Posted by: pastorapbell | July 21, 2010

as we remember that nothing is impossible for the Lord!

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart (Proverbs 21:1-2 NIV).

the all powerful God

In ancient times the king was the most powerful person in his particular country. Whatever he said, be it good or bad, would be carried out by his follower. An example of this is king Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia who reigned during the time of Daniel (Daniel 1). He had absolute sway and whatever he commanded, had to be obeyed. For Daniel to rise to a position of influence, the kind had to make an impossible demand on his wise men that only the true king of kings could make happen. We believe that king Nebuchadnezzar was converted after Yahweh, the almighty God, caused him to lose his mind and operate like an animal for 7 years until he had dealt with his pride issues (Daniel 4:34-37).

Today God does not want to humiliate any of us in fact he wants to be in communion with us. All of our motives are weighed by him and he can humble any of us, as he did to Nebuchadnezzar. Alternatively he can exalt any of us if we humble ourselves, like he did to Solomon, who did not ask for riches but for wisdom and understanding and became the wealthiest man in his day. And because nothing is impossible for the Lord, let us humble ourselves and remember that he will do exceedingly abundantly beyond whatever we can think or imagine, because he is God all by himself!

Read Proverbs 21

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 20, 2010

as we allow the Lord to order our steps

How can we know what will happen to us when the LORD alone decides? Our inner thoughts are a lamp from the LORD, and they search our hearts. It isn’t smart to get drunk! Drinking makes a fool of you and leads to fights (Proverbs 20:24, 27 &1 CEV).

Without some sort of a premonition, we are not promised tomorrow, however since the Lord knows what will happen to us, isn’t it prudent to ask his advice in all that we do or plan to do!

Deep down we should know what we would do in any given situation, but when the reality of the situation in upon us, many times we fail. See Samson as an example for this (Judges 16).

Today the sage is saying, our inner thoughts come from what we put into our spirits. They are a composite made up from the deposits that come from our various gates, namely our eyes, what we see, our nose, what we smell, our tongue what we taste, our fingers what we feel and our ears what we hear. We are informed from our senses but as he says in verse 1, our senses can be skewed by a variety of things. For youngsters, drink is particularly potent and can ruin their prospect. Binge drinking is a serious problem among our young people today, so the advice from the sage given over 3500 years ago is still particularly pertinent today. 

So allow the Lord to lead in all that you do and he will order your steps aright!

Read Proverbs 20

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 19, 2010

as we temper out zeal and underpin it with knowledge

The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble. It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:23, 2,1,22 NIV).

Today our sage’s first word to us is to fear the Lord. He is not saying that we should be afraid of the Lord but that like an obedient child, we should have such a reverence for him that we wouldn’t do anything contrary to his instructions. And we include him in all that we do because we respect and trust his judgement.

Although fear can have the connotation of fright or panic, the meaning here is very different. This is fear of displeasing the one you love and not being so afraid that you do nothing. He instructs us again to get knowledge first. So knowledge become the principle thing in our lives and with knowledge come the ability to temper our zeal, place all our plans before the Lord and exercise wisdom in all that we do.

dog & bone

In essence he would say that it is better to be poor with integrity than to be rich, own the whole world and be perverse in our language.  Indeed Jesus puts it like this, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his one soul, or what will a man give in exchange for his one soul”[Matt 16:26].

Today don’t be so zealous like the dog on the bridge with a juicy bone in his mouth but when he saw his reflection in the water gasped at the bigger bone and lost everything!

Read Proverbs 19

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 18, 2010

as we find security and safety in the name of the Lord

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10 NIV).

Today I want to encourage you with some truths from what God says about himself. Firstly he says that “he is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?” Numbers 22:19 we find security in the fact that what God say he will do, will happen. 

Secondly, to prove that Jesus was God incarnate, that is, God in the flesh, we read in Philippians 2; “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” It is only when we confess the name of Jesus now while we are alive that we can be saved.

security

And finally, we have the consolation that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So that whoever accepts the Lord Jesus as their friend and sage will find security, safety and strength in him. This peace is not the absence of strife but the presence of the prince of peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Read Proverbs 18

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 17, 2010

as we learn to wait on the Lord

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife (Proverbs 17:1).

waiting

One who learns to wait on the Lord will enjoy the benefit that comes from him. Wisdom dictates that we learn to wait. It is in the waiting period that our faith is tested. In the wisdom literature we are encouraged to trust the Lord and wait patiently for him, for it is when we learn to wait that our circumstances are dramatically transformed. So like our sage the psalmist encourages us to wait on the Lord and to wait patiently and he will strengthen our hearts (Psalm 27:14). Throughout the writings of the Psalmist we are encouraged to wait and at the appropriate time the Lord will come.

Today let us say, come Lord Jesus we are ready!

Read Proverbs 17

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 16, 2010

as we live to please the lord

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.  All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit. When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps (Proverbs 15:1-2, 7&9 NASB).

plan b

We should all make plans but plans that are made without consultation tend to fail.  Our sage tells that we devise many plans in our hearts, but it the Lord’s purposes for our lives that will be established. So the Lord weighs our spirit, that is, he assesses the sum of our plans and guides us to those that are viable and those that are not. For every plan we make there are those who wants them to fail. These are the enemies who try to abort the purposes that God has for us. However, the Lord says he will establish our steps when we commit our plans and ambitions to him.

