Pearls of Wisdom

Pearls of Wisdom

For several years now, I have been reading something in the Old and New Testament, then something in Psalms and Proverbs every day. During one of those rare times when I was ready to start again at the beginning of Psalms and Proverbs, I noticed something very interesting. I hope you will also find it intriguing. More than that, I hope it encourages you to dig deeper into the Word and see what treasures you can find.

As I read the first five chapters in Psalms, I noticed a theme in the very last verse from each chapter.

Psalm 1:6 (CEV)
The Lord protects everyone who follows him, but the wicked follow a road that leads to ruin.

Psalm 2:12 (CEV)
…He blesses and protects everyone who runs to him.

Psalm 3:8 (CEV)
You protect and bless your people.

Psalm 4:8 (CEV)
I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord, will keep me safe.

Psalm 5:12 (CEV)  Our Lord, you bless those who live right, and you shield them with your kindness.

What beautiful, comforting promises the Lord gives His children!

Since I noticed a theme there, I decided to read in Proverbs and see if there were any to be found. Sure enough! Now let’s take a look at the first verses in Proverbs 2-5.

Proverbs 2:1 My child, you must follow and treasure my teachings and my instructions. (CEV)

Proverbs 3:1 My child, remember my teachings and instructions and obey them completely. (CEV)

Proverbs 4:1 My child, listen closely to my teachings and learn common sense. (CEV)

Proverbs 5:1-2 My son, if you listen closely to my wisdom and good sense, you will have sound judgment, and you will always know the right thing to say. (CEV)

First, I noticed that He refers to us as “My child” or “My son.” Too often, people have the idea in their heads that God is an angry God who only wants to scold them. However, these words were spoken as a gentle, loving Father. When you were teaching your young children, did you always do so as an angry parent? I certainly hope not! If we can teach our young children with lovingkindness, even in our frail human state, how much more does God teach us in the same manner since He is the Perfect Parent? Find comfort and encouragement in how much He loves you!

I noticed another beautiful theme in these verses. Our loving Father desires for His children to learn wisdom, instruction, common sense, and sound judgment. These treasures are worth more than great riches! When we allow the Lord to teach us these qualities, we reap the benefit mentioned from Psalm 4:8 – we can lie down and sleep peacefully. I don’t know about you, but I am grateful I can sleep peacefully, with absolute confidence that my Father has my life in His hands.
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller

Renewed Day By Day

Renewed Day by Day

None of us can take extra breaths one day so that we can skip breathing the next day. We can’t drink more water today in order to skip drinking tomorrow. Our bodies just aren’t made to function like that. It must be done daily.

Our spiritual bodies weren’t made to function like that either. In the Lord ’s prayer, Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread. I don’t believe He was only speaking of physical bread. Our spirits are to be renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16) We can’t renew them day by day if we are not getting into the Word, and feeding ourselves spiritually.

Proverbs 8:34 speaks of listening to the Lord, watching daily at the gates. Again, it is something to be done every day.

When we look back at how the Lord provided manna for the Israelites, they were to take only what they needed for that one day. (Except for when the Sabbath was coming, then they would gather double for that one day.) With our bible study times, we may have days where we find a verse that literally leaps off the page at us – a verse that may convict us, give us hope or encouragement. In those times, that may be all of the daily “manna” we need. Other times, we may need to read a huge portion before the Lord speaks to us.

Something I have noticed is that if I skip working out at the gym one day, it’s so easy to skip it the next day, and the next. Before I know it, I have fallen back into bad patterns. It’s the same with reading our bibles. We can skip one day, then the next, and suddenly, we have gone several days without reading the Word.

When we skip reading the Word for several days, we may discover the truth of Proverbs 29:1. “If you keep being stubborn after many warnings, you will suddenly discover you have gone too far.” (CEV) Just like skipping the gym several days causes my body to get out of shape, skipping my time in the Word cause my spiritual body to get out of shape. The result is that I easily fall back into sinful patterns of behavior.

However, if we are diligent to stay in the Word, we reap many benefits. One that I find particularly helpful is in Proverbs 5:1-2. If we listen to wisdom, we will gain sound judgment. The result: We will always know the right thing to say. In these times, when people get offended so easily, we need to know how to respond in a way that won’t be like adding fuel to the fire. In my own life, since I am a talker, I find comfort and encouragement in this verse because it shows me that with the wisdom of God, I will be less likely to stick my foot in my mouth!

