The ENTIRE Serenity Prayer

Normally when we see the Serenity prayer we see the 1^stfour lines shown below. In reality, there is a full version of that prayer that people don’t always see. Drink in this iconic prayer that has been attributed to American Theologian Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971).  This full version was composed sometime in the 1940’s.

“God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

forever and ever in the next.

Amen.”

Word for the Day

The Six Mistakes of Mortal Man

1.  The illusion that personal gain is made up of crushing others. 

2.  The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected.

3.  Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.

4.  Refusing to set aside trivial preferences.

5.  Neglecting development & refinement of the mind & not acquiring the habit of reading & study.

6.  Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

– Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 B.C. - 43 B.C.)

[Roman statesman and man of letters, Cicero was Rome’s greatest orator and it’s most articulate philosopher. The last years of republican Rome are often referred to as the Age of Cicero.]

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

Honesty is the best policy

“Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.”– Proverbs 11:3New Living Translation

“The integrity and moral courage of the upright will guide them,

But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.” (Amplified Version)

            

          There is no doubt that ‘honesty’ is a sign of having integrity and morality. Honest people conscientiously avoid even the shading of the truth. Those who lie do so with no shame on their face, figuring no one will ever find out. Even if someone did happen to find out the one who lied would simply deny lying, which becomes a second lie. One lie gives birth to another lie, which gives birth to another and another and another … the cycle can be endless. I believe people are dishonest because, 1) they see lying as the only way out of certain situations, and 2) it seems so much easier than telling the truth. We don’t seem to realize that the one who made us from the dust of the earth knows our comings and goings and is always watching. 

            The Hebrew meaning of the root word ‘integrity’ is “complete”. A believer in Christ is to be honest in all circumstances, thus establishing a level of integrity or completeness. Without integrity one cannot be trusted. One that cannot be trusted is incomplete and crooked in all their ways. 

            Joseph, son of Jacob, was placed in a very precarious situation with his master’s wife. Joseph remained faithful to God by rebuffing all of the woman’s advances. Potiphar, his master, loved and trusted his servant Joseph, yet sided with his wife who accused Joseph of attempting to rape her. For this evil Joseph was thrown in jail. You can read this account in Genesis 39:6-12. Joseph’s integrity before God saw him thru his time in prison. The Lord orchestrated a scenario where Joseph eventually became a very important man in Egypt just at the time when famine had stripped Israel of all its crops. God knew what he was doing. Abide by the secular adage, which states: “Honesty is the best policy.” There is no substitute for personal integrity. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible; www.biblegateway.com.

Word for the Day

Thoughts From a Random Mind

       We spend way too much time complaining about things we cannot change.  Have you ever thought what you’re going thru might just be a test of your faith? Do you run at the first sign of opposition or do you stand firm in the face of the oncoming strife? All things happen for a specific reason. If you are a believer in Christ than you can count on the fact that God has orchestrated your current scenario and is managing it from his throne. God loves you and will not let you become overwhelmed as long as your focus is on him and not your problems. Always remember, ONE WORD FROM GOD CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING!

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

THE GODLY & THE WICKED COMPARED

“The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.”- Proverbs 10:24New Living Translation 

                  Those that are wicked do evil in the full sight of God. They may do their deeds under cloak of darkness due to wicked motivations, but God has a clear view of all their comings and goings at all times. That holds true for the godly and the ungodly. The wicked person dreads death. It is basically the fear of the unknown. Believers desire eternal life, therefore welcome death. It is all a matter of perspective. Job 15:20 & Isaiah 66:2b-4 are clear examples of the fulfillment that is coming to those who shun both God and his word. 

            We all have a choice to make. It’s pretty cut and dry. You either reject God and live your life whatever way you choose or you accept God for who he says he is and follow him. While it is true that we can live anyway we choose, not all our decisions without God’s leading will be either construction or beneficial to us. God knows exactly what will be the best for each one of us. Frankly speaking, none of us have any clue what is best for us. We only think we know. Living life withoutthe leading of the Holy Spirit and prayer is like driving down a mountain in the dark with your headlights off. It’s risky business.

            A godly person is not a perfect person, it is a person that loves God and commits to living a life that is pleasing to him. It’s not an exclusive club with a restrictive membership; it’s open to whoever wishes to enter in. That’s very good news! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The NIV Study Bible Notes; www.biblegateway.com.

