No Slacking!

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him [on an errand]. Prov 10:26 (HCSB) I made my to-do list early in my quiet time this morning as I prayed over how I needed to organize this day. As I looked at it, I saw all of the things that I'd rather put off. I can do them later, can't I? It will be okay! Then I read this verse. The truth is, I am depended upon to complete these tasks. Some by my family, some by people outside my family...and some of it is just between me and my Lord. Unfortunately, I do tend to be a slacker when it comes to certain tasks, especially tasks that I don't really enjoy. If I am a slacker instead of being diligent, I have a pretty negative effect on those around me. And as my children have slacked this morning, I've seen that one of those negative effects is that of setting a bad example for my kids! So, here I am, working through my whole list. Even though there are several things I'd love to skip and replace with other, more enjoyable tasks, I am not going to do it. I am going to be diligent. I am not going to be a slacker. I am going to honor my word. And, just for the record, this blog post was on the list!

Face Value

Doesn’t Wisdom call out? Doesn’t Understanding make her voice heard? Prov 8:1 (HCSB) It's amazing the ways God challenges my heart. It might be through an interaction with someone, a passing phrase in a book, an email, a thought that seems to come from "nowhere." He is quite creative in the ways He reveals Himself to me. But, the one consistency is this...He always confirms it through His Word. Always. Without fail. I'm reading aloud a book to the girls about a Wycliffe missionary to the Philippines. During her time working on translating the Bible for a mountain tribal group there, she was continually confronted with the reality that she did not regularly take God's Word at face value. As I read her story, I see much of the same truth in my life. God makes His wisdom and understanding readily available to me - they are clearly outlined in His Word, and He uses His work in this world to make them very real to me in day to day life. I am so humbled as I realize how much wisdom and understanding I am lacking. How I must take His Word at face value and accept that He is true! He is right! He is wise! He has perfect understanding! I am so challenged to grow in this.

Precious

Over the past week, my challenges somehow haven't made it from my planner to the blog. Although I'm not going to go back and play catch-up here, I hope to incorporate many of the ideas into posts on my thoughts blog. Thanks for reading! Keep my commands and live; protect my teachings as you would the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”and call understanding [your] relative. Prov 7:2-4 (HCSB) When I first started reading through Proverbs every month, I was sure that at some point I would get tired of it. I know the Word of the Lord is alive and powerful, but I also know that I can read a rut into just about anything. But instead of reading a rut into Proverbs, I seem to be learning more and more each month. As I read the verses in different translations and as the chapters are read in the midst of different circumstances, the message comes alive in such beautiful ways. Today these verses grabbed my heart. The Word of God - His wisdom and teaching - is such a precious, precious gift. But, do I live my life as if it is precious? I do a great deal to protect my eyes. When something is important for me to remember, I make sure I have it in my planner - something that is always near me and available to remind me of whatever I might forget. And, although in our society today we may have lost a bit of the concept of the closeness of relatives that was expressed in Scripture, I still can grasp the concept of wisdom being my sister and know the intimacy that should express. Do I hold the Word of God in such regard? Is it that important to me?

That is my challenge - to have a conscious and high regard for the teaching of my God. To guard it in my heart as my most prized possession. To live in familiar intimacy with His wisdom.