Month: August 2013

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Deuteronomy #1 Wandering in the Wilderness

In Deuteronomy Chapter 1, verse 2-8 tells us that it is eleven days journey from Horeb (Mt Sinai) to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mt. Seir, and that in the 40th year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, expounding on God’s law, telling them that God had kept his pledge, had placed the “promised” land before them and that they should go in and possess it. I’m struck by the fact that it took the children of Israel 40 years to make an 11 day journey. 40 YEARS! Two whole generations have passed before they are even in sight of the “promised” land.

Even God’s people can get side-tracked.  An inadvertent decision can change the direction of our lives so profoundly that a new course must be charted to get us to the intended goal.  In the blink of an eye, everything changes, and we can feel that change in our hearts. We know, and it’s too late to turn around and choose differently, as if we, in our willfulness, mired in the situation, could even remotely comprehend the master plan. But, there it is, that streak of arrogance that sets into motion a whole new game plan, and God says to us, “OK, you want to go down that road? We can do that. I can do that, but know this; it is the road of your choosing, not mine, and if you insist on your 40 years in the desert, we can do that, but you will have a time of it. ”

Sometimes our journey requires a detour, a side trip, a scenic route that’s designed to hone us into the kind of person who is ready to take on the challenges of the “promised” land. A seemingly insignificant choice has affected a thousand other choices – our own as well as those of others – and now we must live by our choice. We have already set into motion a chain reaction that will not only impact us, but also countless others, too, and so the wandering begins, our time of drifting, our season of testing.

It’s not God who loses faith, it is us. We are the breakers of promises, the destroyers of covenant, and the seekers after “other” gods, like money, fame, praise, and all manner of material things. We are the faithless ones, and how long our detour takes, the scope of its width depends on us, on our action, or lack thereof, and sometimes it can take a lifetime to circle back to where we belong. And once we have returned, we are to “go in and possess” that place that God has set aside for us.

~SLM

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A Prayer for Communication

Heavenly Father, inventor and keeper of the word, fill me with Your love and compassion whenever I speak. Let me not sully my discourse with bitterness and hatred, but create in me Your spirit of benevolence guiding my words with prudence and dignity, so they may be a source of enthusiasm and inspiration, of calm comfort to others. Amen.

 

 

~SLM

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Proverbs 10:17-32 Handbook for Life Part II

…and the paraphrasing continues with chapter 10, verse 17…

17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Those who exercise discipline, who observe and follow a mindful philosophy, are like a beacon shining on a hill for others to see and emulate, but those who disregard their need for adjustment, who discount their actions, and deny their faults, are like blind curve on a mountain pass that can send you crashing into utter ruin.

18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
and spreads slander is a fool.

Smiling faces sometimes tell lies, and those who cover over hatred with congenial gestures while disparaging others misuse their mental powers, reason wrongly.

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.

Misdeeds cannot be corrected by confusing the situation with word upon word of superfluous information, because words without sincerity and intention are meaningless, but when we stop and contemplate, conserving our remarks, we act judiciously.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

When we live in a place of honesty and integrity, speaking with kindness and love, our actions become a gift more valuable than the choicest silver, but those whose hearts harbor selfish desires and malicious intent hold no worth, they are of little consequence.

21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.

A fool would rather die than to think differently, to use their intelligence to help others instead of for their own selfish desires. But when we come from a place of honesty, choosing a moral path, encouraging others to be the best version of themselves, we are like fertile ground; we feed the spirit.

22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it.

See the post titled “Count Your Blessings” for this one!

23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

This one needs no translation. It speaks for itself in plain language, ‘nough said!

24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;
what the righteous desire will be granted.

When we walk out of step with wisdom, what we fear and worry over is called to us, but if we seek wisdom’s counsel, and live our lives rightly, then our desires are called to us.

25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.

When things get hard, complicated, and the “shit hits the fan,” the vile disappear, but the reputable stand firm and work through the tempest.

26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are sluggards to those who send them.

This verse serves to remind us that no one appreciates laziness. When we are lazy, we cause pain and suffering to those who depend upon us.

27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.

Respect for things we don’t understand, the powers of nature, of the universe, of God, and a humble attitude toward these powers, makes us more prudent in our choices, while an irreverent, arrogant attitude toward them spur rash and irrational behavior that can put our lives in danger.

28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

When we live an honorable and faith-filled life, our outlook transforms into happiness and enjoyment, but the expectations of the hateful will not materialize.

29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

Following God’s laws are a comfort and a sanctuary for the virtuous, but God’s way is both a threat and a disaster for those who are corrupt and unethical.

30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.

If we live our lives with integrity and authenticity, we become like an oak tree, deeply rooted in spirit, but when we choose the path of dishonesty and immorality, we are like tumble weeds, drifting in the wind,.

31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

The person who does the right thing speaks with the voice of wisdom, but those who twist the truth, distorting it, will be stifled.

32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Those who are decent and upright speak in love and consideration, while the unpleasant and malicious skew truth, speaking in profane and self-serving nonsense.

It is interesting to me how many references to speech are used Proverbs 10, as if reminding us that “loose lips sink ships!” To live wisely, we are advised to watch our mouths, to hold our tongues, to understand that what we say can and does have a huge impact upon others, as well as ourselves. There are consequences to everything in life, and spreading gossip, speaking badly of others, and using our faculties of language to impugn or injure others will most certainly come back upon us, will indict us with our own words.

~SLM

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Proverbs 10:22 Count Your Blessings

Sometimes, when studying scripture, you’re handed a big, fat, juicy morsel to chew on and digest, and for me, Proverbs 10:22 is just such a tidbit.

“It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it,”

A simple sentence, packed with a complexity of subtle flavors, and a rich texture of nourishing truth that speaks on many levels.

On one plane, we are reminded that anxiety and pain often times comes from our want of something, from our coveting what others have, and when we focus on our lack, lack is all we can see. It tells us that what we emphasize in our lives is what we create for ourselves. So, when we emphasize God, counting our blessings, we underscore the many gifts we are given every day, our abundance, and it changes our perception, giving us the chance to see the world around us with new eyes.

On another level, it tells us to look at life through joyful eyes. If we delight in our many blessings, our lives become welcome, and our happiness permeates our entire being, making our daily lives a gift rather than a burden to us. Even if our road takes us down a few dark alleys, scary places we don’t understand or appreciate, we can still see the positive, find the joy, and know that we are loved and cared for. The Lord’s blessings enrich us, even if they are given through difficulties.

It also speaks to the fact that the things of this world, our clothes, our cars, our home, or our nifty little electronic toys, are very transitory. They do not last, nor do they hold any real significance in the overall scheme of things. The point we should hold in our hearts is this: It is God’s blessings that make us rich, and when we realize this simple truth, realize just how fortunate we truly are, our daily “toils” are no longer painful, they shrink away to nothingness.

~SLM