If you’ve had your driver’s license long enough, you’ll probably hit a curb or tow. This usually occurs to me when I’m pulling out of a restaurant in a hurry, trying to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic. Or you may have to back up to park on your street. While Delaware had curved curbs in my old neighborhood, South Carolina has square curbs so when you hit them, you definitely feel it.
Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. 26 Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. 27 Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil, Proverbs 4:25-27.
King Solomon writes about where your eyes are located will determine the path that you take in life. The Christian rap group Grits sings about this in their song Hittin’ Curves. If you’re gazing straight ahead, the probability of you striking a curve goes down. However, if you’ve distracted by a phone or something else while driving, you can hit almost anything. When you remove these distractions while driving, you’ll avoid any curbs or curves that you’ll encounter.
Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. According to Moses, Lamech, son of Methusael, decided to take two wives rather than one. While kings often took more than one wife to insure one of their living sons would hold on to the throne, Lamech made this decision on his own. Although Moses is silent on why Lamech made this decision, he will go down as the first polygamist on earth.
To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methusael, and Methusael the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah and of the other was Zillah, Genesis 4:18-19.
When I was in high school, my best friend Carl was a devout Mormon. One of the guys I ran cross country against, Dean, was the son of the pastor of Carl’s church. Prior to meeting Carl, Mormonism was known for its belief and practice of polygamy. My non-Mormon friends would often joke, “I’d convert if I could have two wives.” Like any book, you may have preconceived judgments before reading it, but until you open it up to experience what’s inside, you’ll never know what you’ll find to be true.
Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle and purchase possessions. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all [cutting] instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah, Genesis 4:20-22.
Moses introduces the first polygamist of the Bible in the passage above. There is no logical explanation provided, but maybe Lamech was torn between two amazing women? Whatever the reason, Lamech is a trend setter for future leaders and kings. King Solomon took this to the extremes with 700 wives and 300 concubines, but this is what happens when you allow human nature to control your thought process, Genesis 4:6-7. May the missteps in life by Cain and Lamech serve as a warning to stay committed to one spouse and one God.
As someone who has moved multiple times in life, true friends are hard to find. Whether it was moving from New Jersey to Delaware in Elementary School or from Delaware to Ohio in college, when you do finally relocate, you will find out who your real friends truly are. When none of them reach out to you after your departure, your friendship was more of an acquaintance than anything else. Perhaps, this is the inspiration behind Hawk Nelson’s song Friend Like That.
The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, Proverbs 18:24.
King Solomon wrote about what a true friend meant to him in the passage above. Through the years, Christian artists have reflected upon this topic with songs by Geoff Moore, Michael W. Smith, and Steven Curtis Chapman. When a friend does stick closer than a brother, this kind of relationship becomes a spiritual treasure. As a new year begins, may the Holy Spirit inspire you to find a friend like that in 2023.
As the son of a former member of the military, my father pushed me as a child. When my dad felt like I wasn’t giving my best effort, he went into his Army Drill Sergeant mode. As an extremely emotional and unconfident individual, this wasn’t an effective strategy to inspire me to reach my full potential in life. Despite my father’s imperfections as a parent, he instilled within me a work ethic that few people my age still possess. Arriving early and giving it my all remains part of my DNA today.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart. 7 So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground—not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air—for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them, Genesis 6:5-7.
Unfortunately, there were a few times in college where I greatly grieved my mother by not calling her in the middle of the night to inform her, I was staying over a friend’s house before I went to work. On one occasion she thought I had died like a similar student my age. The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 provides a glimpse of what God the Father does when we decide to live on our own for a while. Luke compares this to a human father sitting on his front porch, patiently waiting for our return.
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. 20 My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you], Proverbs 6:16-20.
While the Lord is a patient, King Solomon does write about what God detests. These behaviors listed in the passage above are prevalent on the nightly news. Whenever a saint begins to stumble by turning their attention toward the sinful nature God’s heart grieves. According to Jesus, this is expected by non-Christians, but God calls believers to higher standards in Matthew 5:43-48. Rather than follow in the footsteps of Demas who abandoned God in the first century, mend your relationship with God before you become too far gone, James 5:16.
As I continue my study of the Old Testament in 2023, I have noticed a correlation between keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:25, and habitually walking with God. Moses describes the spiritual life of Enoch and Noah to habitually walking with God. Rather than being consumed with unwholesome addictions, bad habits, and lustful cravings, these two godly men kept in step with God’s Spirit. Inquiring minds want to know, how is this possible to accomplish while living in 2023?
Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. 26 Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. 27 Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil, Proverbs 4:25-27.
One of the wisest human beings to ever walk the face of the earth chimes in on this topic in the passage above. King Solomon claims that being task and goal oriented isn’t enough to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. Rather, you need to be vision oriented, living with your eyes daily fixated on Jesus, Hebrews 12:1-2. When considering where to go and what to do like Jesus in Mark 1:35, ask yourself does this activity align with God’s will? Whatever you decide, following the advice in Proverbs 4:27 will guide you in the right direction to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God, Hebrews 12:1-2.
The context of the passage above occurs immediately following the Bible’s Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11. The individuals recognized for this lifetime achievement award each demonstrated the ability to keep in step with God’s Holy Spirit. Subsequently, when the author starts with therefore to begin a new chapter, this a call to follow in their spiritual footsteps of faith. You can’t clearly keep in step with the Holy Spirit until you strip away and throw off any addicts, bad habits and unwholesome cravings from your life. As you mature spiritually by daily confessing your sins to God, fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. While this process will take weeks, months and years to complete, somewhere along the way you will keep in step with the Holy Spirt, Galatians 5:25.
