Scripture:

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

Looking Beyond Ourselves 

Solomon hits us with another impartation of wisdom this morning, and this verse has always stuck to my ribs.   Because my life BC, before Christ, was full of bad decisions that were led by wrong desires, and that is really what Solomon is pointing us to.   When my decisions and my desires are not shaped out of a relationship with the LORD, they are going to lead to the wrong places, the wrong things, and as Solomon points out destruction.

Scripture often warns that human reasoning and human desire can lead to disaster (Jeremiah 17:9). The problem is not that we cannot use reason, or that we can never have right desires. Rather, it's that we're too easily swayed by what we desire, not what is true (Proverbs 1:7). Proverbs 12:15 shows us this danger: the "fool" is the person who trusts his own thinking over and above that of God

James says it is our desires that drag us away (James 1:14).   Because this is a pitfall in our lives, there is wisdom in seeking the Lord, His way, His desire for your life and aligning yourself under that.

Our God Shot today is to align our lives with His and look beyond ourselves.

So how do we do that?   

• Be in the Word
• Pray
• Seek Godly Counsel
• Be Part of a Bible Believing Church
• Put into Practice What You Hear (Word of God)

Father, I thank you that your word has all the answers; it is life to those who take it in.   Let us not lean solely on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge you, serve you, seek you so that we may never be misled by wrong thinking, wrong desires, help us avoid the pitfalls of life in the name of Jesus' name Amen!

Scripture:

Proverbs 11:25

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

What's Your Focus

In a world where the focus always seems to be on the self.   Often we blame social media, but in reality, generosity and being others-focused are decisions; they are choices that anyone can make.  And Solomon here again is imparting wisdom to us, and to even go further, if you understood the cultural reference:

Ancient Israel relied heavily on farming, livestock, and seasonal rainfall. Water was a precious, life-sustaining commodity. The metaphor of "watering others" to be "watered yourself" carried profound, literal weight in a society where drought meant starvation.

What we do matters, where we are focused matters, serving not just our own interest matters, and here Solomon reminds us that God sees what we do in secret (Matthew 6:4) and rewards us openly.   There is this sow and reap principle that if you are generous, if you serve and refresh others, God will send those who will do the same.

Food for thought: What is your focus? Is it others-focused?  Is your interest in blessing others?   And have you experienced refreshing as a result?? 

To examine your motives to become less self-focused and more other-centric, to bless others, to serve others, to turn the camera of your life a little less on you and more on others.   That is the God Shot today.

Lord, I thank you that I have seen this in my life, the reward of serving, of being generous, of serving others, and the blessings, the refreshing that comes from that.   Not only by others, but what happens in our souls when we serve others, even when we are in difficult times, how you have used that to refresh me, so Lord, I thank you for your word, for the truth, and for the blessing of putting it into practice, in Jesus' name, Amen

Scripture:

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Who & What We Worship

Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Here, Solomon uses the 

Hebrew word for honor (kabed), which means to make weighty, glorify, to recognize the true worth of someone.  Why is it important that we give our time, our treasure (tithe), and our talents to God?  Well, this verse tells us it is because we recognize the true worth of the Lord in our lives and we would do anything we could to get this: "Honor Him!"    Solomon is pointing us back to what Jesus was saying in the Sermon on the Mount: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   What has your attention, has you... The question the text is bidding you this day is: "Does He have your heart?"   Does it reflect in your giving, your serving, in your time? 

Two truths:

1. God does not need your money; He created and owns everything and has the power to create what He needs. 
2. He just wants your heart, and He knows where you are invested; that is where you are committed. 

Then he goes on to say:

So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine

Meaning your faithfulness will reap a harvest, it produces not just material things, but spiritual in your life, new wine, a refreshing of the Holy Spirit, your life will be filled and refreshed.

The God shot, the takeaway is that we would examine the checkbook of our life, where we are investing, sowing our time, treasure, and talents.   Do "kabed" honor the Lord? Does He have our hearts, do we find our true worth in HIm?

Lord, keep us near you, help us always do a spiritual check-up in our lives, examining what has our hearts where we spend our time, our treasure, and our talents, keep us near to you.  Help us to value you above all things, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Song of Solomon 6:3

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He browses among the lilies.

God's Design: Marriage and Intimacy  

I think that we might miss amongst the flowery and passionate imagery seen in this book of poems.  The fact that this book exists in the collection of books that make up the word of God reminds us that God designed Marriage and Sex, and it is not dirty; that it is beautiful, all throughout the book, you read both passionate thoughts and pure ones, and how one preserves oneself for marriage.  The book reminds us that we are meant to be connected as one flesh (Gen 2) so that is our God Shot today, that God designed marriage and sex in the confines of marriage, and it is as good as all His creation. 

So for those who are married, this is a reminder to rekindle the things that drew you together, and for those who are not, this is a reminder that marriage was God's plan, and in it you will find what complements you, completes you, and you will find helpmates.

In a world that has tried to redefine or mar what you have defined as beautiful, I thank you for the reminder, Lord, that you defined love, you defined marriage, you created it, it is good.   Lord, I thank you for this reminder today, in Jesus' name amen!

Scripture:

2 Chronicles 7-12

7 On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. 9 Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” 11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.

I believe this portion answers that question. See, at the beginning of this chapter, we read that the Lord was with Solomon.  And if we understand anything from reading the Word of God, we see that the Lord is with those who wholeheartedly seek Him. Those who are near Him, and I don't just mean proximity, but have a heart after His, pursuing the heart and motive of God.   I believe that is what empowered Solomon's request, because it lacked selfish motives.    So to answer the questions this morning, "What draws the presence of God?" let's talk about it:

• Humility: Cultivating a posture that rejects pride and acknowledges total dependence on God.
• Prayer: Being in consistent communication with God, heartfelt and intercessory.
• Seeking His Face: Pursuing God rather than just seeking His hand for blessings or relief.

• Motive:  Having the right motives, a heart after the things of the Kingdom, rather than self-seeking.

God answers that because Solomon’s heart desired wisdom to serve others over personal gain.  This, I believe, is prayer that draws the power of God into our lives; when we align our hearts with His, this moves the power of God into our lives. 

Desire the things of God, HIs Kingdom, pursue Him with all your heart, align your motives with those of the Kingdom (fruit of the spirit), pray, be humble, seek wisdom, ask for understanding, pursue righteousness, always check you motives, this is our God shot today.

Father, know our hearts, check our motives, align them to your Kingdom, give us wisdom and understanding to do the things you have called us to, give us ability and talents to serve your Kingdom that would bring you glory and honor, align us with your purpose, let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our heart be pleasing to you, enlarge us O' Lord that we may make your name great, in Jesus' name, Amen!