Job 15:20 - “The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless.”

Isaiah 66:2b-4 - “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways—delighting in their detestable sins—I will send them great trouble—all the things they feared.For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned before my very eyes and chose to do what they know I despise.”

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

A Final Word from Wisdom

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.Wisdom will multiply your daysand add years to your life.If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” – Proverbs 9:10-12New Living Translation

            Wisdom, personified as a woman, compares those who accept wisdom to those who reject it. Wise people receive rebuke with appreciation as one who knows you have their best interests at heart. A fool does not.  There are two specific places Solomon wrote the very same thought; Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25. That thought is this: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”  The foolish man or woman feel they know exactly what they are doing and where they are going only to find out far too late that they have made a fatal mistake that leads to death of the spiritual variety. It may also lead to physical death, but knowing what I know about God and eternity, I would not want to experience spiritual death, for that is permanent separation from the One who created you.

            The wise man or woman will run to obey the Lord’s decrees, seeing it not as a sign of weakness as the world does, but as a sign of immense strength. To stare directly at all that is popular and fashionable in the world in which you live and then willingly turn your back on it all in favor of following the Lord takes strength and courage.

            Those who turn away from wisdom will grab a hold of a counterfeit version and jump for joy at what they have found. They will ignore that which is real and attainable for that which is also attainable, yet temporal and fake. Good judgment grows out of wisdom and the only wisdom worth seeking is that which God freely provides. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources: The Reformation Study Bible; The MacArthur Study Bible; www.biblegateway.com.

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

WISDOM IS ACHIEVABLE

“My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.… I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. - Proverbs 8:8-9, 17 New Living Translation

            Here we find another pitch from Wisdom, sharing some of her qualities and her accessibility.  In the world that existed when Solomon wrote this, order was an important value to have. Wisdom is present within order. To expand on this idea let me share some notes from NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bibleto explain this concept of order: “Creation brought order to the cosmos; law brought order to society; etiquette brought order to human relationships; politics brought order to governance and authority. Ancient wisdom can then be understood as the pursuit of understanding and preserving order in the world.” 

            Proverbs 1:7 declares that, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The phrase Fear of the Lord simply means to take who God is and what his role is seriously. Revere him. Respect him. And this we should do regarding the Lord and no one else. 

            Man struggles with being subservient to another. Surrendering to God may seem emasculating to some, especially in a world where machismo is so important to a lot of men. Far too many people put on  display an alter ego in an effort to be popular, thus living out an unrealistic and unachievable life. We’ve tried to live our lives on our own and we have failed miserably. Surrendering isn’t giving up, it’s yielding to something or someone far greater than we are. Surrendering to Almighty God is the only way to maximize our spiritual growth.

            As verse 17 states above, if you search for wisdom, you will find it. It is only a prayer away. The foolish man or woman brings disorder into all they do because they don’t listen to the Lord, but rather set themselves up as the head as they attempt to find order in the ungodly and convoluted world in which they live. Take the time to seek the clarity God’s wisdom can bring to you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Resources: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language; www.biblegateway.com; The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

Word for the Day

          (Catherine Pulsifer is an American Christian Author of Inspirational books and other writings.)

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

                   AVOIDING UNGODLY WOMEN

“Follow my advice, my son;
    always treasure my commands.
² Obey my commands and live!
    Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.^[a]
3 Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.

⁴ Love wisdom like a sister;
    make insight a beloved member of your family.
⁵ Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman,
    from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.”

Proverbs 7:1-5 

New Living Translation

            As with Chapter 5, Chapter 7 also deals with avoiding immoral, promiscuous women.  That is a path that is wayward and leads only to destruction. Generally speaking, it is the destruction of your integrity. More specifically, it causes others to look upon you differently. Every moral attribute you felt you had is now called into question. How can people trust you? Your judgment or ability to make a correct decision is seriously damaged. God knows us better than we know ourselves. So when he tells us thru Solomon that we are to listen to and follow his instructions it is not meant as a stunting of our enjoyment. No, the Lord wishes us to be supremely content with our lives. We are missing nothing if we shun evil, therefore forgoing sin. 