Today, be ambitious but ensure that you bring your plans and desires to the Lord so that he can make a pronouncement over them. When God breathes on your plans they will never fail.

Read Proverbs 16

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 15, 2010

as we make plans and take good advice

he who has an ear!

Intelligent children make their parents proud; lazy students embarrass their parents. The empty-headed treat life as a plaything; the perceptive grasp its meaning and make a go of it. Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed

(Proverbs 15:20-22, The Message).

People who are quick to change what they do and how they do it are termed intelligent. Having information alone does not amount to anything if you do not know how to use the information available to you. Life is short at the best of times so we are encouraged to grasp each and every opportunity and above all seek good advice in doing so.

There is an old ditty that says if you fail to plan you are in essence planning to fail. However, good plans fail because of narrow consultation and this is where intelligence comes to the fore. Wisdom dictates that you try to look at opportunity from a variety of angles and not be confined to one particular view. Perspective is a wonderful gift we are given and when used properly, we are able to see things that were not visible before and hence we can make informed choices.

Today ask the Lord to send wise counsellors into your circle and when they come, listen to them, even though you may not always agree with what you are been told, still listen ‘for in the multitude of counsel there is safety’ (Prov. 24:6). Lift up your eyes to the hills and heed the words of the sage; listen to good advice if you want to live well like an honoured guest among wise men and women (v.31 paraphrased).

Read Proverbs 15

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 14, 2010

as we seek freedom from oppression

The sin of oppression lasts for generations and grates God’s heart. God is a God of the oppressed. His heart is to see all his creation free, however this is not the intention of all of his creation. Some of them think that they have a God given right to inflict pain and misery on others because of certain physical traits that they inherited.  An example of this is the stratification that occurred in the Caribbean where I was born.

At certain stage in recent history people were placed in a certain position in society according to the hue of their skin. So we had about 13 different colours of people ranging from Negro (which is the Spanish word for black) through Octoroon, Mulatto and finally unto White. This grated God’s heart. It was not until the 20th century that people began to realise that it is not the colour of a man’s skin that defines him but the content of his heart.

Today God is saying those who are liberationist are on his side.

Read Proverbs 14.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 13, 2010

as we learn to walk with the wise

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm (Proverbs 13:20 NIV).

 The company we keep determine who we become. An old Caribbean proverb says ‘show me your company and I’ll tell you who you are.’ This is not rocket science, however many followers of Jesus fail to keep the company of those who will challenge them to be disciplined in their walk, challenge them in their spiritual disciplines, such as daily readings and quiet times and challenge the rigorousness of their integrity.

The apostle Paul picks this up in his writing when he reiterates that bad company corrupts good manners (1Cor 15:33). And that some of us who purport to be Christians are still ignorant of what God requires from us.

Today, to determine what he [The Lord] requires from us, let us endeavour to be accountable to at least two people with whom we can share our aspirations and our anxiety without fear of being betrayed. Choose wisely those to whom you ‘bare’ your soul, but have in the back of your mind that when you walk with the wise you also will become wise.

Those who we listen to will have the greatest influence on our lives!

Read Proverbs 13

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Posted by: pastorapbell | July 12, 2010

as we move from anxiety to laughter

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).

Anxiety is a state of mind where you are nervous and panicky about the future. This has the effect of bring a state of depression and introversion on the individual. The theme running through our sage’s advice today is to listen, speak the truth, seek understanding before making a judgement, ponder things in your heart before revealing them and above all ensure that all your ways are righteous.

This is a daunting list but one that can be achieved in our lifetime through reflection and action. We are further told in the epistles that we should be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make our request known to God who will give his peace which will cause the anxiety to abate.

Once anxiety is under control you can then laugh. Not a pretentious laughing by a raucous, heartfelt boisterous laughter.  Too often we get bogged down with the cares of life and fail to take time out to laugh.

laughter

Today listen to our sage, anxiety will weight you down, but kind, funny words will cheer you up.

Footnote: The Baptist Dog.

A Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a new dog. Ever mindful of the congregation, they knew the dog must also be a Baptist. They visited kennel after kennel and explained their needs. Finally, they found a kennel whose owner assured them he had just the dog they wanted. The owner brought the dog to meet the pastor and his wife.

“Fetch the Bible”, he commanded. The dog bounded to the bookshelf, scrutinized the books, located the Bible, and brought it to the owner.

“Now, find Psalm 23″, he commanded. The dog dropped the Bible to the floor, and showing marvelous dexterity with his paws, leafed through and finding the correct passage, pointed to it with his paw. The pastor and his wife were very impressed and purchased the dog.

That evening, a group of church members came to visit. The pastor and his wife began to show off the dog, having him locate several Bible verses. The visitors were very impressed. One man asked, “Can he do regular dog tricks, too?”

“I haven’t tried yet,” the pastor replied. He pointed his finger at the dog. “HEEL!,” the pastor commanded. The dog immediately jumped on a chair, placed one paw on the pastor’s forehead and began to howl. The pastor looked at his wife in shock and said, “Good Lord! He’s Pentecostal!”

 Read Proverbs 12

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