

   Its ok that I said 'no' to a friend. Its ok that I said 'not now' to the dust bunnies. Its ok that I said 'just a minute' to the laundry. Its ok that I said 'maybe later'' to something I wanted to do.

 It's ok that I said 'no more' to the enemy's schemes to wedge his way between me & my loved ones.