            It is not wise to dabble in an affair with an ungodly woman. If she would cheat on her own husband there isn’t much she wouldn‘t do for her own selfish gains and physical pleasure. Of course, it is a tremendous temptation to go off with someone who promises to make all your fantasies come true, but the cost far outweighs any temporal satisfaction you may glean from the experience. Once the deed is done there is no denying it and no delete key that will ever make it go away. You will have to carry that burden of adulterous sin the rest of your life. If you repent the sin itself will be removed from the record, however, the devil will haunt you with the deed you have taken part in though you knew it was wrong.

            God can and will protect you from such events if you do as his word suggests. Treasure his instructions. Lock them away in your heart. Love and seek the wisdom of God daily. Never give an ear to the sirens call. It is ill advised to place even one foot in the cesspool of an ungodly world. Shun evil and trust God above all else. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The American Heritage Dictionary; www.biblegateway.com

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

"Sin takes you further than you ever thought possible, keeps you longer than you realized and will cost you more than you could have ever imagined."

- Old Baptist Saying

Sin is fun for a moment in time, but the consequences can last a lifetime. Turn your back on sin and follow God's lead. You'll never regret it.

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

Word for the Day

THE 7 THINGS GOD HATES

Proverbs 6:16-19 New Living Translation

“There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.”

            These verses are pretty straightforward. There is obviously no negative qualities or evil tendencies in the heart of God. He is just the opposite on all fronts. Therefore, seeing these 7 attributes listed among Solomon’s proverbs lays out for us very clearly those things that are totally unacceptable to our Lord. 

            Let’s go over them briefly: 1) Haughty eyes are eyes that look down on others in a condescending way. So we are not to lord anything over anyone else as if we are better then them. A person’s possessions do not make them better than anyone else, nor does it have anything to do with how God looks upon them. 2) A lying tongue is displeasing to God. A person who lies has destroyed his or her own integrity. They can no longer be trusted. Such a trait calls into question anything and everything that comes out of their mouth.  3) Anyone who willingly kills another individual without reason or provocation is nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer. 4) Scripture tells us that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman. He alone knows a person’s heart motivation. If they have a tendency to do evil it will affect their intentions, their thoughts, their words, their actions and their motivations. They will plot evil and race to do that which is wrong in the sight of God. Their lying will know no bounds. It will border on being pathological, leading them to have the inability to recognize or speak the truth. 5) This type of person will be curse to their family in that they will add nothing positive to the relationship. This type of person is a disgrace to God. Without repentance and a turning from their evil ways they will exist throughout all eternity outside the presence of God. What a sad commentary for a person who shunned God in favor of evil. 

            If you know someone like this pray for them that they will see the error of their ways and surrender their heart, mind and will over to the only one who truly loves them with an everlasting, unconditional love. Some day it will be too late for them.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources: www.biblegateway.com, The Life Application Study Bible. 

Word for the Day

Word of the Day

Word for the Day

Taking a Walk Thru Proverbs

THE EVER WATCHFUL EYE OF GOD

Proverbs 5:21 New Living Translation

“For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.”

            The 5^thchapter of Proverbs speaks of avoiding an adulterous woman. It rolls into a brief statement on how you should treat your wife. Solomon lays out this thought in v. 21 that can lead us to either rejoicing or regret; depending on which paths we have been choosing. Scripture is very clear on the topic of God keeping a steady watch over us. He doesn’t look away when we make a questionable decision. He is with you at all times. Here are some Bible verses that shine a light on how well he knows us:

Proverbs 15:3 “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.”

Job 31:4  “Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?”

Job 34:21 “For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do.”

Job 34:23  “We don’t set the time when we will come before God in judgment.”

Jeremiah 16:17 “I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me.”

Jeremiah 17:10 “But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

Psalm 11:4 “But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.  He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.”

            Since God sees wherever you go and whatever you do, that should be incentive to live a righteous life that is pleasing to the Lord, unless of course you don’t believe in God in the first place. Without God in one’s life there is no hope. With the limited resources man provides for himself, he doesn’t stand a chance to succeed in the most important matters of this life. Are you going places you know God wouldn’t mind you going? Are you reading, listening or watching things that either honor God or at the very least don’t dishonor him? If you are striving to be like Jesus in your daily life you will live a blessed life. I didn’t say a perfect life or a prosperous life. I guess it all depends on what you consider a blessing. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources:www.biblegateway.com, The Reformation Study Bible & NIV Study Bible Notes.

Word for the Day