Grow in the Word of the Lord

THE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Choose your way carefully, your next step could be a lulu

“The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.”

Proverbs 14:8 (KJV)

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)

“⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

Song of Solomon 6

The Beloved aka The Groom aka Christ

The Shulamite aka The church

The Daughters of Jerusalem aka The unbelievers

The friend of the believer has interest in knowing more about Jesus

Song of Solomon 6:1-3 (KJV), “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.  ² My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.  ³ I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.”

The LORD God created the first garden, Eden. After Eden, the Bible mentions numerous gardens and their attributes. The garden is referred to as a place of shelter and shade, and also as a place of protection

Proverbs 14

An uprighteous walk is inside

Proverbs 14:2 (KJV), “He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.”

You either walk in the Lord or you don’t

Hierarchy of understanding is mentioned again

Proverbs 14:6 (KJV), “A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.”

Proverbs 5:1-2 (KJV), “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: ² That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.”

You must seek the Lord to walk in His way

Proverbs 14:12 (KJV), “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV), “⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  ⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Jesus is our Fountain of Life

Proverbs 14:27 (KJV), “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

Revelation 7:17 (KJV), “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Romans 1

Paul is telling us of his mission to instruct in all of us

Romans 1:1 (KJV), “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”

Servant or bondservant

Strong’s Concordance (1401) – doulos: a slave.  Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – b. metaphorically, α. one who gives himself up wholly to another’s will, are those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men: used of apostles.

Apostle

Strong’s Concordance (652) – apostolos: a messenger, one sent on a mission, an apostle.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – 1. a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.

Separated

Strong’s Concordance (873) – aphorizó: to mark off by boundaries from, i.e. set apart. 

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – to appoint, set apart, one for some purpose.

We are to be a bondservant to Jesus called to send and deliver the gospel message of Jesus Christ

God told Abraham early on that he would be sent out to tell of the coming Messiah

Romans 1:2-6 (KJV), “² (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,).  ³ Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; ⁴ And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: ⁵ By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: ⁶ Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.”

Strong’s Concordance (5547) – Christos: the Anointed One, Messiah, Christ.

Galatians 3:8 (KJV), “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3 (KJV), “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

The Just Live by Faith

Paul tells the Romans that he has been put through it but prevailed.  His faith never waivered and now to pass that faith to them

Romans 1:16-17 (KJV), “¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  ¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:1-4 (KJV), “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.  ² And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  ³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  ⁴ Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

God’s creation and righteousness is known world-wide and available to those who see and believe

Romans 1:18-20 (KJV), “¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  ²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”

And, why?

Romans 1:21-23 (KJV), “²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  ²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.”

And, their consequences

Romans 1:24-25 (KJV), “²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

God created the earth and those to inhabit it to follow His plan.  For those who chose to turn away from what He created and to those things instructed by Him – Homosexuality and the loss of gender identity

Romans 1:26-27 (KJV), “²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

To those who say they do not believe in God or simply defy God’s righteousness

Romans 1:28-32 (KJV), “²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”