Just what I needed today..

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." (Prov 19:11)

"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly." (Prov 14:29).

Okay, so what is this "good sense" and this "great understanding", because I sure need them.. From a cross-references from Prov 14:29.

James 1:19-22: "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (emphasis mine)".

So that's how I can become a person who is slow to anger.. Repent of my wicked thoughts and attitudes, and humbly receive God's word. And the test for having received His word with meekness is that I become a doer of the word, not just a hearer.

Thank you, Father, for your gracious guidance. I asked and received, just as you have promised.

Are people basically good?

"Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished." (Prov 16:5).

Are people who haven't put their full trust in the Lord basically good? According to God, those who are arrogant in heart are an abomination to him and they will certainly be punished. Those who are arrogant enough to think that they don't need the righteousness of God for their salvation, who think they can live a holy life on their own.. Again, and again, this verse comes to mind:

"This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."(John 6:29)

Never be moved

"O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" (Psalm 15:1)

"He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks the truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes a reproach against his friend;..." (Psalm 15:2-3)

"He who does these things shall never be moved." (Psalm 15:5b)

I'm so thankful that Jesus has walked in this way. He truly was one who dwelt on God's holy hill, in constant fellowship with God, praying and meditating on His word day and night. And the fruit of his heart were all the things described in this psalm.

What is the fruit of my heart? (Selah) I am thankful for these verses, for how they confront and correct, for how they discern the thoughts and intentions of my heart (Heb 4:12). There is no room for self-righteousness after reading these verses, only a desire to repent of the thoughts and attitudes that have created a behavior that is opposite to the one described here and asking God to create in me a clean heart and to renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Thank you, Jesus, for living a perfect life, a life that was truly pleasing to God, and that I can be clothed in your righteousness, the righteousness described in this psalm, because I believe in you and trust you. Please keep me on the narrow path of obedience to you.

Nuggets of Wisdom

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." (Prov 12:15)

In our culture, I feel that, in order to even get advice, you need to ask for it. I have, in the past asked my husband about ways in which he sees that I am sinning. It's not easy to hear those things, and sometimes they make me annoyed or even angry, but the alternative is to be a fool. So I want to make it a habit to ask him, or somebody who knows me well about it. Also, for God, to reveal to me things that I need to repent of..

"The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to false labor" (Prov 12:24).

I think I have been slothful during the time I have had at home being a mom. Just saw this article today: http://yourmomhasablog.com/2015/01/11/when-the-sin-of-sloth-sneaks-up-on-you/

"One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray". (Prov 12:26)

Lord, please make me a guide to my neighbor. May my life count for something. Please make me a light and give me opportunities to minister to my neighbors, may I do things with eternal positive consequences.

A New Year

Hubby and I decided to start reading one chapter in the New Testament together every evening. I'll try to write down some thoughts on a more regular basis, to help keep me accountable for meditating and applying God's Word more this year.

In the past few evenings, we've been reading the sermon on the mount in Matthew. Every time I read it, it's so fresh and convicting! I want to read it more often, but I don't want to grow indifferent to it, as it sometimes happens with things we read a lot: we get desensitized to them.

There are so many good things in here. I've been thinking about sanctification a lot recently, about how it happens by us beholding the glory of God and thus getting to know God more and more. As we've been reading the sermon on the mount, I realized that one way to look at it is that it helps us to see how Jesus processed the world as a sinless human. This high standard was followed by Him every single second of every single day. Crazy! because I read it and almost everything in there makes me feel overwhelmed and shows me how much higher God is than me. It's such a precious passage because I feel that I can really see how God thinks in the day to day.

The Lord's prayer is in chapter 6. I've been also thinking about prayer and struggling with it, so reading Jesus' instructions about prayer was timely. What does Jesus pray about?

1.God's Glory, God's name and fame. "Let your name be kept holy"or "Let your name be treated with reverence" (according to the notes in my ESV Bible). Oh, how this desire needs to be the greatest cry of my heart, as it was the desire of Jesus' heart..

2. God's kingdom come, God's will be done, on earth and in heaven. Will I stubbornly hold on to my way when things don't go as I plan or when my choices of thoughts, desires, words, and actions hurt the closest ones to me? Or will I choose to submit to God's will and consider my neighbors more important than me?

3. Daily food. I almost never ask for our daily food, I just take it for granted. We have money in the bank, therefore we can afford food (is my wordly thought process). But that money can be here today and gone tomorrow. Thank you, Lord, for providing for our most basic needs.. Please give us our daily bread so we'd have the strength to live in a way that is honoring to you and doing the good works you have prepared for us to do (Eph 2:10).

4. Forgiveness. Under the assumption that we have forgiven those who have sinned or are indebted to us. Every time I have a forgiveness issue, I try to think about the fact that if I truly understood how much God has forgiven me, I would see how small is my neighbor's sin against me. It doesn't take away the struggle to forgive, but at least I realize that I am in the wrong.

5. Deliverance from temptation and evil. I have the tendency to pray about deliverance from temptation only when I struggle with something on a regular basis or for a few days, but I think it would help my spiritual life if I prayed it more often.

I will add these elements to my prayer at least for a while.. Jesus thought they were important, so I will make them a priority. Jesus thought they are good things to pray about. Maybe they are the bread and the fish in Matthew 7:9-10. Or at least part of it.

More convicting verses

"A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
    but a wise man quietly holds it back." (Prov 29:11)

"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Prov 29:20)

"A man of wrath stirs up strife,
    and one given to anger causes much transgression." (Prov 29:22)

A three step test for godly speech

From John Piper : "Green light at the lips: 1) good for building up, 2) fits the occasion, 3) gives grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29"

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

If only I only let things out of my mouth that passed this test..

Here's a starting point: 

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
  I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
  in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
  on that very day his plans perish." (Ps 146)

Every time I let my tongue go crazy, I trust in man, in myself and my ability to persuade by nagging (for example). I can only keep my mouth shut and exercise self-control in my speech if I trust in the Lord. 

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!" Fill my heart with praise for You, and leave no room for thoughts that do not honor you!