Guided thoughts, number 7

Do you enjoy what are called container plants?

I sure do.

The colorful blooms and contrasting foliage aren't the only pretty things; sometimes the container itself is very lovely. Ceramic, glazed, painted, adorned with our kiddos' hand-prints.... they all are special.

They all serve one purpose -- they keep the plant within them "in bounds." The roots of the plant can only go so far before meeting with the obstacle presented by the container! Sometimes the plants even become "root-bound" and can't grow any larger. Try as they might, no matter how much sunshine or water or fertilizer they receive, they can't grow any more.

In fact, some of them begin to wither away once they are root-bound. They don't thrive like they once did. But, if they are given a new "home," a new container, with more good soil and a good environment, they can grow again by leaps and bounds.

Believers are like that, too.

It could be said that we grow and mature and thrive on the good food of the Word. Our roots reach down deep into the scriptures, and we are healthy.

But then we hit an obstacle.
Maybe it's something that someone says.
Or maybe it's that little voice inside our heads.

Can I really go further?
Can I perform this daunting task?
Can I be the person that I need to be?
We are smack-dab up against the side of our container.
Our container. Our faith.

Ouch.
Yes, it's true.
Sometimes what keeps us from doing a task, going further in our walk with Him, or being the person that we need to be, is our faith (or lack of it).

Who has said that He will help us go as far as we need to go?
Who has said that He will help us with our tasks?
Who has said that He will strengthen us to be the person we should be?

Are we relying on ourselves to do these things? No need for that!

I will go before you

    and will level the mountains;I will break down gates of bronze    and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures,    riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,    the God of Israel, who summons you by name. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone

    are deliverance and strength.’”(Isaiah 45:2-3, 24a)

Paul gave us a great example of "being at the edge of his container." And this is what he said:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, (II Corinthians 1:8-10)

How did Paul solve his problem? He relied on God! Amen! Oh, that we would remember this when our faith threatens to stunt our growth! We can't let a lack of faith stop our growth, or stop us from doing what will bring glory to Him. God will keep us in His hands, and give us more soil and a larger container!
Spread out your roots, believer! Soak up that sunshine and rain, and grow for God! If we exercise and expand our faith, there's no limit to what God can do with us!

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. (Colossians 2:6-7 TLB)

Proverbs 30:29-31 Fearless

²⁹ “There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.

Most of Agur's proverbs are lists of things. We've studied several lists so far, and I believe there are some good things for us to study in this passage, too.

Agur's list here is of four things that are "comely" or beautiful in their appearance, movements, and conduct. They are each different in the trait they are mentioned for . . .

Let's look first at the lion.
In the translation above, the lion is characterized as mighty and fearless. He has a bold and majestic walk, he fears no creature, and because he is fearless he does not turn aside from any other creature. Since he is the "king of beasts" he is an excellent illustration of boldness, fearlessness and confidence.
 
Are we bold and fearless like the lion in doing our Christian duties, regardless of opposition or threats?

The wicked flee though no one pursues,
    but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  II Timothy 1:7

Let's take as our example the Lion of Judah, our Savior!

Proverbs 28:15 Yes, I'm a sheep

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
    is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

Before David was a king, before he was a ruler over many, he was a shepherd of a few. Of lowly sheep. His psalms and songs have been sung for thousands of years on the hillsides of Israel. As a character in a Christmas play that I attended said, "Those songs have been sung for many years. You learn them because you hear them over and over again." What treasures they are, too. Full of reminders of God's provision and protection.

David killed predators who threatened the lives of his sheep. The lions and bears were no match for the shepherd boy who trusted in God. 

In the same way, we can trust God for our own safety. In this new year, we may be fearful of governments and rulers, of laws and of lawless people, but there is One who hears us when we cry out to Him:

John 10:27    My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:    28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.    29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.    30 I and my Father are one.

A personal note: Please check in from time to time at the prayer requests page, and lift up those needs in prayer. I want to personally thank all of you who prayed with us that our relationship with our son would be restored -- you'll find an update on the prayer page. I hope that this will encourage those who are dealing with some of life's burdens and feeling that it may be hopeless --- it's never, ever hopeless! Someone prayed that God would bless us, for the blessing they'd received from us . . . just days later, we received an email from our son. God is so good --- and He will reward holiness, obedience, and prayer. I know He will! He did for me!

Proverbs 28:1 The sound of a shaking leaf, Part II

Yesterday I asked if you could find examples of times that enemies of the Hebrew nation had been scared and run away, even though they may have had a numerical advantage in their favor.  I found a couple of examples that I thought you might like to look at, too:

One such example was that of the Midianites, whom Gideon vanquished with just 300 men (Judges 6-7). 

