The Simple Life

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30 (ESV)   Beauty is available to all who desire to be beautiful, and is something you do, not something you are. Fearing the Lord yields a beautiful person.   Physical beauty is deceptive. It offers nothing of lasting value because physical beauty fades. Cute little puppies grow into dogs, adorable kittens become cats, and beautiful little bunnies turn into rabbits. It is not that the adult versions of these animals are not beautiful in their own way, but we describe the beauty differently, because the beauty of the baby has faded into the reasonable beauty of the adult.   An old dog looks old. An older person looks older. The real beauty never resided on the exterior, but in the fact that this person loved God and loved others. When God chose David to be king of Israel, He made it clear that man has a habit of looking on the outward appearances, whereas God looks at the ...

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:5-9 (ESV)   God is a shield to those who know Him and obey Him. He is of no use to those who ignore Him. Since God is the creator and sustainer of life, there is no life without Him.   Those who live in futility do so because they have ignored God, and the more they try to find purpose and meaning in this life without Him, the more hopeless everything becomes.   The truth cannot be found by those who do not seek God. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. Proverbs 28:25-27 (ESV)   Trusting in our own mind is foolish. We are warned in Proverbs 3 against trusting our own understanding. We are warned here that one who trusts his own mind is a fool.   The alternatives for trusting one's own mind is to trust others, which will turn out, at least, disappointing, and, at most, disastrous. Trusting in money is futile, for one cannot love money, and, if they do, it only breeds disaster.   It is often hard to determine this thing called greed, because we are so kind to ourselves when we define it. Here we are told that the greedy man stirs up strife and does not share his/her resources with the poor.   It is better for one to give than to keep, than to have what they keep...

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:1-2 (ESV)   Boasting about anything is evil, for it places the focus on us and not God. We were created to point to God, and anything that alters that is a step towards an evil abyss.   If we are going to boast, we are going to compare, and there is no intellectually honest way to compare ourselves with anyone else, for, if we are a Christian, we are all one. Christians are one in that the body is one. When you look at me, you see Dave. You do not see the various parts that make up Dave, even though you see the various parts. When I pick up a newspaper, I do not spend time admiring the fingers, elbow, or hands that grasped the newspaper. If we are observing, we say this: "Dave picked up the newspaper."   A healthy community is impressed by the whole and who controls the whole much more than the individual par...

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool. Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools. Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:4-12 (ESV)   The Bible is not politically correct in that it calls some people fools, and when it does so, it is correct in its assessment. It is important that we read and consider what is being said. Then again, if we don't, we are the fool that is mentioned....

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 (ESV)   I am not sure anyone knows what the burning coals mean, and there is much discussion as to its meaning. I am sure that the context is clear. We are not to retaliate against our enemies. We are not to take vengeance into our hands.   We must realize that God and man have different responsibilities, and if we take on God's responsibilities, responsibilities we are not meant to bear, we will destroy ourselves.   It would be as if I was trying to lift a ton off the ground, or if I attempted to fly while jumping off a building. Either way, I will fail, and be in a world of hurt, because I am attempting something that I am not made to do.   God is God and I am Dave, and there are specific demarcations as to whose responsibilities are whose. I would be wise to know them and abide b...