Christmas is sometimes referred to the season of miracles. The Make a Wish Foundation often makes this happen for children battling a crippling disease between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a former high school Bible teacher, there is no greater miracle than a Christian reaching a point in their lives where you are actually living out and fulfilling God’s will for your life. Josie Buchanan sings about this process in her song Whatever Your Plan Is.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you], Romans 12:1-2.
King Solomon reflects upon this in Proverbs 19:21. Everyone has aspirations, dreams, and goals in life that you want to achieve. Sometimes this may coincide with a calling from God, but it is the Lord’s purpose that ultimately prevails. If you ever find yourself restless this Christian season, unfulfilled by your current career path, follow the advice of the apostle Paul in the passage above so the Whatever God’s Plan is for you will be revealed sometime in the near future.
Greek Mythology refers to soulmates as two halves of the same person who were separated by the Greek god Zeus due to jealousy and fear. While the Bible never directly mentions the term soulmates in the Bible, Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:4-6 suggests that the person you decide to marry should be a complementary helper. Based upon the passage below, God thought Adam might find a best friend like a dog from one of God’s created animals placed in the garden. Yet, no helper was found.
Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him, Genesis 2:18.
King Solomon devotes a portion of the Book of Ecclesiastes to highlight why two people are better than one. Solomon provides a couple of examples in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. This complementary helper may serve as a listener one day, a source of encouragement as well as challenge you so that you might reach your full potential. While some individuals search for a soulmate who may be identical, others pray for someone who complements their weak areas in life.
Then Adam said, This [creature] is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man. 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh, Genesis 2:23-24.
Adam’s personality is not detailed by Moses in Genesis. However, in the passage above Adam gets emotional as he is overwhelmed by God’s creation of Eve. After feeling his side, the place where God removed his rib and some flesh, a complementary helper of the opposite sex stood right in front of him. While Adam and Eve’s family got off to a rough start following Abel’s murder by their oldest child, this couple spent 900 years together on earth. Although it’s not mentioned in the Bible, I’m sure Adam and Eve learned how to become to complementary helpers through the years. A goal worth shooting for.
Depending upon your personality, silence can be a harsh punishment or needed break from the chaos of life. As the youngest child with two older sisters, I barely saw Kathie and Cindy once my family moved to Delaware from New Jersey. When my sisters became teenagers, they did their own thing, so I just hung out with neighborhood kids. Since I struggled with severe stuttering as a child, I didn’t mind passing time in solitary play in my backyard pretending to be one of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him. 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name. 20 And Adam gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the air and to every [wild] beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him, Genesis 2:18-20.
When I recently read the passage above, it’s clear that God designed human being to be relational creatures. Any time God looks down from heaven and see lonely people on earth, His heart breaks. Based upon Moses’ words, God was sad when Adam wasn’t able to find a suitable helper among the animals. While animal lovers believe that dogs are a man’s best friend, God demands and wants more in a relationship on earth.
Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor; 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie down together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
King Solomon highlights the benefits of having a suitable helper and or a soulmate. The helper will make a day at work more bearable, cheer you up or make you laugh. Meanwhile, the soulmate will keep you warm on a cold night, listen to your struggles from the day and encourage you when you’re feeling down. Last week, Leanne and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. I’m amazed at how quick life flies by, but we still have the rest of our lives to be together, not alone.
Breathing is one of those basic elements in life that most people take for granted. When I was six, I had the wind knocked out of me while playing football. My initially reaction was pain until my inability to breathe led to panic. My sister Cindy grabbed my arm and pushed me over onto my stomach. Forty years later following this experience, a sledding accident placed me into a more dire situation. Two cracked ribs and a collapsed lung made it nearly impossible for me to breathe.
And to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the ground—to everything in which there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day, Genesis 1:30-31.
According to oral tradition passed down to Moses, God gave the breath of life into every living creature on earth. Unfortunately, the teaching of Charles Darwin on evolution is still influencing minds today. While the second and third law of thermodynamics proves that you can’t create something out of nothing, the idea of a Big Bang still exists. As an elder from one of my former churches once told me, God spoke and BANG the universe was created via the breath of life.
Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it, Ecclesiastes 12:7.
King Solomon was considered one of the wisest people to walk the face of the earth. In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon refers to the creation story. Reflecting upon what happens at the end of human life, Solomon points to the cycle of life, ending up just like Adam prior to God breathing life into him. Job uses a similar confession in Job 42:5-6, which is the inspiration for modern day Ash Wednesday services. May today’s blog help you to appreciate and be thankful for the breath of life.
Most archeologists agree that the Egyptians appear to have developed the first practical calendar. During the height of the Roman Empire, this calendar was appropriated and further refined into the Julian calendar. From a modern-day perspective, the Gregorian calendar is almost universally used today which was based upon the Julian calendar. After reading the creation story recently, God set in motion the earth’s calendar on the fourth day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God’s provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years, Genesis 1:14.
TheMayans, Babylonians, Egyptians, Iranians, and Greeks were the first societies to study the solar system. Meanwhile, places like Stonehedge are believed to bebuilt to model the solar system. Outside of Scotland, there are other similar structures that follow the stars like Easter Island in Chile. Just as Tom Hanks was trying to count the days while stuck on an uncharted island in Castaway, civilizations have been fascinated for thousands of years with stars in the sky that serve as markers for time.
To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, 3 A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up, 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, Ecclesiastes 3:1-4.
King Solomon devotes nearly an entire chapter to time. However, Solomon uses the four traditional seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall to highlight the human emotions that each season brings. While you are able to stare at your computer, phone or watch to know the exact time and seconds left in your day at work, only God knows what will happen to you today. Jesus’ earthly brother writes about this in James 1:2-4. Subsequently, whatever the calendar brings you, God makes everything beautiful in His time.
ExpressYourself4Him 