Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 24:11-12

“Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,’ won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work?”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

Have you ever read a verse and felt convicted by it? I’ve spent the past several days reading through Proverbs 24. I initially came to this spot because I caught a verse in another context and wanted to write a note about it. Taking my own advice, I read the whole context. There’s a ton of great stuff in this chapter. And there’s this passage. It’s grabbed my heart and mind and hasn’t let go. If you would, let me explore that with you. 

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Morning Musing: Psalm 139:14

“I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” (Psalm 139:14 – Read the chapter)

Sometimes you find yourself in the midst of a moment you weren’t expecting to experience. Now, technically, every second of our lives is a moment, but that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about a true moment; one of those times when the world gets a glimpse at reality in a way no one can ignore. I found myself there Wednesday night while watching the season premier of season 14 of America’s Got Talent.

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Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 24:17-18

“Don’t gloat when your enemy falls, and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him.”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

It is satisfying to see someone who deserves justice get it. When someone has been wronged, we love to see them get what is right. Conversely, when someone has done something wrong, we love to see them get their due punishment. This is part of what made movies like Home Alone such a hit. A couple of bad guys got what was coming to them in deliciously hilarious fashion. But, while justice delivered is satisfying (and should be so), there’s a line here that we are wise to not cross. 

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Morning Musing: Proverbs 24:29

“Don’t say, ‘I’ll do to him what he did to me; I’ll repay the man for what he has done.’”‬‬ (CSB – Read the chapter

I have three young boys. They’re all boys. Our household is generally in a constant state of noisy chaos. And they are brothers through and through. If you have boys you know what that means. While they will get each other’s backs, they fight like cats and dogs much of the time. But more than that, they’re kids. Their brains run on kid logic. That can be enormously frustrating as parents sometimes, but it is to be expected. They’re kids. What is disturbing is when adults operate on kid logic. 

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Strange Fire

This past Sunday morning we continued our series, Bible Stories to Make You Squirm, with what I think is about the hardest story in the whole of the Scriptures. I didn’t want to write this sermon. But if all Scripture is God-breathed, then we need to be able to deal with this part of it too. Check out what makes it so hard and what we should do with it below. Thanks for reading.

Strange Fire

I didn’t want to write this sermon.  Can I say that out loud?  I didn’t want to write this sermon.  Have you ever felt that way?  I mean, probably not about a sermon, but maybe about something else you’ve done.  You did it.  You had to do it.  It needed to be done.  But you didn’t want to do it.  Maybe you were helping somebody out and you knew it was going to wind up being a lot of effort for you for a little gratitude from them.  Perhaps you were given some task at work that you knew was just not going to be a pleasant undertaking—and you were right, by the way—but the boss asked for it and you were stuck with it.  You may have experienced this kind of feeling in yet some other way.  I don’t know what your experience was.  All I know is that I didn’t want to write this sermon. 

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