And what do you think the reaction of the enemies of Israel was, when they heard about the death of all of the Assyrian army, in II Kings chapter 19?

Unfortunately, there have been times when the children of God have shown fear and faithlessness, instead of courage and fearlessness . . . and there may have been times in our lives as well.

Can you think of a time that your faith wavered? When you were frightened by the "sound of a shaking leaf"? I can. I'm not happy about it. But I know that next time, I can be as "bold as a lion."

Remember our passage in Leviticus? What was the prerequisite for blessings and fearlessness?  Obedience. Yep. We chafe against that sometimes, don't we? But the rewards are so huge, and the "yoke is easy - the burden light."  
The only thing we must do is obey His commands that we find in His word.  True obedience comes from a heart overflowing with gratitude for His grace.

He promises fruitfulness, peace, and His presence. 

Exodus 19:15
Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.

I John 5:2-3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

(Lord, give me boldness. I covenant with You that I will follow your word and your commandments. I hold to your promise of blessing, and praise You for it, even before it happens.)  

Proverbs 28:1 The sound of a shaking leaf, Part I

The wicked flee though no one pursues,
    but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

You might be wondering about the title for this post . . . be patient, and we'll get there! Some commentaries treat this verse as an example of how people feel when they have a guilty conscience -- they get paranoid, and think that they see a pursuer behind every lamppost, and that the whole world is after them. While that is true, and we see it happen often, I was reminded of something different when I read this.

Way back in Leviticus (chapter 26, if you'd like to turn there), God told the Hebrew people that there were consequences to their actions and attitudes. He laid out rewards, and he noted punishments.
If they rejected Him as their creator and provider, and despised His judgements, standards, and leadership, then they could expect some pretty dire consequences. If, on the other hand, they obedient to Him, and followed Him in righteousness, He would pour out His blessings. Let me show you what I mean:

‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.
“‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
“‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Why in the world would they go against an almighty God who promised them so much?
But we all know the story -- they had their ups and their downs. And when they rejected Him, then verses 14-39 of that chapter came into play . . . that's a long passage, so I hope that you will look at it in your Bible, instead of my posting it here. There's a long list of "baddies" there, from disease, to fearfulness, to famine, to wild animals, to enemy armies.
One of the consequences noted is that they will be so fearful that the sound of a shaking leaf will cause them to shake and quake and run away. 
There are numerous examples of the enemies of the Hebrew children running away, even when they had an advantage on them --- can you tell me in a comment one of those examples?
We'll finish up this study tomorrow, in Part II.

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue Part 5

¹¹ Rescue those being led away to death;
    hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
¹² If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
    Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? 


The next step in fearless witnessing for our faith is this: don't be afraid to make mistakes. The biggest mistake is not to try at all. The biggest mistake is to have an opportunity to speak a word for Him and then to say nothing.
I know by personal experience that God can still use my witness -- even if I make a mistake. He will bless our obedience, our striving and trying to witness. If that wasn't the case, it would be all about you and me . . . can we save them? Nope.  God can, and when we follow these guidelines and open our mouths, He will fill them!

Now, it certainly helps with confidence and having something to say, if we can "back up" our convictions with verses from His word. I would suggest that you check out some of the verses that Tonya put on the "What is Salvation" page, here at the blog.
Some folks really like the "Romans Road" and find it easier to remember those verses and call them to mind, and I use something similar:
I start with John 3:16 -- God loves all people. 
Next,  Romans 3:23 -- All people everywhere are sinners.
Then, Romans 6:23 -- Sin simply must be paid for.
How? Romans 5:8 -- Jesus paid for your sins.
What must you do? Romans 10:13 -- Trust Jesus as your Savior, and turn from your sins.
God can work wonders, in spite of us!

I posted our verses at the top again today, and I hope this five part study has been of some benefit to you. I know that I learned a great deal, and I'm more convicted than ever that I need to open my mouth and speak -- witness for my faith when I have the opportunity!

I truly believe that if we follow these guidelines, our witness will be gracious, and sweet --- reaching people, instead of erecting barriers.  We need to share our faith, and not hide it "under a basket." In the fifth chapter of Mark, Jesus went all the way over the Sea of Galilee, just to save one man. Surely we can witness to those that are around us and near us, each and every day of our lives! Let's ask God to help us prepare, and then to open our eyes to someone who needs to hear about Him -- and then let's open our mouths!