What treasures can find in the Word today? Go on a treasure hunt and renew your spirit! You won’t be disappointed, for time in the Word is never wasted!
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller

Defective Worship

Defective Worship

When I’m reading through the Old Testament, I often find myself wondering how it applies to us today. However, because all scripture is profitable, I have learned to ask the Lord to help me see how the portion of scripture relates to me.

One day, I was reading Leviticus 22. I noticed in verse 20, it warns not to bring anything with a defect because it wouldn’t be accepted. This was one of those times when I struggled to see how it could relate to me. After all, we are no longer required to offer animal sacrifices, let alone worry about whether or not it is defective.

Suddenly, it dawned on me. We can still offer defective worship. How, you ask? It is when we go through the motions of worship, but our thoughts are on our to-do list, what we are having for lunch, or the argument we had with our spouse. We are to worship God in spirit and truth. We do this by focusing on God, and Him alone.
I am easily distracted, so I am still working on perfecting this. With my wayward mind, it’s going to take some time! Thankfully, our God is patient and willing to help us.

Does your worship need perfecting?
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller

The Power of Praise

The Power of Praise

With working in the healthcare industry, I have noticed a drastic increase over the years, in the number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. They often speak of how demanding it is to be their age, and raising little ones who have so much energy!

I have several friends who are battling enormous health issues. One has excruciating pain, with no more options to relieve it. Another one has stage 4 cancer. One dear friend is caregiver for her husband who has multiple health issues that require 24-hour care. Instead of enjoying their retirement, every day is a battle for them. What overwhelming circumstances they face!

There is no question about it — Life can be hard! Do you ever want to go back to bed, pull the covers over your head, and hide from the world? Do you sometimes just want to turn on Netflix and “veg” all day on mindless pleasure, just trying to escape for a bit? When our outlook is so bleak, what can we do to change it? Can we get a better focus?

My outlook on life seems to be the most bleak the first thing in the morning. I think it is because there are no distractions at that time of morning. The whole house is quiet, so it is easy for my mind to drift and begin a trip down a bad path if I am not careful.

When I feel overwhelmed, I have found that verbally praising God for even the smallest things can change my perspective. I will often turn on instrumental praise music as I drive to work. In that short drive, it is amazing how quickly my attitude changes. The more I magnify the Lord, the smaller my troubles become.

I know – sometimes it is hard to do that when you are feeling so overwhelmed that it is a challenge just to put one foot in front of the other. However, Psalm 50:14-15 tells us to SACRIFICE thank offerings to God. The result is that we can call on Him in the day of trouble, He will deliver us, and we will honor Him.
Try it! Magnify the Lord, and see how your perspective changes!
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller

The Wisdom That Fear Can Bring

The Wisdom That Fear Can Bring

One morning, I awoke to hear there had been a shooting in my city. That is unsettling news to hear the first thing in the morning. If I wanted to know a whole lot more of what happened overnight, I could get on site through Facebook, which would give me much more information. However, most of the time, I refrain from doing so because it just instills fear and anxiety.

I have noticed on the national news, they are discussing things that weren’t often heard just a decade ago. Recently, there is the flesh-eating bacteria, the many ocean creatures that are turning up dead on the shores, the massive flooding in farmlands, which will only raise the cost of food even higher, and I could go on. For the sake of not instilling fear and anxiety in you, I won’t continue on that topic.

It is difficult to get away from hearing disturbing news when we live in such a tech-savvy world. There is a constant barrage of news, even when you aren’t searching for it. You see it on your television, computer, cell phone, and social media. I do believe we have entered the perilous times that the apostle Paul mentioned in the book of Timothy.

So how can we protect ourselves from fear, anxiety, depression, and discouragement in times like these? When David was distressed, he encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6) We need to do the same! By washing ourselves with the water of the Word, it washes away all of the negative feelings and thoughts we have been battling all day. Rather than let fear overwhelm us, we must learn to fear the Lord, for that is where we gain the wisdom to help us when we are struggling.

Wisdom is priceless, in that it can provide us with hope, comfort, strength, joy, and a peace that passes all understanding. Not only that, but we can also reap a good night’s sleep! I know my entire outlook can change if I can get a good night’s sleep after a stressful day, May we never lose sight of the hope we have in our God, even in the midst of difficult times! (Proverbs 2:7-9; 3:14-24)

Micah 6:9 tells us it is sound wisdom to fear God’s name. We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. So if you are battling feelings of fear, open your bible and gain some wisdom for today! Learn to have the right kind of fear – the one where you fear the Lord, and gain wisdom in the process!
© 2019, Stacy R. Miller