“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.” (ESV)
I read a devotion a few weeks ago on the book of Proverbs from Tim Keller that I appreciated greatly. He made this observation: You can have knowledge without wisdom. Many people do. But you cannot have wisdom without knowledge. Wisdom comes only from the careful application of diligent learning. Read the rest…
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (ESV)
As much as many would like and have even tried to argue this is the case, one of the things the Bible does not teach is a kind of tit-for-tat giving arrangement whereby every time we give something, God gives back to us in equal amounts. Any preacher or teacher who has said otherwise is a snake oil salesman in disguise. But… Read the rest…
“Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.” (ESV)
When was the last time something unjust or even simply deeply inconvenient happened that prompted you to think, “I’ve got to do something about this”? Did you follow through on that thought? How did that go? Read the rest…
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
We live in a day in which the physical is everything. Spiritual matters are forgotten or ignored. We apply this trend not only to things, but to people. We are told over and over again–mostly subliminally through the images we are surrounded with on a daily basis–that how we look is the most important thing about us. Sure, we throw a bone at the idea that the inside matters, but this is routinely just lip service. What the Scriptures proclaim, though, is something different. Read the rest…
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
The Scriptures are often pegged as being anti-woman. They create a world in which women are expected to be submissive to their men, serve their men, support their men, and basically go with and do whatever they say. They are not to have any roles in the church, but are to be there and be silent. They aren’t seen as leadership material at all either. At least, that’s how the narrative often goes. And then you actually read what it has to say… Read the rest…
The Nexus 